Behold:
source: http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26
"City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan" annex I: Hurricanes
III. EVACUATION ORDER[emphasis added to illustrate who is a lying incompetent scumbag]A. Authority
As established by the City of New Orleans Charter, the government has jurisdiction and responsibility in disaster response. City government shall coordinate its efforts through the Office of Emergency Preparedness
The authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane is conferred to the Governor by Louisiana Statute. The Governor is granted the power to direct and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from a stricken or threatened area within the State, if he deems this action necessary for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response or recovery. The same power to order an evacuation conferred upon the Governor is also delegated to each political subdivision of the State by Executive Order. This authority empowers the chief elected official of New Orleans, the Mayor of New Orleans, to order the evacuation of the parish residents threatened by an approaching hurricane.
B. Issuance of Evacuation Orders
The person responsible for recognition of hurricane related preparation needs and for the issuance of an evacuation order is the Mayor of the City of New Orleans. Concerning preparation needs and the issuance of an evacuation order, The Office of Emergency Preparedness should keep the Mayor advised.
[snip]
V. TASKS
A. Mayor
* Initiate the evacuation.
* Retain overall control of all evacuation procedures via EOC operations.
* Authorize return to evacuated areas.
B. Office of Emergency Preparedness
* Activate EOC and notify all support agencies to this plan.
* Coordinate with State OEP on elements of evacuation.
* Assist in directing the transportation of evacuees to staging areas.
* Assist ESF-8, Health and Medical, in the evacuation of persons with special needs, nursing home, and hospital patients in accordance with established procedures.
* Coordinate the release of all public information through ESF-14, Public Information.
* Use EAS, television, cable and other public broadcast means as needed and in accordance with established procedure.
* Request additional law enforcement/traffic control (State Police, La. National Guard) from State OEP.
This is from the NOLA website! This has been the city plan for hurricane evacuations for who knows how long! And he CLAIMS he had to consult with the city attorney Saturday night to find out if he had authority to order an evacuation?
Can you say: "BUSTED"?
Get this to Drudge, stat!!!!
Well now we know how well the Mayor of NOLA consulted his own emergency plan as a Cat. 5 hurricane bore down on his below-sealevel city.... next we need to let the world know.
Guess if you want to be Mayor, you should at least read the rule book.
Save that thing. It would save a lot of work when the indictment is written.
bookmarked
BTTT
The FACT (he admitted it) that a Mayor of the most vulnerable city in the country did not already know, before the crisis hit, exactly what his powers and options are for each stage of impending disaster indicates a SCANDALOUS neglect of elementary emergency planning. When I saw that quote I was just speechless and stunned -- how could a Mayor of a city like NOLA not even KNOW he had the power to order a mandatory evacuation in the face of a Cat 4/5 hurricane expected to bury the city under 20 feet of water???? I'm so sick of the clamor to blame Bush when the local and state authorities in LA have proved themselves so unbelievably inept and, yes, NEGLIGENT.