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Missing Stories
Hurricane Katrina -- Your Thoughts, Messages and Stories Blog
by Special Editorial
Tuesday September 13, 2005
Missing Stories
So much for women and children first. Despite having several days of notice, there was no plan for a total and effective evacuation of the city. The result: those with cars or money to pay for cabs were able to flee. New Orleans has the lowest rate of car ownership of any major city in the United States (including New York and Washington D.C.) and one of the highest rates of poverty. 35% of African American households do not own a car versus 15% of Anglo households. Those without an escape -- of whom women and children composed a large number -- were left behind.
Stories about failed evacuation plans must point to the lack of coordination, and ask why there was no concerted effort to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable. Domestic violence survivors left to fend for themselves. The media has occasionally reported on rape during the chaos after the storm, but not the underlying issue... displaced women are at greater risk of violence. Furthermore, survivors of domestic violence have been completely overlooked in the media coverage. Many shelters could not evacuate women. Women fleeing violence at home needed a safe shelter, away from a potential encounter with their abusers who might be in the Superdome or civic center shelters. These women faced assault not only by their partners and Katrina, but also from a system that continues to fail them.
Separating mothers and children. Several stories have touched upon heart-wrenching experiences of mothers who passed their children on to buses and were unable to go themselves. In some cases media reports cast children who were forced to separate from their families as either orphaned or abandoned. This portrayal does not reflect the systemic shortcoming of the evacuation. Other stories touched upon but never explained how dozens of babies in hospitals were airlifted out -- but their mothers were left behind. News stories need to focus on why this happened -- and what should be done to prevent it from ever happening again.
The Youth Media Council has joined with others to call for racial justice in the media coverage of Katrina. We support this call to action and specifically point out the disproportionate impact on women and children who make of the majority of poor people worldwide. Go to this Webpage to do your part!
http://www.fundforward.org/uswomenwithoutborders/contactmedia.php
