Chinanews, August 29 (Dong Hanyang) Every August is the peak period for hurricanes to hit the United States. The strongest hurricane so far in 2020, "Laura", has made landfall, wherever it went, it set off a huge wave of nearly 4 meters high, and even brought catastrophic storm surges, extreme winds and floods.
A similar and even more terrifying scene occurred 15 years ago today, and it has become a "nightmare" for many people. At that time, Hurricane Katrina hit the United States severely, causing 1,836 deaths and economic losses of more than 130 billion U.S. dollars. It was one of the most destructive hurricanes in history.
On September 4, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, after Hurricane Katrina flooded the streets, a man was lying on the roof of a car waiting for rescue.
New Orleans, the "dream city" of the United States, is in the "eye of the storm" of this disaster. It fell in hurricanes and flooding, and fell silent after hundreds of thousands of residents evacuated.
To this day, the trauma left by the hurricane to the city is still aching.
Over 1,800 people died,
"This is not just a natural disaster"
"Mom, go to the convention center shelter, where there are buses waiting to pick you up." Glepion was one of thousands of residents who had not evacuated New Orleans. When the flood completely flooded Glepion's house, Her daughter told her on the phone.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. After the violent storm, the flood broke the flood control dam, and 80% of the city was submerged by water, with the deepest point reaching nearly 5 meters.
Although the National Hurricane Center issued a strong warning 48 hours before the hurricane, advising coastal residents to evacuate, for New Orleans with a population of nearly 500,000, the evacuation is not that simple: long lines on highways and people without cars Busy rushing to temporary shelters in the city, there are thousands of people staying at home.
Data map: In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck, the "Super Dome" was one of the temporary shelters in New Orleans.
When Gleipion arrived at the conference center, everything in front of her broke her heart. Tens of thousands of people gathered together, and the affected residents were still pouring in. Not only was there no bus to pick her up, but water, food, sanitation and electricity had become problems.
The flooded houses, the mother and son waiting for rescue on the roof, the dilapidated shelter, the whole city is like a war zone. Various crimes also occurred frequently, supermarkets were looted and rescue ships were stolen. Many people can't help asking, "Is this still America?"
An old woman waited for several days in the flooded house. Every day she called and heard "They will save you tomorrow." However, rescuers never showed up. A few days later, the old man died unfortunately.
In the face of Hurricane Katrina, the government’s ineffective disaster relief made a “natural disaster” reduced to a “man-made disaster” and became the last straw to destroy the city.
Several officials left,
Insufficient disaster relief lifts a political "hurricane"
"This is a terrible bureaucracy. This organization committed murder in the New Orleans area," said Aaron Broussard, the head of a parish outside New Orleans.
During the disaster relief process, there was a gap in the cooperation and coordination between the state government and the federal government. In the face of criticism of ineffective disaster relief, the two sides once again played the "blaming game."
The state government said that the state had asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide 700 buses, but the agency eventually sent only 100 buses, and the evacuation work took up to a week. In addition, they unreasonably stopped the water and food donated by some companies.
The federal government stated that the state government did not actively cooperate. "The Mayor of New Orleans only issued a mandatory evacuation order one day before the hurricane, which caused a large number of residents to stay there, resulting in a shortage of supplies."
Data map: Former US President George W. Bush. When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Bush Jr. was the then President of the United States.
Governments at all levels are facing tit-for-tat, and people's accusations are endless. The Chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael Brown, and the Chief of the New Orleans Police Department resigned.
A House Special Investigative Committee report entitled "Failure of Initiative" came out a few months later. The report pointed out that government agencies and senior officials at all levels in the United States did not respond well in preparation, organization, and coordination before and after the hurricane hit. The report states, "Four and a half years after the 9/11 incident, we are still not ready."
The recovery work after the disaster also stumbled. On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, many parts of New Orleans were still in ruins, and over 200,000 people were still living outside.
The then governor of Louisiana, Blanco, gave up the 2007 re-election campaign. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin also stepped down in 2010. However, he failed to escape legal sanctions. In 2014, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for multiple crimes including bribery, fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion during his tenure.
Another U.S. media exposed that about $10 billion of the relief funds allocated by the U.S. government at the time was fraudulently claimed or abused.
In fact, it was not until the seventh year after the disaster that the first federal reconstruction fund was invested in the reconstruction of the Lower Ninth District in New Orleans, where the African Americans live.
Forgotten Afro
The old wounds are not healed, but new ones are added
"We shouldn't be forgotten." In 2005, the flood burst into the Lower Nine District of New Orleans. Here, about 90% of people are of African descent, and nearly 40% are below the poverty line.
Compared with the whites who live more in the higher west, they suffer more severely. Many people's houses were completely washed away, and relatives and neighbors died under their watch.
Data map: August 27, 2015, local time, New Orleans, USA. US President Barack Obama visited the area, delivered a speech and visited local residents to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
However, fifteen years later, the white community of New Orleans has no trace of the hurricane. There are still many unrepaired houses in the Lower Nine District, the roads are bumpy, and only one public school has been opened.
Compared with more than 80% of whites who believe that "New Orleans reconstruction is complete," nearly 60% of African-American respondents said that "many places have not yet recovered." Local residents said, "The white community in New Orleans has been restored, but the African-American community has been excluded from the reconstruction process."
And this is just a microcosm of racial inequality in the United States. Some people who came to the United States with the dream of "all men are created equal" have been awakened by reality time and time again.
When the new crown epidemic hits, the African-American communities and poor people in New Orleans bear the brunt. The high prevalence of basic diseases such as obesity and diabetes, the small living space of the family, and poor medical and health care capabilities have pulled the African-American community of New Orleans into the abyss.
In early April, 32 out of every 100,000 residents of New Orleans died of new coronary pneumonia, twice the number of New Orleans that was hit by the epidemic at the time. Of all deaths, more than half were of African descent.
Eloy, who runs a bar in the African-American community in New Orleans, said, "This disaster is even more terrifying. We have nowhere to escape."
Data map: In 2015, in a memorial cemetery, local people mourned and prayed for the compatriots who died in the hurricane ten years ago.
Disaster "sequelae" hard to eliminate
When will the wounds of the city heal?
Today, the population of New Orleans has decreased from approximately 485,000 in 2005 to 390,000.
Among those who left, the vast majority were African Americans. For them, the price of public housing sold after reconstruction is an unaffordable expense.
The "aftermath" of the hurricane is not only that. Former President of the American Psychological Association Couchell warned that the incidence of mental illness in New Orleans is rising. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression caused by hurricanes plague many hurricane survivors. The crime rate here is also among the top cities in the United States.
The dike system in New Orleans was once considered to be the “culprit” responsible for the flooding. Nowadays, although the multi-billion-dollar dike system has been built again, with the disappearance of the wetlands on the periphery of the city and the rising sea level, even the builders cannot guarantee that when a hurricane like "Katrina" strikes again, What will happen.
Today, the French Quarter of New Orleans has once again been reborn and has become a tourist attraction in the hearts of many Americans. However, the "scars" hidden under the splendor of this city are still faintly painful during the feasting and feasting.
Many people in New Orleans once worried, “We may never see this city again, or at least not in the form that we approve.” 15 years later, the hurricane disaster brought wounds to this “city in water” , When will it really heal? (Finish)