09/25/2005   English German
  Edition # 56  
San Francisco, 09-25-2005

Here Comes The Flood: Hurricane Katrina
Figure [1]: Our earthquake emergency kit under the bed.

Angelika I had a feeling: If an earthquake comes, we have to help ourselves. The images and reports about the failure of the American government and also of local politicians on the American Gulf Coast to quickly implement relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina prove me right. Not to mention the lack of extensive preventive measures for a foreseeable disaster. Even Michael no longer mocks my earthquake emergency kits, which are stored under our bed and can provide us with essentials like water, food, a battery-operated radio, a first aid kit, and warm clothes in the event of a severe earthquake (Rundbrief 04/1999).

He no longer makes fun of the little notecards that we both carry in our wallets, which list, in addition to phone numbers outside of California (the likelihood of these working is greater), the place where we will meet if there has been an earthquake and our house is no longer habitable. He just mentioned recently that we would also need a weapon to defend our supplies (haha!). If you think San Francisco is prepared for a major earthquake, I have my doubts. The wrangling over the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, which was damaged by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and was only temporarily patched up afterward, is ominous. It took more than 12 years (spring 2002) before construction work to earthquake-proof the Bay Bridge finally began.

The completion of the new bridge arch, which connects Oakland halfway to San Francisco, via Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, will still take years. Driving over the Bay Bridge remains a risky endeavor. At least our mayor, Gavin Newsom, launched the 72-hour campaign. Posters and advertisements on city buses are meant to remind us, the residents of San Francisco, to prepare ourselves to be self-sufficient for 72 hours in case of an emergency (see my earthquake emergency kits in Figure 1). The website www.72hours.org provides further assistance with preparations. And if all else fails, we hope for your care packages from Germany.

Were we suprised about the chaos in New Orleans and similar places after the hurricane? Not really! Michael cynically remarked right away, what do you expect from a nation that fixes many things only temporarily with thick, strong tape ("Duct Tape", Rundbrief 03/2003) and also generally displays a certain carelessness when it comes to construction? All that matters is that it goes quickly and somehow works. Americans' boundless optimism that things won't turn out so badly certainly play a role as well. Not to mention the environmental sins committed in New Orleans.

In a city that lies below sea level and is regularly threatened by hurricanes, the wetlands serve as an important buffer for wind and water. Unfortunately, these areas have increasingly disappeared to create land for housing developments. Renowned experts therefore believe that in the rebuilding of New Orleans, it is not only necessary to raise the levees but also to restore the wetlands. Unfortunately, we hear little about this from those in charge, especially President Bush. He also denies the existence of global warming, which can lead to stronger hurricanes. The enlightening articles in the New York Times and the New Yorker are of little help, as Bush is known not to read newspapers but instead relies on reports from his advisors.

The increased gasoline prices as a result of the storm, because, among other things, oil production in the affected areas has come to a halt, are already causing him concern. And, of course, his dwindling popularity ratings. We never thought we would live to see this day, but the press--even Bush's right-wing "propaganda organs"--came down on him hard. Suddenly, there was a strong wave of discontent among the population: the richest country in the world failed to rescue its own people (real Americans, so to speak) from the floods in time, and New Orleans descended into anarchy. This did not sit well even with conservatives, leading Bush to grudgingly admit for the first time in his presidency that he had messed up.

In front of the illuminated St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he gave a speech to the people, also to improve his image. Before the live broadcast, the commentator amusingly mentioned that the White House pointed out that the cathedral was brightly lit by specially flown-in generators, as many neighborhoods in New Orleans were still without power. They likely wanted to preempt criticism that the President was wasting resources on-site while the population sat in the dark. The speech included the usual promises of aid for reconstruction, primarily financial in nature. It was interesting that Bush addressed the issue of poverty, which is rooted in racial discrimination. You saw the television images: mainly the poor, the elderly, and black people remained in New Orleans, those who did not have the means to leave the city, meaning they neither owned a car nor a credit card.

This is naturally also due to the fact that black people make up almost 70% of the population in New Orleans. Unfortunately, black people are disproportionately part of the group of American poor. However, the mention of being black and being poor seems more like lip service from Bush, as the proportion of the poor increased during his presidency. The tax cuts for the wealthy in the country, along with the refusal to raise the minimum wage, also contradict his words. And although Americans donate enormous sums (as they are doing now in the case of the hurricane), many still hold the view that poverty is self-inflicted and that government programs are the wrong way out of the misery.

The slow response of the Bush administration in sending aid to the disaster area is also rooted in the Republican belief, Bush's party, that the state should play as small a role as possible in the lives of Americans. President Reagan already coined the phrase that the state is not the solution, but the problem ("Government is the problem, not the solution."). The struggling Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which thrived under Clinton and withered under Bush, is the best example. Compounding the issue is Bush's tendency towards cronyism, meaning he appoints people to positions who are connected to him but not necessarily qualified for the job. The FEMA chief Michael Brown, who has since resigned, had no experience in disaster management. They might as well have hired me with my one earthquake training.

We will see if lessons have already been learned from the mistakes, as the next hurricane, "Rita," is at the doorstep. In any case, the residents of Houston did not need to be asked twice to leave the city, which, however, led to total chaos on the highways. Nothing was moving anymore. It might be smarter and more efficient if people didn't all flee in their own cars, but instead, for example, if shuttle buses were provided to take them to shelters, as there are no more hotel rooms available. But no one is asking me.

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