I don't think Americans lack courage and self-sacrificing spirit, many firefighters and rescure personals rushed into World Trade Center and hunderds of them died on 911.
-omega4(omega);
2008-5-23{231}(#7637@49)
As for Katrina, I believe the deep-rooted racism in the US South played a role here as >95% of deaths are poor inner-city black people while the white and middle-class neighborhoods have been evecuated days before the hurricane hit