Four years ago and a day, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Today there are multiple stories in news outlets from all over the country. Many of the stories contrast FEMA’s response to the disaster under the Bush administration with how President Barack Obama is directing FEMA to handle the recovery.
The Times-Picayune has penned a love letter to the President, asking him to set foot in the city he promised to rescue from the red tape and inefficiency of a bureaucracy that seemed more inclined to throw up obstacles than send much needed federal funds.
The Associated Press has a refreshing story, outlining how our Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, has embraced Democratic president Obama’s changes in FEMA and the agency’s new director, Craig Fugate. “There is a sense of momentum and a desire to get things done,” Jindal told the AP.
The New York Times charted the recovery with statistics on things like students back in school, public transit ridership, unemployment and home sales.
CNN focused on celebrity recovery efforts spotting.
And then there’s New Orleans resident, comedian and commentator Harry Shearer, who seems pretty discouraged by the lack of help from the new federal administration, and resigned to watching the city struggle to pull itself up by its own shrimp boot straps.
For more news coverage, the TP has a list of links.