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Dozens Dead as Hurricane Katrina Slams into Gulf Coast: A
Look at Extreme Weather, Oil Development and Who Gets Hit
the Hardest
Environmental Pollution Along the Mississippi: From the Headwater
to the Delta
Environmental Racism: How Minority Communities Are Exposed
to "Toxic Soup"
Katrina Rescue Operations: Are National Guard and Equipment
Stretched Thin by Iraq War?
Juan Cole on U.S.-Saudi Relations
Dozens Dead as Hurricane Katrina Slams into Gulf
Coast: A Look at Extreme Weather, Oil Development and Who
Gets Hit the Hardest
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast with devastating
force Monday morning leaving at least 55 people dead and more
than a million people in three states without power. We speak
with David Helvarg of the Blue Frontier Campaign about extreme
weather and Damu Smith about who gets hit the hardest. [includes
rush
transcript]
Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast with devastating
force Monday morning leaving at least 55 people dead and more
than a million people in three states without power.
The death toll is expected to rise once rescue units reach
the worst hit areas. The number left homeless is unknown.
The true extent of the damage may not be known for days.
With 145-mile-per hour winds, the storm was ranks as one
of the most punishing hurricanes ever to hit the United States.
Insurance experts said that damage could range between $9
billion and $16 billion, which would make it one of the costliest
storms on record.
The storm had been on target to directly hit downtown New
Orleans but it veered to the east. Still some 40,000 homes
are underwater in New Orleans. And high winds tore off part
of the rood of the Louisiana Superdome stadium.
The hardest hit area appears to be Mississippi's Harrison
county which accounts for 50 of the known deaths. In Gulfport,
three of the city's five hospitals were left without emergency
rooms. The city's fire chief estimates 75 percent of the buildings
in Gulfport have major roof damage or no roof left at all.
President Bush yesterday approved "major disaster declarations"
for Louisiana and Mississippi to help them obtain government
aid.
- President Bush, August 29, 2005.
But while Bush pledges support for the relief efforts, some
say his record is not consistent.
In June, the publication New Orleans City Business reported
that President Bush was seeking to slash funds that would
help New Orleans prepare for a major hurricane. The report
said that in fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers faces a record $71 million
reduction in federal funding. Those cuts would affect major
hurricane and flood protection projects.
Katrina was making its second touchdown in the US after striking
southern Florida last week, where it caused widespread flooding
and seven deaths. On today's program, we are going to cover
several aspects of this storm. As reports talk about this
being one of the costliest hurricanes in US history, we look
at who gets hit the hardest economically as well as hurricane
Katrina and global warming.
- David Helvarg, President of the Blue
Frontier Campaign and author of the books "The
War Against the Greens" and "Blue Frontier: Saving
Americas Living Seas." He is also a contributor to
Feeling the Heat - Reports from the Frontlines of Climate
Change.
- Damu Smith, founder of Black Voices for Peace and executive
director of the National Black Environmental Justice Network.
For more than three decades, Damu has worked tirelessly
on the frontlines of the anti-war and environmental justice
movements.
Environmental Pollution Along the Mississippi: From
the Headwater to the Delta
We speak with Robert Shimek of the Indigenous Environmental
Network about the toxic pollution of the Mississippi River
with various industries using it as a "sewer dump"
to get rise of dioxins, PCBs and various heavy metals. [includes
rush
transcript]
Environmental Racism: How Minority Communities Are
Exposed to "Toxic Soup"
We speak with Damu Smith, founder of Black Voices for Peace
and executive director of the National Black Environmental
Justice Network about environmental racism. Smith says, "People,
black and white and Latino, who live in these [heavy industrial]
areas are exposed to toxic soup of chemicals regularly released
into the air, into the soil, into the water." [includes
rush
transcript]
- Damu Smith, founder of Black Voices for Peace and executive
director of the National Black Environmental Justice Network.
For more than three decades, Damu has worked tirelessly
on the frontlines of the anti-war and environmental justice
movements.
Katrina Rescue Operations: Are National Guard and
Equipment Stretched Thin by Iraq War?
With search and rescue operations underway in multiple states
and many communities facing massive reconstruction efforts
in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, state governments are
relying significantly on aid from the National Guard. But
with the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the number of
Guard members available at home has been slashed. [includes
rush
transcript]
With search and rescue operations underway in multiple states
and many communities facing massive reconstruction efforts,
state governments are relying significantly on aid from the
National Guard. But with the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan,
the number of Guardspeople available at home has been slashed.
Still, the National Guard insists it has enough troops to
address the storm but officials from several states have said
that is not the case.
Earlier this month the Louisiana National Guard publicly
complained that too much of its equipment was in Iraq. The
local ABC news affiliate reported dozens of high water vehicles,
Humvees, refuelers and generators are now abroad. Other states
are facing shortfalls as well when facing fires, floods or
other disasters. A few months before summer began, Montana's
governor called for that state's National Guard to be brought
home from Iraq because of possible wildfires. As is the case
with Louisiana's Guard, Montana found that critical equipment
was overseas in Iraq. This included the bulk of the Guard's
helicopters which are critical in shuttling fire crews and
equipment to blazes.
- Rosemary Brasch, worked as a Red Cross family services
specialist for national disasters. She has worked on several
hurricanes along the East Coast.
Juan Cole on U.S.-Saudi Relations
We play Part 2 of our discussion with Middle East expert
Juan Cole looking at U.S.-Saudi relations. Cole is a Professor
of History at the University of Michigan and runs a widely-read
blog called "Informed Comment." [includes rush
transcript]
Earlier this month, on August fifth, Cindy Sheehan announced
at the Veterans for Peace annual convention that she would
begin a vigil in Crawford Texas on the next day that would
last until President Bush met with her. Although President
Bush has refused to meet with her, her vigil would go on to
reinvigorate the anti-war movement across the country.
On that same day, Vice President Dick Cheney was nearly 8,000
miles away in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was leading an American
delegation to meet the newly installed King Abdullah and to
pay condolences on the death of his half brother, King Fahd.
The delegation also included Former President Bush and former
Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Cheney's meeting with Abdullah came just months after the
Saudi leader visited Bush at his ranch in Crawford. That visit
made international headlines when Bush held hands with Abdullah
as they walked by the bluebonnets on his estate.
To look at U.S.-Saudi relations we return to part two of
our conversation with professor Juan Cole.
- Juan Cole, Professor of History at the University of
Michigan and runs a blog called "Informed Comment,"
which can be found at JuanCole.com.
- Go to Part 1 of our interview with Juan Cole discussing
his 10-Point Plan for U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Iraq.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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