Questions grow over rescue chaos
BBCFriday, 2 September 2005,
17:13 GMT
Sott
In New Orleans, state officials have described the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as a national disgrace.
And increasingly across the country, questions are being asked: "How could this happen?" "Why is help taking so long?" and "How can thousands of Americans be stranded?".
President George Bush was visiting some of the devastated areas of the south on Friday amid growing anger over the federal response to the disaster.
Officials insist their response has been effective - rejecting widespread criticism that the administration was too slow to react to the crisis. [...]
The head of the New Orleans emergency operations, Terry Ebbert, has questioned when reinforcements will actually reach the increasingly lawless city.
"This is a national disgrace. Fema has been here three days, yet there is no command and control," Mr Ebbert said.
"We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can't bail out the city of New Orleans."
One man, George Turner, who was still waiting to be evacuated, summed up much of the anger felt by the refugees.
"Why is it that the most powerful country on the face of the Earth takes so long to help so many sick and so many elderly people?" he asked.
"Why? That's all I want to ask President Bush."
And John Rhinehart, the administrator of a New Orleans hospital without power and water, said: "I'm beginning to wonder if the government is more concerned about the looting than people who are dying in these hospitals."
There is widespread agreement among commentators that somewhere there has been a breakdown in the system.
The Biloxi Sun Herald in Mississippi asked: "Why hasn't every able-bodied member of the armed forces in south Mississippi been pressed into service?" [...]
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