Posted on 09/18/2005 12:38:38 PM PDT by John Jorsett
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Federal and local authorities clashed on Sunday over whether New Orleans was ready for residents to return, putting in doubt efforts to quickly resettle the devastated city.
Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen, head of the federal recovery efforts in New Orleans, said the city lacked most basic services -- such as drinkable water, sewage and electricity. Its protective levees remained vulnerable, and the city lacked a plan to respond to any new emergency.
Tens of thousands of New Orleans' residents ravaged by Hurricane Katrina nearly three weeks ago remain housed in temporary shelters across the United States, with many poised to return home when officials permit.
Mayor Ray Nagin has been encouraging many to return this week, but Allen said he was far more cautious after consulting with the heads of the Environmental Protection Administration and the Centers for Disease Control.
"If you bring significant amounts of people into New Orleans, you need an evacuation plan," Allen said during a round of TV appearances on Sunday. It also needed safe water to drink, working telephones, and a storm-warning system.
"The announcement to move the repopulation ahead of any of those completed tasks in our view puts the city at risk," he said.
Allen said he and the mayor planned to meet on Monday.
But Nagin has strenuously defended his call for many citizens to return, saying reoccupying the city was vital to New Orleans' revival.
"We believe our re-entry plan properly balances safety concerns and the needs of our citizens to begin rebuilding their lives," Nagin said on Saturday.
LOW TRAFFIC
Despite Nagin's invitation, there were few signs people were rushing to get back into the Big Easy.
"Traffic is extremely light going into the city," said Sgt. Cathy Flinchum of the Louisiana State Police.
State homeland security officials said the relief effort was improving, after weeks of chaos blamed on a disorganized federal recovery effort and a lack of coordination among local, state and federal agencies.
"What we're more focused on is continuing to get the aid and necessary supplies to those in need," said Mark Smith, spokesman for the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
Just one week ago, the state was charging FEMA with moving too slowly on a host of issues, especially housing, but in the last few days it has sharply toned down its criticism of the federal government in favor of building a warmer relationship to ensure relief dollars continue flowing.
But Smith said it remained unclear whether it would be possible to meet a goal of moving all evacuees out of shelters within a month.
Katrina's death toll so far stands at 883, with 646 of those in Louisiana, 218 in Mississippi and a total of 19 in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
Floodwaters continued to recede in New Orleans and appeared confined to the eastern end of the city. Yet medical experts in New Orleans said they still feared a "second disaster" as returning residents suffered injuries amid the rubble, toppled trees and dangling power lines.
BACK TO BUSINESS
Despite those fears, Nagin has asked business owners in the historic French Quarter, the downtown business district and parts of the Uptown neighborhoods to return to the city that only days ago was nearly entirely underwater after levees along Lake Pontchartrain gave way.
"Promoting the return of commerce to New Orleans and the region is key if we are going to realize our common objective: to bring New Orleans back," Nagin said.
Saturday night, many lights were back on downtown and in the French Quarter as electricity was restored in some sections.
"If you're here for the next Mardi Gras, you'd never think there was a hurricane. The streets will be full again," vowed Chellie Smith, who owns four bars in the French Quarter.
But his wife Tricia was less optimistic. "I'd say two years before we're back to the way it was," she said.
Across the Mississippi River, residents of the Algiers neighborhood were relieved to find their homes largely undamaged by the worst-ever natural disaster to hit the United States.
"We're very thankful," said Gene Harris, 64, as he and his wife and son inspected their 19th century house. Harris was surprised to find both electricity and running water in the home he fled nearly three weeks ago.
"I may use this opportunity to buy some properties," he added, surveying the neighborhood. "Because (Algiers) did not sustain any damage, property values will go up even higher."
"the city lacked most basic services -- such as drinkable water, sewage and electricity. Its protective levees remained vulnerable, and the city lacked a plan to respond to any new emergency."
Nagin is a complete fn moron. Really. This guy is dangerous and needs to go.
He wants to restart the corruption ASAP.
He must be having to spend his own money in Texas.
Watch what happens when things fall apart in New Orleans because the moron Nagin is trying to get people back in too fast. He'll be the first to whine that it's all the federal government's (specifically President Bush's) fault.
My feeling is that Hizzoner is on thin ice, and he knows it. He's trying to assert himself as a leader, something that he didn't do before the hurricane. The trouble is that his city is in shambles, thanks in no small part to him. He needs to sit back and listen to the experts for a change. I would suggest that he take an extended vacation with his family at their new home in Dallas.
Where do I begin, where do I begin?
New Orleans needs to evacuate Ray Nagin. Permanently.
Biography
Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen
Chief of Staff
U.S. Coast Guard
Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen assumed duties as Chief of Staff, U.S. Coast Guard and Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC in May 2002. Vice Admiral Allen is third in command of the Coast Guard and is responsible for all planning, budget, and personnel functions of the service.
Prior to this assignment he served as Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Fifth Coast Guard District; and U.S. maritime Defense Zone, Atlantic where he was the operational commander for all Coast Guard activities in an area of responsibility spanning five Coast Guard Districts, over 14 million square miles, involving 26,000 military and civilian employees, and 27,900 auxiliarists. He served concurrently as Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, and Commander U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic. In response to terrorist events in September 2001, VADM Allen lead the effort to divert numerous assets to support local port commanders and establish critical command and control capability through the Atlantic Area. He served as the Executive agent for the Coast Guard in operations in support of Commander Fleet Forces Command, Joint Forces Command and NORAD; developing the interim Homeland Security campaign plan and joint Anti-terrorism and Force Protection procedures.
In his previous assignment as the Commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District, Vice Admiral Allen directed all Coast Guard operations in South Carolina, Georgia, most of Florida and throughout the Caribbean. These operations included cocaine seizures exceeding 50 tons, 15,000 search and rescue cases, the salvage of Russian cement carrier SERGO ZAKARIADZE and extensive alien migrant interdiction operations. Prior to 1997, Vice Admiral Allen was the Coast Guard's Director of Resources, where he was responsible for formulating the Coast Guard's budget, developing long range plans, and managing the Coast Guard's performance plan.
A specialist in operations both in the coastal and offshore environments, Vice Admiral Allen has served in three Coast Guard cutters ANDROSCOGGIN and GALLATIN, and command of the medium endurance cutter CITRUS. His coastal operations command assignments include Captain of the Port / Group Long Island Sound, CT; Group Atlantic City, NJ, and LORAN Station Lampang, Thailand. Vice Admiral Allen's other assignments included a tour as search and rescue controller in the Greater Antilles Section, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Intelligence Watch Officer at DEA/INS El Paso Intelligence Center, El Paso, TX; Chief Budget Officer, Maintenance and Logistics Command, Atlantic, Governors Island, NY; Deputy Project Manager, Fleet Modernization and Rehabilitation (FRAM) Project, and Assistant Division Chief, Programs Division, Office of the Chief of Staff, Coast Guard Headquarters.
Vice Admiral Allen is a native of Tucson, AZ. He graduated from the U. S. Coast Guard Academy in 1971. He holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University and received the 2000 Distinguished Alumni Award. He also holds a Master of Science degree from the Sloan School of Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Vice Admiral Allen is married to the former Pamela A. Hess of Champaign, IL. She is a college academic advisor. They have three grown children, Amanda, Meghan and Lucas. Vice Admiral Allen is the son of Clyde and Wilma Allen. Clyde Allen is a retired Coast Guard Chief Damage Controlman and World War II veteran.
Biography
Ray Nagin
Before his election, Nagin was a member of the Republican Party and had little political experience; he was a vice president and general manager at Cox Communications, a cable communications company and subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Nagin did give contributions periodically to candidates, including President George W. Bush and former Republican U.S. Representative Billy Tauzin in 1999 and 2000, as well as to Democratic U.S. Senators John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston earlier in the decade.
Days before filing for the New Orleans Mayoral race in February 2002, Nagin switched his party registration to the Democratic Party. Shortly before the primary election, an endorsement praising Nagin as a reformer by Gambit Magazine gave him crucial momentum that would carry through for the primary election and runoff. In the first round of the crowded mayoral election in February 2002, Nagin received first place with 29% of the vote, against such opponents as Police Chief Richard Pennington, State Senator Paulette Irons, City Councilman Troy Carter and others. In the runoff with Pennington in May 2002, Nagin won with 59% of the vote. His campaign was largely self-financed.
Shortly after taking office, Nagin launched an anti-corruption campaign within city government, which included crackdowns on the city's Taxicab Bureau and Utilities Department. Nagin also made a controversial endorsement of current Republican U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal in the 2003 Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff over current Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco, and only reluctantly endorsed U.S. Senator John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential race.
Nagin received a B.S. degree in accounting from Tuskegee University in 1978 and an M.B.A. degree from Tulane University in 1994. He and his wife, Seletha Smith Nagin, have three children: Jeremy, Jarin, and Tianna.
Now after looking at the two Bios who do you trust.
I swear Ray Nagin is trying to look as incompetent as humanly possible. First he doesn't evacuate the city, then he threatens to drag the residents out by their hair, then he's telling them to "come on down!" while the feds are saying "uh, wait a minute ..."
You left out his fabulous plan for his disappearing police force-take-em to Vegas, Baby, PARTY!!!
(after 6 days of stress work).
Mayor Noggin could always join his "police" force in Vegas! Maybe they could loot the casinos rather than the local Wal-mart.
"Mayor Noggin could always join his "police" force in Vegas! Maybe they could loot the casinos rather than the local Wal-mart."
Know who else is missing in action in New Orleans? The aldermen! Haven't see hide nor hair of them, as we say down home, since before the storm. Seems like they would be right in the thick of things, taking care of their constituents. But I guess a villa in the south of France is to be preferred to a smelly shambles.
Its obvious that the Coast Guard doesnt miss the Jazz as much as Nagin. Next he will be saying he wanted to let the black people backin but the racists wouldnt let him
Perhaps the people who want to return to New Orleans are the people who actually work! And maybe they don't exactly want to see Nagin in office anymore.
Nagin tryin' to extort those Federal funds.
When they start dying again, he'll be screaming, "Send the money YOU PROMISED".
Or
Wants to take the focus off the nasty corruption hearings coming...
Just heard on Fox that the feds are warning that things are so fragile flood-wise that just 3 inches of rain could trigger another disaster. If Nagin lets people in and that happens, even Texas won't be far enough away for the angry mob that'll come after him.
I don't think Nagin trusts that the reconstruction of NOLA will go as he desires (versus what the federal government desires). He appears to be taking the position that this is what the people of NOLA want regardless of what the federal government says.
The picture I am waiting for is a joint press conference, called by the City Council and Mayor (Aldermen or whatever they call them).
And they all TOGETHER announce that it is safe to return to the City.
The Mayor is acting as if he is EMPEROR of New Orleans
The EMPEROR has no clothes.
He already bought a house in Dallas and moved his family to Dallas, TX, from what I've heard. WHY the citizens of NO haven't TOSSED him OUT yet, is beyond me.....oh, but, then,...most of these are probably DEMOCRATS.
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