Saturday, September 03, 2005
~ 5:44 PM ~
It wouldnt be an understatement to say that, had the news channel not mentioned the country, you wouldnt have believed the gruesome images u r seeing on tv are actually from Unites States of America, the strongest and wealthiest country in the world. Yes, I m referring to the widespread damage Hurricane Katrina has done to New Orleans.
We have watched Hollywood movies such as Day After Tomorrow that featured USA being attacked by some global catastrophic event and being able to recover from it as one strong country. Guess what, movies and reality are opposite sides of the coin after all.
If u remembered the last part of Day After Tomorrow where there were many choppers flying into New York to rescue those survivers who managed to ride out the cold, those choppers were visibly non-existent in New Orleans. Where are they? People in New Orleans are standing on top of their roofs, waiting for helicopter rescue as they would expect from the movies. Their endless waiting is a tight slap to their faces. Time to wake up...sad to say.
When asked why the rescue efforts were so slow, Bush replied that they have sent all the helicopters, ships, boats and buses, except tt "It takes time to float there" He said it with a smile on his face, intending it to be a joke. My response "yea rite..." It has been 3 days since the people of New Orleans were told that they would be rescued out of New Orleans, do buses, boats, ships and helocopters need more than 3 days to get there? What are they running on? 1900s engines?
What pains me was to watch news images and hear the survivers outside the New Orleans convention centre, shouting in unison " HELP! HELP! HELP!" and "WE NEED HELP!" It is ironic to see the USA, having tried to help other countries adopt democracy, to be unable to help their own kind. It's sad, real sad. What we are seeing today is a 3rd world USA, collapsed.
If you think that i m being anti-american, i m not. i feel the pain, no less the pain i felt for the victims of the Tsunami last year. I m being frustrated and hurt that our own kind are having to put up with no water and food. Images of the elderly, babies, the sick and the injured, all being unattended to. it's everyone for himself.
The image that stuck me most was an elderly man laying on a grass patch, struggling to get himself up, only to feebly lay back down again. His face was as white as a sheet, with his lips shaking at the ends. As the news reporter said "It was as though he was taking his last breath". My tears nearly flowed out upon seeing that image.
I have always thought that Americans would stand together in adversity. I was wrong, utterly wrong. Survival is the ultimate goal. Being deprived of food and portable water, people have resorted to looting, robbery and stealing. For some reason, I dont blame them. They need to survive! They are not receiving any food or water from the rescue teams! However, they now have to fend against the National guards who have been given the authority to shoot and kill any looters. The people are simply driven to desperation. It's only a matter of time before the ferocious beast in mankind is unleashed.
Or perhaps man's innate evil has surfaced. If not, how does one explain the rampant rapes and murders that are going on? New Orleans has plunged into a state of turmoil, devastation and utter physical and moral degradation.
I am scared. This event has shown that the strongest country in the world, having been prosperous for a long period of time, is unable to cope with disaster. Would I be able to tackle such a calamity should one befall on us all? I dare not imagine. For if it does happen, I m scared that even if i survive the calamity, I may not survive against our own kind, mankind...
