Posted on 09/06/2005 6:00:15 AM PDT by Brilliant
As the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues to shock and sadden the nation, the question on many lips is, Who is to blame for the inadequate response?...
Many in the media are turning their eyes toward the federal government, rather than considering the culpability of city and state officials. I am fully aware of the challenges of having a quick and responsive emergency response to a major disaster. And there is definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible -- local and state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders. The plain fact is, lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin.
The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his/her emergency operations center.
The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Regarding the buses that were not used to save the NO citizens, there appears to be a reason that might have affected the decision to leave them idle. A post on FR yesterday had a passing mention of the union bus drivers, prior to Katrina, in a dispute with the city about overtime etc. Other posts I have read have noted that the mayor said there were no drivers for the buses. Just another little piece of the puzzle that needs investigation.
Yeah, I've been having that same sense.
Something about it goes beyond mere incompetence.
Was President Bush Forced to Use the Insurrection Act? Written by Barbara J. Stock Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Hurricanes do not sneak up on people. Unlike tornadoes, hurricanes dont just reach down out of the dark storm clouds to wreak havoc on humanity. Hurricanes are tracked, named, have warning flags dedicated to them, and all coastal cities have long-standing plans for dealing with them. Nearly everyone in the world knew Katrina was going to hit Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and yet so many have died in New Orleans. Why?
Hurricane Katrina struck the tip of southern Florida as a category 1 hurricane and made a beeline for the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. For three days Katrina churned her way across the Gulf, growing in size and strength until it was a monster storm. With sustained winds of over 175 mph, Katrina bore down on the city of New Orleans. Literally, at the last possible moment, Katrina was pushed, ever-so-slightly, by dry air from the Midwest, off to the East and dropped from a category 5 to a high category 4 with sustained winds of 150 mph. Katrina was still a killer storm by anyones description. For three long days, the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans watched Katrina bear down on their state and city respectively but took very little action to protect their citizens other than to state the obvious: Leave town. No assistance was offered to the poor or elderly.
Aerial views of New Orleans have shown pictures of hundreds of buses, left parked and unused. Why didnt the mayor of New Orleans activate those buses to move the people out of the city those who wanted to leave but had no way out? Why was this golden opportunity to save lives left parked, only to be lost to the floodwaters? This from the Louisiana disaster plan, pg. 13, paragraph 5, dated 01/00: 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'... Why was the citys own disaster plan for using those buses to evacuate people not implemented? Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin had three days to evacuate the poor and elderly from New Orleans but they did not. Why?
While the governors of both Mississippi and Alabama put in a formal request for federal assistance before Katrina even made landfall, the governor of Louisiana refused to relinquish any of her power for the good of the people. Now she and her party point the finger of blame at the White House.
Liberal blogs and websites are pointing to the Department of Homeland Securitys website which states that it can take control in any disaster, natural or otherwise, but this is not true. The Department of Homeland Security can only work with the state and local officials in organizing relief efforts such as food, water, and shelter. There is no military arm of the Department of Homeland Security or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the military is what was needed and everyone knew that.
Instead of asking why the Democratic leaders of Louisiana failed the people, these sites post disgusting pictures of floating bodies with the message: George Bush did nothing. The truth is, the Democratic governor wouldnt allow Bush to do anything. That floating body belongs to Governor Blanco. She is the one who did nothing.
'I watched some idiot Chinese young thing try to get Rev. Jakes to call Bush a rascist 4 times in an 2 minute long interview.'
I saw that too and wanted to run to the pc to e-m a protest///then decided that I didn't want them to know I was watching......
see 43 - good article!
(small, 'good article' ping list - FR mail me, if you want on or off.)
waa-waa-waa, "I pays my taxes where's my welfare check, who's gonna help me now"....an actual quote.
she pays her taxes and is worried where her welfare check is going to be sent. HuH?
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BTTT
The people of Louisiana should give Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin their pink slips...after they do a two year or so jail term for defrauding the federal government out of FEMA funds.
Katrina is Bush's elaborate plot to gerrymander the NO voting districts.
can you change the name of the lake to "Lake Poop"?
<
Looks like it worked brilliantly.
what's the over/under on jail time? hehheh
yes, that's it.....!!!
sending it to some poopheads right now....thanks!!!!(and pookie18, too!)
Louisiana, along with all Gulf Coast and Atlantic states have been given FEMA monies for "first" emergency response. The federal government is suppose to be a support, and not the primary or first responder. That's the law. In all appearances, Louisiana had a plan on paper to obtain the funds, but when the storm hit, there was no beef. So, where did the money go Governor Blanco, and Mayor Nagin? Much can be learned from Florida, where teams of state and local employees with emergency response know how are in place with supplies.
I received at least 4 different emails today from knowledgable people explaining the 'chain of command' and how the Governor did not follow through on it.
WELFARE is the word. I read an account of people in the Astrodome trying to pass out 'unemployment applications' and getting responses like, "I've never worked a day in my life", and "don't be bothering me with that s***!", etc, etc.
Who told Blanco to hire Witt? That has a very interesting answer.
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