Keeping an eye on hurricane recovery not a national priority I guess
My heart goes out to all those who have experienced loss in the terrible Hurricane Ike disaster.
I am very surprised at the lack of continued media coverage that has occurred in this catastrophic event. During Hurricane Katrina, there was significantly more media coverage over a longer period of time than what we are experiencing now.
Hundreds of thousands of people are still out of their homes and many more are out of electricity, water and sanitation services. A rescinding of the mandatory evacuation order has not been lifted as I write and yet it seems that our attention has already left this region and gone on to other important things like political campaigns and celebrity trails in another State.
It is still an emergency in the Southern part of the Texas and surrounding areas. Yet how much attention are we giving to it?
There is still the possibly of countless residents that have died as a result of Hurricane Ike and are even now rotting in the hurricane strewn debris along the shore lines of the Gulf of Mexico or what is left of their flood ravaged homes. Emergency rescue workers and loved ones have not been able to reach the deceased and give them their proper eternal rest. Yet the media coverage seems to have gone on to other bigger and better news rating events.
How come?
In other parts of the community, homes are still under water. For us, the media audience outside the disaster region, we are encouraged by lack of media coverage to return to our regularly scheduled programming and safe and comfortable lives out of harm’s way and the pain of disaster grief.
It’s easier that way I guess, but for whom?
How can we do that when 500,000 people still need emergency food and water while other disaster victims wait 12 hours in the heat for gasoline for their generators and the gas station runs out of fuel.
What gives?
Have we become so accustomed to catastrophic events in our life time that when a massive disaster in one of the largest cities in our nation is hit by a hurricane that is bigger than the entire state of Texas, the media networks give less than 48 hours of full post-event coverage?
Have we lost our heart?
Instead of showing the plight of so many, the media audience is being shown repeatedly the bickering of our potential national leaders over silly name calling antics, while hundreds of thousands of our citizens suffer and grieve. By the way does anyone remember that many of Hurricane Ike disaster victims and their loved ones can still vote even if voter ID cards are buried in the hurricane debris on Crystal Island or floating out in the Gulf somewhere after the storm blew everything they had away?
Have we become so callous to the devastation of a natural disaster? We gave more time and media attention to the Olympic Games held in a foreign country on the other side of the world than we are paying attention to the needs and plight of our fellow citizens HERE in our own country who are suffering a marathon of grief because of a massive storm called Hurricane Ike.
Where are our values and priorities?
When Hurricane Katrina hit, countries around the world offered their support with funding, material support and battalions of specialized disaster experts to aid us in our time of need. Where is the out pouring of help and prayers this time?
Or is it that there no value added opportunities to get photo ops and sensational coverage with everyone out of town in mandatory evacuations? Celebrities are not racing down to Galveston to “bring attention to the plight of the needy” when there is no one to see them do it under the craft skilled ability of publicity managers trained at arranging free national and international exposure of their celebrity product covered in skin stuffed with Botox.
Could it also be that since this is an election year some want to sweep the hurricane disaster situation under some flood soggy rug? Or is it that disaster coverage could take attention away from an election campaign that has gone on endlessly for almost 18-24 months already.
Is it that hard to share the spotlight of campaign media coverage? Is it too hard give a bit more of the spotlight of media coverage as rays of hope to hurricane victims that now have nothing but memories, grief and bills?
Many sit in cold and impersonal emergency evacuation centers with hundreds of other hurricane marooned strangers far away from home desperately looking for a glimpse of their home or community that may never be there again.
Frankly I really don’t know. That is the most honest to God truth I can say. I’m not pointing fingers, just trying to make sense of the developments and lack of coverage.
Does any body know the reason for this?
Have we become so compassion fatigued that we need more sensational events to keep audience attention, advertising dollars and media ratings? Where is the out pouring of concern and compassion that occurred for others in disastrous situations?
In communities far away from the Gulf coast we use to immediately go into compassion support not fatigue. Kids and adults together would stand at busy intersections of our cities an towns and collect pocket change and dollar bills from motorists driving by for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and 9-11. Both catastrophic events that called for our help and we responded enforce.
I haven’t seen anyone collecting on the streets for Hurricane Ike victims on the roads I travel these past few days. As residents of this great country are we so tapped out financially and emotionally that all we can do now is focus on ourselves?
Are we so fearful of what is happening with our retirement accounts with AIG and the other financial institutions that are on the rocks or buried under boulders of enormous financial burdens and debt that we are not as tuned in to the events and the needs of our brothers and sisters of the Galveston region?
Promises were made not to forget Hurricane Katrina victims and thank God many have not forgotten. We shouldn’t forget.
My fear is we are already forgetting or have forgotten Hurricane Ike disaster victims. Our amnesia and lack of compassionate response would be an additional disaster to those in need.
COMMENTS WELCOMED!
Please share your thoughts, emergency preparedness tips and stories here on this blog.
All I ask is that everyone be respectful and sensitive of each other and that identifying information about a person who is not the author be limited to protect their privacy.
Be Safe – Be Prepared – Help Others!
Terrie
www.trainforahurricane.com
Dr. Terrie Modesto, PhD, author of Train For A Hurricane is an international expert in dying, death, loss and critical incident individual and community disaster preparation and response with 20+ year’s experience. She has over 60 courses, books and training manuals to her credit. Website: www.trainforahurricane.com Blog: www.hurricane-prepared-ness.blogspot.com
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