Were the people of hurricane katrina victims?

Question

I dont understand why there were people in New Orleans to begin with, There was so much warning and so many chances for people to leave why was there anybody there when the hurricane hit?

Answer 1

So...the defence from neocons is...what? That they deserved it?

The hurricane was one thing...the flood was quite another. Many people in that region are quite used to dealing with Cat 4s & 5s, and many people stay despite the warnings.

The bulk of the problem with Katrina was not Katrina itself, it was the lack of response following the place turning into a rapidly filling bathtub.

It was a clear case of a Federal government in a developed country lacking the skill, the will, the intent and the compassion to take care of their own people.

If that had happened in Australia (where we also have natural disasters) the government responsible would not be winning any more elections.

Answer 2

Nah, if you have that much notice and you don't leave, you are a "volunteer".

You know, it is amazing to me that in the wildfires in San Diego County two years or so after Katrina, over 650,000 people were evacuated (N.O.'s population was around 425,000), and it was barely a blip on the radar, news-wise.  They are pretty much all back home, now, having rebuilt, and with just your basic Federal Disaster Relief sort of help, and private insurance.

And most of them had only an hour or two notice to get out.

Answer 3

i agree it was their own fault for not leaving after weeks of warnings.  

Answer 4

I think they were victims in a since the government, for who the pay taxes to as well, did not want to help them and left them without help for far to long. Our government had troops and rescue units helping the tsunami victims in less then 24 hours, why can’t they do that for Americans?

I am a student living in Florida right now, though the news is making such a big deal over the tropical storm, for some of us they are telling us its no big deal. You never know how nature is going to react and the fact is that most people in New Orleans don’t have the money to pick up in run unless it is serious. None the less they and all Americans deserve the right to have help in a catastrophe.  

Answer 5

Maybe for like 3 months, but it has been 3 years.  

Answer 6

It has to do with the nature of hurricanes and the local media;

Hurricanes are unpredictable, I can't tell you how many times they've predicted a hurricane was going to hit Houston only to have turn away at the last minute, and, every time there's a little rainstorm in the Gulf the local media makes it out to be the killer storm of the century, only to have it turn out to be nothing more than a heavy rainstorm.

After you live on the Gulf Coast for awhile you start to ignore hurricane warnings, sometimes at your own peril.

Answer 7

They were victims of poor planning, poor local governance, victims of natural forces which they tried to defy.

They were told to evacuate and too many chose not too.

Now they say the government let them down.

We've paid 123 Billion dollars for them and they still complain.

If you know you're living on a volcano you should move before you get your A S S bl0wn off..

Answer 8

I live 35 miles from New Orleans, we evacuated, it's inconvenient but when you must, you must.

Most of those people in NO did not want to evacuate.

The state and local government were absolutely no help to those in need. Mayor Nagin let school buses set empty and flood instead of using them. The same goes for Amtrak, they offered to evacuate people too and was turned down. The Mayor and governor did not want responsibility for those people, there were only a few evacuation centers and these were without provisions. Since NO is below sea level in a hurricane prone area, you would think that someone at some level would have been prepared. FL and MS are always prepared.

The feds came in after it was over, which is what FEMA is designed to do.

Never rely on any government for your own safety.