why is that the news(all) limit there hurricane storys to reporting on Katrina? What about the thousands effected by Rita and Wilma?? I was a volenteer sent to Baytown Texas to help those hit by Rita near by.When Wilma came in news was so lacking from the news groups it was like it didn't happen.Q: Have any thing to do with J. Bush and family not taking care of those hit by storms LAST year??

Katrina was such a huge disaster that it did overshadow anything else that followed. The flooding of a major US city was unprecedented, and the lack of planning and organization exposed systemic weaknesses in our disaster response capabilities. Katrina perfectly exemplified Murphy's law, and left all of America uneasy about their own safety. We all know and understand that a hurricane victim from Texas is just as homeless as the victim from Louisiana or Florida. But more people were left homeless by Katrina than Rita or Wilma. Oddly enough, I thought that was because Katrina covered a wider geographic area than Rita and Wilma. But when I checked it out to reference in this post I discovered that my perception was wrong. At landfall, Katrina covered 460 miles, Rita covered 410 miles, and Wilma covered 460 miles (just like Katrina.) Katrina was the most powerful of the three storms - her windspeed was 140 mph at landfall, as opposed to Rita at 120 mph and Wilma at 125 mph. But Katrina was responsible for 1,291 deaths. Rita killed 9 people in the United States, and Wilma didn't kill any Americans. I have to think that fewer deaths were the result of better execution of evacuation orders for Rita and Wilma. I am a Floridian who was hit last year by Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne, and this year by Hurricane Wilma. Your inference about Governor Bush is mistaken. He is an experienced and very capable emergency manager, and I believe he is, in part, responsible for us faring as well as we did. Trust me, you're not getting this information from a GOP faithful; my views are about as liberal as they can get. But I have to give credit where it's due. Jeb Bush has earned my respect; he's done a good job. Floridians fared better for multiple reasons. People were told to evacuate at the right time, and appropriate shelters were made available for them. Relief supplies and support were staged in advance of the storm to effect a more rapid response after the storm. Building codes are stricter in Florida, so not as much property was damaged. And Floridians have been through this so many times before that they know the routine, and treat hurricane preparation as routine. So in summary, I think the news media reported more on Hurricane Katrina because more people suffered, and more of them suffered needlessly due to governmental failures in both preparation and response.

You like so many choose to count how many dead that are now counted.You choose to look at what is given to by those that"report" that is important. Rita 9..Wilma 0. My God the thousands left without a answer to: HELP, Will you help? I'll remind anyone flying over central Florida to look down....those "Blue Tarps" are from LAST YEARS storms!! Don't tell me about J.B. I know where my Christmas gifts are going

aden49, you misunderstood me. I am not unsympathetic to the victims of Hurricane Rita or Wilma. I am a victim of Hurricane Wilma. I live in Boca Raton, Florida, which was directly in the path of Wilma's eye. Many of the homes in my neighborhood no longer exist. My home, although habitable, was severely damaged. I am one of those people who lives under a blue tarp. Let's be honest. No one has been left without an answer to their requests for help. We are so lucky to live in the United States! I've applied for FEMA, and may be eligible for a low-interest loan to rebuild my home. Disaster victims all over the world are left to fend for themselves. In addition to damaging my home, Hurricane Wilma knocked out my power, water, and phone service. I had water back in 3 days, I had power back in a week, and I just got my phone service back a few days ago, although it appears to be intermittent. I got my utilities back quickly because Florida is well-prepared for hurricanes. There are thousands of people in Louisiana that still don't have power and running water. I had ample warning that a storm was coming. My governor went on the airwaves on a daily basis telling people what to expect and how to prepare. He issued evacuation orders in ample time to prevent a backlog on the roads. He had relief supplies staged so that they could be quickly distributed to people who would need them. Adequately stocked and staffed shelters were available to everyone. With Rita, the evacuation was poorly planned and led to gridlock and deaths on the highway. With Katrina, the evacuation order came too late and people were sheltered in an understaffed, undersupplied, building that wasn't hurricane safe. These are huge differences that resulted in needless suffering for Rita's and Katrina's victims. I was well-stocked for the storm, and didn't need any extra food or water. But distribution centers were open the day after the storm to provide water, food and ice to those people who hadn't prepared. Flyers were passed around the neighborhoods telling people where they could go to get these supplies, and people didn't have to go far. One distribution site was within walking distance from my home, and I passed another every day on my way to work. Katrina victims weren't told how to prepare for the storm, and didn't get relief supplies until days after the storm. (out of space - will continue in another post)

Gov. Bush stated that things did not go well during Wilma and things were unacceptable, so every state has problems with distibution and getting aid into destroyed areas. We need to learn and plan better our selves for diasters. Some people do not have the resources to stock up for weeks as they live from pay check to pay check.. I also know that there are areas hit by Wilma that still did not electricty last week and how long has that been? Every area was not as fortunate as others lets have some compasion for our fellow man and do what we can to help, there is enough blame to go around for whatever that will accomplish. Each state has a different set of circumstances to deal with.

(continued from previous post) I don't know what you expected Governor Bush to do that he hasn't done. Do you think he's personally responsible to rebuild people's homes? Sure there are blue roofs all over central Florida. There are blue roofs all over southeastern and southwestern Florida, and I'll bet you'll find blue roofs all over Louisiana and Texas, too. Don't you think the people who live in those homes have a responsibility to maintain their property, too? It's not all up to the government to take care of. We are so lucky to live in a society where the government helps. And I'll tell you this: FEMA's handbook clearly says that you don't have to wait for a FEMA inspection to begin making repairs to your home. They tell you to go ahead and do what you need to do, but save the receipts so you can be reimbursed. My home got inspected yesterday. Do you really think the people who have blue roofs from last year's storms haven't had a FEMA inspection yet? Some people in my neighborhood have already received FEMA money. If they choose not to fix their homes expediently, that's up to them. I wouldn't blame the government if they had a tarp on their roof a year later. Finally, how can you discount the 1,291 deaths that are attributed to Katrina, or poor planning and preparation for Katrina? That is one thousand, two hundred and ninety-one mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, lovers and friends that perished. That's huge! My home is in terrible shape. I have friends that lost their homes. My place of employment was damaged. I had to live without power for a week. We're still missing a lot of traffic lights, and there are debris piles and uprooted trees everywhere. But that's not in any way comparable to 1,291 deaths. I will rebuild my home - with or without government help. But thank G-d, my loved ones are safe. I don't think Katrina's victims are as fortunate.

Well I am going to throw a few "facts" into this frey.. even though some of the facts have been stated. Katrina: Location: New Orleans, Miss., Ala. Cost: $200 Bil. est. It dropped to category 4 with 145 MPH winds when it hit land. Six weeks after the storm the death toll stood at 1,275. Electricity was lost for 1.5 - 2 million homes and businesses. Rita: Location: Texas Cost: Unknown 3rd most powerful storm (low barometric pressure near the eye of the storm was 897 millibars) on record while in the Gulf but droped to cagegory 3 when it hit landfall between Sabine Pass, Texas, and Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana. Wilma (see below) became the most powerful storm dropping Rita to 4th. 24 people were killed in a bus fire while evacuating before the storm hit. Wilma: Location: Cuba, Yucatan Peninsula, Florida 40 Deaths - 12 - Hati,1 - Jamaica, 6 - Mexico, 21 - Florida. As of October 17, 2005 Wilma became the 21st named storm of the season tying the record set in 1933 and exhausting the list of storm names. On Oct. 18th Wilma became the 12th hurricane of the season tying the record set in 1969. On Oct. 19th Wilma became the most powerful storm on record (low barometric pressure near the eye of the storm was 882 millibars). Note: These figures may, or may not, be totally accurate.. but they are probably in the ballpark. At least they should be lower than the figures we now have available. :)

You are right, Abby, we are very lucky to live in the US and it saddens me that so many Americans take what we have for granted. Nobody in this world is perfect and does everything right all the time. No country in this world is perfect either... yet people talk about the US as if we have to do everything 100% perfect and in a way to please 100% of the people all the time. That just is plain unrealistic. The hardcore fact is people make mistakes and the smart ones learn from them. George Washington, Abe Lincoln and JFK are three of the presidents most revered in this country. To many they are almost Godlike. Around the world I have heard many people speak as if they idolized JFK and even Honest Abe. Yet those men made mistakes and lots of them in their time. In fact JFK made so many that it was doubtful he would have won a second term if he lived. In fact JFK received only 49.3% of the votes and Nixon received 49.6% of the votes. JFK took the elections because he won the most Electoral Votes (303-219). Yet most people overlook that bit of trivia, yet bash Bush because he won through the Electoral Vote, yet he only got 47.9% of the votes while Gore got 48.4%. It was almost the exact opposite of 1960. The Political Agendas and the Mindless Following of Party Politics needs to stop - or at least slow down alot. These types of inequality are seen by other nations and it lessens us. If we don't respect ourselves then how can we demand the rest of the world to respect us? Jeb Bush did a good job in Florida and just because some people hate his brother then Jeb is being unfairly criticized. In addition just because Nagin dropped the ball and the Governor of LA did not give a stellar performance.. then some liberals feel obligated to attack the Mayor of Houston and the Governors of Texas and Florida to appease their own agenda guided viewpoints. That is wrong and it sometimes amazes me that so many intelligent people overlook this stuff and deem it proper to do. Perhaps America is in it's final days, but if it is then it isn't Bush or Clinton who is dragging us down.. it's ourselves.

thank you I needed that, still don't like news coverage!

let us be real honest , I never DISCOUNTED all the deaths anywhere. You were the one giving a count of AMERICANS lost. My thought is as long as the folks that report the FACTS overlook the people that hane nothing left of there homes-workplace,schools, churchs etc. we as a GOD loving nation need to take a look at ourself.

Aden, you asked why Katrina got more news coverage than Rita or Wilma. I answered that more people suffered, and more of them suffered needlessly due to governmental failures in both preparation and response. In support of my point, among many other facts I noted that more people perished due to Katrina than due to either of the other storms. You must have been tired when you responded, because your post came out kind of garbled, but I think your point was that people who are without an answer to their requests for help are at least as important as the number of people who perished. I certainly agree. But you fail to understand two vitally important points: 1) Media coverage and aid for victims are two seperate things. One is not dependant upon the other. 2) The victims of Rita and Wilma, and the victims of last year's hurricanes, are not without an answer to their requests for help. They are receiving the SAME aid that Katrina victims are receiving. Please tell me who it is that you think has been overlooked so I can try to understand you're point. Frankly, I think we're pretty lucky for the help that we're getting.

i know for fact that many people are still not getting help. i know for a fact that many people are not getting help becawse of where they live and the statas they hold in the county/town/area they live in . this is the nicees way i can say this. i've been in some of these areas, and was run out becawse i was trying to help.

Aden, I think it's wonderful that you gave your time and your effort to help people. G-d bless you. But I still don't understand **WHO** isn't getting help, and **WHAT** help do they need?

Building codes are stricter in Florida, so not as much property was damaged. ______________________________________________________ weren't most of the houses in NO old, pre building codes and remember, they apparently only build to a level 3 :) I just think Katrina was the largest event of the century. I saw on television the models that say NO will be an island many feet below sea level. The sea is reclaiming that area. So why are they rebuilding?

I don't think the question is "why" are they rebuilding, so much as "how" should they rebuild. New Orleans wasn't built below sea level - it sunk. The reason it sunk is because the levees prevented the Mississippi River from overflowing, which it did annually, depositing silt in it's path. Not only did the levees cause New Orleans to sink, but they starved the Louisiana wetlands of vital nutrients and led to their disappearance at an alarming rate. This is important, because those wetlands acted as nature's "speed bumps" for hurricanes. They protected the city. Moreover, they provided a natural habitat for a variety of species, and were home to a annual $2 billion fishing industry that supplied the entire nation. The levees need to be rebuilt, but now is the time to do it in an environmentally friendly way. The city **can** be rebuilt to withstand hurricanes. It **can** be rebuilt so it doesn't sink any more. Now is the time to do it right.

I read this in other places, but this is from Wikipedia: Much of the city is located below sea level between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, so the city is surrounded by levees. Until the early 20th century, construction was largely limited to the slightly higher ground along old natural river levees and bayous, since much of the rest of the land was swampy and subject to frequent flooding. This gave the 19th century city the shape of a crescent along a bend of the Mississippi, the origin of the nickname The Crescent City. In the 1910s engineer and inventor A. Baldwin Wood enacted his ambitious plan to drain the city, including large pumps of his own design which are still used. All rain water must be pumped up to the canals which drain into Lake Pontchartrain. Wood's pumps and drainage allowed the city to expand greatly in area. However, pumping of groundwater from underneath the city has resulted in subsidence. The subsidence greatly increased the flood risk, should the levees be breached or precipitation be in excess of pumping capacity (as was the case in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina). This, and the other sources I read, blame the pumping of groundwater out, which caused subsidence.... and not the silts issue many people claim. The ground that is subsiding and sinking once was swamps, for the most part. And personally I think it's a moot point, except in the fact that if the subsidence was from pumping out the groundwater and not because of the silts not being deposited.. then that knowledge takes away the environmental groups agendas and frees up more resources to use in rebuilding the city. There are two laws that we were taught in Engineering. The first is that Water always seeks it's own level. The other is water always tries to return to it's original course. Sooner or later, unless we raise the city itself to above sea level, the water will always be trying to reclaim it's rightful spot.

Very interesting, Outlooker. The subsidence was caused from pumping out the groundwater! That makes sense. Hmmm... Would it then make more sense to rebuild the areas that are on higher ground only? Is it feasible to raise the city to sea-level? And if it is, would the city remain above sea-level, or would it sink again? What are the social and economic ramifications of rebuilding New Orleans to it's pre-1910 size? And does this really take away the environmental agenda? What about the wetlands?

I kid you not...on pbs compelling models that new orleans will be an island below sea level...and it wasn't just the wetlands abby, it's been the assault and washing away by Katrina and other hurricanes. I know people want to make this a "political" debate and an "environmental" debate, but in reality there are some very very compelling physical reasons not to invest in NO. I don't care either way. I don't have a dog in that fight. In reality, it's a very short time of project, 70 years. Now one more hurricane level three will wash away more. I believe they need to consider the option of looking at these models and stop short term rebuilding and putting more people at risk. The next time, people may not be so "lucky" if you want to call what they went thru as luck.

Look, I hate to beat a dead horse, but New Orleans made it fine throught Hurrican Katrina, it was at least a day later that the levees broke and caused the damage they had. Meanwhiile the communities directly south of New Orleans were completely devastated, as in NOTHING there. Also everyone seems to concentrate so hard on NO that they totally disregard that this storm affected an amazingly large area. In coastal Mississippi, there were 80,000 homes either completely destroyed or so damaged that they have to be torn down. There are complete cities that have been almost completely wiped out, no police stations, no fire stations , no schools, there are still people here living in tents and patiently waiting for FEMA trailers. Our Governor Haley Barbour did an amazing job and the people or this community were out the door as soon as it was safe, helping their neighbors and themselves. We didn't sit and wait. It is so sad to drive aroung this beautiful community and see the devastation and to know how long it will take to get back to "normal" but we will, we always do. I am not begrudging NO the help they need and deserve, I just don't want the people in Mississippi to be overlooked. I was blessed in that I had no damage other than minor roof damage and a couple of trees down, but the entire southern part of this state was completely devastated and it is kind of frustrating to hear everyone only talk about NO. Parts of Louisiana and Texas had devastating damage from Rita and I think they are being overlooked too. Parts of Fl had horrible damage from Wilma , and I think they are also being overlooked.

Hi Agnana :) Let's not confuse the quantity of news coverage with the amount of help available. New Orleans did receive a disproportionate amount of news coverage. But its residents didn't receive a disproportionate amount of aid. All victims of federally declared disasters are entitled to government aid based on the same criteria. New Orleans residents were entitled to no more and no less than other Katrina victims or victims of other disasters. Frankly, I'm less concerned about media coverage than I am about help available. As a Wilma victim, I don't feel that our needs have been overlooked. And if the rest of the world doesn't know or care about the amount of damage here, that's ok by me. As I said to Aden, I don't think my problems compare to those who lost people that they loved. I can replace my house. I can replace my car, my wardrobe, my jewelry, or my bank account. I can replace every thing that I own. All it takes is hard work, and I'm not afraid of that. But I could never replace my children. I could never replace my parents, my pets or the people that I hold dear. Thank G-d my children are safe, my parents are safe, my pets are safe, and my friends are all safe. And just for good measure, the government is going to help us rebuild. I have no reason to complain about the attention given to New Orleans; I have every reason to be grateful. I think one reason New Orleans has gotten a disproportionate amount of news coverage is because the hurricane in and of itself isn't what victimized the people of New Orleans. They were victimized for years by corrupt officials who misappropriated funds allocated for levee repair. They were victimized by inexperienced government officials, who failed to implement appropriate plans to keep them safe, a corrupt police force who took part in looting the city, and a poorly planned and uncoordinated response to the disaster. We were victimized by natural disasters. Our losses could not have been prevented. They were victimized by the very people they trusted to keep them safe.