I agree that people of all races suffered. The state and the country was not prepared for the disaster. Sadly, this disaster was used for political purposes to prove a point. Since racism is a sensitive topic, it was used by opposing sides. No politician, organization or person wants to even be inadvertently considered racist.If it happened (the slowness of getting help)in California, I doubt people would say we were insensitive to surfers and make it a political issue.