Ginger said ------?Granted, maybe (maybe, not very likely) many of the very poor or marginally poor ppl of NO honestly didn't understand their situation. But even that's hard to swallow. For years, I've heard comments about how, one day, the levies will fail and everybody knew that city would be yards under water. It was no secret.? ETC--------
Ginger, this is my response to much of what you said in you last post to this thread
I agree that it is difficult to comprehend why on earth so many people would not fully realize the seriousness of the potential damage that the hurricane was likely to inflict. And your right, that the potential for disaster in NO was widely known. But here?s a few things I came up with which may explain why some of the 20% that stayed really may not have fully realized what was about to hit them?..
1. LACK OF EDUCATION amongst impoverished people - The information that was known about the potential for disaster in NO was widely known by EXPERTS and LOCAL, STATE, AND FED OFFICIALS. In addition, highly educated people are obviously very likely to fully grasp information shared from experts and officials and therefore be likely to run like hell when told to. That is NOT to say less or uneducated people are incapable of understanding?that is not what I mean at all. Those with past experience with hurricanes also are highly likely to ?get it? so to speak and take precautions, heed warnings, and evacuate. People with good common sense, regardless of their level of education, are probably also likely to heed warnings and get the hell out of dodge.
In comparison, imagine for a moment those in the most impoverished of circumstances. Most have very little education. Many tend to dismiss information from educated people, as they are suspicious of educated people to begin with. Ok this leaves good old fashion common sense? first, many of those people with the sense to realize what was coming couldn?t get out even if they wanted to for reasons I?ve already discusses in prior posts on this thread. Second, there are many degrees of intelligence?.and?lets face it?.some people were unfortunate in that they were born with low levels of intelligence. That?s not their fault. Combine lack of education, suspicion, rejection and resentment of ?educated? ideas, and lower levels of intelligence ? I see a very sad, stark reality, that impoverished uneducated people really may have dismissed the warnings?..and I cant bring myself to judge, criticize, or condemn their decision to stay?.I realize what I am saying may come across the wrong way, so let me stress that I personally don?t judge anyone based on their level of education? I detest those who do judge people who are ?uneducated.?
2. PAST EXPERIENCE. This came from the mouth of the Mississippi governor (see Russert transcript below)on why may of his residents did not leave and I think it applies to NO residents as well. Many times the residents boarded up, evacuated, and came back, only to find out they took precautions for nothing. Its then very easy for me to see, that people might therefore dismiss yet another warning and evacuation order. Incidentally, NO had to evacuate in 98 for hurricane George and only 50% actually left. So it really think its possible many thought evacuating would be pointless?based on past experience. If you boarded up, packed and evacuated numerous times without anything like Katrina happening?.ask yourself?is it reasonable that some people might get to the point where they no longer take the threat seriously?
3. MEDIA HYPE. The media, for all its good points, has a tendency to blow a simple storm out of proportion for the purpose of having something to report when nothing better is going on. Usually, as I have noticed, the impending doom of the ?storm? rarely materializes in the manner the media claims it will. So, sometimes the threat of a storm, by some people anyway, can be written off as yet more media hype, exaggerations, etc, and therefore, may not take a serious real threat seriously.
4. DENIAL. Human beings are well known to personally deny certain harsh realities of life?I guess I see it as a coping mechanism sometimes?after all, who wants to live in fear? For to admit the danger to oneself, for some people, means fear. I really believe some people because of this easily fall into ?Nothing bad will happen;? or ?I didn?t think it would be THIS bad.?
5. PARALYZED BY FEAR. There are some people, who fully realize the threat that is coming, may become paralyzed by fear?ever seen or heard of someone in a dangerous situation just stands there and does nothing? Combine this factor with a FEELING OF HELPLESS that a person w/o $ or transportation might experience. I think it is possible, some people who may have understood the threat, ended up just doing nothing due to a combination of both factors?..What would you do if you were scared to death and felt utterly powerless over a given situation, at the same time?
6. BAD DECISION MAKING IN A CRISIS ? and I don?t mean this in a critical sense because not all of us are good at making wise decisions under extreme stress. I think that is understandable.
7. TO HELP RELEIF EFFORTS ? many may have lingered to help relief efforts?.such as doctors, nurses, police, firefighters, and other emergency workers who felt an obligation to their community, to stay behind to do their jobs in a crisis situation?to save lives
8. OPPORTUNISTS ? yes I have to acknowledge that some people may have stayed simply to take advantage of the situation/looting. However I doubt many people fell in to this category?I think to be fair though, I had to acknowledge that a small fraction of the 20% probably was in this category----and I will NOT defend or support such people.
And a side note, even if you are right that these people, the 20% that stayed behind were just idiots that ignored well publicized warnings, I answer that with a question?doesn?t every single human being on this planet ignore serious well publicized, well known risks every single day? (One example ? smoking ----I ignore the warnings on this one every day even though I know that I will most likely die of cancer)
I guess I just cant fathom, in the situation of NO, criticizing the victims?.but on another note, I do think plenty of criticism is warranted on this issue: If officials knew damn well that a sizable percentage of its citizens would literally be trapped in the city due to having no money or transportation to evacuate in conformance with Mayor orders, why in hell was there no cavalry of greyhound buses lined up ready to evacuate those who truly needed help out BEFORE the storm hit?
If your interested?Tim Russert on Meet the Press today posed that very question to former NO mayor Morial.--------?MR. RUSSERT: There was a poll taken before the hurricane, and about 60 percent of the residents of New Orleans said they probably wouldn't leave if they were asked to evacuate. Many of them said they couldn't leave. They live check to check. They don't have an automobile. Should the mayor, should the governor, should the president, should everyone have been more insistent and provided the resources-- trains, planes, buses, automobiles, boats--to evacuate the city before the hurricane?? ------ I personally think that is a damn good question.
Here?s the transcript.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179790/ ::rainbow::
