In the short nineteen years of my life the United States of America has suffered two of its most devastating disasters. I think we all know what both of these disasters are; September 11th and Hurricane Katrina. Like so many of you, I have been glued to the television for a week straight watching as the tragic faces of the hurricane victims flash across the screen.

I am sure many of you feel the same as I do, helpless and sad for all those that have been affected by this tragedy. While the death toll has yet to be confirmed, it is estimated that up to or more than 10,000 people lost their lives in New Orleans and hundreds more across Mississippi and Alabama. Besides those that have perished, nearly 300,000 individuals have been left homeless, unemployed and left with nothing except, maybe, the clothes on their back. A disaster of this magnitude has never happened in the U.S. and hopefully will never happen again.

Many questions have been raised of why this disaster occurred in the first place and secondly, why the response to this catastrophe was so slow. It took nearly five days for our federal government to reach New Orleans and make a worthwhile attempt at taking control of the crisis there. Five long, hot days for the survivors of Katrina to live without food or water in horrendous conditions that are typically only seen in third world countries. Personally, I am outraged at our federal government’s response to this disaster and I know that I am not alone.

As the world’s one and only superpower we are expected to set precedent in everything that we do. However, over the past five years it has become evident that perhaps we are not the “superpower” we would like to believe that we are. Yes, we continue to be the most powerful nation in the world, but we are also one of the most despised. As the number one country we have allowed for such devastating events such as September 11th and Hurricane Katrina to happen. Both disasters were avoidable, at least to a certain degree. So, why have these events occurred? I don’t have the answers, but I think what we as a nation need to focus on in the coming weeks and months is what our government is doing to protect us. What Hurricane Katrina has shown us is that our government is not dependable and that elected officials, both Republican and Democratic, have not done their jobs. We need to hold those accountable and we need to ensure that steps are taken immediately to remedy this crisis and that our country will be safe from further disasters, whether in the form of terrorists or mother nature. We can’t safeguard ourselves from everything, but I think just some common sense should’ve told our government that a disaster was inevitable for New Orleans. And, in the case of a disaster I expect our government to be there immediately - not three, four or five days later.

What most Americans aren’t aware of is that our government has known for decades just how dangerous the situation was in New Orleans. The levee system, which was created in the 1800’s, that was there to keep the city dry was not capable of withstanding a category 4 or 5 storm, such as Katrina. Therefore, each and every hurricane season our federal government and local governments in New Orleans were gambling on the lives of thousands that again a major hurricane would spare them. This year, they lost that gamble and now thousands have paid with their lives and hundreds of the thousands have lost their homes, jobs and everything else.

I will never forgive my government for their complete ignorance of this situation. It shocks me when I think that these officials who we are supposed to look up to have allowed for thousands to die. So, who is to blame? Well, this question isn’t so easy to answer. In a sense our entire government from the local and state levels to the federal government and our Commander-in-Chief, President Bush. The agency that is almost certainly the most to blame for the delayed response is FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). After the 9/11 attacks in 2001, FEMA was collapsed into the Homeland Security department and since has had most of its funding cut mostly due to the Iraq war. As recent as March 2005 the former head of FEMA, James Lee Witt, told USA Today, “Putting FEMA under the Department of Homeland Security has minimized their effectiveness in responding, in planning and training, the national hurricane program, everything.” It appears James Lee Witt hit the bull’s-eye with that comment.

My solution to this crisis in New Orleans is not a simple one. Our government needs to decide which is more important at the moment - rebuilding a country that doesn’t support us or rebuilding our own country. If they decide the latter then the President and Congress need to form a committee by the end of the year and begin developing plans for the rebuilding of America. It is time that the excuses are put aside so that for once our own country can come first. The plans for rebuilding America will cost billions, but in all reality this is just pocket change compared to the $1 trillion+ that is being spent to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to look at how to revitalize our wetlands and help protect ourselves from future hurricanes. Take a closer look at whether Los Angeles and the entire West Coast are prepared for massive earthquakes and tsunami’s. What if a tornado struck a major city such as Chicago? What if a major hurricane were to hit New York City? Our government was not prepared for Hurricane Katrina and therefore I assume they are not prepared for any of these situations. Sure, they may seem unlikely, but then again didn’t it seem unlikely that New Orleans would be sitting under 6’ of water?