How many deaths were directly related to Katrina?

Next Wednesday I am going to discuss the entire book, The Secret Life of Bees. Some students needed more time to get their assignments done. :)

How many people died because of hurricane Katrina? (Every death was a tragedy, and in know way would I want to minimize the pain and suffering).

According to the Dallas Morning News:
Louisiana: 972
Mississippi: 221

What was the racial make up of the deaths? Were blacks disproportionately higher than other ethnic groups?

According to the Los Angeles Times

New Orleans was the site of most of Katrina's fatalities; the state reported that 76% of storm deaths statewide occurred in the city. Of the 380 bodies from New Orleans that have been formally identified, a moderately disproportionate number are white. New Orleans population was 28% white, yet 33% of the identified victims in the city are white and 67% black. "The affected population is more muti-racial, multi-ethnic and multicultural than one might discern from national media reports," said Richard Campanella, a Tulane University geographer who has studied which parts of the city were hit the worst by flooding. His research showed that predominantly white districts in the city were almost as likely to flood as predominantly black ones.

Were the poor the most affected?

Of the 528 bodies recovered from identifiable addresses in city neighborhoods, 230 came from areas that had household incomes above the citywide median of $27,133. The poorer areas accounted for 298 bodies. The state official in charge of identifying Katrina's victims, Dr. Louis Cataldie, said he was not surprised by the findings. "We went into $1-million and $2-million homes trying to retrieve people,he said.

The conditions at the dome were deplorable. N0 person should have had to go through what those people went through. Yet, so many of the stories of murder, rape, and mayhem coming out of the dome were simply untrue. The truth was bad enough!

Ramblings....

The issue -- the residents of the 9th ward, for whatever reason, were not safely and efficiently evacuated before the hurricane hit. Is it a racial issue? I doubt it. Most of the leaders of New Orleans were of the same color as most of the people of the 9th ward. Was it political? The local and state politicians were Democrats as most of the people of the 9th ward. Was it federal? The Bush administration wanted to take over yet the governor must allow that to happen. It didn't. (However, the Bush people spent too much time thinking about the politics of the situation, just like the Governor of Louisiana). If we do this, then... If we don't do this, then.... What is the right thing to do? -- period! Did you know that the press sued the government for not allowing dead bodies to be shown? Was it because the government wanted to control or manipulate the situation? No, it was because General Honoree did not want next of kin to see their loved ones and find out they were dead on national television. As in the military, they believe the dead should be treated with dignity.


Why were people ever allowed to live in the 9th ward? That area should have been a reservoir. Everyone knew that someday this was going to happen. Next time it may be a category 5! You can not build a levee high or wide enough to prevent a Category 5 hurricane from destroying that area.

Consequences of decades of racism and poverty were never undone. Anywhere someone is living that is unsafe, should not be allowed to live there, unless they sign off knowing that they may lose everything someday. There are many wealthy people with beautiful houses that live right on the Gulf Coast. Each year with their tax bill, they should get this notice, "This residence/business is in a high risk area. It is assumed that since you are intelligent enough to buy this property, you know this." The people that build those multi-million dollar mansions on the West Coast, overlooking the Pacific, should get a similar notice."

CNN: "Sir, your house has been destroyed by the hurricane. How do you feel."
VICTIM: "How do you think we feel(you idiot)? We knew it was a risk to build hear. You only live once, right?"

-----

CNN: "Maam, it looks like the hurricane destroyed your home." (Reporters usually state the obvious).
Victim: "I know, this is very painful. But this is not my home. We are not home yet."
CNN: "Don't you live here?"
Victim: "Yes, but my home can never be destroyed."
CNN: Good luck! To producer: "We need to find some real victims!"

Many of the people of the 9th ward may not have had a choice. Not all of the residents were poor. There were residents who had very good jobs and incomes.

Did you know that Louisiana is probably the most corrupt state? Ask anyone that has worked there in the oil business or construction. It really isn't even a secret. Do a Google search on "corrupt" and "Louisiana" and see what comes up.

"What can we do to prevent another Katrina?" and "What can we do about poverty in America?" are two different questions. We have no control over the weather. Poverty we can do something about!