Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Hero or King
Yesterday was . It went by without much fuss except probably in NY. It was overshadowed by . A different year, a different disaster. One was man made (crazed), the other, nature's wrath made worse by man in its aftermath. It is in times of crisis when you witness the best and the worst of humankind. How will I fare? How will you fare?
There were countless heroes during 9/11. Not only the men in uniform but also the nameless workers caught inside the Twin Towers who helped their fellow workers escape from the building. For those who did not survive, their deeds and sacrifice would go unnoticed except to God.
In Katrina's wake came the looters, vandals and hooligans. Why the stark contrast?
I can only speculate on three things that would influence how a person would respond to a crisis : 1) Extent, duration and area, of the disaster, 2) Capacity of institutions tasked to react and address the situation at hand and 3) How a person lived during normal times .
9/11, in terms of duration and area affected, was limited although rescue and recovery efforts took several months. Emergency response was immediate. There was containment. Food and water supply was not affected though rumors were rife that it might be undermined.
Katrina was widespread and it lashed the affected areas for a day. Emergency response was insufficient. Food and water supply was affected. There was breakdown in what we normally call a civilized society. Institutions that were supposed to oversee and uphold public order was absent or inadequate. The disaster area became a jungle. For those whose daily existence is about surviving the "concrete" jungle it became their environment. What they do covertly to survive during normal times they can do it openly. They are the king. There are no rules.
It is frightening to think how easily we can loose civil order and rule of law in the face of disaster.
In such a situation will you be a hero or a king?
There were countless heroes during 9/11. Not only the men in uniform but also the nameless workers caught inside the Twin Towers who helped their fellow workers escape from the building. For those who did not survive, their deeds and sacrifice would go unnoticed except to God.
In Katrina's wake came the looters, vandals and hooligans. Why the stark contrast?
I can only speculate on three things that would influence how a person would respond to a crisis : 1) Extent, duration and area, of the disaster, 2) Capacity of institutions tasked to react and address the situation at hand and 3) How a person lived during normal times .
9/11, in terms of duration and area affected, was limited although rescue and recovery efforts took several months. Emergency response was immediate. There was containment. Food and water supply was not affected though rumors were rife that it might be undermined.
Katrina was widespread and it lashed the affected areas for a day. Emergency response was insufficient. Food and water supply was affected. There was breakdown in what we normally call a civilized society. Institutions that were supposed to oversee and uphold public order was absent or inadequate. The disaster area became a jungle. For those whose daily existence is about surviving the "concrete" jungle it became their environment. What they do covertly to survive during normal times they can do it openly. They are the king. There are no rules.
It is frightening to think how easily we can loose civil order and rule of law in the face of disaster.
In such a situation will you be a hero or a king?
