Posted on 08/28/2005 6:42:16 PM PDT by bamaroots04
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED MAYOR WAITS TOO LATE TO DECLARE MANDATORY EVACUATIONS. THE FEDERAL GOVT NEEDS THE POWER TO OVERRIDE LOCAL POLITICS AND ORDER EVACUATIONS.
The Mayor of New Orleans has blood on his hands. It took President Bush's pleas to finally influence the mayor to call for a mandatory evacuation. Meteorologists have been fairly certain since Thursday that New Orleans was going to be the target of Katrina, and furthermore that in all likelihood Katrina would grow into a Category 4 storm. Experts have warned that a Category 3 storm would ravage New Orleans with 20 foot floods which would require months to drain from the city. A category 3 would induce catastrophic damage in New Orleans. And yet Katrina was predicted to be not just a category 3, but a category 4, so the damage would foreseeably be many times more devastating than the mere 20 foot flood catastrophe a category 3 would induce. Yet the mayor of New Orleans did nothing, wasted precious time, hoping foolishly that the storm track would change.
Now in America for some reason we have delegated the authority to declare mandatory evacuations to the mayors of affected areas. There is a tremendous flaw in this system. People become increasingly complacent and aggravated when they are forced to evacuate for a storm and it misses them entirely. The many "false alarm" evacuations prompted by the barrage of hurricanes that hit the US last year but missed New Orleans created a cynical citizenry, upset at the inconvenience of being moved for a false alarm hurricane evacuation.
Fast forward to August 2005, despite Katrina barreling towards New Orleans, the mayor hesitated and hesitated to declare mandatory evacuations because he feared repercussions @ the ballot box if the evac turned out to be another false alarm.
It took the President's persistence to sway the Mayor to finally declare mandatory evacuations Saturday morning. That left authorities in New Orleans two days to organize and assemble mass evacuations. As it stands, there are likely thousands of impoverished, backwoods people who in their reluctance to accept New Orleans impending doom refuse to leave behind the homes that they and their ancestors have proudly inhabited for decades. Naturally, they are induced by a mix of cynicism, denial, and pride to attempt to preserve the fruits of their lives' labor, namely their homes.
There is a good chance that many of the thousands of remaining people will not last through the 200+ wind gusts, +28 foot storm surge, and 20+ foot flood streams. All because of the political concerns of a mayor and an US policy that allows those political concerns to determine whether or not to order evacuations.
Why did the deadliest hurricanes occur in the early 20th century? Because people had little advance warning about hurricanes. As I understand it, New Orleans has a lot of real ly backwards, impoverished neighborhoods. What if these people don't have TVs, radios, or computers? Then they are just as clueless as those hundreds of victims that perished in those early 20th century storms.
Now who should make the decision for those people. The government who has the know-how and resources to track hurricanes and predict their paths, or those people themselves.
This isn't state rights versus federalism. This is common sense versus idiocy.
Fear Backlash?
That is just the kind of politicians we elect these days. Why pass a law? Just make the Mayor stand trial for malfeasance and murder. That will get the point across just fine.
No, except that the guy 1500 miles away is going to end up bailing everyone out via government grants. It's federal money that's going to be spent to put everything back together; why shouldn't the feds be able to say "get the hell out?"
If someone doesn't have a TV or radio, then what difference does it make who has the authority to call for a mandatory evacuation? They aren't going to hear any announcement anyway -- regardless of whether its the mayor, the President, or Secretary General of the United Nations who issues the evacuation order.
Why not, they were stupid enough to build a city below sea level within 75 miles of the ocean. blub blub blub
The right to provide for the security and common welfare of the Republic.
I think saving unknowing victims from the storm of the century meets those qualifications.
Oh come on, EVERYONE knows the hurricane is coming. Don't give me that sob story about poor homeless welfare orphans without televisions not knowing anything. Even if they lived in a world 100% cut off from media, they'd know it was coming from 99% of their neighbors packing up and leaving town!!
The federal government doesn't meet the responsibilities it already has. Why do you expect them to do any better? One mayor may make a mistake but that doesn't mean a federal official is going to be perfect.
Incorrect. The mayor and his staff's families went through Betsy in 1965 and probably personally know far more more than one might think. The City of N.O. have been presented numerous studies over the last 40 years. This is why I was extremely disappointed in their response since they've had 40 years to prepare for this day.
Having said that, the answer is not for the feds to order evacuations. What the feds and Corp of Engr should have done IMO is build another way out of the city in the form of an extra expressway alongside I10 and add'l lanes on I-10 in Metairie to facilitate massive evacuations. In fact after 9/11 all major cities should be considering how to beef up and facilitate massive evacuations.
One rumor:
President Bush had to reach this idiot mayor at 11PM in a restaurant to demand he declare evacuation.
Yeah, thats the way I feel. This is not an acceptable mistake. Its a fatal mistake, possibly hundreds and hundreds of times over.
A police car with a bull horn could go through the neighborhood and make announcements; and arrangements for transportation and shelter should be offered and provided for those who have no options but you can't force them. I think it would be irresponsible to warn them and then leave them hanging.
Regardless of who calls the evacuation shots, the Feds are going to pay the same amount to put everything back together.
Putting the Feds in charge isn't going to alter that. So why give to the Feds power that the locals can handle with equal incompetence? At least with local government, you can link your local issues with how you vote. How would you like to toss emergency evacuation policy into the reasons why you're voting for someone at the Federal level?
"The LAST thing we need is FEDERAL CONTROL over anything."
Amen!
Mandatory evacuations, as I understand, entail the national guard scanning neighborhoods and if necessary removing people from their homes for their own safety.
This is like letting Americans go over and be human shields for some dictator. Its stupid, and its life or death.
Two thumbs down to you pal...
FedGov has plenty of power already. The Governor should have stepped in before the Pres.
How come he didn't tell me sooner (he watches the same weather channel you do, moron)
How come he didn't come save me when I called (he told you they couldn't)
How come the dikes weren't built higher (with only 3 day's warning?)
WHERE'S MY CHECK?
Because the locals understandably are incapable of making objective decisions. Nobody wants to accept that their home is all but condemned to be destroyed. Its wishful thinking, wishful thinking that led the mayor to hesitate in hopes that the storm would shift its direction, despite warnings from expert metereologists that such a shift was highly unlikely.
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