Everybody says that it’s too early to start pointing fingers and assigning blame for the disaster that was Hurricane Katrina relief. Well, I’ve been helping with relief efforts on a very small scale, and I will continue to help. However, while I and my family continue to offer our money, time and energy to those who have lost their homes and material goods and, in some cases, their hope, I have some questions. If anyone knows the answers to these questions, I would truly, honestly like to know:

1. Whose responsibility was it to order the evacuation of New Orleans and surrounding areas and to provide means of evacuation for those who had no transportation, Mayor Nagin or President Bush?
2. Whose responsibility was it, after people were told to go to the Superdome and to the NO Convention Center for refuge from the storm, to make sure there was adequate food, water and security for those people? Mayor Nagin or President Bush?
3. I have read that there was only one day’s supply of food and water in the Superdome. Is this true?
4. Were other cities (Dallas, Houston, etc.) asked to prepare to receive refugees from the storm before Katrina hit? Or did those cities simply offer to help after the refugees began pouring in and after they saw that the city of New Orleans had no ability to cope with its own problems whatsoever? (Not to imply that we begrudge the help. I’m sure that the people of NO would do the same for us were the roles reversed. I’m not so sure, however, I would trust the city government of of New Orleans to do anything.)
5. Is there any way, and are there any plans, to rebuild New Orleans on higher ground? If Holland can build dykes that will hold back the ocean, why can’t New Orleans do something similar? I really want to know. I’m not an engineer, so maybe I’m asking a stupid question. If so, tell me why. I don’t mind being corrected or informed.
6. Has the mayor of New Orleans done anything constructive either to avert this crisis or to alleviate the suffering of the poor people left in New Orleans? Or has he spent this entire time cursing at the feds and raving like a maniac?
7. Does anyone who criticizes any level of government in this crisis, local state, or federal, have any actual examples of things you would have done differently?
8. Why has all the new focused on New Orleans instead of Biloxi or Gulfport or Hattiesburg, Missisippi? Is it because these communities were less damaged by the storm, because the flooding was much more severe in New Orleans, because New Orleans is bigger, or because New Orleans was so mismanaged and poorly governed?
9. Finally, what have we learned? What will be different when a hurricane destroys Galveston or Mobile? Or even Houston?

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