Ponderance

Katrina, the devastation of much of the Southern US, and the far too slow relief responses have dominated the media, both mainstream and citizen, these past few days. Some of the reports have been so hard to read and understand. Below are just a few responses that I've read which have struck me, as well as some links to the emerging citizen journalism/citizen media resources.

Katrina: The Power & The Politics

[X] Bitch, Ph.D has two poignant posts, one with a very confronting image, and another which captures the sentiment of so many US citizens who are appalled at the lack of leadership and action by their president:

Well, it looks as if Bush and the goddamn troops and some goddamn supplies have finally started arriving. Too late for the babies that died of dehydration, the old people that died of neglect, the sick people who died because there was no medical care, no supplies, no help.

[X] David Brooks in the NYTimes 'The Storm After the Storm' highlights the political ramifications of Katrina's aftermath:

Civic arrangements work or they fail. Leaders are found worthy or wanting. What's happening in New Orleans and Mississippi today is a human tragedy. But take a close look at the people you see wandering, devastated, around New Orleans: they are predominantly black and poor. The political disturbances are still to come.

For the rather blatant racism even in mainstream press coverage, see these two juxtaposed AP articles.

[X] Dave Winer's very raw comparrisons with Sept 11, and shock at life-as-usual in so much of the US also struck home.

Katrina: Citizen Media Reponds

[X] Wired News has an article about Scipionus.com and interview with the creators Greg Stoll and Jonathan Mendez. Scipionus.com describes itself as:

Katrina Information Map - This map is intended for the use of people affected by Hurricane Katrina who have or are trying to find information about the status of specific locations affected by the storm and its aftermath.

It uses Google Maps and allows ordinary citizens to maps of the Southern states, creating a citizen-generated data-map of everything from reports about the water levels in specific regions to information about the whereabouts and safety of people who, until a week ago, lived in houses now gone or severely damaged. One such tag simply reads:

Hyw 11 Camps; All Gone

http://forms.belointeractive.com/sharedcontent/
datafiles/1125516407116_ORIGINAL_P1010064.jpg

[X] The Interdictor - A livejournal transformed by survivors with a generator and internet connection: "This journal has become the Survival of New Orleans blog. In less perilous times it was simply a blog for me to talk smack and chat with friends. Now this journal exists to share firsthand experience of the disaster and its aftermath with anyone interested."

[X]The Katrina Help Wiki - First stop for find out how to help, and how to get help for people in the affected area. An excellent resource. (The Wikipedia entry for 'Hurricane Katrina' also has lots of factual information and is also being continually updated.)

[X] The Online Journalism Review has a solid collection of media resources regarding Katrina.

[X] Flickr Images - The NoniMan's Flickr Photoset (very gripping images of Hurricane Katrina's increasing victims), Katrina Relief Auction Group (some amazing Flickr shots being sold to raise money for relief efforts), and also follow the Katrina Tag or Katrina Cluster. There's also the appropriate political satire to be seen.

(Continued here...)

[Tags: katrina | hurricane | aftermath | politics | power | racism | citizenjournalism | citizenmedia | flickr]