Why Europe Hasn't Jumped to Help Katrina's Victims

[Kellanved]

Virtually overnight, fun-loving New Orleans transformed from America's playground into a waterlogged wasteland. Photos of houses and highways underwater and reports of dead bodies floating in swampy debris and frightened refugees huddling for cover have left us mute. Hurricane Katrina turned out to be at least as violent as expected and will likely turn out to be among the biggest hurricanes of all time.

Yet, in Europe, the Web sites of major aid organizations -- including international branches of the Red Cross in Germany, France, England etc. -- don't even mention its existence. Instead, they continue to highlight such worthy causes as hunger in Niger, ongoing aid for victims of December's South Asian tsunami and, in the French case, an airline crash in Venezuela. But the US Gulf Coast is nowhere to be found. It begs the question: Don't the desperate people of Lousiana and Mississippi need the world's help and attention?


Not necessarily, as it turns out. Unlike underdeveloped Third World nations, America has a well-honed and highly organized system of emergency aid distribution. So, when disaster hits, the nation -- and even individual states -- can readily help themselves. "If the American Red Cross asks us for help, we will be there directly," said Margitta Zimmermann, German Red Cross spokesperson. "But so far, there haven't been any calls for our services." And unless the German branch is directly involved in a rescue mission, they don't include disasters on their Web site, she said.

Kristina Decker, from Germany's Christian aid group Caritas, concurred, saying help from Germany might even cause more harm than good. "America has a strong army and are well equipped for disaster relief," she said. "It makes no sense for us to go in and try to help. What really would we do? They have enough personnel to handle the crisis alone. Our workers might just be in the way. Of course, if they asked us to come in, we would. But that is not the case so far."
...


http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,372348,00.html

[getmeouttahere]

1. They are absolutely right....

we still have to ASK for the help. Those worthy causes are just that - worthy causes that always deserve attention. We are SUPPOSED to have a strong army and well-equipped disaster relief. It's not the fault of other countries that BushCo has slashed it to pieces.

[chopper boy]

3. The Dept. of Homeland Security should...

... be an umbrella organization at best. Separate entities like FEMA, who are specially trained and equiped to do disaster relief, should be kept alive as-is, and just put under the organizational control of the DHS- not absorbed into a conglomeration.

It's kinda like those multi-cuisine buffets... they might have Italian, Mexican, American, and Asian cuisine- but none of them are as good as they are in restaurants that tailor just to one selection.

...that's a bit of a stretch though.

[chopper boy]

2. I thought this very thing yesterday...

... We helped the tsunami victims (along with other countries) in their time of need, so why isn't there a rush to help the victims of Katrina????

Then I realized, look- we have the National Guard, FEMA, the States' Emergency services, and volunteers who are all on their way to help. I think if some foreign aid service came in trying to help, the over-all feeling would be that they were in the way.

If you feel the urge to help, remember- the best thing to do is to send financial aid to the American Red Cross. They can better use money on-site than food and clothing donations that would have to be trucked in.

[GCP]

18. Hi Chopper Boy

Welcome to DU :hi:

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

4. Sounds Like A Cop-Out To Me

It doesn't take much to offer help or assistance. And it's garbage to say that there is such a thing as Too Much assistance.

We're dealing with a catastrophe here, and I can't believe they couldn't use all the help they can get. There are obvious reasons that the rest of the world is just kind of taking a laid back attitude here. They were burned the last time they helped out, regardless of the circumstances, they didn't really feel appreciated before, so why bother helping again?

[Kellanved]

6. huh?

How would that help be supposed to look like?

Personnel? How?
With 130,000 American soldiers on the ground, I fail to see the point.
Especially considering that European armies have no way to establish supply routes and bases overnight - unlike the US organizations.
I'd guess that specialists and equipment would be on a statebound airplane roughly fifteen minutes after being requested.


Money?
Way too early to even think about it.

Relief goods?
Again the supply problem.


No, I fully expect the private fundraising to start by the weekend; there also will probably be free vacations for affected children. The customary reaction among "rich" countries.


Edit: also, for the record: Help was offered.

[haktar]

10. Did you actually read the article ?

All you have to do is ask.
Where was your offer of support in the last floods in Germany Switzerland and Austria?
We didn't need it and we didn't ask for help. What would you have done anyways ?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. The protocol is that the affected country is supposed to ask for help

:shrug:

[quiet.american]

5. Does anyone really think Bush's arrogance would allow for foreign help?

If Bush had his way, the U.N. would have been flattened to make way for a golf course by now.

He and his administration have gone out of their way to insult, bully, weaken and beat into submission those European allies who have the audacity to not want to be dictated to by an arrogant and idiotic brat. Does anyone really think the door is open to Europe to provide help -- even if our entire country was under water, Shrubber would insist we stay the course from six feet under.

[TheDebbieDee]

7. Keep in mind that we have a President who has been

much better at making enemies than making friends for the last 4-1/2 years.

I remember during the '93 floods in the midwest, Clinton turned down several international offers of assistance. But at that time we had competent, compassionate government leadership and our nation was in a much more hopeful financial situation.

[DBoon]

8. If the wealthiest country in the world can't take care of itself

there is something wrong, something that no amount of assistance from other countries won't fix.

[haktar]

9. There is no need to apologize

While this is a major catastophe this is also a local one and the americans are well equipped to handle it themselves. Wouldn't you find it ridiculous if anybody offered help in the last flooding in bavaria, austria and swizerland. We were perfectly able to handle that ourselfs.
Any additional NGO's would only be in the way.

P.S Maybe after Trittins comments we would also not receive a warm welcome ;-)
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,372179,00.html
regardless how true his remarks were.

Liebe Grüße nach Berlin aus Stuttgart.

[Kellanved]

11. well, the talking point "Europe doesn't help us" was brought up

And is rather popular right now - don't ask me where common sense is spending his holidays.

Liebe Grüsse zurück ;-)

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

12. we had flood here in switzerland too

where the "matte-quarter" was under 6 feet (2 meter)water when river aare rose within MINUTES, not even to begin with cities lakesside like brienz interlaken etc

grüsse aus Bern

[haktar]

13. That's exactly my point

Relatively (number of people and GDP) you in Switzerland and Austria
were hit much worse than the people in LA and cleanup will also cost a fortune. Yet i didn't hear a single "why didn't xy offer help"
cry. And while it will also take you a long time to repair all the damage, the chaos was immediately under control.

[WhiteTara]

14. me thinks Europe doesn't like us

anymore. Could it be they hate us for our freedoms? You know, freedom from ever doing the right thing....like fixing the levees and leaving our national guard at home to guard, uh, you know, the nation from terrible disasters? :shrug:

[Kellanved]

15. oh please

Most certainly Europe still is in love with the US.

As a matter of fact, help was offered by pretty much all countries; mostly in the form of a blanc checque: "we'll send whatever you want".
It is just that it is neither helpful nor customary to send help after regional disasters in first world countries.

The private funds are starting up as well:
http://www.fuldainfo.de/page/include.php?path=content/articles.php&contentid=1654&PHPKITSID=55274cdee612446b4f334bca03fe9277

[WhiteTara]

16. oh drat, where is that sarcasm button

I forgot my button...you don't know me and irony is dead. Here :sarcasm:

[Kellanved]

19. Indeed

That button seems to be out of order frequently.

Sorry, these days it is sometimes hard to tell.