"In their response to Katrina, leaders planned badly and executed worse. A state evacuation plan called for low-lying areas -- such as New Orleans, much of which is below sea level -- to arrange bus transportation out of town ahead of a storm. City officials dedicated to the effort 64 buses and 10 vans, with a total capacity of fewer than 4,000 people, even though about 100,000 residents had no other escape.
Once the winds came, knocking out power and much of the telephone system, city and state authorities could not cope. Police stations were stocked with too little food and water to last even a day. The police radio system failed, the battery-operated satellite telephones at City Hall ran out of power, and the emergency call center flooded -- forcing 911 operators to flee even as panicked residents pleaded to be freed from their attics and rooftops."
>>>oh, now they put blame on the local leaders.
NOLA has always been a cesspool. I see NO reason to spend our hard-earned money rebuilding it to provide graft opportunities for career (corrupt) politicians.
Parents live on the Northshore and STILL dont have the telephone back on. Have to use cell phones. Dont know how I could cope without Free Republic, but it wouldn't be a pretty sight.
Hey - there sinks one now!
The founders of NO made a mistake in their choice of land because they couldn't foresee the growth of the city between the Mississippi and the swamps bordering Lake Ponchetrain.
Should the sections of the city below sea level be rebuilt, knowing that the cannot be secured from destruction over time?