The Thrill is Gone

Now it is all about the benjamins.

ABC News: Would-Be Katrina Havens Weigh Compassion Against Cost: "Mayor Alan Autry, of Fresno, Calif., visited the Gulf Coast after Katrina and promised to take in 400 people — more than any other California city.

'A natural disaster in one American city is a natural disaster in every American city,' he said.

Other local officials worry about how they'll pull it off, given the area's already-high unemployment rate.

'The danger in a county that's struggling with a huge population living below the poverty level is that the systems will just be overwhelmed,' said Bart Bohn, administrative officer for Fresno County.

An Ipsos survey of communities taking in hurricane evacuees found that 44 percent said they worried about the cost. About 25 percent said they worried about increased crime and job availability."

I wondered how long it would take. So, if the evacuees want to go back to New Orleans because they aren't welcome anywhere else and very few communities can really afford the drain on resources, can we stop looking at short term solutions and realize that there is an underlying problem that needs to be addressed first?