Class review

I had a class about the environmental protection this year and I got some reflection. A lot of great disaster happened in the last two to three years. Hurricane Katrina gave me the greatest impact because the giant America suddenly became a helpless child. It was indeed one of the worst natural disasters in American History. Although I was not at U.S. then, through the TV screen, I can feel how terrible the catastrophe was. Flooding last for couples of days, people starved to death, and epidemic spread out because of contaminated water. Hurricane Katrina gave America a huge influence and revealed how divide the country was. The image between the united American after September 11 and the desperate African American waiting for help is really a huge difference. According to the article, Black Poverty’s Human Face, Business Week, September 15, we really have to consider the question Katrina played out. Would the response to the destruction faster if the victims were not poor people of color? Or was government unable to react quickly to crises at home? Government’s responsibility was huge. If government can face the problem and direct proper policies quickly, the situation will not be that worse.

Hurricane Katrina allowed me to recall the earthquake happened in September 21, 2000 in my hometown Taiwan. The disaster occurred at midnight, so lots of people were killed and buried when slept. Thousands of people were killed and a great many were injured. Moreover, a lot of houses and road were demolished. Shortage of living space and food and bad sanitation condition became big problem here. Situation in this region spread through press quickly. Government and Red Cross originated a donation in order to help people in the disaster area. Red Cross used the donation to purchase the commodity and food immediately after they received it. However, the government distributed the donation four months after they received it. Government’s explanation for spending so long to handle donations was the red tape they had to get through. Since it was an emergency, why can they omit or lessen the complex procedures and allowed victims to receive the funds quickly.