Posted on 09/06/2005 5:35:09 AM PDT by pittsburgh gop guy
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
As one who has received training by FEMA in emergency management and also training by the Department of Defense in consequence management, I believe that the federal response in New Orleans needs clarification.
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| Craig Martelle, retired as a major in the U.S. Marine Corps, lives in North Huntingdon. He recently launched the Strategic Outlook Institute, a public-policy organization. | |||
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The key to emergency management starts at the local level and expands to the state level. Emergency planning generally does not include any federal guarantees, as there can only be limited ones from the federal level for any local plan. FEMA provides free training, education, assistance and respond in case of an emergency, but the local and state officials run their own emergency management program.
Prior development of an emergency plan, addressing all foreseeable contingencies, is the absolute requirement of the local government --and then they share that plan with the state emergency managers to ensure that the state authorities can provide necessary assets not available at the local level. Additionally, good planning will include applicable elements of the federal government (those located in the local area). These processes are well established, but are contingent upon the personal drive of both hired and elected officials at the local level.
I've reviewed the New Orleans emergency management plan. Here is an important section in the first paragraph.
"We coordinate all city departments and allied state and federal agencies which respond to citywide disasters and emergencies through the development and constant updating of an integrated multi-hazard plan. All requests for federal disaster assistance and federal funding subsequent to disaster declarations are also made through this office. Our authority is defined by the Louisiana Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, Chapter 6 Section 709, Paragraph B, 'Each parish shall maintain a Disaster Agency which, except as otherwise provided under this act, has jurisdiction over and serves the entire parish.' "
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Phil Coale, Associated Press Flooded school buses in a lot, New Orleans, Sept. 1. Click photo for larger image.
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Check the plan -- the "we" in this case is the office of the mayor, Ray Nagin who was very quick and vocal about blaming everyone but his own office. A telling picture, at left, taken by The Associated Press on Sept. 1 and widely circulated on the Internet shows a school bus park, apparently filled to capacity with buses, under about four feet of water. If a mandatory evacuation was ordered, why weren't all the taxpayer-purchased buses used in the effort?
Who could have predicted the anarchy resulting as a consequence? The individuals who devolved into lawless animals embarrass the entirety of America. (I worked in a U.S. Embassy overseas for a couple years and I can imagine what foreign diplomats are thinking.) What societal factors would ever lead people to believe that this behavior was even remotely acceptable?
The folks in New Orleans who are perpetrating the violence and lawlessness are not that way because of low income or of race, but because they personally do not have any honor or commitment to higher ideals. The civil-rights leaders should be ashamed at playing the blame game.
The blame is on the individuals. The blame is on the society that allowed these individuals to develop the ideal that the individual is greater than the national pride he is destroying. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was very clear in her comments that she was offended at those who suggested the suffering in New Orleans was prolonged because of race.
As a retired Marine, I hang my head in shame to see my fellow Americans degenerate so far. I spent so many years in the Corps helping the citizens of other countries rise to a higher level of personal responsibility to ensure that in case of emergency, anarchy did not necessarily follow. When people are held to a higher standard of personal responsibility and they accept that, then they will do the right thing when the time comes.
It seems that the mayor of New Orleans is leading the effort in not taking responsibility for his actions. The emergency managers for the state of Louisiana do not have much to say either. The failure in the first 48 hours to provide direction for survivors is theirs to live with. When FEMA was able to take over, it started out behind and had to develop its plan on the fly. Now the federal government has established priorities -- rescue the stranded, evacuate the city, flow in resources and fix the levee. It appears that now there is a plan and it is being systematically executed.
Hurricane Katrina was a national tragedy -- not just in the number of lives lost or the amount of physical damage, but also in the failure of people to do what is right when no one is looking.
The airport was under water. The one road in was filled with debris. How would you have gotten the massive federal presence needed to insure the security of the responders on site on Tuesday or Wednesday? (They did start arriving in large numbers on Thursday.)
Magic carpet?
I wonder if he didn't take Bush's warning to evacuate on the 27th (per AP) seriously?
Just when is an order an order in Nagin's mind?
what I am saying is, if there was no delay on the part of the feds, and they couldn't have gotten there any sooner, whether they were asked or not, who cares whether the locals had to ask?
Sorry Jackv. I am not rationalizinfg anything. I have said repeatedly that the state and local governments deserve the lion's share of the blame. However, the Feds made mistakes, which need to be corrected for the good of the country.
The Feds got into NO too late. This will all come out in the lessons learned phase. FEMA may be reorganized or moved and there could be some changes in procedures, policies, etc.
Listen to the Congressmen from LA, Republican and Democrat. There is a consensus that the Feds could have done a better job initially.
This is a hard lesson learned about why State politics are so important. LA politics has been rotten to the core for generations now. If a State insists on not helping their own it is going to take days to give them help even if they think they don't need it.
The Governor tried having control of the Feds instead of working things visa versa. You need to be demanding answers from corrupt politicians in LA not the Feds.
Another Rat meme successfully implanted in the minds of news consumers by the MSM.
Then we need to re-educate the public. We can't completely reorganize the purposes of FEMA, Homeland Security and local/state responsbilities and capabilities to satisfy the wants and desires of people who want the federal government to do everything for them.
I want the job done, true. But I also want to know why the locals, states and even the feds communications didn't work as they should have. Personally, I would rather that we had waited before the finger pointing began, but when dems use this disaster to trash our president (which hurts the national security for all of us, among other things), then we have to speak up.
While I agree that the feds have more responsibility now than they should because they do have the capability and because NO and LA are run by completely incompetent people, I do not want to see this become policy. It should never happen again. I will not have the wisdom of our founding fathers undermined because of idiots on the ground in LA.
To believe that the buck stops at the WH for this kind of disaster is wrong-headed thinking that foreshadows the doom of our great country. Yes, the feds have significant responsibility as they should. They should NEVER have first responder responsbility or capability. I do NOT want to be a police state.
The question you are NOT asking is WHY the feds got in there too late to satify you???
Not because of THEIR incomptetance but the state and locals.
That is the whole point!
Yes, right!!
;-)
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
That's guaranteed if people don't start thinking. The Articles of our Constitution were set up as they were in such a way that the previously independent territories signing on retained a measure of that independence in the event of a dictatorship. Thus any state or commonwealth which secedes from the union, or in the event of catastrophic invasion resulting in the break up of the union, is already set up to act as an independent country. It's a brilliant and beautiful system. It's our country's major strength. Under this system, at least SOME of the federal republic will survive.
If states give up this independence because some people are worried about future flooding, we've lost our greatest weapon against conquer by a foreign invader or dictator.
I would have sent troops via chopper into the area near the Superdome and Convention Center to restore order. We have that capability. Friday morning is when the big 8 mile convoy went into the city. The MSM were in the city reporting on what was going on before and after Katrina hit. The televised pictures undermined the tremendous efforts that were being undertaken by feds.
And when I decide that I know what is best for YOUR life, you would be ok with me making decisions on YOUR behalf, and contrary to your will? If so, you may have a point. But I don't think you mean that.
Simply put, accurate, and to the point, SandyInSeattle. I've been reading kabar's posts and the posts of those who have responded. You bet it's a "dangerous train of thought". Thank God most people aren't going to ride that train.
Buses are being used NOW, but they weren't before the storm hit. What're they smoking over at FOX?
This is what Bush and WH spokespeople should be answering instead of the wishy-washy - "now is not the time to point fingers, cast blame" etc.
Unfortunately, big government is with us and it makes plenty of decisions for us. We are becoming more dependent upon government and the bureaucracy, not less.
Don't bet on it. The press and libs don't care how many suffer as long as they can attack the President.
The bureaucracy runs by rules, which become more important than the mission. I'll repeat. When the rules don't make sense and are costing people their lives in a time of crisis, then they should be ignored and commonsense should prevail. Afterwards, we can change the rules. We can't retroactively give people back their lives.
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