Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina and the events following the hurricane have created crisis situations for the United States government and more specifically George W. Bush. When Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S. coast it destroyed the gulf region leaving thousands dead. Thousand more were left homeless. It took the U.S. government over five days to rescue many of the survivors.

The government did not prepare adequately for the hurricane and did not respond quickly enough after the storm had passed. The government received negative comments from the media and the public about its lackadaisical rescue response. Officials began pointing fingers and blaming others for the lack of preparedness.

Initially, Michael Brown took the majority of the heat. He supposedly knew about the coming hurricane and did not plan appropriately for it. However, recently, a tape surfaced of a video-conference where Michael Brown told the White House “This is, to put it mildly, the big one”.

This new evidence shows that the White House had been notified in advance of the severity of the hurricane and the damage that would be sustained. The government seemingly ignored Michael Brown’s cry for help.

The White House is taking the hot seat as the media and public take aim. The White House withheld information when they were first questioned about the Hurricane Katrina response, or lack thereof. They have not communicated openly with the public hoping to skirt the real issue. Unfortunately for the government, information has surfaced which contradicts their version of the story. The government has been hiding information and the public knows this. President Bush has lost a great deal of support by trying to ruse the American public.

Feldman, Linda. (2006, March 3) Why Bush Team Is In A Rough Patch. The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, MA. Pg. 03.