EVANS: Well, Larry, we were asked, directed by the National Guard and the city and the state emergency management not to go into New Orleans because it was not safe."EVANS" is Marty Evans, the President and CEO of the American Red Cross. She said one of the reasons given was safety. That also comports with other reports, e.g., resuce boats held back due to being shot at, and suspension of evacuation of Superdome due to being shot at.http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/02/lkl.01.html
O'REILLY: OK. But I think a lot of it has to do with your security of your people. Um, in the first days after the hurricane, there was no security in the town.EVANS: That's right.
O'REILLY: And if you had gone in, you know, the thugs with the AK-47s could have done damage, as they did to med-evac workers, to hospital workers, to doctors. We went all through that. Now it's under control.
EVANS: Right.
Of course I am not saying that the Red Cross didn't give as a reason that the locals didn't want to create a magnet at the Superdome, but c'mon - does that make sense? Why not provide food and water to folks while they wait for the bus? In fact, all the better to draw them to the ad hoc bus station.
You're right, it doesn't make sense -- to you and me -- but it does in light of the order that the city would be evacuated and the presence of the Red Cross would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.
Here is the Red Cross statement:
http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html
Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?
* Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
* The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.
* The Red Cross has been meeting the needs of thousands of New Orleans residents in some 90 shelters throughout the state of Louisiana and elsewhere since before landfall. All told, the Red Cross is today operating 149 shelters for almost 93,000 residents.
* The Red Cross shares the nation’s anguish over the worsening situation inside the city. We will continue to work under the direction of the military, state and local authorities and to focus all our efforts on our lifesaving mission of feeding and sheltering.
* The Red Cross does not conduct search and rescue operations. We are an organization of civilian volunteers and cannot get relief aid into any location until the local authorities say it is safe and provide us with security and access.
* The original plan was to evacuate all the residents of New Orleans to safe places outside the city. With the hurricane bearing down, the city government decided to open a shelter of last resort in the Superdome downtown. We applaud this decision and believe it saved a significant number of lives.
* As the remaining people are evacuated from New Orleans, the most appropriate role for the Red Cross is to provide a safe place for people to stay and to see that their emergency needs are met. We are fully staffed and equipped to handle these individuals once they are evacuated.