BILOXI, MISS.
Like everyone else outside of the Gulf Coast region, my eyes were glued to the television last week. The reports of destruction, mayhem, disease, death, starvation and other atrocities kept my attention longer than I wanted.
But at the same time, a constant question kept popping up in my head -- why is this happening?
I'm not talking about the hurricane or the flooding. Those are natural disasters that are bound to cause havoc. What I couldn't understand was the horror that showed its face afterward.
Friends and family kept asking me where is the help? Where is the food and water? Why is no one rescuing the victims? Who is in charge?
At that time I had no answer, except that maybe the federal government didn't care.
Judging by what was seen on the newscast the majority of the people who were left to survive on their own in Mississippi and New Orleans were poor and minorities. Two groups that have been constantly ignored in the past by government officials and looked down upon by some.
"There's a fear the government would buy them (extra houses) and place them here," Peter Signorelli told the Times about placing evacuees in Altus. "We don't want to make this division a project. We're taxpaying homeowners. We don't want them destroying houses and bringing down the property value."
I hoped that I was wrong, but the numbers seemed to bear it out. According to an Associated Press census, people living in the path of Hurricane Katrina were twice as likely as most Americans to be poor and without a car. They were also predominantly minority and their incomes were $10,000 below the nation's average.
These numbers speak loudly, especially compared with the response time of the government when tragedy strikes in other places around the country or world.
That is why when I got the call late Saturday to ride along with the Altus Air Force Base's 97th Air Mobility Squadron on a relief mission to Mississippi, I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted to see with my own eyes the supposed apathy that was taking place.
What I found was something completely different among men and women on the ground who were working to save lives. Once the Air Force got word to move in and help, they have been going nonstop to save the people of the Gulf Coast region, despite the fact they themselves were hit hard by Katrina.
"The ones who are rebuilding the base and reaching out to the community are themselves survivors," said Colonel Douglas Hayner, vice Wing commander of the 81st training wing. "We have secured this facility and made sure everybody has food and water."
From the volunteer ground and flight crews at Altus Air Force Base to the airmen at Little Rock AFB and the men and women at Keesler AFB in Mississippi, I saw nothing but dedication to the cause at hand.
"These airmen are all volunteers," said Lt. Col. Tal Metzgar, commander of the 58th Airlift Squadron. "We didn't have to twist any arms to get them to come out and do this. They understand people are starving, dying and we need to get them help."
I also saw the pain and sorrow on the faces of the airmen who witnessed the devastation of the hurricane. These are the ones who helped evacuate the survivors and will soon be carrying the body bags. They were not holding back or playing it slow. They are serious about saving lives.
"It makes me proud to be an American," Hayner said. "It makes me proud to be an Air Force officer. I think the idea at Keesler is that we promise the local community that we are going to reach out to those folks. That's our promise to them and that's our promise to the folks around us."
So I still do not have a sufficient answer as to why it took so long for the government to react. From President George W. Bush on down the line to FEMA, there should be shame and anger directed at them. They dropped the ball in their reaction speed and now more people are dead than was necessary.
But the buck should stop before it reaches the men and women in uniform. While it's too late to erase the suffering, they have been trying to ease the pain. Which is more than some people can say for the first five days.
Reach Michael Kinney at sports@altustimes.com
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