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Katrina

The Policies for Hurricane Katrina

On August 29, 2005 thousands of people watched their homes, loved ones, memories and lives being washed away with no where to go. There was total chaos among the nation. No one knew what to do, or where to go except to stand on their roof tops praying that someone will save them. However, during this confusion a city with many memories was being lost. Hurricane Katrina was an "American tragedy"(TIME magazine.An American Tragedy. New Orleans September 1,2005. pg 30).  
The destruction that Hurricane Katrina has caused is one of the most disastrous hurricanes in our history (Jared Bernstein. EPI. "Principles for Gulf Coast Reconstruction". www.epi.org).   The damage has covered at least 90,000 square miles and 80% of the city was under water until just recently; that is almost three months since Katrina hit. The question that lies with the government and the people is, How are we going to rebuild this city again? To rebuild New Orleans and most of the Gulf Coast is going to cost a lot of money and a lot of work.   It will probably take years and many tax dollars to repair such a disaster.   According to the EPI (Economic Policy Institute) the federal government has expended $62 billion for the needs of the victims of Katrina.   While it is important that we help those in need; in other words find homes, find jobs and build the victims economy back there are policies that should be followed in the rebuilding of the gulf coast.   According to the API, the following is he policy memo for rebuilding the Gulf Coast:

1. "People who lost everything in the storm need to play a central role in their community"
I feel that this policy is very true and it should be. While it is a lost for those involved with the hurricane and I have great sympathy for them, they should not expect the Government to affix all the damages.   This is a way for their community to work and gain some income while rebuilding their homes and economy. The policy...