Share

Search for living, dead: Louisiana fights back from flooding

That recovery is likely to be slow, as CNN reports.

Advertisement

“Alas, there has been no megaphone moment for President Barack Obama in his response to the catastrophe plaguing south Louisiana this week”.

It’s fair to say that residents were ill-prepared for this type of disaster. At least 15 people have reportedly died while a minimum of 90,000 has registered for federal disaster aid.

Don’t blame them for that, though: due to their relatively high elevation compared to sea level, they were not in a designated flood zone.

Thousands of displaced families have literally nowhere to go.

There are a couple of points to make about this. We can talk about levees that couldn’t hold, about a FEMA that’s seen as not just incompetent but paralyzed and powerless, about a president who only saw the people from the window of an airplane. “The coverage has been so lackluster that Liz Spayd, the public editor of The New York Times, admitted that her publication was “weak” in its coverage”, DeCourcey notes. Likewise, Samaritan’s Purse is looking for volunteers who are willing to commit to three days of clean up in Southern Louisiana and will provide housing and meals for those willing to help restore Southern Louisiana. That requires tearing out damp carpets, insulation and sheet rock, which is a labor-intensive and pricy process.

“When you have a storm that is unnamed, it wasn’t a tropical storm and it wasn’t a hurricane, a lot of times people underestimate the impact it would have”.

The Red Cross has estimated it will cost at least $30 million to fix the devastation in Louisiana once the floodwaters recede.

What about you? If you feel strongly one way or the other maybe write us a Letter to the Editor or post your comment on our website at www.iberianet.com under this item in the Columns list under Opinion in our navigation bar. For tips on how to verify a charitable institution is legitimate, consult this Care2 article.

How did the first athletes get the idea to use rat poisoning to help give them an edge in athletic competitions?

The American Red Cross is already helping Lousiana flood victims by providing shelters, meals, and even medical assistance.

“Care must be taken to ensure that actions, both intentional and unintentional, do not exclude groups of people based on race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency), religion, sex, or disability”.

Advertisement

A preliminary report by the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce says more than 111,000 homes were located in flood areas, with the value of those homes being close to $21 billion, Patch.com reported, adding that almost 7,400 businesses that employ close to 74,000 employees are located in flood areas with businesses in Livingston Parish experiencing the most severe impact.

Amber James stands outside her mother's flooded home in St. Amant Louisiana U.S