World Reaction to Hurricane Katrina

Sept. 2, 2005 — -- Here is a look at international reaction, from translated headlines and quotes from the world's news outlets, to the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

Argentina:

Clarin: "Argentinean Consulates Besieged by Phone Calls" -- Argentineans with family members in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have been trying to get in touch with their loved ones. More than 1,000 Argentineans live in the states hardest hit by the hurricane.

Australia:

The Australian: "New Orleans To Be Abandoned" --The historic U.S. city of New Orleans, Louisiana, home to more than 500,000 people, is to be abandoned as the death toll in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina climbs into the thousands.

"Forgotten Biloxi Belts Out the Blues" --The slow drive towards Biloxi is like glimpsing the post-oil future, a scene out of the post-apocalyptic movie Mad Max.

China:

Xinhua: "U.S. Seeks $10 billion for a Hurricane Relief Needs" -- The U.S. government will seek congressional approval of over 10 billion U.S. dollars for immediate relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

China Morning Post:"Dollar Dives Amid Katrina Chaos" -- The U.S. dollar dropped to a three-month low point against the euro on Friday, faltering as the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina threatened to cripple growth in the world's largest economy.

France:

Liberation: "SOS" -- The situation is still as desperate as ever for thousands of Americans after Hurricane Katrina's passage. Why was the United States so ill-prepared? Bush reacted slowly, the levees couldn't handle more than a Category 3 hurricane. In addition, despite evacuation orders, most in New Orleans had no mode of transportation and finally, the war in Iraq has sapped resources.

TF1 TV: It's unusual for the United States, the number one economic and military superpower in the world, to ask for international help for a domestic catastrophe. The last time this occurred was after the September 11 attacks.

Germany:

Die Welt: America looks aghast at a third world situation on its own soil, splintered and full of violence. Armed men have humiliated the under-staffed police officers. In the Superdome, 20,000 people hang out as if in a refugee war camp.

India:

Times of India: "Hurricane Katrina Leaves Bobby Homeless" -- Indian American Congressman Bobby Jindal was among thousands of residents in New Orleans, Louisiana, who were left without food or electricity after Hurricane Katrina pounded the Gulf coast.

Japan:

Mainichi Daily News: Japanese donors, including the country's government and some of the country's leading companies, pledged millions of dollars in aid Friday to the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Mexico:

El Universal: "Thousands of Mexicans Hit by Katrina" -- About 100,000 Mexicans stranded in the affected parts of the United States. A Mexican official has denied that the U.S. will take this opportunity to deport illegal immigrants.

Russia:

Komsomolskaya Pravda: "U.S. Police Battle Marauders" -- New Orleans for all intents and purposes does not exist: in its place now is a huge poisonous swamp. Take a look: the city is threatened by epidemics of typhus or cholera. In the water, covered by a film of oil, corpses float covered by swarms of red ants saving themselves from death.

Gazeta.ru:The government of the USA, long refusing help from other countries, finally announced that it will accept it -- though, according to the White House, that does not mean that the U.S. needs the help. At the moment, U.S. powers are not succeeding in getting the situation under control.

United Kingdom:

The Times:"It's An Ill Wind That Blows No Good for Bush" --With a hurricane, even one cutely named Katrina, there is no one to fight (although jihadi websites yesterday claimed that "Private Katrina" had enlisted on their side). The spectacle would make any leader look impotent, as if he were, well, trying to hold back the waves. To be the President of the world's superpower and to lose an entire, world-famous city within hours is humbling.

The Mirror: "Brits' Hell Inside the Terror Dome" -- British students told yesterday how they stepped out of the horror of Hurricane Katrina into the hell of their Superdome 'shelter.'A place of refuge became a terrifying trap, where knives and guns, crack cocaine use, threats of violence and racial abuse were rife.