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erin_tuttle

Emergency response is addressed both in short term, through the interviews with survivors about their escape from the floodwaters and transport out of the city, as well as the lasting effects of the program and response efforts. The immediate response was not as effective as it could have been, in great part the collaborative efforts of communities rather than response groups. The delay in the arrival of response groups such as the National Guard and the Red Cross was in part due to a lack of communication, after the hurricane a significant amount of damage was done to the infrastructure of the city, creating difficulties for the rest of the country to know how serious the flooding was when the levees broke. This delayed the response and likely was responsible for the loss of many lives and continued traumatic experiences of many survivors. The following years showed an immediate lack of interest by the nation once the initial disaster was over. The article highlights this problem with emergency response, that rebuilding after a disaster can be even more challenging then the initial response and requires continued support for those effected.

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erin_tuttle

The film sustains its narrative by following the stories of several patients suffering from terminal cancers and the doctors treating them. While medical information concerning the type and severity of each case as well as the treatments considered was used to show the severity of each case, the film used emotion to deal with the difficult subject of mortality.

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erin_tuttle

The film addresses a general audience, although the subject matter requires a more mature outlook in order to fully understand the film. Although there is some medical aspects to the film, the meaning is based in the emotional aspect of mortality which can be conveyed without previous medical expertise.

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erin_tuttle

The article uses historical statistics to support the claims of physical displacement and the psychological feelings of displacement, as well as accounts of the government programs that were put in place and the public’s lack of faith in the ability of these programs.

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erin_tuttle

Although the film was touching, I could not avoid feeling that this was not an entirely true representation of the acceptance process for the patients and families portrayed. The bravery shown by terminal patients is humbling, and watching them make the most difficult decisions possible shows only the strength of human spirit. The fact that there was a camera present would however have changed the outcome, and I am not convinced that the patients and family members would have been willing to show their anger and grief to the same extent. This is seen in one scene where the wife of a terminal patient began to cry and turned away from the camera until she was able to compose herself again.

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erin_tuttle
  • “The response to the disaster was recognized as a bureaucratic nightmare that, regardless of the intent of the federal and state governments, appeared to homeowners as a sign of their having been abandoned.” (16)
  • “And the patterns with the family too. A family is—for as close as we—were and I mean every birthday, with a big family… And now, it’s the closeness that’s all gone. And it’s not just the distance. You can blame it on the distance, use the distance as an excuse. But even when we get together, nobody wants to stay. Everyone wants to get home.” (12)
  • “I haven’t had a mail box in three years, OK. I mean symbolically that’s it right now. I don’t even have a mailbox. You know, if you want to put it in one sentence. I am just tired of not having a mailbox, ya know, because I don’t know where I live.” (9)

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erin_tuttle
  • I looked into the accusations of fraud and wrongdoing against the government that were made in the article, much of which is true. The director of FEMA, Michael D. Brown, was initially praised for the response but later forced to resign over accusations of recklessness. The New Orleans Mayor at the time, Nagin, was arrested in 2014 for fraud and corruption.
  • The article mentioned separating children from their parents during the initial evacuation of survivors, I looked into the rationale behind separating families. The only reason I could find for the separation of children was to prioritize their evacuation, children were rescued from houses first and then bussed to other cities while the resources to transport their parents were still unavailable. While this is an admirable goal, to rescue as many children as possible, in a disorganized situation such as an evacuation this can lead to families separated for months due to a lack of available information.
  • The article provided statistics on the growth of New Orleans after several years, I looked at the current state of New Orleans. While the city has been mostly rebuilt many residents still claim that the city is not the home they had before Katrina. The process of rebuilding massive parts of the city has changed it significantly, and not all residents are happy with the changes. 

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erin_tuttle

The most persuasive part of the film was when the palliative care doctor discussed the importance of understanding a patients goals. Everyone has different priorities and will make decisions on their treatment based on those priorities. The ideas presented in the film that deal with the point where treatment is no longer the best course of action are more widely accepted now but still challenge doctors whose entire professions focus on saving lives.

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erin_tuttle

The main argument is supported primarily through interview segments with displaced residents from New Orleans, some of whom had returned to the city and some who had not yet been able to go home. The article also supplied descriptions of the government programs and security teams that were assigned to protect the city, which supported the claims that the government failed to properly support survivors. Finally the article included statistics as to the conditions of the communities after several years and the percent of the population that had returned, rebuilt, or was still living in trailers or temporary housing.