Katrina, one year later: mission not accomplished
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
It's the anniversary of hurricane Katrina's assault on the Gulf Coast and there's no place to hide for the Bush administration. From the incompetence of the federal response, to the handing out of no-bid contracts and fleecing of the taxpayer, the man-made disaster almost equals the misery of the natural disaster.
10,000 FEMA trailers rotting away...
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From the Institute for Southern Studies, here is Facing South's The One Year After Index:
* Estimated percentage of New Orleans metro area's pre-storm population of about 460,000 that had returned as of June 30: 37***
* Of the 368 buses operating in New Orleans before Katrina, number operating as of July 2006: 61
* Gallons of water the new Orleans water system loses each day due to breaks caused by Katrina and an underfunded repair budget: 85 million
* Months after Katrina that federal money for housing reconstruction was approved: 10
* Total federal funds dispersed so far to rebuild homes: 0
* Occupancy rate of livable apartments in New Orleans: 99
* Number of hospitals in Orleans Parish before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: 22
* Number as of August 2006: 11
* Approximate increase in New Orleans suicide rate since Katrina: 300%
* Percent of New Orleans small businesses destroyed by Katrina: 60
* By May 2006, percent of small businesses that had been approved for disaster loans from the Small Business Administration that had actually received them: 37
* Value of wages that contractors had not paid their workers but were eventually recovered by the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance: over $700,000
* Number of New Orleans prisoners whose trials have never been set or have been delayed, or who have never seen an attorney: about 6,000
* Amount of oil spilled in Louisiana from damaged tanks and other production facilities during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: 10.5 million gallons
* Amount spilled from 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska: 11 million gallons
* Portion of hazardous materials that authorities would be "lucky" to remove from the post-Katrina waste stream, according to an EPA official: 20 to 30 percent
* Percent of New Orelans cultural institutions that remain closed from storm damage: 75
* Of the 30 U.N. Principles guiding the handling of "Internally Displaced People," number that legal scholars believe were violated in the case of Katrina: 16
Source: One Year after Katrina, Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch/Institute for Southern Studies, August 2006.
Some of the features in the Institute's 96-page Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch report, One Year after Katrina:
* Profiting from Disaster: Fraud, scandal and greed has crippled the Gulf recovery -- but made some very rich. By Jordan Green.
* Feds Disaster Plans Neglect Nursing Homes: Those most vulnerable during the storms could be left behind again. By Sue Sturgis.
* A Place for Women after Katrina: An interview with New Orleans activist Shana Griffin. By Elena Everett.
This represents a herculean effort by Chris Kromm and the folks at the Institute. Help support its work. Print copies of the full report are available for $12 at www.southernstudies.org. For help or more information, please contact Elena Everett at elena@southernstudies.org or 919-419-8311 x25.
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Chris and Sue Sturgis will be on the radio today:
Thom Hartmann at Air America Radio -- Tuesday 8/29 at 1 pm EST (Chris Kromm)
WEKZ in Wisconsin and Illinois -- Tuesday 8/29 at 8:35 am EST (Sue Sturgis)
KKSM in Sacramento, CA -- Tuesday 8/29 at 11 am EST (Elena Everett)
GW on the Hill on XM Radio --Tuesday 8/29 at 3 pm EST (Chris Kromm)
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Blogswarm on Katrina: Shakes Sis / Royally Kranked / I’m Not One to Blog, But… / Night Bird’s Fountain / Amberglow at MetaFilter / Fluxview / Changing Places / Grumpy Old Man / Morning Martini / What Do I Know? / A Blog Around the Clock / After the Bridge / Swampytad / Rusty Idols / The Science Pundit / Harp and Sword / Mike the Mad Biologist / Momusfire / The Crazy Bird / The Psychotic Patriot (and here) / Truth, Justice & Peace / Stephenson Strategies / Konagod / Paul Krugman (provided by C&L) / BlondeSense / Driftglass / Gideon Starorzewski / The Talent Show / Mike’s Neighborhood / Pen-Elayne on the Web / Mockingbird’s Medley / Bark Bark Woof Woof / Progressive Purls / Booman Tribune / TalkLeft / The Intersection / Stranger Fruit / Poor Impulse Control / Quaker Agitator (and here) / Blue Gal / Talking Points Memo / Hughes for America / Brilliant at Breakfast / Aetiology / Legal Fiction / 300 Dollar Wonder / Drifting Through the Grift / Property of a Lady / HuffPo / Corpus Callosum / The Unknown Candidate / The Tattered Coat / 1115 / The Last Duchess / Facing South / True Blue Liberal / Demagogue / The Daily Background / Think Progress / Thoughts from an Empty Head / Afarensis / Life and Times of NotSoccer Mom / Thoughts from Kansas / Blanton’s and Ashton’s / State of the Day / Article of Faith / The Rude Pundit / The Katrinacrat Blog / The Democratic Daily / A DC Birding Blog / Zen Comix / Liberal Catnip / Firedoglake / First Draft / Left I on the News / The Left Coaster / The Garlic / Puffs and White China Dogs / Linkmeister / Bitty’s Back Porch / Thinking Meat / Lab Cat / Notes Toward Something / The Aristocrats / Dr. Joan Bushwell’s Chimpanzee Refuge / The Evil Petting Zoo / This Space for Rent / Pushing Rope / And This Too Shall Pass…
