Recent reports on the situation of homeowners displaced by wildfires in the southern California, prompted some thought.
An update from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, a make-shift refuge for some 12,000 people, detailed that: food and water donations have greatly exceeded the need; police/security is readily visible in significant force; the crowd has been extremely well-behaved. And it seems like the national media was present on the scene very early in the happenings.
It makes me wonder about the contrasts experienced during hurricane Katrina in the greater New Orleans area. Refugees at the Superdome had little food, water, police supervision, and in some cases—personal restraint. It also seemed that the national media was slow to pick up this story.
While the situations are different, some of the differences may bear consideration.
Why was the media slower to pick up the story in New Orleans? Why was there less enforcement of civil order in the Superdome and surrounding New Orleans? Why have food donations been so plentiful on the west coast? How is the difference in personal behavior among the affected residents in the two catastrophes to be explained?
Aside from logistics and disaster preparedness, the two groups of people present a number of other differences. These include social and cultural differences, economic and educational differences, and even differences in expectations. And it is true that some people are harder to love than others.
However, if I believe that ALL PEOPLE bear the imago dei, the image of God, then none of these differences should matter. If these differences did make a difference, it is a tragedy much worse than the hurricane itself.
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