Hurricane Katrina

During the AM hours on August 29, 2005, the costliest, most destructive and deadliest storm in the history of the United States violently crashed ashore along the north-central Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods resulted in 1,836 fatalities and more than $81.2 billion dollars in damages. The incomprehensible destruction of Katrina does not compare to the moral destruction of our country in the form of the extensive Human Rights violations against the victims of the storm. Former Vice President Al Gore eloquently expressed my thoughts during his speech to the Sierra Club, "This is a moral moment. This is not ultimately about any scientific debate or political dialogue. Ultimately it is about who we are as human beings" (Gore). The shocking images and stories broadcast constantly by the media clearly illustrated the unforgivable actions and attitude of the elected officials in the United States Government. As human beings and United States citizens, we had - and continue to have - a moral obligation to help the more than one million victims of Katrina before, during and after the storm hit. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement are "international standards for persons forcibly uprooted from their homes by conflict and natural disaster who remain within their own countries". In 2004, the US Agency for International Development called them "a useful tool and framework" in its "policy on assistance to internally displaced persons in foreign countries" (Brookings). Using these guidelines and Samantha Power's framework of warning, recognition, response and aftermath, I intend to outline the government indifference and failure to protect the basic human rights of our fellow citizens including the forgotten prisoners. Specifically, the day the storms hit, the rescue response in the first initial days and the aftermath including insurance claims and the political rhetoric on what to name the victims of the storm. Seen from within this framework, Katrina is not a call for government charity, but is a morality and human rights issue.

Warning - The warning of the possible destruction of Katrina is twofold Ð'- the weakness of the Lake Pontchartrain levees and the strength of the storm. According to the Guiding Principles, "governments have a responsibility to prevent or mitigate the conditions that lead to displacement. In natural disasters, this means heeding early warnings" (Brookings).

The safety of the Lake Pontchartrain levees has been in question since the early settlement of New Orleans and became more of a concern as the city's population grew. As a result of the growing concern, immediately after the extensive flooding caused during Hurricane Betsy in 1965, a Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane Barrier was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers in a design similar to the floodgates that protect the Netherlands from the North Sea. Construction began in 1971 with funding provided by the United States Congress and was stopped by a federal court in 1977 because of the projects insufficient environmental impact plan. Construction never resumed and the existing levees and floodwalls were simply and inadequately reinforced. The Houston Chronicle published a story in 2001, stating a severe hurricane hitting New Orleans would strand hundreds of thousands of people and flood the city. The Lafayette Daily Advertiser issued a more recent warning on the morning of Sunday, August 28, 2005, "Forecasters feared Sunday afternoon that storm driven waters will lap over the New Orleans levees when monster Hurricane Katrina pushes past the Crescent City tomorrow" (Think Progress). The floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina started breaching the levees before the hurricane made landfall. Yet, President Bush gave an interview on Good Morning America on Thursday, September 1, telling Diane Sawyer that no one expected the levees to break. Not only did the government fail to take the safety of the citizens of New Orleans seriously, the level of denial and political rhetoric is astonishing. As Gore stated, "There were dire warnings, three days before Hurricane Katrina hit NOLA, that if it followed the path it was then on, the levees would break, and the city of New Orleans would drown, and thousands of people would be at risk. It was once again vacation time. And the preparations were not made, the plans were not laid, the response was then not forthcoming" (Gore). President Bush was indeed on vacation playing golf and eating birthday cake when Katrina hit, New Orleans flooded and the Gulf Coast was devastated.

Katrina struck Florida late Thursday, August 25, as a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mile per hour winds and a 3Ð'-4 foot storm surge, but the storm's path was still unknown. After entering the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters predicted that Katrina would hit Louisiana and Mississippi as a Category 3 or 4 storm and the Gulf Coast communities urged their citizens to evacuate. On Sunday, August 28, the sheer size and power of Katrina became apparent with predicted winds of 150 plus miles per hour and a storm surge of 28 feet. Mandatory evacuations were issued throughout the Gulf Coast including the Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin who issued the first ever mandatory evacuation order for New Orleans. "We're facing the storm most of us have feared," said Nagin. "This is going to be an unprecedented event."

Recognition Ð'- The recognition of the government indifference and failure to protect the basic human rights of the citizens of New Orleans became apparent after Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast and simultaneously with the reveal of the plight of the citizens abandoned in the storm. According to the Guiding Principles, government responsibility includes establishing an evacuation plan, "ensuring that there are means to carry out the response, and evacuating people who cannot leave on their own and are in harm's way. Such steps should be seen as the fundamental right of populations living in high-risk areas" (Brookings).

While still on vacation at his Crawford, Texas ranch, President Bush issued a brief statement asking the Gulf Coast residents to evacuate. How were the residents supposed to reach safety? The evacuations were ordered with cars as the sole means of transportation, and yet; tens of thousands of residents did not have cars or available transportation. In New Orleans, the train and bus systems stopped working days before Katrina came ashore. Left with no other recourse, thousands of New Orleans residents made their way to the Louisiana Superdome.

Katrina roared ashore with up to 175 mile per hour winds and a 28-foot storm surge, which left many of the Gulf Coast communities without a single structure standing.