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As we watched the televised evacuation of New Orleans and other areas along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, most of us didn’t realize were watching the direct descendants of slaves, freedmen and other Civil War refugees who were forced out of the very same locations by war and chaos 140 years ago. As Union troops moved ever Southward in the 1860s, plantations, farms and small towns were virtually abandoned by slaves and slave owners alike. Each of these emergency migrations had different causes, occurred in different centuries but produced the same results. Two distant generations of people, walking, stumbling, and wading through dangerous waters, tears streaming down their faces. The present-day descendants made journeys to hundreds of unknown places, some retracing the very steps of their forefathers and mothers who were also forced on horrendously dangerous treks in search of safety and solace.
Unlike their ancestors, modern hurricane evacuees rode buses, cars, flew in planes and found refuge in warm, welcoming places like Houston, Austin, Phoenix and Minneapolis. Too much like their ancestors, all suffered and some died making the trip. Some were too old, too infirm or too injured, while others just gave up the will to live any longer. In both cases, families got separated, parents lost children, and some simply disappeared forever… While the causes of these national emergencies are vastly different, the governmental failures, military interventions and social successes are surprisingly similar. The parallels are both interesting and instructive.
The federal government’s response in both the Civil War and Katrina revealed a failure to anticipate the two greatest emergency migrations this nation has ever experienced. In 1864, Federal troops rolled through the South with surprising speed in some cases. Confederate units gave up ground, abandoned their posts and battle-weary men in gray laid down arms and many headed for home. In the wake of the blue flood, the pillars and porches of Dixie’s “peculiar institution" known as slavery began to crumble. Union troops began reporting thousands of unattached African-Americans within their lines. Men, women and children, thrust into the open countryside with nowhere to go and little in hand. They were free from oppression, but also separated from the only foundations of society they had ever known. A well-enforced social structure, a master’s cruel leadership, and meager but guaranteed food and housing – all were gone.
Overnight, citizens who were held hostage for nearly 200 years became the responsibility of the only functioning government officials for hundreds of miles: Union officers. Liberated but lost, the newly freed Americans were greeted with three distinctly different responses based on the heart, soul and talent of the man before them: Compassion, indifference or in some cases, incompetence. No federal agency existed at this time to handle national emergencies. President Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton knew they had to solve this problem and solve it quick. In order to avoid mass starvation, riots and the unraveling of the region, selected generals were placed in charge of vast refugee centers with even larger budgets. Every functional need of these people was supplied and administered by talented men hardened by battle, but proven in managing people, resources and outcomes under chaotic circumstances.
They were also put in charge of administering tens of thousands of farm acres, abandoned plantations and crops. According to the tallies of W.E.B. DuBois, Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, assigned to Louisiana, was responsible for 90,000 African-American refugees, 50,000 of which were placed in organized labor, and handled an annual budget of $100,000. He and his officers…"made out 4,000 payrolls, registered all freedmen, inquired into grievances and redressed them, laid and collected taxes, and established a system of public schools." Eventually, Stanton’s War Department appointed Major General Oliver O. Howard to lead a civilian organization titled the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, better known as the Freedmen’s Bureau. This would not be the last time a nation in crisis would call upon senior leaders in uniform to carry out unique missions in uncertain times.
Fast forward - modern-day refugees from the Gulf Coast also found themselves dependent on local officials tasked to assist them. This time, the officials included politicians, police officers, firemen, para-rescue personnel, bus drivers, and evacuation center managers. The range of responses was the same: Compassion, indifference and incompetence. While a federal agency tasked with emergency management does exist in these modern times, a comprehensive government response was delayed by leadership paralysis and FEMA officials waiting for approval codes to land on the right desks. Once again, America turned to her generals. Army Lt. General Russel Honore, a native of Louisiana and Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen filled the leadership void on the ground, marshaled National Guard and FEMA efforts, and quickly got a region in crisis under control.
It has been shown time and again that when we face severe crises in this country, civilian government at the local, state and even federal level can and will fail, hesitate or act indecisively. In some instances, the very people responsible for implementing government solutions are themselves victims and may be dead, incapacitated, caring for their own families or as was the case with some in New Orleans, overwhelmed by the tragedy and refuse to respond. The US military (including the National Guard) is the only arm of the federal government uniquely qualified to meet objectives in the midst of chaos and to do so on a massive scale. Our ability to rely on military leadership when civilian government breaks down will remain a constant in future crises.
From a social perspective, the Civil War created a mass exodus out of the deep South and into the arms of a civilian nation unprepared for their arrival. Nevertheless, good news came at the hands of ordinary people – average citizens of average means who quickly determined that the situation was “too appalling for belief". Clothes, money, dry goods and bare hands willing to help began to show up all over America and from all over America. Teachers, craftsmen and businessmen left homes and families to do what they could. Suddenly, grassroots organizations such as the National Freedmen’s Relief Association, the Freedmen’s Aid Societies and the Port Royal Experiment sprouted, making heroic attempts to relieve suffering and establish a foundation for a lost people.
Like the Civil War, Hurricane Katrina also sent southerners reeling into the arms of a nation, producing a refreshingly similar result. Common people reached out to common people with helping hands and overwhelming donations. This time, America did not have to create her aid organizations. The American Red Cross, United Way, thousands of ministries and other smaller organizations all joined together to raise money, coordinate deliveries and summon volunteers in the largest emergency management effort in the history of this country.
In great relief, we see the parallel experiences of two generations faced with historic disasters, one man-made, the other spun at the hand of nature. It reveals a pattern that will likely remain consistent in future, inevitable disasters. Regardless if the next scenario is a flu pandemic, a major terrorist act or another natural disaster, we can expect civilian government to react slowly and bureaucratically, the military to prove itself disciplined and ready, and the average American citizen to show herself compassionate, quick to share and an advocate for devastated souls in harm’s way.
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