Hurricane Katrina

It’s been 5 days I think since Hurricane Katrina swept over New Orleans and every day that I read about the catastrophe, I can’t believe what I’m reading. There is always some news headline or newspaper article talking about Hurrican Katrina and just how it’s affected the people down in the south. When I heard about Katrina passing thru Florida and that it was on it’s way to the Gulf of Mexico, I thought to myself “ahh yeh, this is yet another natural disaster.” Little did I realize just how affected New Orleans really was. My heart goes out to all the people who are left homeless.

What really gets to me, is what has happened in the past few days. Looters, people robbing other people, kids getting sexually assaulted, as well as people getting beat up and killed. What is really going on here? I understand how certain conditions can cause extreme measures, but what possesses people to do this? And today’s headline in the newspaper said “shoot to kill.” WTF is that all about? Troops have come in, but not enough of them..but yet they’ve come in to supposedly control the chaos. Really, how is killing people going to make the situation better? I really think President Bush reacted poorly to this situation. I still don’t understand how he made it into office yet another term. New Orleans is in shambles, and what does the President do? Hardly anything at that. And waiting a few days before making a decision, what kind of President does this?

Even thou I’m not from the south, and I’m also all the way here in Australia, I just feel so helpless. I look at the newspaper pictures and watch the news on tv, and seeing all the people in turmoil, my heart just bleeds for them. I have a feeling of hopelessness and a feeling like “what do I do?” I know what I can do, but what can I really do? So much tragedy has struck the world in the past 9 months or so. With the tsunamis in Thailand, the London Bombings and now this natural disaster. There was some preparation for Hurrican Katrina, but not nearly enough.

So many lives have been lost and I ask myself “who would want to put this onto someone?” If there really is a God, or a higher power, what is the reason for having all of these deaths. You wake up every day, live your life as you normally would, then one day you wake up to this… It’s so hard for me to get my head around. So many lives have been lost, innocent lives. Imagine being someone who watches bodies float along beside you. It’s just so horrific, thinking of how traumatized people are going to be. New Orleans will never be the same, it really won’t. I’ve never been to New Orleans myself, but it looked like a beautiful place. How long is it going to take, to re-build this city? I mean it’s going to take at least 3 months before civilization can come back into the city. Just think of how much time and money it’ll take to even begin the re-building of such a great place. And so close to the anniversary of September 11th. I know this wasn’t planned, you can’t plan natural disasters, but this travesty has impacted a nation, a world, and who knows what it will take to rebuild what has been lost.

-current mood-SADNESS