Why do we not take special note of the three year anniversary of all natural disasters?

Question

I got some news coverage today making a big deal about the third anniversary of Katrina putting New Orleans back under water where Ma Nature always intended it to be. OK, fine. But why is there no three year anniversary coverage of the many, many other natural disasters? The 469,000 acre forest fire in my state of Arizona in 2002? No mention. Brush fires in California over the years? No mention? I can't wait until the three year anniversary of this years floods in Iowa. The news coverage there will be huge like Katrina. Right?

Answer 1

As much as I'd like to agree with you that all natural disasters should be remembered for the sorrow they have caused, it should be remembered that it wasn't the hurricane that caused NO disaster, it was a break in the levee the following day,  Katrina didn't even land directly in NO.

A representative of the Army Corps of Engineers was on TV that night explaining that the levee had not be built to a standard to contain a storm that was stronger than Katrina, because it was deemed not economical.

New Orleans was a major city, of over a million people, in the flooding this year, bad as it was, far, far less people were affected.  For the most part they had flood insurance too, something renters don't often have, and there are more renters in cities than in suburbs or rural areas.

Only Galveston back in the early part of the last century, suffered the same way, but there were few survivors to be cared for then, that's where the government really let its citizens down.  All they had to do was turn on the TV to see the problem, there seemed to be no response at all.  We actually functioned better when a tsunami hits a half a world away than we did in our own country.

By the way, the floods were also caused by levees breaking.

And the more levees that are built the worse the flooding gets downstream of them.  Man must face the fact that nature will take back its own.

Answer 2

You won't see it covered.  The people in those areas just don't know how to get the attention...unlike a lot of those who were affected by Katrina.  Yes, any disaster is a horrible thing to live through, and I feel sorry for the majority, but it doesn't give the people affected the right to tax dollars for the rest of their lives.  I have heard comments from people who were moved from the area for their safety, and moved to a different state....all on tax payers dollars  They're crying because they can't go home, and they didn't have the insurance to cover the damages, so they were left with nothing, as I too would be, if I didn't have coverage on my house.  The hype of the anniversary of Katrina is only due to...."those who cry loudest, cry best".