Douglas Brinkley The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Review

Overall Rating

The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Douglas Brinkley
Morrow, May 2006, $29.95
ISBN: 0061124230

Almost four years after 9/11 Hurricane Katrina proved that we are still not ready for a colossal disaster. That is the prime premise of Tulane University Professor Brinkley's insightful look at the deluge after the Hurricane devastated the Gulf Coast. He provides anecdotal stories of heroism and success, but also condemns the failures of politicians, democrat or republican, local, state or national, who acted more like Nero than Giuliani. In the professor's opinion interestingly the storm proved to be the first act of a three act tragic drama. Following the five hours of the hurricane hammering New Orleans, a post storm surge flooded much of the area. Finally days later, the spins and, accusations with nobody willing to accept the failure is mind-boggling. Using real events Brinkley condemns Nagin, Blanco, Barbour, Brown, Chertoff, and Bush as going down in history as symbols of failure while the real heroes are the first responders like a Coast Guard officer taking trapped people to safer spots and locals like the person ferrying without regard to his own life neighbors to safer locales; these many nameless are urban legends who risked their lives. While Brown got the right tie, Blanco and Barbour whined in their state capitals about no federal assistance, and Bush attended a party fund raiser before his Hollywood show in Jackson Square, Mr. Brinkley makes a subjective case that we nationally failed the first true test of Homeland Security though many acted courageously to save others. This fascinating look at the aftermath is summed up by the passerby who shouted "F you Cheney".

Harriet Klausner