CHENNAI: Two continents apart, the experiences are strikingly similar and the lessons are stunningly identical.

A team of survivors and grassroots workers from the Katrina-hit belt of the United States' Gulf Coast, who were in the State to look at tsunami rehabilitation, felt things were not so different after all.

The eight visitors on an exchange programme funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation told presspersons about their experience, both post- Katrina and more recently during their visit to the tsunami-hit areas.

Bill Quigley, a human rights lawyer from New Orleans, said: "In the last nine days, we have heard first-hand accounts from hundreds of people on the impact of the tsunami. We see tremendous similarities between the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina."

Man-made disaster

Saket Soni, of the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice, said the parallels were in the scale of man-made disaster that followed both the natural calamities.

"The way the poor, women and children, the disabled and the minorities have been left out of the recovery programme in both nations is almost identical."

Ignoring the needs of the local community in rebuilding, turning a disaster into a commercial venture, the lack of accountancy and transparency and the huge gender discrimination in rehabilitation were other striking similarities, the delegation said.

"Local needs ignored"

Reading out a prepared statement, Gerard Taylor, of the Industrial Areas Foundation, said the rebuilding processes had not been driven by the needs of the people but by the economic and corporate interests.

However, the visitors were pleased to find inspiration in some of the work being done in India, especially the resilience of the local communities and their ability to organise themselves effectively.

A big hit with the team was the number of pro-poor organisations working in the community and the power they were able to mobilise.

"Lot needs to be done"

But the overwhelming consensus was that in both nations, "there is a lot of work to be done," as Mr. Taylor put it. "They say rebuilding will take 10 years, but we cannot wait 10 years. Our fight is now, immediate."

As economic insecurity and denial of human rights exaggerated the impact of natural disasters, one of the recommendations was that governments honour and recognise the economic and human rights of the communities in non-disaster times.

Similar visit

A team of Indians who have been working in the tsunami-hit areas will also travel to the U.S. to look at relief and rehabilitation work in the Gulf Coast.

Others who participated in the media interaction facilitated by Action Aid included Melody Robinson, St. Thomas Clinic, Nathan Shroyer, Neighbourhood Partnership Network and Vera Triplett and Sharon Hanshaw from Coastal Women for Change.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail