Never Flooded New Orleans Buses Not Used For Evacuation

Wizbang ^ | 10/4/05 | Wizbang

[LdSentinal]

*** Wizbang Exclusive ***

Remember this gut-wrenching picture?

It was a picture of what was left of the Orleans Parish school systems bus fleet that was supposed to be used to evacuate the citizens of the parish BEFORE the hurricane. That picture was especially poignant because there where thousands of people trapped in the Superdome and the buses that could have saved them were ruined.

But last night I found a picture even more tragic in Google Maps.

On the left is the Superdome. On the right is the OTHER Orleans Parish bus barn (the Algiers Bus Barn at 801 Patterson Ave. [Document Link]), less than 5 miles from the Superdome. These buses never flooded and the route from there to the Convention Center and the Superdome was open the whole time. The hurricane blew in Monday morning and this picture was not taken until Wednesday. They did not finish evacuating the Superdome until Saturday.

To put a fine point on it... These were not private buses. They did not belong to a neighboring parish. These buses belonged to Mayor Ray Nagin. He could have used them at any time. He didn't.

Here's a close up:

Your count may vary, but I counted roughly 60 buses in the yard and presumably they filled the bus barns with buses to protect as many as possible. The 2 buildings could have held probably another 50 buses. But for the sake of argument let's say both buildings were empty. 60 buses X 75 people per bus is 4500 people per load. (you could put 100 per bus, but I'll be generous)

From the Superdome to Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, is about an hour with no traffic. They could have moved 4500 people every 3 hours. (time to load and unload) Or in other words, they could have had the Dome empty by sundown the day after the storm.

Once at Tiger Stadium they would have had water and sewerage and food would have been much easier to get to them.

Mayor Nagin didn't need to wait for the Feds to "get off their asses." All he needed to do was use the resources available to him.

~ And kudo's for the fancy graphics go to Kevin~

[makoman]

[BenLurkin]

[WasDougsLamb]

It would have taken common sense, which these jackasses (Nagin, Blanco) are clearly void of.

[Enchante]

"the minutes indicate this issue had been in discussion for at least one year"

...and Nagin had been Mayor during all of that time! I agree that there are others who bear responsibility to different degrees, but it still seems clear to me that if he were any kind of "the buck stops here" executive he could have (1) made sure that the proper financial guarantees were made to the School Board (with action by the City Council if that were required to authorize), and (2) made sure that the existing emergency plan DID allow for use of all available buses and had provisions for having drivers available, etc., and (3) made sure that the proper personnel were designated, trained, and available to run not only the evacuation but also public safety and shelters, etc. NOLA and LA were obviously grossly unprepared for the emergency that every official there had many years of warnings about. I do realize the logistics of getting the different players "on board" can be difficult, and obviously the local officials just couldn't get their act together, but I still maintain it is absurd for anyone to place MORE blame on federal officials than upon local (and state) officials for matters that are best handled at the local level.... AND that in our constitutional system have to be handled at local and state levels. Pres. Bush has no authority to arrange or commandeer buses in NOLA or LA. Nagin and Gov. Blankhead each COULD have made all the necessary arrangements but failed to do so.

[Enchante]

"as of June 9th, 2005, Orleans Parish School Board buses were not available for the City Of New Orleans to use in its hurricane evacuation plan"

If there were the slightest evidence that Nagin had done anything before Aug. 29, 2005 to ensure that the buses WOULD be available then I might look at it differently. He could/should have (1) worked the 'political' issue so that the school board felt compelled to support the emergency evacuation plan that was obviously necessary for NOLA; (2) worked the financial issue so that the Orleans Parish School Board had the necessary financial guarantees that the city would take responsibility for costs of an emergency evacuation. A big part of the reason the School Board seemed to be ensnarled in obstacles was that they had none of the necessary guarantees from the city about reimbursements of costs, etc. And I'm not imagining that a city like NOLA has any extra pots of money sitting around (other than all that's lost to corruption and salaries for non-existent police officers, etc.). It would have taken real leadership to ensure that the city could make the necessary financial guarantees to the school board, but that's what leadership IS.... seeing something important that needs to be done and getting it done through the relevant players..... clearly the prospect of a catastrophic hurricane hitting NOLA always seemed relatively remote each year, but over a substantial period of time it became just about inevitable.

[libill]

the minutes indicate this issue had been in discussion for at least one year

Isn't the ultimate school authority the state like here in New York?

[R.W.Ratikal]

500 buses, but who would drive them? Because there was no evacuation plan there was no one assigned to operate the buses.

Mayor Negin could not even control his police force let alone round up 500 bus drivers. Anyone who could drive was, like Hizoner, driving out of town.

And remember that these drivers, if they could have been found, needed to have a Commercial Driver's Licence to drive a passenger vehicle. What brave bureaucrat would have waived that State requirement?

[angkor]

Maybe the School Board should have hired that kid as a part time driver. The management company that took control of Orleans Parish School Board fired all the part time drivers in July.

It's documented, and it's a fact.

[angkor]

I still maintain it is absurd for anyone to place MORE blame on federal officials than upon local (and state) officials

You're sure not hearing that from me.

I think Nagin and the crony School Board are jointly guilty of gross malfeasance.

I suppose Nagin could have independently put the school buses in his plan, but do you seriously believe a man of his "character" would go up against the Landrieu family member who was running the Board?

I don't, and he didn't. Q.E.D.

[proudofthesouth]

They won't cause they're wussies.

[angkor]

A big part of the reason the School Board seemed to be ensnarled in obstacles was that they had none of the necessary guarantees from the city about reimbursements of costs, etc.

I'm getting a bit annoyed that you're arguing the issue but haven't evidently read the minutes. You say:

the School Board seemed to be ensnarled in obstacles was that they had none of the necessary guarantees from the city

...which is completely wrong. The City had already offered the School Board complete legal indemnification for use of the buses, as well as security on each bus, and that the drivers could take their families on the buses.

That's all discussed in the minutes. In black and white, and in detail.

Then this Landrieu person on the School Board raises the issue of drivers and compensation for gas.

So now this School Board committee has to go back to get that issue solved.

Then in July the Orleans Parish School Board is effectively stripped of its powers. All part time bus drivers are fired.

I am saying that the problem was much bigger than Nagin alone, and scapegoating him is simply not accurate, at least insofar as the buses are concerned.

[angkor]

What brave bureaucrat would have waived that State requirement?

The City had previously offered to indemnify the School Board and the drivers in the event of an evac.

I cannot envisage The City indemnifying any Tom, Dick, or Harry that commandeers a school bus on August 28th.

[Doe Eyes]

But do those buses have toilet facilities? Evacuation buses must have toilet facilities.

I've been on 30 minute airplane flights where people have to use the toilet.

Were they supposed to pull off to the side of the road every 15 to 20 minutes so grandma can go in the woods?

[Enchante]

"I suppose Nagin could have independently put the school buses in his plan"

That's not what I meant. He (and previous Mayors) needed to take whatever political steps (long in advance) would enable the school board to acquiesce and cooperate. To have that June 2005 school board meeting without anyone from the city government helping to address those obstacles and move things forward was just a prescription for failure. Perhaps he needed to lobby members of the school board and get his city council to support him on covering expenses, indemnifying the school district, etc. It was obvious the city would need those buses in the face of a Cat. 4/5 hurricane bearing down on NOLA, but no one took any steps to ensure they would be available.

Once the storm was imminent and no such plan was in place, he needed to tell Gov. Blanhead that the only last-gasp solution was for her to commandeer those buses (and all buses in southern LA), as has been referenced in the state's emergency plan, which is within the Governor's emergency powers, from what I have read..... I'm not suggesting any of these things were easy or in the ordinary course of government business, but that an intelligent analysis of the dire predicament which NOLA faced would have led rational people toward such steps. They knew nothing else could get tens of thousands of their people out of harm's way, but they just didn't act.

[angkor]

They knew nothing else could get tens of thousands of their people out of harm's way, but they just didn't act.

Well, of course. And that's why that entire government from Blanko on down is guilty of gross malfeasance.

[ladyinred]

I hope people are catching on to the outright full fledged war the left has declared on the Bush administration. That is what this is, and sadly many "conservatives" have joined right in. Lying and baiting is what they do best.

[Enchante]

"That's all discussed in the minutes. In black and white, and in detail"

Sorry, you are correct, I haven't read those minutes, I was working off discussions that had been held on some other threads which evidently contained some inaccurate information! Thank you for the correction.

[Unicorn]

BTTT

[pittsburgh gop guy]

"And remember that these drivers, if they could have been found, needed to have a Commercial Driver's Licence to drive a passenger vehicle. What brave bureaucrat would have waived that State requirement?"

In Pennsylvania at least, if a disaster declaration is issued by the governor, the CDL restriction can be waived.

And, again in PA, the Emergency Management Services Code would provide protection to good samaritans that did not have a CDL but drove the bus during an emergency.

And I have not heard Nagin use the "We had no bus drivers" defense, YET. In an emergency, rules like the one that you must have a CDL are out the window, and if you need to drive the bus and can operate it, you can.