In a situation like Katrina. Everyone is on edge and a suspect. There was a curfew so it wasn't a good thing to be driving around at night. I was very lucky I was able to stay at the church parking lot. It was uncomfortable, hot and the mosquitoes were terrible, but I don't think I've ever appreciated a parking space more. The church was feeding hundreds of people during the day. After about the second week their stove broke down so I gave them the money I would have used for a motel room so they could get it fixed. There was alot of hard working people there from all over. It was an experience i'll never forget.
In this discussion of a post-disaster situation and what were the relative merits of various resources and how people helped, or failed to help, it may be useful to remember that politics and the attitudes and assumptions of those in power had a huge influence on the experience of the people caught in the middle of the mess.
It didn't make the news but literal millions of dollars in aid and materials were held back by the powers that be. The ruler of Myanmar isn't the only dictator who has refused assistance to maintain control and avoid any suggestion of being weak:
http://www.pacificviews.org/weblog/archives/003504.htmlIt is to Wal-Mart's credit that they were willing to help and testament to their clout that they were allowed to get through.
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