The Long Road to Recovery

[ajurcat]

The Long Road to Recovery
Florida's Debt to Louisiana, and America
By: Kevin Cho Tipton - Staff Writer, Naples Talon Tribune

Katrina will go down in the record books as the worst natural disaster in United States history. This storm was more destructive than Andrew and all of the 2004 Florida Hurricanes combined.

As predicted, the death toll could easily reach into the thousands, if not to the tens of thousands. Pre-Landfall estimates put a death toll up to 50,000 in New Orleans alone.

This situation is absolute one of desperation. The United States, and the world will have to be at Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama's side for many many years, if not decades to come.

The Bottom Line? New Orleans will never be the same, the North Central Gulfcoast will never be the same. The destruction left by Katrina dwarfs everything that has occured in the last 100 years.

This is possibly one of the worst natural disasters in World History since 1900.

This is the time. This is the time for the United States to truly be united. We must put politics and our own well being aside. There are thousands left homeless, thousands of families split apart by this horrific event, and thousands more, whose lives will never be the same.

May this finally be a message to New Orleans residents (what's left of them), to all Louisianans, to all Floridians, and to all those told to evacaute. This must make clear to all those who ever had any doubt, that an evacuation comes for a reason. Unfortunately, many disregarded the warnings and remained in New Orleans and on the gulfcoast, and now many of those who made that fateful decision, are gone.

After all the support that Florida recieved in 1992, and 2004. It is now time for Florida to be a forerunner in assistance to Louisana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Our fellow gulfcoast residents need our help now.

In 2004, the gulf coast staes were key players in Florida's start on the road to recovery, and now that we're back on our feet. It's our time to be a forerunner in New Orleans' recovery. They deserve our support, and we as Floridians owe it to them.

The Nation did so much for us last year, and now it's up to us to help our fellow Americans. It's our turn Florida. Along with the rest of the nation and the world, we must help. Now make it happen.

Kevin Cho - East Naples, FL
Junior: Naples High School

I am speechless. I'm not from Florida but everything you stated can be applied to everyone - no matter where they live.

[ROCK]

great write up...but seems alittle extreme on 10's of thousands predicted dead? 50,000?? thats alot of people. I think officials estimated that 100,000 stayed. So half of them died? ....I would dare hope not.....

[HurriCat]

Good stuff - obviously heart-felt. I agree in principle, but is the ultimate result going to be simply "resetting the tin cans" for the NEXT big storm to send flying again? WE AREN'T EVEN THROUGH this season yet. HOW CLOSE were those earlier storms to this same area?

It just gets at some point. I remember those huge FLOOD-PLAINS in Mississippi - crawling with development. Here comes a big flood. Tragedy everywhere, remember? Let me guess - virtually all of it has been rebuilt in the exact same places. Will the next flood be "tragic", too?

It's on a huge scale, but we need to rethink the whole "city below sea-level" arrangement. Otherwise, I just don't get it. What, rebuild how many times? RIGHT... the ODDS are that it won't happen again. But it might. There is a Hurricane Season every stinkin' year. Why have a "tragedy" like this practically ready-made?

That's it for today... Man, you can really OD on this stuff. (passes out)