Natural+Disasters

The Unexpected Devastation media type="youtube" key="gfpwYhJXXT8" width="382" height="315" align="right" Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Lousianna hard on August 29, 2005. Although warnings were given and coverage was taken, nobody expected the storm to be as bad as it turned out to be. This hurricane was ranked as category 5, which means that "[m]ost of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months" (Saffir). The last hurricane before Katrina that caused this type of destruction was Hurricane Andrew which had been 13 years prior. When Katrina finally dissappeared it was time to look at the destruction. Houses were completely crushed and streets were severely flooded. Only the roofs of some places were visible. Bodies lie lifeless facedown in the water and hearts were broken when notified that they're loved ones were taken by the record-breaking storm. Throughout the past 5 years there have been constant proceeds towards Hurricane Katrina Relief foundations all over the country. From New York to California there were fundraisers everywhere. Even other countries were donating to save and support the city of New Orleans. Multiple mission trips have occurred to repair the damages. All of this love towards the South Coast over the past years have given, not only the city, but the country also, hope.

Unlike Hurricanes, there is no predictability as to when Earthquakes will occur. There is no telling when disaster might strike and no time to take coverage. In January of 2010 the Caribbean coast was hit with a massive earthquake, mainly directed at Haiti. It measured a 7.0 on the Richter Scale, not nearly as bad as the 9.3 measurement of the Indian Ocean Earthquake in 2004, but still essentially the same damage was done. A 7.0 on the Richter Scale is defined as a major earthquake and can cause serious damage. In a flash, the infammedia type="youtube" key="Glny4jSciVI?fs=1" height="263" width="429" align="left"ous earthquake had ended and was on the news. Countries all around the world, as with many natural disasters, have been pitching in to clean up the debris. To make it shown to the US, famous American pop stars, otherwise known as the "25 for Haiti", covered a video called "We are the World". One of the executive producers, Quincy Jones, says that "25 years ago, the entertainment industry showed the power of community to help our fellow man when we recorded ‘We Are The World’ to bring relief to those suffering from famine in Ethiopia. And while the need to assistant Africa continues, today the country of Haiti is suffering immeasurably from the destruction due to the recent earthquake and is in immediate need of relief that will last long after the television cameras have left. As artists, we have joined together on this 25th anniversary and in the spirit of ‘We Are The World’ to help meet that need," (Jones). There was a variety of artists that appealed to all ages from Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber to Kanye West and Lil' Wayne to Carlos Santana and Michael Jackson, who was a producer for the original version of "We are the World." It was previewed before the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics. All of the people who bought this song were donating money for an incredible cause. The nation was once again coming together to help another country, giving us our generosity to be proud of. In Haiti's time of need, we were there to help.