[MarMema]

It's a natural disaster. We are ineffectual against an event of this magnitude.

Some of us spend entire weeks each year in disaster response training for events just like this.

There are entire companies that exist just to do training for horrible, horrible disasters.

Here in Seattle about 2-3 times a year all the hospitals and LE participate in a citywide disaster drill. We do the whole kit and kaboodle on pretending. and we endlessly rehearse.

What happened in NO is beyond belief to some of us, who know what we have been taught about how to handle a disaster.

[netmilsmom]

>>What happened in NO is beyond belief to some of us, who know what we have been taught about how to handle a disaster.<<

Didn't Biloxi get hit too?
They are not in as bad of shape, are they?

[DouglasKC]

Here in Seattle about 2-3 times a year all the hospitals and LE participate in a citywide disaster drill. We do the whole kit and kaboodle on pretending. and we endlessly rehearse.

Citywide? Citywide?? Have you ever had a disaster drill encompassing Washington, Oregon and Northern California? Because that's pretty much what they're up against down there.

[radiohead]

Here in Seattle about 2-3 times a year all the hospitals and LE participate in a citywide disaster drill. We do the whole kit and kaboodle on pretending. and we endlessly rehearse.

I live down the street from Northwest Hospital and can see them going thru the drills. From the outside, and w/o an actual disaster, it looks like they are prepared.

But here's the question - I'm sure hospitals, police, fire, etc in NO have these drills as well. What happened, or didn'thappen, for there to be such a lack of response? Is the extent of the disaster just too great? Are we fooling ourselves w/what we could do in a real disaster? Are the folks in NO just not competent?

I'm not going to blame first responders in NO, I ask out of concern in case a terrorist situation happens. It looks like folks are on their own.