Posted on 09/01/2005 9:33:54 PM PDT by PhilipFreneau
Tonight on Nightline, during an inteview with the FEMA director, Ted Koppel demanded to know why the Bush Administration did not send fleets of buses into New Orleans to evacuate those too poor to evacuate themselves -- PRIOR TO KATRINA HITTING NEW ORLEANS.
For previous hurricanes the Federal Government did not participate in evacuations, only in clean up and recovery. That did not seem to matter much to Koppel since he obviously knew that Mike Brown was too much of a gentleman to smack him for attempting to deceived the American people.
However, Koppel does have a point, in a way. The Bush Administration should have known the Louisiana and New Orleans governments would be too incompetent to do anything right, and should have planned for it.
Of course not. But the MSM no longer runs the show.
Sounds like he wanted to know why Bush didn't do Blanco and Nagin's jobs better.
no, he just wanted to kill more americans, just ask Cindy, the bitch formerly in the ditch.
Wow. The warmth and human kindness and charity positively radiates from you! I can feel it from here!
SW
No, the real tradgedy was why didn't ABC News send down a fleet of buses to evacuate the poor....
My bad. It was a little exaggeration.
http://www.tpc.ncep.noaa.gov/archive/2005/KATRINA.shtml?
Here.
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx
Read the Mayor's release on the right.
Governments obviously weakened by to many years of moronic liberalism.
These leftists believed if John Kerry were the president, natural disaster like hurricane Kitrina wouldn't even happen!!! Think of their logic ...
I don't have much sympathy, or "warmth and human kindness" for people too lazy to help themselves, except helping themselves to other peoples property, and expect "the government" to do everything for them. My Charity will go to those who truly deserve it. And since you don't know me, or what I have contributed over my lifetime, you are in no position to pass judgement.
"Of course not. But the MSM no longer runs the show."
To a significant extent, yes. What worries me is that they reach too many people who can't think. William Shirer pointed out that, in Nazi Germany, as an American correspondent before the war, though he had access to foreign sources of information from the democracies, the incessant and relentless daily lies in the Germen press nevertheless made a certain psychological impression even on him. To millions in the U. S. who are bombarded by the MSM (by both what they "report" and what they DON"T report)what will the result be?
While it is something for which we have to account, our big advantage is the truth. Unlike 15 years ago, we have the means to get out the truth & the MSM now knows it so they have to be careful or they will end up like Dan Rather.
Also, the GOP pols have been generally looking good on TV while the Dems have been looking real, real bad.
Thanks.
I don't know about you, but the following press release pretty much tells me the Mayor and state are in charge. It's their responsibility to make sure there is a plan. It also doesn't call for a mandatory evacuation. It's obvious they weren't prepared for what happened (I don't think anyone could be prepared). But to pin it on Bush beforehand is absurd.
This quote pretty much says who is responsible for emergency preparedness.
"Mayor Nagin is working with Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other City, local and State officials are watching the storm’s path and working together to make decisions that affect citizens. Gov. Blanco has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, which provides city government with additional authority and improved access to resources needed when responding to elevated threats, such as natural disasters."
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=1&load=~/PortalModules/ViewPressRelease.ascx&itemid=3139
City Of New Orleans
Mayors Office of Communications
1300 Perdido Street, Suite 2E04
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
504-658-4940
C. Ray Nagin
MAYOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2005
Mayor Nagin Urges Citizens to Prepare For Hurricane Katrina
(New Orleans, LA) In response to the potential threat of Hurricane Katrina, Mayor C. Ray Nagin is urging all citizens to begin preparations now for the coming storm. Mayor Nagin will hold the next press briefing at 5 p.m. today in the Mayor’s Press Room, second floor of City Hall.
“Although the track could change, forecasters believe Hurricane Katrina will affect New Orleans,” said Mayor Nagin. “We may call for a voluntary evacuation later this afternoon or tomorrow morning to coincide with the instatement of contraflow. This will give people more options to leave the area. However, citizens need to begin preparing now so they will be ready to leave when necessary. Do everything to prepare for a regular hurricane, but treat this one differently because it is headed our way. This is not a test.”
The Mayor also recommended that residents of Algiers, the Lower Ninth Ward and low-lying areas begin evacuating now.
Gov. Blanco also urged citizens to take the storm seriously. “We can restore property, but we cannot restore lives,” she said.
Mayor Nagin is working with Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other City, local and State officials are watching the storm’s path and working together to make decisions that affect citizens. Gov. Blanco has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, which provides city government with additional authority and improved access to resources needed when responding to elevated threats, such as natural disasters.
A state of emergency has been declared for the City of New Orleans. Citizens are advised to:
• Fill their cars with gas. Tolls have been suspended on roadways.
• Remove potential debris from their yards (including lawn furniture, potted plants, loose tree branches, etc.)
• Board windows and glass doors
• Make sure that nearby catch basins are clear of leaves or trash
• Stock up on bottled water, batteries, and non-perishable food items
• Check on family, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly, to make sure everyone has an evacuation plan
• Make provisions for pets. Shelters and many hotels do not accept pets.
-MORE-
“The key is being prepared for the event,” said Mayor Nagin. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure our city is safe.”
Shelters for Citizens with Special Medical Needs
There are two shelters for people with special medical needs open in the state. Citizens should call prior to going to the shelters. The shelter in Alexandria can be reached at (800) 841-5778; the number for Monroe’s shelter is (866) 280-7287. If it becomes necessary, other shelters will be opened in various cities. The Superdome will be opened as a refuge of last resort for special needs patients if it becomes necessary. All individuals may have one caretaker.
Anyone planning to spend time in a shelter should bring three to four days’ worth of food, sleeping gear, and medical supplies including oxygen, medicine and batteries for any necessary devices. No weapons or bulky items are allowed in any shelters.
New Orleans EMS is responding to medical emergencies only. For non-emergency transportation needs, citizens should contact local non-emergency ambulance providers:
Acadian: (504) 366-0911
Lifeguard: (504) 214-1911
Guardian: (504) 818-2600
A-Med: (504) 362-9490
Care: (504) 367-4231
On-Call: (504) 866-0481
Closings
New Orleans Public Schools will be closed Monday, August 29, 2005. All NOPS activities scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled.
New Orleans Public Libraries will close at 3 p.m. today, Saturday, August 27, 2005, and remain closed through Monday, August 29, 2005.
The City of New Orleans will be issuing additional advisories as the storm progresses. Citizens are asked to remain alert, monitor news stories and be prepared to respond promptly to any public safety advisories.
"Also, the GOP pols have been generally looking good on TV while the Dems have been looking real, real bad."
Music to my ears/eyes. :-)
Lotta those folks are poor or very poor. New Orleans is a poor city, and Louisiana is a poor state. Some of those poor folks are on welfare, some not, but are poor in any case. For those on the dole, end of the month=no cash. If they aren't on the dole, but just lower-income, no savings, as they live paycheck to paycheck. And credit cards? A pipe dream for most poor folks.
Lotta those folks didn't have cars. If they had cars, no money for gas. Ever been poor? You put gas in the car $5 at a time, which at $2+ a gallon ain't gonna get you too far, especially when the highways out of town are JAMMED.
If you're fortunate enough to have a car and enough cash for gas to get outta town, what then? Sleep in the ditch? A motel is a minimum of $45-50+ a night. If you're lucky enough to have a couple hundred bucks put away, you're already looking for a place to live.
If you're REALLY lucky, you might have family outta town who you can stay with, if you can get to them. What then? How do you eat? Your job - if you have one - is gone, as the city is under water. Your home is gone, as are most if not all your possessions. You're out of cash, you have no charge cards to run up, and if you did, you couldn't pay the bill, since you have no job and no savings. Do you just abandon your home, your livelihood (such as it is), your life, your family?
Lot of the folks you're seeing on TV were probably born and raised in NOLA. It's tougher than you can possibly imagine (unless you've been there) to be forced out of your home for ANY reason, especially if you've lived there your entire life.
As for the voters to the polls business - those "get-out-the-vote" things are done for - what? One day, and planned for MONTHS in advance, with volunteers. Around my part of the world, it's only a relative handful who are actually taken to the polls - on the order of a few hundred. We're talking about tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people who need evacuation here. It takes a massive effort - one that couldn't have been done in any case.
Blaming any government agency for not evacuating people is asinine, unless you're talking about the very young and very old and infirm. That they haven't been evacuated yet - four days after the storm ended - IS a travesty. That serious efforts only seem to have begun today is a further travesty.
SW
That's one reason why I'm working very hard on having no material possession that's worth stealing.
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