Qualcomm Vs. Superdome

During the nightmarish firestorms in southern California, many individuals and some of the press compared the wildfires to Hurricane Katrina and more specifically the evacuation center at Qualcomm Stadium to the New Orleans Superdome. I do not in any way wish to diminish the horrific losses of life, homes, and despair that many of our residents have gone through and the incredible assistance so many of our local residents have provided, but to make such a comparison goes far beyond comparing apples to oranges. For comparison, the relative estimated statistics are almost unfathomable.

For starters, let us try to contemplate that about 200 times as many people were killed during Katrina as during the wildfires! At least 100 times as many homes were destroyed during Katrina. Almost 100 times as much financial damage was caused by Katrina.

As for Qualcomm Stadium, officials definitely learned some lessons from the Superdome. Evacuees to Qualcomm (“refugees” as the Superdome evacuees were labeled) numbered about 15,000. In the Superdome were about 25,000 residents. Qualcomm residents generally stayed a maximum of four days, had running water, working electricity, limited shower facilities, TVs, communication to the outside, fairly decent weather, working toilets and toilet paper, entertainment, heroes, ample security, tons of supplies donated by caring Americans, gift baskets, visits by dignitaries and politicians, cots, blankets, days without knowing if their homes still existed, looters, people taking more than their fair share, false rumors about the ability to return home, and fear and frustration.

Superdome residents had no running water, no showers, overflowing toilets, and only backup generator electricity after the first day. They generally stayed for a maximum of six days, had no central communication after the first day, 95 degree temperatures with 90 percent humidity inside and outside the Dome, unfounded rumors of rapes and murders, waits in line for food and water for several hours, no showers, much loved entertainment consisting of a clown and a professional violinist, heroes, fear of no more food and water, an inadequate number of National Guardsmen and police to keep control, weeks without knowing if their loved ones and homes still existed, sleeping on either stadium chairs or urine-soaked cardboard, and only visits by the mayor, who was staying next door to the Superdome 24-hours-a-day.

The federal government stepped up to offer assistance immediately after the firestorms. The federal government wasn