Katrina Pity Party

CNN ran a segment this morning about a family who was displaced by Hurricane Katrina. It was a boiler plate human interest bit, complete with emotional scenes designed to invoke empathy in even the most stone-hearted viewer. Except it didn't work -- at least not on me.

I'm sick and tired of hearing the Katrina sob stories. There are a few simple truths about the situation that seem to have escaped the media, so I'll point them out here.

First, New Orleans is below the water line. When you build below the water, you accept a certain risk. Period. There is a reason why the insurance companies won't give you flood insurance -- the risks are too great.

It used to make me angry when people would live in the Mississippi flood plain and expect FEMA to bail them out year after year (pun intended). Why, I wondered, would people continue to move back in when they knew damn good and well it was going to flood again? Because they also knew FEMA would bail them out again, and they would get a new house and new stuff. They had plenty of incentive to stay, and none to leave.

Now take a look at this cross-section of New Orleans prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers. Notice anything peculiar?

Cross-section of New Orleans ground elevations.
(United States Army Corps of Engineers)

The whole damned city is under the water line!

As reported by the Washington Post in January, FEMA is now paying rental assistance to 685,635 families who were displaced by either Katrina or Rita.

President Bush is reportedly now seeking another $19.8 billion for the Katrina efforts. This is on top of the $10.5 billion approved in September, which was in addition to FEMA's normal budget for these types of things. So what we're really talking about is an additional $30.3 billion beyond normal budget.

At $30.3 billion, that works out to $44,192 for each household displaced by the storm. Since the cost of living can vary widely from place to place, you should note that the 2000 census recorded the per capita income for New Orleans as $17,258. That means that we're spending more than two and a half times the per capita income for each displaced family!

Okay, so we're blowing a wad of money. What does it mean to you? How about this: going by GAO estimates, that comes out to about $568 per taxpayer in the United States. For my family, that means this nonsense is costing me $1,136. There are a lot of things I could do with $1,136 that don't involve enabling people to get flooded again.

This money must be important, though. I'm sure these people are spending it wisely, right? Wrong. The GAO recently conducted several investigations into abuses. I'm sure everyone has heard the stories about FEMA debit cards being used for strip clubs, expensive purses, jewelry, and even a tattoo. We also know about people fraudulently receiving these cards. What I want to know is why isn't there more outrage about this?

Another thing that really boils my blood is the number of people who are now pulling an Oliver Twist. ("Please, sir, I want some more.") It has been nearly 6 months since Katrina. Six months is plenty of time rebuild your life.

In six months, you can start over from scratch with absolutely nothing, and build a decent little life for yourself. I know, because I've done it. Twice. All it takes is something a lot of these people know nothing about: hard work.