Top federal officials left out of loop (Well wha-da-ya know)

The Washington Times ^ | 09-05-05 | Audrey Hudson

[smoothsailing]

State and local officials did not inform top federal officials early on of the deaths and lack of food among hurricane victims in the Superdome or convention center, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday.

Mr. Chertoff said neither he nor Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown was told of the deteriorating situation in New Orleans until Thursday night.

[George W. Bush]

You are misinformed, the Corp and its contractors are fixing the levees, organized by FEMA (from the get go). The very same Corp that cleaned up the world trade center after 9/11 organized by FEMA. Who do you think did that?

I rely on local reports. For instance:

17th Street Canal breach fixed
Monday, 1:55 p.m.

By Jeff Meitrodt
Staff writer

With assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers, repairs have been completed to the 17th Street Canal breach, responsible for the post-Hurricane Katrina deluge into New Orleans, the state Department of Transportation and Development announced during its mid-day briefing.

These are the kinds of reports I'm reading. But maybe they just don't want to give outsiders credit or something. But that doesn't make much sense either because it seems they think very well of the Corps down there from other reporting.

[HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath]

There's a double dutch bus comin' down the street
Movin pretty fast
So kinda shuffle your feet
Get on the bus and pay your fare
And tell the driver that you're
Goin' to a Double Dutch Affair
Fe Fi Fo Fum
Well I'll be darn here it comes
The Double Dutch Bus is on the street
You'd better get off the curb
Move your feet

Bus fare trans-pass
That's the way my money lasts
Ain't got no car to get around
When I go to work I've gotta go downtown
Now I've missed my train
That's a darn shame
When I'm running late no sleep's to blame
If you've gotta wife you know I'm right
Gotta special man well I can understand
Uptown, downtown everybody's getting down
Say uptown say downtown
Well I've missed my bus I know I'm late
I've gotta do something I knio0w I hate
I'm gonna walk to work fifteen blocks
I already got a hole in my socks
Go ahead and laugh that's okay
Cause what I really wanna say
I got bad feet my corns hurt
To top it off I'm lost for work
Let me tell you what I say
When I'm dealing with the funky sidewalk
Let me show you how to walk
When I gotta do my funky walk
Let me tell you what I say
When I'm dealing with the funky sidewalk
I say sssssssss-sugar

[righttackle44]

"Doesn't DHS or FEMA have access to CNN or Fox?"

Should they do their jobs, or should be watching
TV news?

[Grampa Dave]

I don't really have a ping list. I will try to remember you.

[Grampa Dave]

"Too many forget about other forms of transportation. The trains....should have been used prior to the storm, no delays no being stuck in traffic. Just send them out of the path and could have made several trips, just as the buses could have been utilized. But elect a DUmocrat....take your chances if you choose."

Another thing that should have been done on I10 was to make all of it one way leaving town. They had bottle necks on the outbound lanes and still were allowing people to drive into N O's. That put the inbound people into harms way or allowed outside looter and worse to come in.

[Grampa Dave]

I would add just one thing to your simple plan.

Make all roads one way going out of town. We have pictures of the bottlenecks on the outbound lanes of I10 while a few cars were still driving into N O's.

[WHBates]

The local government in LA has been getting money on both ends ever since the days of H.P. Long (flood of 1927)

The State and Locals in LA couldn't wipe with both hands, if that isn't clear I don't know what is. This is truly a banana republic right here on the mainland.

One bright side to all of this is that, people may realize that in the final analysis, people will get the government for which they vote.

Please contact your local and state agencies and make sure you know how they are spending our money. After this people should realize how the system is suppose to work.

[smoothsailing]

I know what you mean.

This will be with us for a long time.I do hope and pray that at some point all the carping and finger-pointing will play itself out,and those deserving punishment will receive it.

It's times like this that remind me of what a good and decent man our president is.He will bring out the best in us as he has before.

[RasterMaster]

I-10 was closed to inbound traffic, but with no command/control it was left unused.

[Cvengr]

Psst, Mr. Nagin,....YOU are the 'help' that never came!

[sweetliberty]

"I do hope and pray that at some point all the carping and finger-pointing will play itself out,and those deserving punishment will receive it."

Pardon my cynicism, but aren't we still waiting for that from 9/11?

I'm just really disgusted with these low lifes that are grandstanding over corpses. They diminish us all.

[jedgarlives]

Federal Money has been going in, including over $40 mil to upgrade levies, but money was misappropriated (STOLEN). Several local officials were indicted earlier this year. Set for trial in October. Public record, why can't CNN MSNBC ABC etc report on that?

[LucyJo]

Thanks for the good news!

[Grampa Dave]

"I-10 was closed to inbound traffic, but with no command/control it was left unused."

There is a picture floating around Free Republic during the evacuation with traffic tiedl up out bound and still with vehicles in bound.

[Grampa Dave]

Same thing re the federal money to upgrade the N O's communications system. The money was spent and no new equipment was available.

[billnaz]

May I live long enough to see Nagin and Blanco do the perp walk!

[Darnright]

The Sunday before the storm, Nagin was interviewed on WWL. The newscasters were asking him about how the poor could be gotten out of the city. One asked about going in with cars or busses, and he said, it would do no good to do this, because the people wouldn't listen anyway.

I would love to know if those newscasts were taped. Even so, though, they were probably destroyed by flooding.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

FEMA, the National Guard, and the active military aren't going to just go march in without a request from state and/or local government.

Even if you put 100,000 soldiers on the ground in New Orleans immediately, what are they going to do without a plan? FEMA, the National Guard, and the active military are supposed to support the state/local govt., who are operating off their disaster plans that were drawn up in advance.

[dfwgator]

One asked about going in with cars or busses, and he said, it would do no good to do this, because the people wouldn't listen anyway.

If we could get this excerpt, that would be the smoking gun.