Australia Answers: What have we learnt from the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the United States?

This was posted on SBS World News Australia September 9th, 2005:
US Authorities were well aware in the lead up that Katrina, which began as a level one hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean, was building in strength and speed, and was rumbling towards Louisiana. On Saturday 27th August a state of emergency was declared.

By this time Katrina had reached category three with winds of 185 kilometres per hour. By Sunday winds had intensified to 257 kilometres per hour — a category five storm. Almost 500,000 residents of the city of New Orleans were ordered to evacuate, yet 1.4 million more lived in the surrounding metropolitan area. At 5am on the Monday, Hurricane Katrina began its fatal course, devastating a vast area the size of Britain.

New Orleans, which lies below sea level, took a king hit, along with Biloxi in neighbouring Mississippi, and Mobile in Alabama. Coastal communities along the entire US Gulf Coast were left in tatters. The day after the storm a levee protecting New Orleans from Lake Ponchartrain gave way, flooding 80 per cent of the city. Hundreds of thousands were left stranded without food, water and power. Around 20,000 people acted on orders to shelter in the city's Superdome, where they found no organised refuge, no food and water or any other facilities.

There were widespread reports of squalor, rape and murder, and it became clear to the outside world that New Orleans had descended into chaos. Many thousands are thought to have died, and many remain unaccounted for. The politicians have been left scrambling for an action plan, and for words to console the many thousands who had lost their homes and livelihoods. But the sluggish response of the world superpower to its citizens, most of them black and poor, has left many asking how it went so wrong, and why authorities were so ill-prepared.

Please keep responses brief. Only replies directly relevant to the question will be posted.What has the international community learned from Hurricane Katrina's handling? What will be the lasting effects of the disaster, not only for those affected but for the wider public, as well as the US government? What has the aftermath revealed about race relations and the socio-economic divide in the US, and has your view of the world power changed?

The following are a cross-section of responses we have received:
Proper preperation and planning prevents poor performance.Mr Mike Talbot, Brisbane

It is quite interesting how a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina and the chaos which has ensued due to this catastrophic event can spark so many diverse responses from different kinds of people. Global terrorists will probably see an opportunity to proclaim that their deity?s wrath has finally come upon America, (a name which they use interchangeably with the Great Satan); liberal activists will surely try to find a way to blame it on President George Bush; greedy moguls will seize any opportunities to profit from it, and environmentalists will more than likely contrive a link to Global Warming. But most people, thankfully, will be moved by compassion and try to find a way to help the victims of this great tragedy. Diversity is indeed a good thing after all.
Mr Miguel A. Guanipa, Whitinsville
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