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Bronson Bass
Dr. Bagley
UNST 122
2/6/14
Reflection#2
Katrina Week Reflection
Hurricane Katrina was an example of how modern day America collapsed in trying to
assist in a national disaster. When a mandatory evacuation is issued apparently you are left to
fend for yourself. Most of the victims were unable to leave due to heath, lack of funds, or
resources, or a mix of them all. The mayor along with the governor was shocked at the slow
response from the federal government after the storm hit. They needed supplies for their people,
but FEMA and other organizations said they needed authorization for it, leaving people stranded
without water and food. Many private organizations and companies shipped in water, but were
turned away. When the victims were told it was okay to cross the bridge for supplies they were
greeted with guns and being told to go turn back with no supplies. These are just some of the
situations that took place in the film that stunned me into thinking that this can happen again in
many places, but why did it happen with this natural disaster, which turned into a government
failure.
After Hurricane Katrina struck the city of New Orleans they had no plans to re-open the
schools and hospitals for low income people. Instead they wanted to make higher-end facilities
that the low income civilians could not afford. Along with coming back to a pile of a house, they
now could not afford to send their children off to private schools, or go to hospitals for infections
etc., because they had to somehow get a roof over their heads. (Wolff 2012)
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Insurance companies, as mentioned in the film, did not do there parts in paying back the
water damage caused from the hurricane. More than 35,000 damage claims had been closed with
unfulfilling situations. Many of those cases re-opened to help out the damage. A mans home had
been insured for $260,000, He received $200,000 from the federal flood program, and State
Farm had paid him $13,943.65 before he decided to take the company to court. He was left about
$46,000 short. That was not even for the items inside the home. (Treaster 2007) This is just one
case that was available, but there are countless more just like it. The insurance companies just
dont want to pay all they insure, looking for loopholes to save them the money that cant afford.
Years later tropical storm Isaac rolled into the Gulf coast and threatened, once more, New
Orleans. This time the mayor and governor had issued an evacuation plan with trains and busses
taking the citizens out, and making sure people knew that the super dome and airport were not an
area to go to. ''We always have to hope for the best even as we prepare for the worst,'' the mayor
of New Orleans said in regards of Isaac. (Alvarez 2012) This is just proof that hurricane Katrina
had a lasting effect on the world, and New Orleans was not about to sit and suffer through
another mayor storm. And they also knew that the city was not able to house the victims of the
flood if it were to happen once more.
What is mind boggling to me is that during hurricane Katrina politics were stressed more
than issuing aid out to the victims. The Bush administration failed to turn over documents that
were requested in a timely manner, causing confusion and distress. E-mails were received that
most of the administration was just worrying about personal matters and not the issues that they
needed to be facing. This leadership, or lack thereof, is just one of the reasons why people and
victims became so upset with the overall administration. The fact that bush didnt get to site of
Katrina was hurtful to the victims of the hurricane. This was also blamed on his administration,
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filling into politics. Politics should have been put aside in this time being, and allow for help to
be administrated for the victims. (Hernandez 2005)
Overall Katrina had a huge impact on the United States. Having to send victims to other
states, people having to fled their home city, and just the overall confusion, or
miscommunication. The residence of New Orleans felt that their government had left them to
flood out when the levees broke. The lasting trauma that these victims feel to this day, being told
you cant cross a bridge because they have nowhere to put you, being told you cant have
supplies that are just waiting for you miles away but due to regulations they cant give away the
supplies.














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Works Cited
Alvarez, Lizette. "On Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Storm Threatens the Gulf Coast."
New York Times 27 Aug. 2012: A9(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA300842115&v=2.1&u=s1185784&it=r
&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=40cb6778b06a9038c712498c2d43b8a2
Navarro, T. (2006), Hurricane Katrina. Transforming Anthropology, 14: 2122.
doi: 10.1525/tran.2006.14.1.21 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/doi
/10.1525/tran.2006.14.1.21/abstract;jsessionid=E426D42666EC8A65CB31E9E88AE2A8
BD.f04t01
Treaster, Joseph B. "State Farm Settles One Hurricane Katrina Suit." New York Times 20 Jan.
2007: C3(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 5 Feb. 2014.
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA158023566&v=2.1&u=s1185784&it=r
&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=d59b3272ddde9d60fd8ea17e21340a2c
WOLFF, DANIEL. "The Debt We Owe Katrina." Academic One Source. NY times, 10 Nov.
2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
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