<p>I think it is completely rediculous and immature how many arguments over this Hurricane there have been. It is disgusting to see people spending so much time and energy trying to point fingers and put blame on others. The hurricane hadn’t even passed NO when I saw a thread on here blaiming Bush for the disaster. Get real people. Instead of complaining and pointing fingers, get off of your chairs and go help out. Volunteer your time, or donate some money. This isn’t the time to be pointing fingers and blaiming others. People are human, and we can’t predict the future. No one could have seen a disaster like this coming and turning out the way it did. There is just no winning with some people, they will always point fingers and play Monday Morning Quarterback. So my suggestion to everyone is stop pointing fingers and put your energy into something positive.</p>
<p>Here, here! (or is it Hear, Hear!) Anyway, I agree.</p>
<p>Devils67-</p>
<p>I agree that we need to do more to help. But, evaluating lessons learned is also important. If you have rats in your house, do you simply exterminate them without identifying their entry point? There were multiple failures here, and we need to understand what they were and how to avoid them next time. This tragedy was an opportunity for us to test our plan – and we failed. I hope someone is in charge of “lessons learned” and can identify the gaps and stop-gap measuers following the immediate emergency situation.</p>
<p>And I disagree that nobody could have planned for this. This event has been a long time coming and was well expected.</p>
<p>Momsdream, </p>
<p>I agree with you, too, to a point. However, clarity is seldom achieved during a crisis. It takes more time to gain a bit of a distance and to create a global view of a situation. </p>
<p>I submit that, in your analogy, you would first get rid of the rats, then try to identify the entry point, or perhaps, find the entry point, then exterminate the rats. The two possible outcomes are that you exterminate the rats that are there, only to have more enter, or that you block the entry and then exterminate all the rats. </p>
<p>In the latter circumstance you probably have time to assess the situation, develop a plan, and the rats can probably be counted on to do what rats do. In other words, you have a great deal of information and very few variables. In the hurricane scenario you have a plethora of variables, including economic, psychological, barometric and chronologic. </p>
<p>What if you have rats and the rats are overflowing the house and keep coming in and coming in? Do you stand there arguing with your spouse about which approach to take, whose fault it is and how you can keep rats out the next time? Do you use your time and energy arguing about how the problem could have been prevented? Or do you take care of your IMMEDIATE needs and then address the issues that caused it? </p>
<p>IMHO, the blame is not productive in assessing lessons learned. It diverts the time and energy from the problem at hand. Let’s clean up, get some rest, and then worry about the NEXT time. </p>
<p>I have 11 relatives wandering the southeast and I would hope that NOW the officials are trying to help them rather than figure out what they would do differently next time.</p>
<p>momof1-</p>
<p>I sympathize with you and hope the best for your relatives - and I see your point. I was moreso referring to cc discussuions, as opposed to “officals”. I thought the OP was referring to CCers and was telling us to stop complaining and debating. I find value in reading the opinions of other CCers on this topic, as I think this is an especially intelligent group. I have opened my home to those displaced and pledged financial support. Aside from that, I think it’s wise for me to understand what went wrong. If I can do more for the immediate need, I’m ready…</p>
<p>Honestly if we spent the time looking at it, there are a million things that could happen. Planning for all of them is a waste of time and money. We need to live our lives, and try to set our priorities in order. I think the same is true for 9/11. Yes, things could have been done to prevent it, but then again something else could have gone wrong and people would have said that should have been taken care of instead. Yes learn from your mistakes, but don’t spend so much time putting blame on others.</p>
<p>I am done with this topic, but here is a good article</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179587/site/newsweek/[/url]”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179587/site/newsweek/</a></p>
<p>the threads are clearly labeled. I suggest not reading them if you don’t like the topic… rather than telling people what to talk about or not.</p>
<p>devil67:
I wonder if, perhaps, the reactions we are seeing here are a result of grief, which is a completely normal and predictable response to this situation. Overwhelmingly, there is frustration, and I guess, folks need to get this stuff off their chests. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to let it happen and let the business of being in it together, with all of our human frailties, move forward. Acceptance is what follows, and then, it is easier to move forward.</p>
<p>The anger will subside, and the long and tedious work of recovery will continue. I went through the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and the Oakland Hills fire in 1991. The devastation from those events can’t compare to what is going on in NO (which would be like the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire), but both times, a general depression settled over the area that lasted for several months. For many, the effects still linger. </p>
<p>I think that negative emotions are part of a disaster. Right along with the physical destruction, there is emotional devastation, as well. What you are seeing is how people cope. It’s not pretty, but it is as much a part of our humanity as is the desire to reach out and help.</p>
<p>When we are in a crisis, we are bound to feel stressed. Communication without judging allows others to be open and seek help. Sometimes, that means just being there to listen. ;)</p>
<p>Until all those people are safe, in shelters, have food etc, we can complain</p>
<p>From Broussard:</p>
<p>want to give you one last story and Ill shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building Im in, Emergency Management, hes responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming? and he said, Yeah, Mama, somebodys coming to get you. Somebodys coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebodys coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebodys coming to get you on Thursday. Somebodys coming to get you on Friday and she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night! [Sobbing] Nobodys coming to get us. Nobodys coming to get us. The Secretary has promised. Everybodys promised. Theyve had press conferences. Im sick of the press conferences. For gods sakes, just shut up and send us somebody.</p>
<p>Anecdotal, but yeah, lets shut up know while people are STILL dying</p>
<p>Where was her family that put her in the home?? Where is Broussard?</p>