It has been three weeks since Hurricane Katrina mauled the southeastern United States, and our country has learned a thing or two since then. As David Brooks writes in "Bobos in Paradise," an incisive description of America's new upper class, "we are threatened with a new age of complacency, which may be just as menacing to our dreams for America as imperial overstretch or defeat in war." While our President bungled an opportunity to both help and to capitalize on a "bullhorn" moment, we know that he is obviously not responsible for the wrath of nature. Even the insulting lack of preparedness cannot be attributed only to him. The reeking ooze of bipartisan complacency and errors drips down from the White House all the way to the civil engineers stationed on Lake Pontchartrain. Because it would be too inoffensively nonpartisan to pass this situation off as an inevitability of the natural world, investigations will eventually reveal who will take the blame for this catastrophe.
As President Bush said, "right now the days seem awfully dark for those affected," but in time "the great city of New Orleans will be back on its feet." While it will take months, if not years, before the Big Easy can once again live up to its hedonistic Cajun motto "Laisez les bons temps rouler," at least those responsible for handling the redevelopment situation have acknowledged that the city will once again stand independent of helping hands.
Despite massive reconstructive efforts, the question remains of what will it take to elevate New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport and the dozens of other smaller cities to an acceptably inhabitable status? A better question might be whether this opportunity can be used to correct the social inequities that were interwoven into the Gulf Coast society before Katrina forced them onto national headlines?
Hurricane Katrina did more than breach the levees. She also tore holes in our fragile social fabric. Everyone has seen the photos of looters trawling the flooded streets as police watch helplessly. As Pat Buchanan writes, "The real disaster of Katrina was that society broke down. An entire community could not cope." And in these starkest terms, Buchanan, regardless of past politics, does have a point. When the moral fiber of society was needed most, in many places, it failed.
In Katrina's aftermath, the world saw the failure of community and government. Anarchy was the buzz word of the week. One would hope that as society fails, individual moral integrity is capable of replacing the safety nets of modern humanity. But, as disappointing as it is, that was obviously not the case.
Unlike the days following 9/11, where a hatred and jingoism served as galvanizing forces, those along the Gulf Coast had no one to be angry at except those who were supposed to be helping, namely the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Consequently, fingers were pointed in every direction imaginable, and more people suffered while paralyzing anger and disbelief produced nothing but inaction.
At this point, as citizens, we should leave the squabbling and finger pointing to Congress and the literati. Each and every person should not pass the buck but should use this opportunity to reevaluate just what his or her responsibility should be. As some of the most privileged people on earth, it is both our mission and our responsibility to give back.
The way we can make the situation better now is by getting involved and staying aware. I am coordinating the campus relief effort through KatrinaHelp, a collaborative support network led by students and employees. It is run through the Tucker Foundation as the unified Dartmouth relief effort and aims to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina in any way that we can. Five coordinating committees of education, fundraising, donations, service and communications have been established to facilitate a community-wide response to the disaster that involves everyone possible. Walk-a-thons, fundraising drives, alternative winter and spring break service trips, Mardi Gras-themed community nights, and disaster relief training courses are all under consideration. By the end of this week, donations boxes for clothing should be visible around campus. For more information, blitz KatrinaHelp or visit our website at: www.dartmouth.edu/~news/features/katrina/
The American Red Cross currently has 36,000 volunteers operating 675 shelters in 23 states that have taken in over 160,000 storm evacuees. Those are staggering numbers no matter which side of the political aisle you sit-on. The people of America are in need. Each one of us should take the responsibility to make sure that our community doesn't fail them.
