>The big story is the looting! Imagine! The suffering is a side-issue. There might have been no looting if the suffering had been tended to and the trapped were freed.

You may be right. But there are reports that many who are looting, have planned this all along. They stayed so they could get their hand on the goods. But I don't know if that bit of news is relavent right now tho.

It does seems like that the "authorities" did take their sweet time in responding. They probably didn't know, and still don't know what the protocal is in this type of situation. This is a very litigious society we live in.

We can fight terroist, but a major natural disaster on our shores is just hopeless.