Understanding Disaster Vulnerability

The notion of natural disasters permits people to be free of responsibility when disasters occur, however Hurricane Katrina undoubtedly demonstrates the multitude of ‘unnatural’ factors that contribute to the outcome of a natural disaster. In the case of New Orleans, there were factors that have contributed to the unfortunate events in the aftermath of Katrina involving human error. The depletion of the wetlands and the levees that could not withstand the Hurricane were the responsibility of humans and had significant consequences for New Orleans when the disaster occurred. The information from the presentation and the film exposed many issues surrounding Hurricane Katrina that I was unaware of and I was astonished to discover. I didn’t realize the severity of the situation with the levees prior to the Hurricane, nor the deliberate attempts to keep the public unaware of the danger. The state of New Orleans post Hurricane appears just as disastrous as Katrina itself. The film ‘The Storm that Drowned the City’ featured a scientist that was brought to tears as he recounted his experience of Hurricane Katrina, that image has been stuck in my mind. The scientist predicted the outcome and felt obligated to communicate his knowledge and when the Hurricane hit and his prediction became a tragic reality he was left powerless, along with every victim. As many others did, he tried to alert proper officials about the severity of the situation with the levees resulting in no action. And now, in the aftermath, the action and the focus are not on the restoration of the city (and levees) and helping citizens rebuild their lives and feel safe but to build tourist attractions. I can’t imagine how powerless and unwanted this makes the citizens feel. This situation truly demonstrates the serious issues in our capitalist, money-grabbing world.