Posted on 02/02/2006 4:40:16 PM PST by WestTexasWend
WASHINGTON -- An enduring mystery of the response to Hurricane Katrina is how top federal officials remained unaware for days about the thousands of flood victims stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center without food, water or security.
(snip)
The chairwoman of the Senate committee investigating the government's response to the storm lay part of the blame at the feet of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Wednesday accused Nagin of failing to alert federal disaster officials that he was steering storm victims away from the chaos and filth at the Superdome to the Convention Center.
(snip)
With the mayor in the witness chair, Collins said Nagin waited too long to issue a mandatory evacuation order Aug. 28, the day before the storm. Documents showed that Nagin and his staff were discussing whether nursing homes and hospitals should be included, but Collins said those details should have been worked out ahead of time.
(snip)
Collins also confronted Nagin with an "after-action report" by New Orleans Police Department commanders that labeled the city's emergency preparation and response "a failure."
(snip)
Shifting the focus
Seeming to come to Nagin's defense, several Democratic senators tossed softball questions at the mayor and questioned whether the committee was doing enough to hold the Bush administration accountable.
(snip)
Nagin described feeling frustrated by bickering between Bush and Blanco about control of the operation.
"I felt as though I was watching this incredible dance going on between the state and federal government about who had final authority," Nagin said. "It was impeding the rescue and recovery."
Nagin said he interrupted the squabbling and urged everyone to leave the president and governor to work it out.
"I was a bit pushy," he said, adding, "The meeting left me disappointed. No decisions were made."
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
no sir, mr benny,sir, it weren't nuthin i done.
I saw the New Orleans emergency evacuation plan - it was posted here on FR. It was less than four sentences. Nagin should be held criminally responsible in the deaths of the folks who died in the nursing homes, etc. His failure to have a plan directly resulted in those folks' death.
Failure to plan is the same as planning to fail.
Another early report:
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/342786p-292636c.html
The problem with alot of these early reports is that theres is truth, half truths, exageration, and out right hysteria all mixed in together
Those folks who died in the nursing home were from St. Bernard Parish outside Nagin's authority.
more wit and wisdom from the RaginNagin...
---Nagin is one of the biggest idiots and liars I have ever seen. They need not expect to get any truth out of him. He will continue to cover his a** and everyone else if it benefits him.
Mayor crackhead.
yup , I think he ditched his incriminating paraphernalia/stash,...
... and normalized with pharmaceuticals...
... recall how he was quite goo-goo ding dong at the outset
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