Can This Be Our Country?

Can this truly be happening in this, our rich and formidable country?  Can we really be leaving thousands upon thousands of people standing in hot sun, surrounded by feces, urine, and dead bodies, without water or food?  Are there really mothers handing 2 month old babies to total strangers lucky enough to make it onto a bus in hope that at least the baby might survive?  Can this be happening? Here.

And now the refugees poor into our city, to live in yet another sports arena.  And thousands of people want to help.  But no one can tell us how.  The Astrodome is turning away everyone except those coming on the buses from the super-dome.  They are turning them away with no means to get anywhere else.  I would drive them.  But friends have already been turned away from the gates of the dome trying to make the same offer.  We are told to call the local red cross, but they are overwhelmed with offers of help and are already too busy running the existing aid programs.

Texas plans to house roughly 50,000 refugees from New Orleans for the next few months.  These people have nothing, and most have lost family members, some even their whole family.  They have no way to get information on their families, no way to find one another.  Like so many others, I have to wonder why more plans weren't in place.  Don't misunderstand, I don't really blame the people out there now trying to help.  They are doing the best they can, under the circumstances.  But it seems the circumstances are so much worse than they might have been.

New Orleans has know for years that a hurricane could do exactly this.  Clearly a disaster of this magnitude is more than the local or even state government could possible handle on their own.  The Federal government is there now, trying to help, trying to manage the situation, trying to figure out what to do.  Why don't the already know what to do?  Why aren't they simply executing a pre-arranged plan.

And the Texas government has generously offered to house 50,00 people.  A lovely offer and one that is undoubtedly greatly appreciated.  But the need for long term housing for all those people cannot possible be a surprise to anyone.  Where did Texas really think all these people would go in the event that the worst did happen?  It's a fair assumption Texas would need to take in many of them, so why was there no plan in place for that.  It's quite fortunate the astrodome was never torn down as many people wanted.  but that was fortune, not planning.  Why is there not already a contact center set up and waiting for the arriving refugees to help them find their loved ones?

SO many questions about the most heartbreaking situation I have even seen in this country.  ALl I know is I am sad, and short of monetary  donations, which I have already made, there seems to be nothing I can do.  Even though nearly 25 thousand refugees with absolutely nothing, will be living down the road from me.  I'll find a way to help if it's possible, but it should have been easy for me to be helping already.

Comments

[Colleen]

I agree 100% with everything you said. I am sitting here in San Antonio and beyond making a donation (which I did this morning) I have no idea how else I can help. I saw a news conference this morning discussing the fact that our city will also receive refugees (how strange a word is that...we have refugees from WITHIN our own country!). I've looked on local news web sites for information on how individuals can help, but all I can find are links for donating. I'm hoping to learn more about how I can help make a difference for at lease some of the victims of this awful situation.

I, too, cannot believe this is happening in America. I'm sick.

[-A-]

It's hard to realize this isn't a third world country we're talking about. This is our country. It shouldn't be happening here.