| It is not a surprise that no one had expected to see the devastation this hurricane has left behind - so much pain, so much suffering, so many homeless, so many dead. Even though, the U.S. has been hit by some type of a disaster almost every year, regrettably, we still do not have a single agency taking charge and responsibility to supervise and coordinate the relief and recovery efforts in times of such crisis (by establishing clear chain of command, working on preparedness, communication issues and other challenges such disasters bring).
But none of this happened – no one is in charge! So we continue to “play it by ear”. If it's a ‘small-size’ (as they say in politics) tragedy, county or city deals with it. Larger problem, state will get involved. If it's a massive problem? Why should we worry about that... and more importantly – who should?
It's been 5 days since the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast and the situation is getting beyond desperate. Many hospitals are not yet evacuated, thousands of people are ‘living’ on the streets or highways, not knowing what to do, and the crime is almost as devastating as the hurricane itself.
It took 4 days to have the first press conference, where the spokesman for the White House tried to answer some of the reporters’ questions, while other questions were left unanswered – he did not have the information. Why not? And who does? Who is in charge? Who has the power and is responsible to bring the order to such chaos? Who has the information to make the necessary decisions: to coordinate the efforts of so many organizations, to let the people around the country and around the world know of the progress that is being made? Why aren’t we seeing the press conferences with the updates every 2 hours?
In my wildest dreams I didn’t think I would find so much respect for the media - the reporters covering the events of this catastrophe. They were on the ground before, during and after Katrina had left. They were the ones showing us extent of the devastation that this hurricane had left behind. They were the ones on the ground with the victims, relaying their heart-wrenching accounts of sadness and pain. They are the ones filling the void left by the government.
Shouldn't we - a conscious society - have a single organization to determine the most efficient ways to save lives, provide a qualified assessment of the situation, issue orders, recommendations and keep various agencies accountable and be accountable themselves to the American people? Shouldn't we - a conscious society - pay $5-$10 more in taxes, to help the victims of such disasters? Not as individuals with donations, but by accepting our responsibility as a society!
Wouldn't that be nice? But that could only be possible in a truly conscious and decent society...
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