No, this is not Wizard of Oz

Where was Kanye and his elite club of superstars last year when the entire eastern border of Iowa was nearly washed away? In fact, where was the telethon on ANY channel? Where was the DC finger pointing when these midwestern farming families had to swim down their driveway to get to safety? Were there busses driving those folks from Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Burlington and Weaver to St. Louis, Chicago or Minneapolis?

Last summer, damages were estimated at over $1Billion, but have we heard anything about it since? Remember Anderson Cooper doing a broadcast from New Orleans once a week until the government got its act together? From what I remember, CNN and all the other national news elements pulled out as soon as the flood water level had “leveled” off.   No more immediate threat to its reporters? Move on! Nobody is interested in middle America’s problems.

Well you should be.

Please do not read this as me saying you should think about Iowa and NOT New Orleans, but I don’t think it should be the other way around. Yes Katrina was awful…devastating even. But so was the flood in Iowa last year.

But the questions need to be asked:

1. Where are the FEMA trailers?
2. Where are the debit cards for them to spend at the strip clubs and gun shops like they did in New Orleans?
3. Where the specialty brew beers whose proceeds go to relief efforts?
4. Why does FEMA have a whole section set up for Katrina News on their web site, which scrolls and scrolls with information and for the Iowa flood, they have a few news releases telling Iowans they had until Aug 12 to sign up for relief and links to other news?
5. The biggest news release? “Iowa Flood Relief More than $2Million.”
6. Federal allocations in response to hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma now total over $88 billion.
7. W hat!?

Whats the Matter? Not enough crime associated with the Iowa Flood?

Not enough homes eradicated?

Not enough damage to the crops?

Not enough damage to agriculture?

Not enough people exposed to toxic water?

Not even swift water crashing through the area?

I lived in Iowa for ten years. I was not there for last year’s flood, but I lived there in 1993 and help sandbag down at the Mississippi River as well as other rivers in the area.   The thing that everyone needs to realize is that farming truly is many families’ livelihood.  When crops are wiped out from raging flood waters, when cows and pigs drown on water that quickly creeps up on them, its not a funny photo to be passed around – it is less food and shelter that family can pay for that month.

It saddens me that the people of this region have not been treated with the same ongoing services that are still being given to those in New Orleans. Please, again, I am not saying that New Orleans residents do not deserve aid (but don’t get me started on rebuidling in known flood zones) – my point is that there are people in the Midwest who lost EVERYTHING as well.