One-Year Anniversary of Katrina

It was a year ago today that one of the biggest natural disasters to ever hit the United States plowed into the Gulf Coast. It was immediately followed by one of the biggest governmental mess-ups in United States history.

Over at Think Progress, they have an excellent the real state of New Orleans, one year later.

Katrina was the event that made me want to start blogging. WhenI saw the images of people wandering aimlessly in the brown, murkly floodwaters, when I saw people stuck on their roofs for days, when I heard the people in New Orleans begging for help, I felt like I had to write about my frustrations.

My first post, crossposted at my old, now defunct blog, begged people to donate to Katrina relief. For the next couple of weeks, it was pretty much all Katrina, all the time on FBIHOP. From the failures of Michael Brown and Michael Chertoff to a video of someone in Mississippi telling Cheney, to f--k himself, to
the effect the NFL could have on morale.

And it was all a year ago today that it began.

I remember seeing the news in the days running up to the event. I remember we were at my brother's girlfriend's house for some sort of party (her graduation party? Kind of late for it, in September...). I remember Max Mayfield of NOAA (who is to retire in January) warning everyone to leave on the The Weather Channel. I remember Kanye West.

But most of all, I remember the haunting images of people in need, people whose government (local, state and federal) failed them.

Let's remember what happened for the next few days -- and make sure that something like this never happens again.