Avoiding Another Katrina

Comment: By the sound of these post you would think California was the reason that New Orleans turned out the way it did. I am so frustrated with people saying the rich and the white are affect by this only. Where do you people get off. I work my but off for what I have. I help people when they need it. Ihave many people living in my home and struggle to pay my bills. I went on these boards during Katrina all I could do was cry and pray for those people. I sent money and supplies to help the people there. I also donated to help there poor pets it broke my heart. I dont even make 30,000.00 a year so quite calling me rich. If I do remember correctly there where warned that Hurrican Katrina was coming your state choose not to evacuate. I pray for all you bitter people out there.

The test of a great leader usually comes when disaster hits. Our governor has stepped up and proven that he will not let politics, red tape or the lack of common sense get in the way of helping the victims of this terrible disaster. I am so proud of how Gov. Schwarzenegger has shown his guts, persistence and intelligence to restore confidence in the leadership of this great state. Way to go Arnold!

I sure am glad that we can come together as a nation. Its great that people are arguing about who suffered the most? Give me break. I can't believe someone would even write an article like this in the first place. Secondly, I can't believe the replies I have read regarding race, economy, and government. An emergency is an emergency is an emergency. Each person is effected differently, leave it at that. No opinions should even be put in at a time like this.

Different logistics involved between the two disasters. New Orleans was under 10 or 20 feet of water. Not very navigable considering raw sewage and debris. California on the other hand can start rebuilding the scorched earth a little bit sooner. Once the fire travels through, your not worrying about disease and other problems inherent to Katrina. I like Gov Arnold though. Best thing that ever happend to California, and I'm from New York State. We need someone like him here.

We're in the middle of coping with the crisis, and cynics are already chiming in. Why is Katrina even being mentioned here, it's a totally apples to oranges comparison. Let them do their jobs without critics (for at least a few weeks?), funnel your energy into reaching out and making a donation or something helpful.

I BET GOOD MONEY THAT THE FIRES COST MORE THAN KATRINA AND MORE WILL BE PAID FOR BY INSURANCE, AS IT WAS NOT IN N.O.. I BET GOOD MONEY CALIF GETS FAR MORE FEDERAL FUNDS IN POCKET THAN ANY IN N.O.! I BET GOOD MONEY THE RICH HAVE THERE CHECKS TODAY, AND THE NOT SO RICH ARE STILL HOMELESS WITHOUT HOTEL FUNDS, OR NO RIDE TO QUALCOM STADIUM, AND THE LAW WILL NOT TRANSPORT THE POOR, ONLY THOSE WITH POWER-THE RICH-YOU KNOW THE ONE WHO LOST THERE 65,000 SQ FT HOME WHERE THEY LIVE ALONE. I BET GOOD MONEY THAT THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KATRINA AND CALIF FIRES IS THE FOLKS AFFECTED BY THE FIRES WILL BE TREATED BETTER THAN ANY ONE FROM NO WAS!!! THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KATRINA AND THE FIRES IS FIRE IS COVERED BY INSURANCE FLOODS CAUSED BY NATURE IS NOT, CAILF WOULD BE BANKRUPT IF IT WAS FLOOD WATERS, AND NOT FIRE!!! GO ASK YOU INSURANCE DEALER WHAT IF AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. INSURANCE COMPANIES RULE DISASTERS NOT MAN!

I know there will be comparisons between Katrina and CA, I hope it just goes to show despite your political affiliation effective leadership in time of crisis is what counts. The mayor of New Orleans and their Governor dropped the ball, they should have called for the mobilization of local, state, and federal support way before the hurricane ever hit that city. Luckily our Governor is onsite, talking with the local effort in one ear, and requesting resources directly from the President on the phone with the other. I hope this awakens many CA to the other disasters we face as a state. The first being our lack of water supply. The Governor has been trying to pass a comprehensive water storage bond to supply the life blood of this state. He has meet stiff resistance, and the people of CA, especially Los Angeles need to wake up and start calling their local representatives and demand additional water storage is built in CA. If you don???t know what I am talking about, ask your local representative about the Temperance Flat proposal, ask why the delivery of water to Los Angeles from the CA aqueduct is at stake due a small fish called the Delta Smelt. Time to get behind your Governor, and start supporting his efforts to save this great state of California.

The people in the West are far more independent that the folks in Louisanna. Their attitude was one of waiting for the Feds. to bail them out; whereas in the West the attitude is 'as little goverment interferference as possible - everyone helps his neighbor. Watching the aftermath of Katrina, one had to wonder if everyone in New Orleans was fat, sassy and lazy. You did not see too many people helping each other out. Even now, they are still waiting for hand-outs rather than putting their backs into the work of hauling away debris.

These comparisons between Katrina and SD are ridiculous. Someone mentioned that people in SD are posting their homes as available to displaced folks on craigslist. If you think about that vs. Katrina you can see how different the situations are.

In the end, 1500 homes have been destroyed in SOCAL. That's less than 0.1% of all households. During Katrina more than 50% of homes were destroyed.

Amazing that people would try to compare the two disasters. New Orleans will never be the same. SD will be back to normal within 10 days.

These comparisons between Katrina and SD are ridiculous. Someone mentioned that people in SD are posting their homes as available to displaced folks on craigslist. If you think about that vs. Katrina you can see how different the situations are.

In the end, 1500 homes have been destroyed in SOCAL. That's less than 0.1% of all households. During Katrina more than 50% of homes were destroyed.

Amazing that people would try to compare the two disasters. New Orleans will never be the same. SD will be back to normal within 10 days.

These comparisons between Katrina and SD are ridiculous. Someone mentioned that people in SD are posting their homes as available to displaced folks on craigslist. If you think about that vs. Katrina you can see how different the situations are.

In the end, 1500 homes have been destroyed in SOCAL. That's less than 0.1% of all households. During Katrina more than 50% of homes were destroyed.

Amazing that people would try to compare the two disasters. New Orleans will never be the same. SD will be back to normal within 10 days.

To all there idiots complaining that the people of new orleans didn't help themselves and leave...

Here's a clue. If you are poor and have no money, there is nowhere to go. They can drive you out of town, but where will you sleep? The streets? You have no money for a hotel. And you have no family out of town. What will you eat? You spent all of the money you have on bills and the groceries already in you house. And that's just the people the government was able to evacuate. They would have evacuated themselves when the govt. started to screw up...if only they had cars. I guess they should have walked to another state.

To all there idiots complaining that the people of new orleans didn't help themselves and leave...

Here's a clue. If you are poor and have no money, there is nowhere to go. They can drive you out of town, but where will you sleep? The streets? You have no money for a hotel. And you have no family out of town. What will you eat? You spent all of the money you have on bills and the groceries already in you house. And that's just the people the government was able to evacuate. They would have evacuated themselves when the govt. started to screw up...if only they had cars. I guess they should have walked to another state.

If your little boy is buried there, the fire certainly won't hurt him. Let's keep our eye on the ball and concentrate on the living. Go Arnold!!!

Sorry, the last post got garbled. In response to the "white and rich" thread, it's not true. San Diego County and all the cities in it are fairly diverse. Latinos, for example, in the 2001 census showed in Chula Vista, they are almost 50 percent; Imperial Beach, 40 percent; San Marcos, 37 percent; Vista, 39 percent; Escondido, 39 percent; Oceanside, 30 percent; and San Diego, 25 percent. Plus we have about 13% black.

So it's not fair to use the "white and rich" argument.

The situation is NOT different: In San Diego, the response started in time BEFORE the infrastructure started falling apart. And, by the way, phone service is spotty, roads are closed, water in some areas is gone, power lines are down everywhere. The reason these are not bigger issues is because the response has been ahead of the curve, so to speak. In New Orleans, they WAITED TOO LONG. That's WHY the problems got so bad and the infrastructure was down.

I



In Chula Vista, they are almost 50 percent; Imperial Beach, 40 percent; San Marcos, 37 percent; Vista, 39 percent; Escondido, 39 percent; Oceanside, 30 percent; and San Diego, 25 percent. These cities showed substantial growth in the 1990s.

I think what helped is not race but the fact that this is a Republican Gov talking to a Republican president in the state with the largest number of electoral votes. I really do not think a Democratic gov would have gotten a call through to Bush that easily.