Havana, Sept 10 (AIN) Criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath is growing more acrid in the national and international media, noted Cuban commentators on Friday's The Round Table program.

The nightly Cuban television and radio program began with news reports from the United States and other countries focusing on the disaster in New Orleans as well as other affected areas in the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

Ten days after the passing of the devastating category-4 hurricane the analysts said that how many people actually died is still a mystery.

As the draining of the waters in New Orleans continues, gruesome images of corpses reveal the tragedy of the people who paid with their lives for either not heeding the calls for evacuation made by local authorities or not having the ability to do so. The incapacity of the Bush Administration to deal with the catastrophe was thoroughly analyzed.

The panelists noted that the threat of epidemic outbreaks and bacterial diseases is growingly dangerous in the region due to the high content of both fecal and chemical pollution of the waters. Observers insist on the need for urgent medical attention to take care of the victims.

In an attempt to hide the reality in New Orleans, the press is being denied access to the devastated region. Meanwhile, the most vulnerable people of the region are pointing the finger at the White House for the delay in receiving assistance.

Death, starved people, looting, violence, health hazards, ecological disaster, are some of the words that define the situation. Meanwhile, people around the world are wondering how was it possible that the most powerful nation on Earth could not at least issue an early warning on the potential disaster, and speedily help the people in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Participants on the Round Table program, also cited quotes form an interview granted by former Secretary of State Collin Powell to a TV network, in which he acknowledged that in dealing with Hurricane Katrina many mistakes were made, at the local, state and federal levels, despite the fact that the warning of the hurricane's path came early enough.

Powell said that the steps taken were not enough to prevent the tragedy. He later asserted that the lack of attention to the black people of New Orleans was not racially motivated, a criteria with which many analysts disagree.

Panelists also quoted opinions from US newscasts and newspapers which overwhelmingly described the terrible tragedy as shameful.

"There are people dying in the Convention Center, and there is no one to help," "they have been forced to live like animals,"

were some of the opinions expressed in the days after the massive flooding. Others demanded an investigation to find out whether the President's prolonged vacation had to do with the delay in a speedy handling of the crisis.

In the meantime, in Cuba 1,586 doctors and over 40 tons of medicines are standing by, waiting for the authorization of the US government to offer humanitarian assistance to the victims.

In the days following the disaster, reports from Reuters news agency and other media outlets have praised the skills of the Cuban doctors in dealing with natural disasters like the one being experienced in the Gulf States.

Finally, a report from the Spanish broadcast of CNN was shown, which depicted how Cuba, despite being a poor country, has enough buses and other resources to protect its citizens in the event of a natural disaster. When necessary, it said, the island evacuates millions of people to shelters to save lives.

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