New Media from a Journalism Veteran
Blog entries | Emotions, Images and Delayed Projects
Lots of things to occupy a mind on this Sunday morning. Rescuers finally arrived in New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast but the delay in response must be addressed and must not be allowed to happen again.
The images on newscasts disturb even a cynical newspaperman. How could this be allowed to happen in the richest, most powerful, country in the world? Why did the government response agencies tasked with rapid action sit on their hands for nearly a week?
Spent Saturday morning loading food and water on planes at Roanoke Municipal Airport and then the afternoon trying to work kinks out of over-extended muscles. Then reviewed reports of fundraising efforts by our sister web site.
Our work on Katrina relief efforts has delayed launch of the new web site, FloydCounty.Com. The new launch date is September 15. When people lay dying on the streets of a major American city, work on a new web site is hardly a high priority.
bob
September 9, 2005 at 6:26 pm
I have enjoyed your posts. We have much the same feelings as you about the current aftermath in the Gulf from Katrinia. We have placed an emphasis on hurricane relief, and are working on efforts of our own, through our sister group Lynchburg Freecycle. Take care.
cindy lee
September 5, 2005 at 10:57 pm
What happened in New Orleans is bad but the people were warned to evacuate. I realize that many of the folks that stayed were most likely financially unable to leave. The government should have been better prepared for this both pre hurricane and post hurricane.
I live on the coast of NC. When we are ordered to evacuate the powers that be warn us that if we don’t leave we are responsible for ourselves. That it will take time for supplies and personnel to get in to help us. They remind us that we only have 2 bridges on and off the islands and to make their point even better understood the cops will often go up to homes ask the owner if they plan to stay and if the owner says yes the cops get the name of the next of kin.
The folks in New Orleans were told this was going to be a bad storm. They knew that the city was under sea level and there has always been a chance that the levee could break and if it did it would be bad. No one can know how much my heart goes out for the people of New Orleans but to fault the government for all the cities woes is wrong. The people have to accept some of the responsibility for what transpired down there.