[MNJohnnie]

Some good news in this mornings Presidential Radio Address

During my visit I discussed these problems at length with Governor Riley of Alabama, Governor Barbour of Mississippi, Governor Blanco of Louisiana and Mayor Nagin of New Orleans. Each state will have its own set of challenges and issues to solve. Yet all of us agree that more can be done to improve our ability to restore order and deliver relief in a timely and effective manner. This morning I received a briefing on the latest developments on the ground. Right now there are more than 21,000 National Guard troops operating in Louisiana and Mississippi, and more are on the way. More than 13,000 of these troops are in Louisiana. The main priority is to restore and maintain law and order, and assist in recovery and evacuation efforts. In addition to these National Guard forces, the Department of Defense has deployed more than 4,000 active duty forces to assist in search and recovery, and provide logistical and medical support. Hour by hour, the situation on the ground is improving. Yet the enormity of the task requires more resources and more troops. Today I ordered the Department of Defense to deploy additional active duty forces to the region. Over the next 24 to 72 hours, more than 7,000 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne, from the 1st Cavalry, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, and the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force will arrive in the affected areas. These forces will be on the ground and operating under the direct command of General Russ Honore.

Thank you GOD for this man. Slapped sense into the Louisiana Democrats that they NEED US Combat troops there. Bet you anything the forces mentioned above do NOT end up anywhere in Alabama or Mississippi. What an amazing contrast to the 3 days of hysteria , posturing and finger pointing from the Dems leadership.

[uncbob]

Slapped sense into the Louisiana Democrats that they NEED US Combat troops there.

You can damn well bet that the LA Dem GOV was being advised not to ask Bush to come save the bacon

I am waiting for the MSM to start asking her when she asked and why she waited

[silverleaf]

Wow, using active duty units with heavy firepower.
And to think Nagin is taking credit for this because he "got their attention".

[gitmo]

Under assumptions:

5. The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating.

Under STAGING AREAS AND LAST RESORT REFUGE:

A. Staging Areas

The definition of a staging area is a central location, easily accessible to those ambulatory people who are in need of transportation to a shelter.

1. Residents who have no means of transportation will be directed to the staging areas.

2. Transportation vehicles will be pre-positioned to transport residents to shelters.

3. Once the evacuation routes are closed, the staging areas will become Last Resort Refuges.

4. After the storm has passed and the evacuation order is rescinded, transportation will be provided to return people dropped off at shelters to the staging area.

There is some good planning in this docuement that somehow failed.