but he's not all wrong on that. all the trades just showed up at the WTC - they weren't asked, no contracts signed, the ironworkers and crane operators just showed up to assist the police and fire departments.
that new orleans area is the largest port in the country, there are no seaborne private companies who are capable of plugging a levee?
Blanco - "its an untenable situation".
now there a voice of hope.
I don't think it is as simple as that, or it probably would be done. Lots of people are showing up in N.O. too... but getting the people and the equipment to the places they can be used is decidedly non-trivial.
Some problems are just bigger than can be solved like they do in the movies. Nothing about this is going to happen very fast. That's just the situation.
Problem is, you can't get to the breach from the sea. Or from any other navigable waterway.
Imagine if all but one bridge and all the tunnels in NYC had been knocked down on 9/11. Now clog every street in Manhattan with debris and then flood most of them. Next turn off all the electricty, gas and water on the island. Have every ferryboat sunk or sailed away to Philly for safety. Finally, have thousands of people trapped all over Manhattan who need rescue and evacuation. How quickly would have large amounts of aid and workers have come?
And not that Katrina didn't rearrange the Mississippi River channel, or anything. And, of course, noone knows what debris is stuck in the Delta mud. Nobody's had the chance to map the changes in the river, but those ships should come right on up the channel. Who cares if they tear up the bottoms of their ships? Why, maybe those ships would wind up smashing into the levee! That'd help!
And I'm sure the divers can't wait to jump off into that nasty water! </sarcasm>
Water makes everything more difficult, especially when all the necessary equipment is under the water. Going in without prior knowledge and proper planning is potentially worse than not going in at all.