Posted on 09/13/2005 7:26:13 AM PDT by K-oneTexas
Monday, Sept. 12, 2005 10:34 a.m. EDT
Amtrak, Nagin Argue Over Rescue Train
Officials at Amtrak say they offered to run a special train out of New Orleans that could have evacuated hundreds of residents hours before Hurricane Katrina struck - but city officials turned the offer down.
"We offered the city the opportunity to take evacuees out of harm's way," Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black told the Washington Post on Sunday. "The city declined."
The train had room for "several hundred passengers," the Post said. But it left loaded only with railroad equipment - destined for higher and drier ground.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said Sunday he had no idea what Black was talking about.
I don't know where that's coming from," he told NBC's "Meet the Press." "Amtrak never contacted me to make that offer. As a matter of fact, we checked the Amtrak lines for availability, and every available train was booked, as far as the report that I got, through September. So I'd like to see that report."
Nagin also offered a new explanation as to why he didn't press hundreds of city buses into service to aid in evacuation efforts.
"Sure, here was lots of buses out there," he told "Meet the Press." "But guess what? You can't find drivers that would stay behind with a Category 5 hurricane, you know, pending down on New Orleans. We barely got enough drivers to move people on Sunday, or Saturday and Sunday, to move them to the Superdome."
The New Orleans Democrat had a different excuse tens days ago, when asked about using his city's bus fleet.
"One of the briefings we had they were talking about getting, you know, public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people out of here," he told WWL Radio.
"I'm like - you've got to be kidding me. This is a natural disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."
Asked about the buses two days before his "Meet the Press" interview, Nagin told NBC's "Dateline": "I dont know. That is question for somebody else."
Ray Nagin
The man of a thousand excuses.
Keynote speaker at the next DNC convention ?
Mr. Mayor, did it every occur to you to designate drivers beforehand who would be obligated to stick around to do the job? Wouldn't that have been the prudent thing to do in advance as part of an emergency evacuation plan?
But I guess if the sun is shining, you can't get people to work in NO so why bother. (Landrieu said as much.)
With a five minute, teary eyed standing ovation.
Nagin should be arrested, immediately, for criminal homicide. There is so much aid the city turned down that I'm astounded whenever I hear a democrat try to blame anything on the administration.
Each driver has a bus, their family gets to ride, and they fill it up with people and take it (in this case) north and west. Red Cross had shelters, Texas obviously could help.
Part of working for the city maybe? Tax money for pay, but don't expect them to actually work for the public, I mean c'mon.
The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. Proverbs 26:16
Mr. Mayor they are talking about using the buses before the hurricane hit. Leaving by bus is not staying behind, you puke.
Just remember, if Amtrak provides the train they provide the driver. Evidently someone works. And you would not want to refute the illustrious Senator Mary Landrieu said on the news/talk shows about "They won't even get people to work on a sunny day less [sic] alone getting them out ..."
Refused Amtrak offer!
Refused to use school buses to evacuate!
Refused to allow FEMA buses to evacuate!
Refused to allow Red Cross in after the storm!
Did not protect its citizens in the Superdome
Did not allow supplies into the Superdome
Refused federal troops unless the swore allegence to the LA Natl. Guard
Oh yeah this is ALL Bush's fault!
Or...if things were as dire as he indicated (and they were) just find drivers! I bet from the crowds they had there they could have found a couple of hundred who could drive a bus in a pinch with what...maybe ten minutes of instruction?
Your list is right. But I'm sure we are forgeting something.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Or the other kernal of wisdom from Sen. Landrieu...regarding the bus drivers, who are overwhelmingly black and female. They were "too afraid to drive the buses out." And Landrieu gets a pass. Can you imagine if my Senator, Rick Santorum, made a statement like that?
We need a list bigtime! I'm tired of blaming the Feds! Every stinking city in the Union BUT New Orleans is responsible for the safty and welfare of its citizens.
This buffoon has no idea how to delegate. At least start passing out keys to anyone with a drivers license in their pocket!
And his grammer!!!! Sheesh!!!!!
Of course Nagin didn't offer bus or train rides out of the affected area. He had no shelter set up to which he could bus people. The Super Dome was the shelter for the worst case scenerio.
Until Texas came up with a plan, there was no where to send anyone.
"Keynote speaker at the next DNC convention ?"
Nope, Mary Landrieu.
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