Like using expensive helicopters to inefficiently drop sand bags in the levy breaks.
They need to use the choppers to drop in security squads and for rescue.
Use boats/barges/cranes and experienced contractors to repair the damn levies.
This is crazy...
“These are good people. These are just scared people,” Demmo said..."
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=240221&r=0&Category=11
They need to drop in water, above all. Whether you approve of the behavior of these people or not, they are dying.
I don't know why you guys think we don't have enough troops because of Iraq. We only have 138,000 in Iraq. There are more than enough National Guard units that can be activated and sent to New Orleans to impose order:
"Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs, with at least 60 percent of the guard available in each state. He said about 6,500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about 7,000 troops in Mississippi, nearly 10,000 in Alabama and about 8,200 in Florida."
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/30/Worldandnation/Federal_agencies_disp.shtml
The refugees can be settled in military bases for few months while they decide what to do with the city. This is a good opportunity to abandon the flooded areas completely and resettle the residents to higher ground. You can fix the dykes today, but what are you going to do when it breaks again? We're better off leaving it as a lake.
It sounds like you know something about this--I don't, but I have to say, I saw that footage of the helicopter dropping a bag into a huge expanse of water and it seemed to be almost pointless. At the very least it will take a very, very long time to fix it.