It’s hard to believe that one year has already passed since the fury, destruction and heartbreak known as Hurricane Katrina ripped its way into the lives of Gulf Coast residents.
To think that only those living in New Orleans were affected is naive, as the incredible event struck the souls of all of us. Thankfully, it was the compassion of ordinary people-like many of you U students-that made a difference in the hours immediately following the disaster.
What was certainly one of the greatest natural tragedies in our nation’s history is not yet behind us, and as we continue to repair and rebuild, important questions remain, such as how to best reconstruct the city, the culture and the community.
While critics are correct for pointing blame at the federal government for a lack of emergency preparedness, responsiveness and support, to deny the role of national government in the reconstruction effort can only hinder progress and prevent long-term solutions from taking hold.
The federal government-whether under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the president himself-has unique capabilities from which New Orleans survivors can benefit.
For example, the infrastructure and organization of local and state governments is already overstretched. Local officials must negotiate a divided and hostile political environment, one that is exhausted by the weight of the disaster. The federal government can remain more neutral on such local political matters while still providing necessary support to constructive efforts.
The national government has greater financial resources to dedicate and can more easily support the burden of long-term loans, construction costs and large expenditures.
Costs associated with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are a good example of how important the federal government is in fostering long-term investments for the country that smaller governments and businesses would be incapable of supporting on their own.
Federal supervision can also work to ensure that necessary preventative steps are taken to assure such a disaster does not occur again, especially considering how many people disapproved of the president’s handling of the situation the first time.
This is not to deny the importance of business involvement in rebuilding New Orleans. Local contractors were some of the first people on the scene, and the jobs they provide to the people still in New Orleans have been incredibly helpful.
But this effort is too important to trust solely to businesses, which naturally have considerations of profit, growth and self-interest in mind. The federal government is more neutral in this respect, helping to make final and fair decisions.
As for those who lived through the hurricane and are now scattered across the country, the federal government is the only actor with the scope needed to coordinate return trips home, as well as to support an individual’s choice to remain in his or her new location. Personal loans, contracts and assistance must continue, instead of being cut too early to allow for people to truly reorient themselves in this very new environment.
While the federal government was certainly at fault for much of what happened in Hurricane Katrina, the reconstruction efforts pose a unique opportunity to restore credibility and trust with the American people, as well as to ensure that long-term, financially and socially responsible policy decisions take hold.
