Posted on 09/03/2005 9:02:07 PM PDT by wildwood
Who’s Responsible For New Orleans?
by D.C. Thornton @ 11:58 pm. Filed under Commentary, Blogosphere
If critics of the Hurricane Katrina disaster are going to play the blame game, they should at least play according to Hoyle.
A comment to a Blogs for Bush posting sums up my thoughts on the issue clearly. I’m reposting it here in its entirety:
In case you aren’t familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work:
The chain of responsiblity for the protection of the citizens in New Orleans is:
1. The Mayor
2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of the Governor who reports to the Governor)
3. The Governor
4. The Head of Homeland Security
5. The President
What did each do?
1. The mayor, with 5 days advance, waited until 2 days before he announced a mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). The he failed to provide transportation for those without transport even though he had hundreds of buses at his disposal.
2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blames the Feds for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political appointees)
3. The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President 2 DAYS BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal troops and aid. Until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.
4. The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be ready when the Governor called for them
5. The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal assistance, should the Governor decide to use it.
Oh and by the way, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
The disaster in New Orleans is what you get after decades of corrupt (democrat) government going all the way back to Huey Long.
Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the politicos and their friends.
Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self reliance from the community, and made them dependent upon government for every little thing.
Political correctness and a lack of will to fight crime have created the single most corrupt police force in the country, and has permitted gang violence to flourish.
The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them. For those who missed item 5 (where the President’s level of accountability is discussed), it is made more clear in a New Orleans Times-Picayune article dated August 28:
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.
Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.
The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. (emphasis mine)
The ball was placed in Mayor Nagin’s court to carry out the evacuation order. With a 5-day heads-up, he had the authority to use any and all services to evacuate all residents from the city, as documented in a city emergency preparedness plan. By waiting until the last minute, and failing to make full use of resources available within city limits, Nagin and his administration f**ked up.
Mayor Nagin and his emergency sidekick Terry Ebbert have displayed lethal, mind boggling incompetence before, during and after Katrina. […]
As for Mayor Nagin, he and his profile in pathetic leadership police chief should resign as well. That city’s government is incompetent from one end to the other. The people of New Orleans deserve better than this crowd of clowns is capable of giving them.
If you’re keeping track, these boobs let 569 buses that could have carried 33,350 people out of New Orleans–in one trip–get ruined in the floods. Whatever plan these guys had, it was a dud. Or it probably would have been if they’d bothered to follow it.
As for all the race-baiting rhetoric and Bush-bashing coming from prominent blacks on the left, don’t expect Ray Nagin to be called out on the carpet for falling short. You want to know why? Here’s why:
It’s more convenient to blame a white president for what went wrong than to hold a black mayor and his administration accountable for gross negligence and failing to fully carry out an established emergency preparedness plan.
To hold Nagin and his administration accountable for dropping the ball amounts to letting loose the shouts and cries of “Racism!”. It’s sad, it’s wrong, but it’s standard operating procedure for the media and left-wing black leadership.
Mark my words: you will not hear a word of criticism from Jesse Jackson Sr., Randall Robinson, the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, or Kanye West being directed toward Raymond Nagin. Why? Because he is a mere black politician instead of an effective elected official who happens to be black. In the mindset of more-blacker-than-thou blacks, black politicians who are on their side can do no wrong.
(links via Sister Toldjah, Balloon Juice, and Ramblings’ Journal)
Update: JunkYardBlog points out more evacuation plans at the state level which weren’t implemented.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1476694/posts
Not to break my own arm but the documentation on the dates and links are here.
Spent the whole day putting them together.
I always serach before posting but never find anything.
To be fair, I would also fault the Bush admin for not recognizing and responding fast enough to the incompetence at the Louisiana local and state level.
- Who would have expected the mayor of New Orleans who has lived around hurricanes all his life and through Betsy in 1965, to lose it on live TV because of a known hurricane disaster and be reduced to cowardly blame-shifting?
- Who would have expected a lot of the N.O. police to leave their jobs?
- Who would have expected them to let prisoners go lose? Who would have anticipated they would allow rapes and murder to go answered?
The President is at fault for being too slow in sizing up these bozo's.
Thanks for your report.
You should post this every day for the next 9 months.
Good work and keep it coming
Also Blanco did not ask for multi state National Guard assistance until Wednesday.
You're kidding, right?
Have you even read these boards? All I see is political debate..out the wazzoo...all over this forum.
I would like to add a little more to that...
Why won't criticism be hurled toward Nagin from the Black Caucus or the NAACP?
NOT just because he is black, but because he is a black democrat.
And don't listen to CNN. They try to perpetuate the notion that Black Americans hate Pres Bush.
I'm in Minnesota, and even way up here, some members of the Black 'community' are aware that the Mayor is incompetent and the police are corrupt.
You forgot the most important thing. To go on tv, bite his lip and wipe a tear away.
Pinging you to this enlightening article about the chain of responsibility for protection of the citizens of New Orleans.
Many pertinent facts to add to your timeline......Julie
Listen guys I should have come out sooner and told ya'll but... I'm the one responsible for Katrina. Bush gets a pass this time around.
Multiple retread banned.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1103363/posts
I wonder was any effort made to identify those who would need public transportation to evacuate? Was there any effort to find out how many of the population would qualify for evacuation to special needs shelters? Did the City government not realize that they should move all public work vehicles/ police vehicles/ fire vehicles/ buses to safety when warned a Cat 5 storm was approaching. Did City officials have a back up communication plan? Did City officials know the procedure for requesting FEMA assistance?
Was evacuation of hospitals/ nursing homes/ and the like given any priority?. Was there any kind of survey done to find out what type of shelters would be available outside of N.O. in the event of mandatory evacuation? I have to wonder about these things.
He tried to federalize the National Guard, the governor wouldn't budge.
See #3.
From http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp
In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.
The only Way the POTUS could have moved quicker was to declare war on LA.
Here is what Mayor Nagin's web site last said about the hurricane
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=1&load=~/PortalModules/ViewPressRelease.ascx&itemid=3139
This was Saturday, Aug 27:
"“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 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.
That's not true, the governor requested FEMA assistance on 8/28, two days before the storm hit.
I knew it was you.
Suspected it from day one.
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