Handling of Katrina

I'm astonished, amazed and embarrassed by our country's lack of preparation for Katrina and its aftermath. It's just incredible that with several days warning of the storm's intensity, we could not evacuate people in areas most likely to be affected. Why not? Why was there no disaster plan in place on the part of the states and counties in Louisiana and Mississippi? Are there no agencies responsible for it? Why was there no mobilization of rescue teams, military, national guard, and search and rescue teams and equipment in the days leading up to the disaster?

This should be a warning to other states vulnerable to natural disaster, particularly California, which has more people than any other state. Schwarzenegger should immediately appoint someone to be in charge of scenario planning for earthquakes, which, unlike hurricanes, strike without any warning.

I'm also just stunned to see that virtually every picture you see of our citizens taking refuge in the Superdome -- as well as those on rooftops, clinging to life or already dead, wading through the streets to get food or necessities from flooded conveniences stores, struggling to help those too sick to move in hospitals -- are black. I've been to New Orleans twice and remember a racially mixed city. I checked the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center statistics here and found that in the greater New Orleans area, approximately 66% of the residents are black.

Is the sluggish response in the wake of the disaster a clear sign of racism? There's no substantive basis I can come up with for arguing for or against the assertion. It's disgraceful, racist or not.

Another interesting question: These same areas were virtually annihilated in 1969 by Hurricane Camille. Now, 36 years later, they've been destroyed again. Should we rebuild New Orleans, Biloxi, Mobile, and other cities again? Nature will certainly destroy everything again. The only question is when, not if. This is more than a local question. This is a national question. Because much of the disaster relief funding will come from federal dollars. And that makes everyone in the US have an interest in the answer. My biased answer is: Sure, go ahead, build away. But earmark a fixed percentage local property and sales tax for future disaster relief. Self-insure against the certain disaster. Adjust the rates depending upon the property's location and storm-worthiness. Should be the same model for other states in disaster prone areas.

Let the cleanup, relief efforts, and finger pointing begin.