Hurricane points up a lack of planning

Re “A Diminished FEMA Scrambles to the Rescue,” Sept. 1

Our federal government is consistent. It did not plan for what happened after the invasion of Iraq, and it certainly did not plan for the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bring back a Cabinet-level Federal Emergency Management Agency so we don’t have to start implementing “a new national emergency response plan” after a disaster. Let’s hope we do a better job in the U.S. than we are doing in Iraq. My sympathies to the victims and their families.

JACK RHODES

Santa Monica

*

Re “New Orleans Death Roll May Soar; Survivors Desperate; Looters Brazen,” Sept. 1

When I read about the disaster, lawlessness and chaos in New Orleans, and about refugees sleeping on chunks of freeways, I had to wonder: What has the Department of Homeland Security been doing for three years? Why has there been little preparation for dealing with a disaster on this scale? Why is there no realistic plan for evacuating people and restoring public order? The government seems to have given more thought to color codes to manipulate our fears than to concrete plans that would help us restore order in a time of chaos. If this is the best that we can manage, we should all be worried.

ELIZABETH BASS

Portland, Ore.

*

It appears that the “haves” had the money and vehicles to flee New Orleans, and the “have nots” -- people of color -- got left behind to fend for themselves. What a sad commentary on the United States!

ROBERT F. HUDSON

Perris, Calif.

*

Re “Trapped in an Arena of Suffering,” Sept. 1

What a reflection of our culture! When the New Orleans evacuees no longer can survive at the Superdome, they are transferred to the Houston Astrodome, another temple built for the glorification of professional athletes. Is anyone else thinking of the grandeur of the Coliseum and the Roman Empire that spawned it?

BARBARA BRADFORD MILLER

La Habra

*

The United States is always among the first to send massive aid when disaster strikes anywhere in the world. How many nations have come forth to help us in the wake of Katrina?

SUSIE MYERS

La Habra