National Hurricane Director had to call Nagin at home Saturday night to plead: "Get people out..."

Knight Ridder Newspapers ^ | Sun, Aug. 28, 2005 | BY MARC CAPUTO, DAVID OVALLE AND ERIKA BOLSTAD

[joinedafterattack]

MAYOR CRITICIZED EVEN BEFORE LEVY BREAK. National Hurricane Center Director had to call Nagin at home Saturday night to plead: "Get people out of New Orleans." "The criticisms of Nagin came from above as well. Numerous officials urged him to evacuate the city, but he worried about the legality of ordering people out when New Orleans has few safe hurricane shelters. Also, National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield in Miami called Nagin at home Saturday night and told him: Get people out of New Orleans.

''I could never sleep if I felt like I didn't do everything that I could to impress upon people the gravity of the situation,'' Mayfield said. ``New Orleans is never going to be the same.''

When a grim Nagin issued the mandatory evacuation order Sunday, he said: ``We are facing a storm that most of us have feared . . . God bless us.''

[Echo Talon]

Removed... Hell I'm starting to think that he might ought to be charged with negligent homicide.

I feel the same way. He had a plan and didn't follow it.

[SE Mom]

It's all a blur..when it was I can't say- but I HEARD Max Mayfield in an interview saying he'd called the mayor and basically begged him.

Unbelievable.

[johnny7]

“The snake senses something coming, Martin said, something horrific. ''I don't believe you're going to go until God takes you,'' Martin said. ``I've lived a good, full life and I'm not worried about it. You've got to take life as it comes.''

“You 'gotta take life as it comes.”... well Martin... it done come. Wonder if 'Martin'... or his snake made it.

[uncbob]

They had a close call last year

I remember hearing the concerns about the bowl filling up then

[Bommer]

+ failure to dispatch = Bush's fault!

[elli1]

Assuming that the 20% who didn't leave had been evacuated by the city of NO, I wonder where they would have been taken? Was there a 'plan' for this? 20% of 400,000 is 80,000 people. Or, if you figure the population of the NO metro area--1.3 million--20% of that is 260,000 people which is approximately the population of the city of Baton Rouge. And was there resistance in BR (and elsewhere) about accepting the bottom tier of the NO population?

I suspect that there are a lot of very interesting chapters left in this story.

[uncbob]

This is why that Rats are going nuts. The main people in power were Rats and this is going to cost them in the end. So what do they do "Blame B ...." Play the race card etc.... It's not going to work. We should be looking forward to hearings on this. The Rats are going to pay in the end...

Don't bet on it

MSM and the dem party leaders will NEVER let it happen

[AmericanInTokyo]

That mayor has blood on his hands.

[Petronski]

Excuse my French, but this guy Nagin is "Un-f**king-believable."

[Echo Talon]

[Wormwood]

Nagin is a scumbag. I DARE anyone to defend his mismanagement.

[silent_jonny]

Nagin looks to me like someone who enjoys a bong hit now and again. I wouldn't be surprised if Nagin's hurricane party was in full gear when he took that phone call.

"Mayor, it's the National Hurricane Director ont he phone--he says it's urgent."

"Take a message."

[Smelly_Fed]

Yes Nagin did know all along what to do.

Louisiana's evacuation plan called for those buses to be used! From the Federal Response Plan at http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/plans/frp2003.pdf

Page 13 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.

[pax_et_bonum]

ping

[Chode]

Hi, Mayor Nagin.
Useless Eater and Giant Loser.
Damn Glad to Meet YOU!!!

[silent_jonny]

The Mayor and Governor were criminally negligent in their actions.

Hell I'm starting to think that he might ought to be charged with negligent homicide.

100% agreement. Katrina killed thousands. But hundreds (if not thousands) more died because of this man's gross incompetence.

[Just mythoughts]

ping

[Route66]

The use of local and regional buses was ignored. Over the last 5 days we've seen a scramble to bring in buses from other locations and I just saw this go by:

2:13 P.M. - BATON ROUGE (AP): Governor Kathleen Blanco has declared a state of public health emergency. The declaration allows doctors, nurses and other medical professionals to register with the Department of Health and Hospitals and go to work immediately in Louisiana. The medical professionals must be in good standing in their home states.

Blanco also is asking that school buses be used to help carry supplies and evacuate hurricane victims. Superintendents in every Louisiana school district that is still up and running have been ordered to send a list of buses and drivers.

I can't believe she just got around to calling for school buses in her own state after seeing all the begging and screaming for buses over the last few days. They are still woefully behind the curve while criticizing Bush and the federal government for not doing things fast enough.

[Torie]

The mayor himself said Sat night that Max Mayfield put the fear of God into him, and he was having the city attorney research whether he had the power to order a mandatory evacuation. The odds that the city attorney researched anything are about zero. That was just spin. In any event, it was all a farce, because no public transportation was offered, and the "mandatory" bit was unenfoceable. It apparently didn't occur to the mayor to try to commandeer public transportation vehicles.

[silent_jonny]

LOL!