Katrina tourists courted trouble
How timely was a survey released this week that found Australians are not shy when it comes to complaining when they travel overseas. I wonder if it included the Aussie holidaymakers caught up in the Hurricane Katrina disaster?
Staying when a state of emergency is declared is irresponsible. Then whingeing about being abandoned by the Australian Government is outrageously pbutting the buck.
What were these backpackers hoping for ö another great holiday story such as "When I survived the hurricane in New Orleans" to regale friends with back home?
And why is that so many others ö aside from the poor, sick and elderly ö could manage to get out of New Orleans when a bunch of fit Australian travellers couldn't? Tourists who presumably had credit cards and traveller's cheques to pay for a bus, train or flight out. Travel is all about adventure. Getting caught in tsunamis and earthquakes are unavoidable tragedies, but deliberately sitting out a hurricane is not.
As strong as the southern drawl is, it is inexcusable to say they weren't aware the hurricane was coming ö given their youth, I presume all are of good hearing and sight to listen to the radio, read a newspaper and watch the television.
Of course even if they weren't glued to the news, it must have been the talk of the town plus, by their own admission, most of those trapped in the Louisiana Superdome had emailed their families in the days leading up to Katrina hitting alerting them to that fact they were heading towards the storm, in spite of all the warnings.
The US authorities had their hands full dealing ö albeit badly ö with their own people to rescue. They didn't need to add a bunch of stupid Australian holidaymakers to the equation.
Telegraph
