Compare this type of response to that in the US. It is from John Pratt in the comments section of Margo Kingston's Webdiary:
"As a survivor of Cyclone Tracy I couldn't help but compare the botched evacuation of New Orleans to that of Darwin. The evacuation of Darwin happened over the Christmas period; it was a credit to the Australian armed forces, emergency services and the Whitlam government, their rapid response and expertise saved many lives.
At 10.20 PM on the 25 of December 1974 {only 14 hours after the devastating winds of Tracy had stopped.} Major General Stretton arrived to take command. In the first two days 10,000 people had been evacuated in the following days a further 25,000 were evacuated. It was an orderly evacuation; the sick injured and elderly first, followed by the women and children. The airport was cleared of debris and made operational. One of the first planes to arrive carried 184 police to help the overwhelmed local police. Medical teams arrived, clean up teams arrived. On the 26 December, 48 hours after the cyclone, seven naval ships left Sydney, loaded with supplies and sailors recalled from leave.
On the ground in Darwin stores opened their doors, food and drink was given to anyone who needed… no need to loot it was given away! People were the first priority not property.
The survivors pulled together, pooled resources and helped to protect the weak."
Quite a contrast.
(via Crikey)
America's dogged maintenance of the "right to bear arms" has some serious practical consequences, quite apart from the moral stance that its opponents might take. For example, a helicopter attempting to convey relief of one sort or another in the aftermath of Katrina was fired at by some hooligan. The pilot decided to fly away (and who would blame him for that).
God bless America. It needs all the help it can get!
Posted by: Kevin Silberberg | Wednesday, September 07, 2005 at 11:08 AM
I think that in Australia we tend to see people as having a value even if they are not rich.
The US could learn a lot from Australia, like evacuating the sick and frail from hospitals and nursing homes before evacuating the guests and staff from a luxury hotel.
Posted by: John Schindler | Wednesday, September 14, 2005 at 05:33 PM