Nearly 2000 people lost their lives on August 29, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the American Gulf Coast. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters and one of the worst cases of governmental neglect in the history of our country. It is astounding to think this disaster was almost a year and a half ago. It is even more compelling that New Orleans still looks similar to the way it did just after the levees broke. In the middle of the fight for control of Congress and the debates over Iraq, Katrina has taken a back seat. Katrina is no longer a hot button issue and the victims are no longer the cause of the day. What are people doing to aid and help the victims of Hurricane Katrina now? How many of the victims have seen revenue from all of the fundraisers and special events held in honor of Katrina victims? Has America forgotten?

I have friends from New Orleans that lost everything in the storm, and they are still not receiving the aid and help they need to return to their previous quality of life. There is political rhetoric that claims New Orleans is being rebuilt, yet there are no physical indications of change in the city. Many people still have not received trailers. Insurance companies, according to Wikipedia, have quit paying out claims and are denying new claims because of the high storm risks in the area. Many Katrina victims are losing their financial aid and assistance as we enter into the new year and the job markets of the cities where they moved to are saturated. In cities like Houston, an already competitive job market was saturated after the storm, especially in blue collar jobs. Less than half of the residents of New Orleans have returned to the city. Where has the aid gone?

According to MSNBC, The Bush-Clinton Katrina fund has given away most of its $130 million. The funds were given out as follows: $40 million to the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama; $30 million to colleges; and $25 million to churches and synagogues. MSNBC also stated that over $4 billion in donations given by individuals and corporations is almost all gone. They estimate that over $1 billion collected has been lost to fraud and mismanagement. FEMA was responsible for managing these funds. The incompetence of FEMA is appalling. The funds that were not lost to mismanagement and fraud have been caught up “in the system.” There needs to be more accountability with funds that seek to aid Katrina victims.

People need to still be outraged that insurance companies are using technicalities to avoid paying out money due to victims. People should be outraged that the federal government complains about helping tax paying individuals that lost everything (although some residents were living on government assistance). People need to be outraged that donated money has been used for individual and corporate gains through fraud. People should be outraged that many residents that grew up in New Orleans, helped build New Orleans, maintained New Orleans, and created the tradition that we know as New Orleans will never have a chance to live in their city again. People should be outraged that Katrina victims from all over the Gulf Coast will never get to live in the places they called home again!

Even-though many people have forgotten, we must still advocate for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

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