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[karizmua]

The wreckage caused by Hurricane Katrina is enormous. As I watch the news and read the newspapers, it is reported that most people affected by the hurricane are those who could not afford to put gas in their cars in order to evacuate. The socioeconomic situation in many communities in the States is devastating. It is in shock and awe to see characteristics of 3rd World Country in the United States.

Share your thoughts on this catastrophe

[TiCam]

Originally Posted by karizmua

It is in shock and awe to see characteristics of 3rd World Country in the United States.

One of the characteristics is the press and/or the government calling them "refugees". I deplore that so-called name when addressing the victimes of Katrine and I agree totally, as when one of victimes said: "I am not a refugee, I am a United States Citizen!

Originally Posted by karizmua

The socioeconomic situation in many communities in the States is devastating. It is in shock and awe to see characteristics of 3rd World Country in the United States.

Another characteristics: this chaos is the result of the present administration hiring incompetent people as a "thank you note" for their support during the election. The director of FEMA was fired under the Bush administration and was rehired as counsel after the hurricane.

It sounds like you are in Haiti?

[Madan Azibé]

That's just awful !!

I try not to watch the news these days...too much going on! Last night they were showing a pregnant woman who was kidnapped and was raped by four young hispanic boys, 13, 17, and the other two were only 16 yr old!yokes thank God they got nabbed, you should've seen their faces..

Anyways..It looks really grim over there in New Orleans.. I feel so sorry for them!! I read in the paper that some people were looting the stores, causing major troubles..., shooting, stealing cars oh man..I would understand it if they were taking food, drinks...but stealing cars, Big TVs that's just stupid! these people are crazy man..they're only making matters worse! and what's up with the levees keeping water from N.O? I heard on the radio that this place is like 9 feet below the sea level, and that it could've been destroyed at any moment. yokes

hmm, it'll certainly take a while to clean this mess...

[karizmua]

Ticam,

Politics = Politics. No matter where it is. Haiti is a small country that is why the actions of the leaders are capitalized. Here in America it takes tragedy to really evaluate the capability of those in charge.

I see where you are coming from with the word ?refugee?. Usually that is what you hear when Cubans, Haitians and other immigrants escape their home country for safety. However, in this situation, refugee - is the best word to use. Yes it?s hard to grasp, but that?s the reality.

Spoonie,

All the things you mentioned are what you expect to hear in the news from third world countries. But they are happening right here in this BIG country. What goes around comes around. Now America is receiving foreign aid.

What touch you the most?

I remember the first interview they had was with a middle age man, His wife died and before departed she told him to ?take care of the kids?? I couldn?t hold back my tears.

[TiCam]

Originally Posted by karizmua

Ticam,

However, in this situation, refugee - is the best word to use. Yes it?s hard to grasp, but that?s the reality.

Karizmua,

With all due respect, may I please make a correction. I don't usually check the dictionary in order to be fastidious, but in this case I make an exception just to establish the difference between those two words. According to the dictionary the word refugee is incorrect (as I previously mentioned), however in this particular case, the word evacuee is more appropriate. Here is the difference:

?Refugee: One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.?

?Evacuee: A person evacuated from a dangerous area.?

Nevertheless, what?s important now it?s the welfare of those people, the urgency now is on infection control in evacuation centers. CDC experts are already reporting cases of acute gastroenteritis. In addition, there is possibility of an outbreaks of varicella, rubella, mumps or measles could incur. I hope CDC makes those threats its primary concern.

God have mercy on us!

[karizmua]

TiCam,

Thanks for the lesson! Either way you look at it, both words can be use. The political game in New Orleans is oppressing.

I totally agree with you on the health concern.

The blaming game begins - One leader states ?skin color, status and age play a major role on who survived the flood?. Don?t you agree that it?s always like that? After a catastrophe, no one can truly explain why things happened or what went wrong? Our leaders don?t have much sense of prevention, they often disregard environmental warnings.

There only focus is on military might.

[TiCam]

Originally Posted by karizmua

TiCam,

The blaming game begins - One leader states ?skin color, status and age play a major role on who survived the flood?. Don?t you agree that it?s always like that? There only focus is on military might.

It is called survival, to fight, to continue to live, continue to exist!

I learned this morning from CNN that "between 25 to 30 bodies have been found in a nursing home in St. Bernard Parish outside New Orleans."

These elderly people were abandoned by the staff of the nursing home, they drowned.

I can go on and on of the news I have heard and read.

The worse thing to do is to separate a family, family should stay together in time like this. There are over 800 children displaced and separated from their family. The government is aware of the psychological consequences, they know what could result when displacing or separating children from their family in time like this. It seems like our government doesn?t care.

One thing I know, life is war, one have to live like at war, we have to fight for everything in order to survive. Defeat? you are dead! Life is really a war, a clash between nature and man, clash between government?s greed, power and people. This is a perfect image of bad things human do, not nature because we should pick up after nature?s disaster and help our human kind. We are learning war as a way of life. Human sufferings strangely seem tacked on as if it does not appear logically, to those politicians, from that whole image of the hurricane, image of distress, anguish, the vice president was not available for a week and a half, he went fishing... It was a tremendous effort for congress to cut short their vacation?

I am going to have nightmares tonight. THAT NURSING HOME SHOULD HAVE BEEN EVACUATED FIRST! CHILDREN SHOULD BE TOGETHER WITH THEIR FAMILY.

I feel like I am not doing enough to help, OUR GOV'T AIN'T DOING ENOUGH.

Sh*t like this doesn't happen in Florida or Texas wonder why......

I NEED A STIFF DRINK!!! May be I'll finally try a Martini.

[karizmua]

TiCam,

Wap suiv wi?Make that Martini -- two. I?ll take one

Did anyone ask why the New Orleans Mayor was cursing on National Television? Why the Federal Government gave New Orleans governor two options in order to provide help for the people? I?m not too sure what exactly the two options were. Menm mwen kwe ke yon nan yo manzel ta suppose partage pouvwa?l yon fason ou yon lot.

Passons, the nursing home news is heartbreaking. I don?t understand why they took the children away from their parents. Like you said, this is not the time for family to be apart.

One of my co-workers told me on Friday ? Labor Day week-end ?don?t go shopping, send the money you are going to spend for the victims of Katrina?. I wanted to tell her, what about the children in Africa/Haiti/Somalia? Those children live in this same condition 24/7/365 days. Things like that make us think that we don?t do enough? not here and not somewhere else. At least, for the people here this situation is temporary.

Men antouka bagay yo mangonmin, twop magouy.

[Madan Azibé]

Wow! They're getting a lotta' money!! I've been seeing high numbers only lately, 4 millions, 8 millions , 8.5 millions! Imagine if every year, they'd raise all this money to help other countries like the ones you stated above. Yo tap detruit ampil pauvreté..hein

I'm still having a difficult time watching it on TV. I mean did y'all see the dead bodies laying in the streets? I don't care much about those crying because they've lost their furnitures, houses, and stuffs...at least y'all alive.. It's only a matter of time before you get them back...

I feel sorry for those who've lost their loved ones, their children, babies...I'd probably lose it.... if I'd have to leave my mother die inside the house, merely because she couldn't climb on top of the house like the rest of us. Knowing that she's down there dying , oh my God! what kinda feeling is that? I can only imagine how the person who was telling this story felt.....My goodness! well of course I broke into tears.