Why are San Diego folks called "evacuees" and New Orleans folks called "refugees?"

[calteacherguy]

Discuss...

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. My local media has used both terms

interchagebly

[calteacherguy]

4. Thanks for the info. I don't believe that is the case with the national media. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Haven't watch it

first night I tune in to AAR stream... since local station is covering local needs

;-)

[ContraBass Black]

2. Curious.

Perhaps an extension of "White people find, black people loot."

Were they called evacuees in popular media during disasters predating Katrina?

Perhaps it's geographic. Katrina victims had to travel much farther to reach safety and stability.

[pitohui]

8. they were called refugees in disasters pre-k

there's a lot of stuff to get peeved off about, evacuee vs. refugee is just one of those time wasters

[misanthrope]

22. Wrong...

...Go tell it to a Dust Bowl Refugee.

[Eric J in MN]

3. Because the SD folks aren't going to another state.

The New Orleans folks were called "refugees" when they went to Texas.

[fenriswolf]

5. because

evacuee indicates that they can go back home...refuge indicates they need to find another place to live, which looks to be the case. califonians will be able to go back to their property while NO were not able to and are still living in fema trailors and hotels.

[Eric J in MN]

7. Actually, that is a better answer than the one I posted...

...about whether they go to a different state.

[msongs]

10. exactly, MOST will go back to their homes, but thousands are now homeless

1500 and counting, these places were living spaces for say 3-4 people so that's gonna be thousands with no home to go back to, and many of those people will not have insurance or assets sufficient to rebuild.

Msongs
Riverside CA

[fenriswolf]

11. well granted, they will be able to

go back to their burned homes, they will have a chance to rebuild, from what i understand NO were barred from returning home, or am i wrong on that point. either way its horrible for both NO and sandiego, no use comparing which one was worse as they are both horrible tragedies.

[BadgerLaw2010]

12. I was going to post this. Most of the SD people will have something to go back to.

[Swamp Rat]

9. Nevertheless, my heart goes out to everyone affected by the fires.

peace from New Orleans

[Bluebear]

13. Maybe the media learned the callousness & inappropriateness of "refugee"

[pnwmom]

14. I think the evacuees will be refugees if their houses are destroyed

and they have no place to go.

[Ghost in the Machine]

21. That's what I'm thinking too. The disaster is still ongoing, so they don't know

how many of the evacuees will be able to return to their homes once the fires are contained or put out. With a million people evacuated, maybe 75% or more will return to their undamaged homes.

The ones who were burned out and lost everything will be the refugees. I was a Hurricane Andrew refugee....

[NorthernSpy]

15. 'cause baby, they don't have to live like a refugee...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2120639&mesg_id=2120639

[Spinzonner]

16. Uh, because we won't depend upon the Army Corp of Engineers

[tuckessee]

17. Because there's been an orderly evacuation from SD

whereas in New Orleans it was a chaotic scramble? IOW, because New Orleans was left to hang by ill-prepared authorities.

[doc03]

18. Because CA has a Republican governor n/t

[Raejeanowl]

19. A Little Premature For Comparisons, Isn't It?

It doesn't surprise me that newscasters don't know the difference and misuse the terms; they are no longer real journalists and half of them don't receive or benefit from education.

As for the distinction, the situation is still too much in flux to make any determination as to who will remain temporary evacuee and who will become longer-term refugee.

There will be plenty of time to stir up some kind of racial discrimination or class distinction tempest in a teapot later. Right now, the real storm is still brewing.

[MonkeyFunk]

20. I've seen them referred to as refugees

[Raine]

23. I think first one becomes an evacuee

as you are forced to leave after that you become a refugee when you can't return to where you came from. JMO

[Zhade]

24. Because the USG left NO to die.

NT!

[malaise]

25. Interesting

What fascinates me is the artificial debate comparing the people at the stadium in California with those in NOLA. One set did not have to be rescued or walk through water to get there. One set has just arrived - greeted with food, water, and electricity, but somehow they are more 'civilized' and in good spirit.

Can these two disasters even be compared?

[TZ]

26. I believe that after a fuss with Katrina..

over the term "refugee" the media started going with evacuee. I haven't heard about the Katrina folks being called "refugees" for awhile now, evacuee was used quite a bit