The flooding that devastated our state last week was the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy, according to the Red Cross — yet no one outside Louisiana would know.
According to the Wall Street Journal, at least 40,000 homes were flooded, leaving almost 4,000 people in shelters. If you ever needed a reason for anger or disdain, this event would be it.
Until recently, we had almost no national coverage, and our presidential candidates did not comment on the events until days after the flooding occurred. The optics of President Obama continuing his vacation at Martha’s Vineyard even though some of his most vulnerable citizens were under water stung, to say the least.
Most of the national coverage you’ll find is about how the media failed to provide national coverage. We’re once again the unsung whipping boy of the United States.
I’m not saying I want Hillary Clinton to visit Louisiana. And I’m not saying that Donald Trump or Obama visiting our state does us any favors. Like Gov. John Bel Edwards said, our roads, money and resources can’t go toward protecting our leaders and candidates. We need that for our residents. Still, our national coverage is tragic.
However, action is more important than coverage, and the federal government’s response has been more efficient and better prepared than it was during Hurricane Katrina.
“FEMA has been around since the first drop of rain hit the ground,” Senate President John Alario (R-Westwego) said in an interview with The Advocate. “Whether the president is here or not, we’re getting a lot more help from the federal government.”
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, along with other agencies, approved $56 million in repairs to our state, including $39 million to help with temporary rental assistance and home repairs, according to fema.gov.
Even though the rest of the country nearly ignored us, we didn’t ignore each other. People donated anything they could for the flood victims. Those who never volunteered in their lives are helping to repair broken homes.
President Obama might have been on vacation, but Gov. Edwards worked overtime for his constituents. CNN failed to deliver, but The Advocate picked up its slack. Some of our state legislators were more vocal and hands-on than our U.S. representatives.
The University is even helping students affected. Students who lost their homes or possessions in the flood can get grant money to alleviate some of the resultant financial burden. You can go to lsu.edu/floodrelief to find the application, and I would recommend filling it out sooner rather than later.
People in this state still need to address important issues plaguing our home. People here still have problems with race relations, sexism and homophobia. We still need to do what we can to provide healthcare and education to residents, and we still need to accept and address climate change. However, I think recent events showed us that a little bit of empathy can go a long way.
Cody Sibley is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Opelousas, Louisiana.
