Natural disasters in the US leave thousands of families deprived annually. There seems to be no solution against them. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and took the heaviest toll on the most vulnerable population. According to the authors of the documental video, the underprivileged African-American communities received less help than other citizens despite the families of the former often suffered more losses in comparison with the others. To my mind, the members of the community are right in the assumption that the consequences of the flooding caused by Katrina could have been avoided. The region is known for being vulnerable to such natural disasters and, therefore, the officials should have overseen the preventive measures to be enacted and all procedures carried out with precision. In particular, the floodwall was in poor condition and evacuation procedures were not clearly established, which is an example of a government failure.
However, one of the official reasons for the assistance not provided in full seemed reasonable. Housing reconstruction claims were honored in the minority of cases due to the fact that the owners could not provide proof of their property ownership. However sad this might seem, without necessary papers, the government could not differentiate deprived families from frauds.
All in all, the situation in which poor citizens found themselves in once again stresses the need for reforms and adequate supervision in the sphere of management of natural disasters. To my mind, the greatest concern should be placed on prevention and safety measures. Should all mechanical barriers be fully functional, the hurricane consequences could have been effectively mitigated. In addition, the equality in distribution of resources to affected citizens needs to be put under scrutiny to ensure every American regardless of their social status or race receives adequate help.