Let me preface by saying.....I know that I do not have the answers to everything that happens in this world. I cannot explain history and the prejudcies that continue to live in people's hearts. I know that I am even now more frustrated about the devastation in NO with recent news broadcasts.

You may have heard recent speeches about how the African-American community have been given second hand treatment in the recovery efforts in New Orleans. African-Americans recovery victims have stated that whites have received food and rescue before other individuals of color.

This is a horrible disaster. The recovery efforts for this disaster were handled badly. Those responsible for disaster recovery efforts - the Mayor of NO and the Governor of LA - should have been leading the recovery efforts from day one. Tempers and frustrations are high. No doubt that it is a situation of "every man for himself". Fear and panic have run rampant and people are fearing for their lives and the lives of their families.

I do not believe that in this time of crisis that there was any partiality. Clearly, until recent days, no one had known what to do about the situation!! No clear leadership and no clear disaster recovery plan for the poorest individuals who live in downtown New Orleans. Most of them, yes, are African-Americans.

In my opinion, the leaders or initiators of the disaster recovery plans should have been the Mayor of NO and the Governor of LA - not with FEMA. Yet for the last five days, we have heard nothing but......"when is someone going to come down here and take control of the situation"? HUH??

Before we lay blame at the feet of the federal government - who have recently had to take complete control of the recovery efforts - we need to investigate why the mayor of NO and the governor of LA did not have a disaster recovery plan adequately prepared for those poor people who are now even more desolate than they were before.