To emphasize the correctness in saying that politics will make big decisions like this, recall this HISTORICAL FACT!
In 1998, the DoD and the US Army Corps of Engineers drafted a document detailing the fact that New Orleans was protected by levees which were designed to protect N.O. from a LEVEL 3 hurricane. These groups wanted to go into N.O. and assess what needed to be done to improve the levees to at least withstand a LEVEL 4 OR 5 hurricane.
This serious request and supporting information was deemed highly necessary to protect N.O. and was presented in full to the President of the United States for approval of this critical project.
THE REQUEST WAS DENIED BY WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON. For those interested in the details, they are available in the FEDERAL REGISTER as a matter of permanent record.
So, how many more deaths do we attribute to this horrid excuse for a criminal, negligent, incompetent excuse for a human being ???
In summary, politics in critical situations, usually costs lives, it always has.
Quick work. You are adept at locating information! Thanks.