Japan One Year Later: Echos of New Orleans and Dangerous Comparisions

On March 3rd, 2011 Japan was hit with a 9.0 earthquake, a devestating tsunami and a nuclear meltdown at the now infamous Fukushima Plant. This trio of disasters has truly destroyed certain communities and left many families struggling with the pain of losing loved ones and friends and also facing the challenges of rebuilding their material and emotional lives.  

It blows my mind that some in the media and in our country are still talking about the supposed preponderance of looting and violence that occured post Katrina. Immediately following the storm some misguided commentators made the offensive comparison of the behavior of the Japanese following the disaster to the behavior of New Orleanians, despite ample evidence that cultural and racial biases effect whether or not someone was believed to be looting or securing lifesaving provisions. These comparisons ignore the fact that the vast majority of New Orleanians responded nobly, and that a great deal of the violence and racism was actually perpetrated against residents by law enforcement, their fellow more privaleged neighbors and by city, state and federal government actions and inactions. These commentators reveal more about their own misunderstanding of privalege and race than they do offer insight into comparisons in disaster response from both the Japanese and American governments.

It can be challenging and misleading to compare disasters: the factors that contribute to them, the impacts and  the responses are all different given a myriad of factors from environmental, to sociological, to cultural to governmental. As I mentioned above people often focus on the wrong things, by making stupid comparisons and racist remarks. However, I do believe that comparisons, when given careful thought, can be enlightening. 

Japan and New Orleans both reveal the fact that a lack of proper planning can contribute to the magnitude of the disaster. They both reveal that how the government responds immediately following a disaster makes a huge difference in the amount of lives saved. They both reveal the challenges that residents face in order to rebuild their lives, and both also demonstrate the commitment people have to rebuilding their homes in spite of the challenges. 

My hope is that more study will be given to these similarities and differences and that both of our nations can learn from the mistakes and prepare for a more resilient future.