Doesn't matter. The mayor had an emergency on his hands. Take over the buses and assign police and firefighters as drivers.
Look at Houston. They threw together at a moment's notice what the Super Dome should have had. It's running smoothingly.
I don't know if it's true or not. But I know the Mayor never mentioned it when he was slinging blame.
The report just on Brit's show clearly placed the blame for the problems on LA Fema, the state FEMA agency.
They would not allow the supplies and people the Red Cross had asssembled and ready to go in. They would not allow help to enter.
Further, they would not allow Fema to come in and take over from LA FEMA.
Under extraordinary circumstances....extraordinary men and women rise to the occasion. The mayor of NO...didn't. He COULD have easily walked/driven in there..and just FREAKING took the buses!!! He chose NOT to. End of story.
No excuses. He still had city buses and the train system. You have vans from New Orleans Parks District. He could used the public works trucks and vans. He could call the Governor in advance to have National Guard buses or "cattle trucks" to transport everyone out.
If that was too degrading, he could of chater buses to get people out. He could use church buses. Don't they have shuttle buses for the casino patrons? No excuses.
Wouldn't they closed down the schools if a state of emergency exist? State of emergency started August 26 by the Governor.
It was p!ssed poor planning on his part.
This is what I've been thinking .... could Nagin be the only clean man in NO? He ran on the promise to clean up corruption. We know about the corrupt schools and the corrupt police and we know that Blanco didn't send the Guard in soon enough or with enough force. Nagin's hands may have been tied by the exteme corruption and neglegence of his own superiors and inferiors. Of course, I could be wrong.
I don't want these ppl rebuilding this city. Not *these* people. And I dont want some stinking commission investigation ... I want a trial!! And I would be glad to *not* charge Nagin with anything provided he testifies against Let-Me-Apply-My-Lipstick-Blanco. Have you seen that clip of her with with Bush ... and she pulls out her lipstick or balm! Today's word is 'Photo-op'.
Regardless, the truth will prevail thanks to the Freepers! KEEP IT UP GUYS!!!
First of all, I seriously doubt that Alvarez & Marsal would have been that stupid and pig-headed.
And who hired them? Nagin? Blanco? Inquiring minds want to know.
At the suggestion of writer Michelle Malkin last Friday, I have cobbled together a blogsite called Texas Clearinghouse for Katrina Aid to serve as a clearinghouse for refugee efforts in Texas.
Texas is getting more refugees than any other state -- that's fine, we'll take them all -- but we need help providing them with food, clothing, and shelter.
If you are a refugee, you can information that will help you find relief. If you want to donate or volunteer, you can find someone who needs you.
Right now the site mostly covers Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas but I will add various churches, schools, and other charities in Lubbock and Austin tonight. My wife was down at Reunion Arena in Dallas yesterday handing out care packages and spiritually ministering to the refugees as a representative of her employer. She says that the situation is tragic and that there's a lot of work to be done. There are so many children who don't know where their parents are or even if their parents are still alive.
There are a lot of churches and other organizations in Texas that need help in dealing with the problem and I would appreciate it if you would get the word out.
Many thanks,
Michael McCullough
Stingray blogsite
Even if we make that assumption, there were city buses that could have been deployed.
The main responsibility and authority for operational aspects of evacuation in Orleans Parish lies with the Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) within the Chief Administrative Office of the City. The authority to make the final decisions related to an evacuation rests with the Mayor of New Orleans. Evacuation decisions are made in coordination with OEP staff, other City directors, and members of the Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Task Force, made up of top elected officials in all the Southeast Parishes and municipalities and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD). The private and public economic costs of closing an entire geographic [Page 144] area for several days are significant, so the decision to evacuate has to be carefully considered, based on the severity of the storm, the likely storm path, and the time required to prepare and move citizens away from the city. Evacuation decisions and status updates are broadcast on the City's cable access channel and communicated to all media.
Why don't we ask Alvarez and Marsal directly why they did not make the buses available to evacuate the people?
Contact form: http://www.alvarezandmarsalnops.com/form.html
The idea that with a predicted major disaster bearing down, the head of the school board or even someone in charge of the bus barns wouldn't allow buses to be used is just ludicrous on its face.
Remenber all the networks trumpeting NOLA had dodged the bullet Monday afternoon?
The levee didn't give until Tuesday morning, and water rose in the city relatively slowly. So there was second chance to use the buses. Plenty of time for communication and even paperwork.
And the word for the day is 'commandeer'
The city had enough money to lure the Hornets from Charlotte. But not enough to have a million dollars or so on hand to pay to use the buses in an emergency?
The only thing there is no shortage of in New Orleans right now is excuses. Galveston is a poor city. Yet they have a plan to use municipal and school buses to get people in the projects to safety.
But, then again, Galveston had its ass kicked once by a hurricane. NOLA always thought the big one would miss it. Turns out, the big one was able to KO NOLA with a backhand slap.