Outside the storm

It's not news that the situation in New Orleans is especially disastrous. As I write this, it is impossible to know how many casualties the South is facing or how many people have been left homeless. They say it could be months before the area is habitable.\nFrom this tragedy, we have seen both the best and worst of human nature. While many people have been heading south with their boats and supplies to help evacuate those stranded, others are firing shots at rescue workers. People are looting, not just out of necessity, but out of greed. \nUnlike after Sept. 11, when the country banded together in support of the victims, the response has been fragmented. Politicians seem to be at odds with the population and the victims, and everyone is looking for someone to blame.\nI am not here to judge anyone's reaction. I can't imagine what I would do if faced with a similar set of circumstances. I know, however, that recovery might be slower and more difficult because there's no one to blame. It's much harder to say "these things just happen" than to direct our anger toward the perpetrators and acts. \nAs much as we can learn from the weather, we can never prevent it. It is bigger than we are, and if we try to fight it, we won't come out ahead. After Hurricane Katrina, that's a scary inevitability. While the city cleans up from this mess, it's imperative for cities all over the country, even while mourning the losses from this storm, to look to the future and review evacuation plans and other emergency procedures. \nFurthermore, the disparate effects of the storm are apparent. There were two types of people marooned in New Orleans: those who didn't evacuate and those who couldn't. The problem of people who were unwilling to evacuate should be easy to remedy with historical memory and a few public service announcements.\nHowever, many couldn't evacuate, and the ramifications are heartbreaking. In the future, cities near coastlines need far-reaching plans to assist those who otherwise can't evacuate. Leaving the poor and infirm in the eye of the storm to fend for themselves is unjust and potentially violent, obstructing reconstruction efforts.\nIt's hard to imagine the situation could have been worse, but it could have. And maybe next time it will be. As a country, we cannot afford to wait until it is to figure out how to cope with it.\nSo now that we have been reminded of nature's disastrous potential, it's time to act. Instead of throwing around blame, we need to work together, coastal and inland residents alike, to negate the devastation of the next natural disaster.\nAnd above all, it is imperative that we offer any assistance and support to the victims.\nBy the time this goes to press, it's my hope that the violence has subsided and that the people who need help most desperately have received it.