Lessons in dealing with disaster

A different perspective

This is a very interesting piece on the hurricane disaster in New Orleans. The last few days have been full of Bush Bashing and how the US Government was slow to respond etc.

This piece argues that this may well have been right, but when you have a media that builds every high wind into a devastating storm before they reach land then there creeps in hurricane fatigue in those who listen and should be taking weather advice? There were dozens who told us they decided to ride the storm out, in the same way they had probably ridden out other "Disaster storms" predicted by the media. In fact in the preceding few days before the storm struck even this one was downgraded from a grade 4/5 to a grade 1. Is it surprising some thought they could ride it out? You cannot blame the media for everything but they do control the way we think and understand the issues that happen around us and the weather is another area where the temptation to aggrandise a storm to catch headlines and fill the news bulletins must be great.

Yet, one day during the week the news carried images of an elderly care home where old people were dying because they had no power or food and water. I kept asking myself "why were they there?". They were advised to leave by the state Government but they chose not to; is it the state Government responsibility to evacuate care homes or should local Government be taking care of that?