California fires suggest U.S. has learned Katrina lessons
Blogged by: Peter Apps
A paper plate asking people to sign up for showers is on display at the Fairgrounds evacuation center in Del Mar, California, October 23, 2007.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Once again, the United States is having to deal with the kind of mass displacement and disaster more often associated with the developing world. California's fires have forced a million people from their homes - almost half the number who've fled to camps in Darfur or a quarter of Iraq's total displaced.
Inevitably, comparisons are being made to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans - and so far they're mostly favourable.
"The New Orleans mayor and Louisiana governor could not get their act together," said the Lawrence Journal World and News. "They blamed each other, other politicians and the Federal government for not acting in a timely and effective manner. The opposite seems to be true in California."
The BBC quotes Donald Ketti, professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, as saying California would have been better prepared if National Guard troopers had not been deployed to Iraq.
But again, he said that what's been seen so far in California represents a "vast improvement". "In terms of leaders on the scene, it is far better - that was an enormous problem in the case of Katrina," he said.
Reuters reports that the White House is still haunted by the memory of the public-relations fiasco of Katrina.
"Yes, Katrina was not handled well," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino replied when asked about lessons learned. "The president accepted responsibility for that, and then he took action to fix it."
Britain's Independent newspaper says it's California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who has looked "every inch the leader".
COUNSELLORS AND MASSAGES
Many newspapers contrast conditions in San Diego's main stadium, where evacuees can speak to counsellors or even get a massage, with the apocalyptic scenes in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, where bathrooms overflowed and dead bodies were left outside.
"My first thought was, man, the rich really know how to suffer," wrote a columnist in the Seattle Times. "I had to remind myself that people are suffering. A massage can't make up for a lost home."
But the columnist also points out that the wildfires have spared the urban areas devastated by post-Katrina flooding. Evacuees could easily drive to San Diego's stadium, whereas it was much harder to get around New Orleans which was 80 percent under water.
The Houston Chronicle is rather more concerned with making sure its city's response to Hurricane Katrina isn't lumped together with that of New Orleans.
"The Houston operation... was a model of speedy and efficient disaster relief," the paper said, adding that the city took in evacuees from elsewhere.
"Houston has paid a price for its largesse," it said. "The city experienced a surge in violent crime in part contributed to Katrina evacuees who were both the perpetrators and victims. It risks a spike in its homeless population when housing assistance for Katrina victims is exhausted."
Some stories simply point out that California's richer population are more resilient and the state better-equipped. But some survivors still see a strong Katrina effect.
"San Diego has reacted really well, really come together as a community," Canada's National Post quotes high school teacher Emily Longerbone as saying. "Not that New Orleans didn't. I think it was just more chaotic. I think the country learned a lesson. Unfortunately, Katrina had to be that lesson."
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9 responses to “California fires suggest U.S. has learned Katrina lessons”
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Peter Apps covered business, politics, disaster, disease, agriculture and occasional crime stories for Reuters in southern Africa before being reposted to Sri Lanka just in time for a new outbreak of civil war. A minibus crash on assignment in September 2006 broke his neck and left him quadriplegic. Nine months to the day after the crash, he was released from hospital in a wheelchair and returned to work for AlertNet in London, scheming his return to field reporting.
26 Oct 2007 09:36:20 GMT
Katrina is just what the whole world needs to use as a lesson. Before it happened, it was hard to believe that the American society could come apart the way it did. Scenes of looting and dead people laying around for days were absolutely shocking.
26 Oct 2007 14:45:23 GMT
It's not that the government did a better job evacuating people, it's that the California residents needing evacuation were mostly wealthy suburban residents who could evacuate themselves. In New Orleans, poor urban residents needed government help, and none was forthcoming. If anything it shows that the administration will mobilise to help wealthy, white republicans while leaving mostly black democrats to fend for themselves.
27 Oct 2007 10:52:11 GMT
The lessons learned from Katrina were the magnitude of the incompetence exhibited, first by the Democrat Mayor of New Orleans and the, then, Democrat governor of Louisiana, who both failed to act when it was time to evacuate their citizens. Pictures of the scores of school buses sitting in flooded parking lots is testament to their total failure as leaders. These failures unfairly magnified the job left to the Federal government and FEMA.
28 Oct 2007 11:23:27 GMT
Having lived in both areas, and lived through Katrina I will say the biggest difference is this:
In New Orleans, you had total outage of power, water, TV, radio, cellphone... everything. In San Diego, the power was still on, and the fires affected only a small portion of the residents. Had the fires reached the power lines supplying San Diego County, there would've been chaos in a short time. People don't realize how devastating Katrina really was. There was no functional infrastructure. None. For days. San Diego County is much more densley populated and more arid than the NO area. Take away water and power and I don't think it would've been orderly and I don't think there are enough troops in the US army (stateside) to effectively control that area if it went toward anarchy like NO did. That's the aspect I see left out of most of the pro US government coverage. Not saying, just saying.29 Oct 2007 14:46:11 GMT
"In New Orleans, poor urban residents needed government help, and none was forthcoming." Exactly. Where were the City and State governments? They are the first line of defense and aid for their people. The people of New Orleans needed their local governments to act. They failed in their duties, miserably. In Calif. the cities and the state did their jobs, whereas the City of N.O. and State of LA. did squat for their citizens. Those who continually attempt to lay the blame at the federal level are intellectually dishonest.
30 Oct 2007 09:17:12 GMT
There were no leaping flames anywhere near me in Carlsbad. But for those first days, oh boy, the sky had a weird cast, almost sinister, the kind of way the world looks during a solar eclipse. And what a stink. Particles floating down, too.
As for the refugee problem â I, and others, kept wondering: where ARE all these million, or half-million displaced persons? One did not see them -- no Cormac McCarthy shufflers, no Kathe Kolowitz armies of wretched refugee families, not on foot, not in cars. Fire and destruction, yes. But no sense of dystopia or apocalypse. And no pix -- other than those in the shelters -- of this huge population. And how many, after all, could fit in all the shelters combined? A hundred thousand at most? Where were these people? Well of course, I live in non-fire country, so I wouldn't necessarily see refugees with my own eyes. But you'd expect to see TV pix, because TV is so GOOD at showing things like that. You know, I think many people around here -- though not like people in NO, maybe -- have friends and relatives. And that is where a lot of 'em went! Why go to a shelter when Uncle Mike lives outside the danger zone and has told you to feel welcome if you need a place to go? Especially if you have kids. That is what my friends Rick and Shanina did. They evacuated their home in Jamul (very dangerous place) and took refuge with our mutual friend Pat in an unaffected part of San Diego. They stayed for several days. This was simply an extended family extending itself. It's true that people here, unlike many in NO, all have cars, and we have a freeway system, and getting around was possible (though not on all freeways) even at the worst times. And of course, many people -- though by no means all people -- could afford to pay for a week in a motel. Also, it's one thing to be evacuated, then to return to your home and community. And another to have no community to return to. I understand a lot of factors. But there is also, in this region, a wide-spread social bond throughout the economic levels and groups. You cannot discount or minimize the importance of this. The social bond. I don't care how low, say, a Mexican family's income might be, or what their level of education. This family is not an isolated unit. Mexican culture is socially bonded, no matter what the hell other stuff is going on. And when shit hits the fan, that matters. Big time. And this may be said of possibly the majority of the people who were affected by the fire. The best, most useful source of news during the fires was, in my opinion, not television, and it certainly wasn't some emergency communications system put in place by the government. It was the fireblog of the San Diego Union-Tribune. And up in Lake Arrowhead, one communally minded man -- just one guy -- maintained a fireblog which all the scattered residents could check in with, not only for information, but to feel part of a community that, physically, was burning up into ash and cinders. Other than that the Forest Service is Federal, I really don't think the Feds did that much, I really don't. I think the social institutions and organizations and people themselves took care of a very big portion of the refugee problem. And your alertnet writer doesn't seem to grasp that. He's making all kinds of other connections (the kind, frankly, that I'd expect him to make). Not that those connections are wrong. But one sees where one looks, and doesn't see that which one isn't looking at. I think your alertnet people might want to look into what went on in San Diego County with all the displacees, maybe send some people down here and try to piece together the story, whatever that story is. The things I tell you are anecdotal. I'm not in possession of "the story."30 Oct 2007 12:40:39 GMT
About the Katrina horrors that followed with the flooding of New Orleans, it's SIGNIFICANT that the LA Governor, a DEMOCRAT, refused all and any federal intervention until days after the terrors began and by then, things had deteriorated to the terrible extents that the rest of the world viewed. But the "delay" in any and all federal assistance for Louisiania and New Orleans, specifically, was because federal intervention was NOT ALLOWED by the Governor herself. That the Bush Administration later assumed responsibility for the suffering was honorable but it was certainly not deserved -- had the federal agencies been granted access by the Governor at the immediate outset, the later conditions would never have been so terrible. The process works this way: the state has to grant the federal level access, or, rather, "intervention" in state conditions. In CA, by comparison, Schwarzenegger immediately accepted Pres. Bush's offer to! intervene and that made all the difference locally for those affected by the fires.
30 Oct 2007 16:23:16 GMT
To The Readers:
Let me start by saying it'd be far easier on me as a Katrina Victim if our HOME had BURNED in Mississippi: Also, Mississippi Residents, including myself are getting a bit sick of hearing references made only regarding New Orleans & their devastation due to Katrina: Please keep in mind New Orleans FLOODED PEOPLE: .. Ask yourselves why werent the Leeves updated years ago, Louisiana was given Federal funds: where did those Federal Funds go: Yes your/mine TAX DOLLARS: Think about it, then you ask: .. The world portrays our Mississippi Gulf Coast as if all's well and fine; Please let me set the record straight, I LIVE HERE, IT CERTAINLY IS NOT well & fine: .. Getting back to Explanation: Our home burned when I was a young child and that experience was far less devastating to me then having to deal with facts concerning our loss due to not only Katrina's devastation but due to losing all we worked for during our Lifetime most specific is what Katrina didnt take LOOTERS were allowed to & take FREELY: .. Yes, the absolute worst is knowing for a fact we Residents were held out and denied access for weeks. We were not allowed to enter our very own Home sites during this period yet LOOTERS were and roamed free loading everything & anything in their path, then easily hauling away our personal belongings never to be seen by us again, No questions asked: .. Ask yourself how could your local Law Enforcement Personnel refuse you access to your own home, but allow strangers " Looters " a free reign of all our properties: Yes, ask yourself that very question: Does that set well with you, I didnt think so: ... Absolute TRUE/FACT is we have 4 different sets of photos of our Home site beginning as early as the very next morning after Katrina which were taken by friends who were allowed ENTRY and were associated with Utility Companies ,,, In the photos we can see clearly our personal items which were still boxed which were stored in our home now setting in our driveway: I kid you not, nor am I Exagerating, it's * FACT * ... Photos dont lie people do ! ... Yes, it would be far less a burden on me knowing that everything we wworked for & owned burned then living with the thoughts day to day knowing we were violated not only by Katrina but also the very people who are suppose to Protect and Defend us as well as our Homes ! ... It sickens me: The very idea just knowing our belongings that were left by Katrina were then STOLEN " and " YET the worst of it: The very idea these LOOTERS/ THEIVES were allowed entry while we the Residents were denied access: During this period and for weeks we were told lie after lie after lie about our area having water, of course we later discovered it DID NOT pictures prove it as well as the ground was never saturated with water. Our street was and remained as they say DRY AS A BONE. Tornado's hit us early in the AM hours, not high water surges: .. Pass Christian Mississippi Residents would love to see a full blown investigation into the matter, but of course here again is another DREAM we know will never come true: .. Some suggest you forget & move on: Well, I'll propose this to anyone who's willing: Come here, live what we're living then you tell me to forget Katrina and move on: It's as my Grandfather used to say he as well as myself " Texas Born & Bred " ..... " Money Talks and Bullshit walks " ... I FOR ONE DO NOT WANT NOR WILL I LET PEOPLE FORGET KATRINA VICTIMS: It's nice the Government can use us as a Training ground right: "" WRONG "" .. this is not appreciated, not at all. They should have done their jobs correctly regarding Katrina when it happened: Then again, it's as they say the Rich do fend off the Poor, now dont they ? .. yeah California has a lot of MONEY which makes it's way into Washington DC: Sure does: ... PS: ... Yes FEMA sucked then and it still does: Point made, just look at what FEMA attempted to do with fake Reporters and it back fired, who can you trust within FEMA or for that matter within the United States Government ? .. Gimmie me a break: As we heard from the very beginning how Bush was going to insure Katrina victims would be helped: Well, let me remind you, my last name isnt { KENNEDY } need I say more ? ... Red Cross was selective w/regard to what, whom & where they dealt and how they dealt: Also I can & will tell you there wont be any Donations from, here ever again; not one thin DIME ! .. I'm seeking a full Investigation w/disclosure to the PUBLIC: I for one as well as others in Mississippi want to know precisely where all the Millions donated to Red Cross went in behalf of Ms Katrina victims; OR better yet in who's pocket does the money remain ! Mississippi Katrina Victims didnt get it nor have they yet received it: I for one stopped keeping track when the Red Cross donations reached 800 MILLION DOLLARS, which could have built a majority of homes lost along our Ms Gulf Coast: Here many Residents are still homeless due to the housing shortage; GREEDY Landlords who have doubled and trippled rents while Residents are still residing in small " FEMA " trailers; But let me tell you not for long, these people have been told to GET OUT: THE FEMA areas are closing, they dont care where these people are going to live: .. Regards, Cookie21 Nov 2007 14:17:49 GMT
I lived in San Diego for many years and have to New Orleans. I think it is funny that people are saying about rich white Republicans, because that means you have never been there. California is a very liberal state and very much a Democrat state. There are many rich there, but there are many poor as well. There is also a large minority population. I think the main difference between Katrina and the San Diego fires is the people. So. Cal people do come together when the going gets tough, their have been a lot of fires there and earthquakes. When their is a problem they are there for each other and then they are back to their lives, they do not wait for help they help each other and then ask for assistance. The Massages and the businesses donating food are just minor examples. So. Cal is its own world, they do things at their pace. If you ever want to live there you had better enjoy a crowd because there are a lot people there and I ! still consider them my friends. Do not try to make them feel bad because they are more organized, maybe we should learn from them.