I've spent the last few days volunteering at various shelters around the Houston area.
Few things I've learned:
1. The Red Cross is highly skilled at "getting the word out" but they're largely unorganized when it comes to implementation. Why is this? It's because the media can be handled by a few people. How many people does it take to notify television and radio that supplies and volunteers are needed? Maybe a small handful? Implementation, on the other hand, takes an army and the Red Cross suffers from poor planning and weak leadership in its Houston chapter. Obviously the Red Cross eventually got the job done because the evacuees received the food, the shelter, the clothing, and the medical attention they needed. It is clear these goods came as a result of the Red Cross, but the chaotic setup and implementation of these goods and services did not speak well for the Red Cross's management skills. An organziation with a history of handling crisis situations should be more organized and unified. As the government learns from this tragedy, I hope the Red Cross does as well.
2. Even if race or class played a part in the government's initial missteps, it has played no part in the relief effort going on in Houston. A majority of the volunteers are middle to upper class white folks and those who aren't white are still, primarily, middle to upper class minorities.
3. Local radio talk show hosts can't help but focus on controversy. This
article from the New York Times raised a few eyebrows here in Houston but I say it's right on the money. Houston will experience some financial growth due to the hurricane. So what? Would it be better that the business just evaporated? Would it be better to have foreigners come in and do this work or have the port traffic diverted from New Orleans to Los Angeles? Houstonians, especially morning radio talk show hosts with declining listenerships, should not be so easily upset by the truth.
4. I've never been more surprised by a politician than I have been by our mayor, Bill White. He is one goofy bastard but that's why we elected him. Before Bill White, we had a corrupt absentee mayor who thought it was more productive to be on goodwill missions in Australia then here in the city. Mayor White is a dork, but a dork is what we need. He's a savvy business man who knows how to manage large organizations and, most importantly, he knows when to speak up and he knows when to keep his mouth shut. Far too many politicians think it important to put their opinions out there regarding the hurricane response, or lack thereof. Mayor White has not said one word and rightfully so. He has no horse in that race and adding his opinion serves no purpose other than hearing himself repeated on the news. Bravo to our mayor who has helped orchestrate the largest evacuation effort in the history of the United States. And bravo to him for focusing on his own domain and staying out of fights that don't concern him or the city of Houston. For this alone he deserves reelection.
