Katrina, a photographic timeline: Powerful proof federal response was NOT slow (warning, many pics)

Yahoo News Photos ^ | 9/6/05

[Wolfstar]

The near total evacuation of the major American port city of New Orleans, Louisiana was accomplished between Tuesday afternoon, August 30 and Friday afternoon, September 2, 2005. This evacuation occurred while other search, rescue, relief and evacuation operations were simultaneously being conducted throughout the Gulf Coast between approximately Lafayette, Louisiana, on the west and the Florida panhandle on the east -– an area of about 90,000 sq. miles, or the size of the entire nation of Great Britain.

I'd say this amazing achievement is the opposite of slow. I'd say that it's a stunning accomplishment and one that demonstrates superb organization, remarkable logistics flow, and the greatness of the American spirit.

From the following photographic timeline, it should be clear to all reasonable people that the failure of government response occurred before the hurricane hit, and it occurred solely at the local and state level.

[Wolfstar]

A man measures the depth of the flooded Treme area of New Orleans. Despite the flooding, a number of people in this neighborhood were seen sitting calmly on their front porches as the weather cleared Monday afternoon.

[zlala]

bump for later read

[IGOTMINE]

Typical government idiocy...why weren't the inbound lanes used for outband traffic?

[Wolfstar]

The first reports of possible fatalities came out of Gulfport, Mississippi, even as the storm was still raging. Gulfport police officer Jason Payne gets into his patrol car as Hurricane Katrina continues to rage at the Thomasville Apartments in Biloxi, August 29, after officers rescued a woman trapped in the rubble of a fallen brick wall that crashed through her roof, breaking several bones. If officers in Gulfport had the command, control and communications necessary to respond like this even during the storm, why did the NOPD lose all command-and-control functions?

[Wolfstar]

A New Orleans city police car with its rear window broken is abandoned in flood waters on Canal Street in downtown New Orleans August 29. The NOPD clearly knew on Monday that flood waters were rising in the city. Why did city officials wait until Friday before moving people to the dry west bank of the city?

[hiredhand]

Would you be so kind as to remove #16? TIA! :-)

...HH

[Brad’s Gramma]

Check your mail

[Sthitch]

why weren't the inbound lanes used for outband traffic?

So supplies could be ferried into New Orl... oh wait a minute, that is a dumb answer.

[Wolfstar]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[Wolfstar]

Two early post-hurricane photos taken Monday in Mississippi as Katrina's dark clouds still moved overhead. Throughout the entire disaster area, including areas of Louisiana outside New Orleans, the kind of chaos and lack of local order seen in the city was almost completely absent. There were some sporadic reports of looting, but it was quickly brought under control.

Cathy Breazeale of Gulfport, Mississippi surveys damage to her home.

A view of the Sadler Apartments in Biloxi after Katrina destroyed them and close to 100 condominiums on the waterfront.

[hiredhand]

Ditto! THANKS!

[Wolfstar]

This Reuters-Yahoo caption (accompanying a photo of a damaged TV station), which was posted Aug 30 12:15 AM EDT, documents that initially the worst of the damage was thought to have occurred in Mississippi. The only mention of New Orleans is the fact that crude oil production in the region was shut down.

A television station loses its broadcasting tower and roof during Hurricane Katrina in Biloxi,August 29. Much of the city was heavily damaged during the peak of the category four storm. The storm slammed into New Orleans on Monday with winds of 135 mph, shutting 91 percent of the normal 1.5 million barrels per day of crude oil production in the Gulf Coast region.

[Wolfstar]

Photographic and Reuters-Yahoo caption posted Aug 30, circa 11:46 AM, are proof that federal assets were in the disaster area as soon as weather permitted on Monday. The caption also documents the fact that the scope of the disaster was not known until about mid-morning Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Huerta prepares to hoist two children into a Coast Guard rescue helicopter in New Orleans August 29, in this handout released on August 30, 2005. The children were among many New Orleans citizens rescued from their rooftops due to flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina. The Coast Guard has begun damage assessment overflights as well as search and rescue operations. A widespread disaster unfolded on the Gulf Coast Tuesday as up to 80 people were reported dead in Mississippi, and floodwaters poured into low-lying New Orleans through levees battered by powerful Hurricane Katrina.

Petty Officer 1st Class Steven Huerta scours neighborhoods over New Orleans, Louisiana, for citizens in distress as a result of flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina on August 29.

[Wolfstar]

Flooded roadways can be seen in this photo as the Coast Guard conducts initial Hurricane Katrina damage assessment overflights in New Orleans August 29.

In this caption, Yahoo was not worried about New Orleans, but about economic losses: Flooded roadways can be seen in this photo released on Tuesday as the Coast Guard conducts initial Hurricane Katrina damage assessment overflights over New Orleans, Louisiana August 29, 2005. Prices for energy, cotton copper and grains surged on Tuesday, as skies began clearing on stunning losses to homeowners, business and commodity production a day after Hurricane Katrina devastated coastal areas of three Gulf states.

[Wolfstar]

In this AFP-Yahoo caption accompanying an earlier photo of the damaged Superdome, posted Wed Aug 31, 2:29 AM ET, note that the media's concern was not for the people who took refuge inside the Superdome, but for the New Orleans Saints football team.

This 29 August, 2005 image shows damage to the roof of the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. American football's New Orleans Saints could be marching out of the storm-damaged Superdome and moving next week's workouts for their season opener to Texas because of damage here from Hurricane Katrina.

[WOSG]

Great photo essay on the Katrina disaster

[Wolfstar]

August 29, President Bush,pledged government aid for victims of killer Hurricane Katrina along the devastated Gulf Coast and said help was on the way.

[Wolfstar]

Reuters-Yahoo caption which accompanies a series of NOAA photos taken Aug. 30 and posted Aug. 31, documents that the Superdome evacuation began on Wednesday, one day after the extent of flooding in New Orleans became known:

NOAA aerial images show destruction on the shoreline in south Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, near Empire, Buras and Boothville where Hurricane Katrina made landfall at approximately 6:10 a.m. CDT, Aug. 29. Authorities began to evacuate about 23,000 refugees from the New Orleans Superdome arena on Wednesday [Aug. 31].

[Ronzo]

BUMP for a good job!

[Ronzo]

BUMP for a good job!