Who's to Blame? Let's ask Mayor Nagin about this:

Yahoo ^ | 2 September 2005 | Self

[Jeff Head]

As regards the Nat Guard troops and security, the Governor of the state of Louisiana always had the power to deploy the LA guard in the fashion that other state troops are being deployed today. It is her failure to do so that has prompted the President to get the help from other states.

As you point out, the Mayor of New Orleans, who ordered all those people into the superdome (and he only did that IMHO after he and the Governor were leaned on by the Bush administration) had the power to bus them out of the city at the same time. The City of New Orleans moves many more children each day on school buses than were in the dome. Those buses were available and slated to be used for school the next day. He could easily have evacuted those people...but did not.

When oredering a mandatory evacuation you use what resources you have to move the people...he did not. If it was important and dangerous enough to order all citizens to leave, it was dangerous enough to help those people to leave. Yet, they did not. After they failed to do so...the busses ended up under water and useless.

In the end, it was FEMA, after the local and state government's failure that had to get the job done...but now under much, much worse and dangerous circumstances.

No, it is not Bush's fault or the fed's fault. We must place blame squarely where it lies at the feet of the local and state executives who had neither the desire or the will to make those calls, irrespective of their political stripe.

[frogjerk]

These buses cannot be used because the are very uncomfortable and do not have the capacity to serve "hot" meals.

[TASMANIANRED]

Their evacuation plan was non existent.

Their evacuation plan was get out on your own.

They know where every school in the state is. Most of them have gyms.

They could have bussed out 100-200 people to each of those gyms 100 miles inland and left the city empty.

Mayor failed. Governor does not appear to have put the National Guard on alert prior to the storm.

Both of them sat on their butts and waited for the feds to do it all..

[Holicheese]

Probably the union would not negotiate with the city.

[MarkeyD]

It would have been hard getting them in considering all traffic, including south-bound lanes, were headed north.

[Archon of the East]

Saw same pict in Pgh Tribune Review on Wednesday in a collage of NO after Katrina.

[teenyelliott]

People are dying. Why isn't someone going in there with helicopters and AK-47's, and getting the babies out?

I don't give a damn about logistics, or feasibility. Someone in power needs to do something drastic NOW, before those babies die.

[mewzilla]

We must place blame squarely where it lies at the feet of the local and state executives who had neither the desire or the will to make those calls, irrespective of their political stripe.

And the voters who elected these idiots.

[Pukin Dog]

You gotta get that photo to Drudge.

[dfwgator]

At this time, I really hate to be pointing fingers, but the Rats started it, and their attacks cannot go without a response.

[shadeaud]

This picture was on one of the MSM's video. At first I thought it was of some other city( it couldn't be N.O.) The media didn't say word one about the submerged buses

[An.American.Expatriate]

I have taken the liberty to repost your pic in a few threads, and now one of it's own. Care to respond to some of these questions??

[Puppage]

Maybe that they are under water?

So, no other city has been under water before...ever?

[OXENinFLA]

An aerial view of flooded school buses in a lot, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005, in New Orleans, LA. The flood is a result of Hurricane Katrina that passed through the area last Monday.(AP Photo/Phil Coale)

[Gaffer]

And, there are no on-board showers and saunas....

[MarkeyD]

It's starting to happen en-masse today. Check the news.

[MamaB]

It is. I saw it on WWL the other day. Day before yesterday, I think. They are showing it on WWL, now.

[RGSpincich]

Mr. Mayor also fails to mention that he was supposed to order the mandatory evacuation of New Orleans a full 72 hrs. before the hurricane hit. NOT 24 hrs. He himself cost countless lives by adopting a wait and see attitude in the days before being hit.


http://www.weather.com/newscenter/specialreports/hurricanes/vulnerablecities/neworleans.html

Half of the 1 million people who live in the metro area evacuated as Georges drove toward the city, resulting in gridlock on the roads. Since Georges, city officials designed a plan that would provide a more orderly evacuation. It is to begin 72 hours before a storm hits, and end when the winds become too dangerous for motorists, according to Hijuelos.

The challenge will be convincing people to leave some three days before a hurricane makes landfall.

[Mamzelle]

But Bush didn't tell Nagin to use these buses to help evacuate!! How was Nagin supposed to know if Bush didn't tell him? It's still Bush's fault.

This is a great pic--pass it on.

[pettifogger]

Nagin was quoted in that local radio interview -- replayed on CNN and other networks -- that there had been a proposal to use school buses. "School buses!" he ranted with disdain, "School buses! Where are the Greyhounds? Why isn't every bus company coming here to rescue these people."

Are these people too good for school buses?

Is assistance only worthwhile if if comes from the private sector?

Or, is it that to try to use the school buses would expose the incompetence of local authorities to move these once perfectly serviceable vehicles to higher ground. Or, better yet, have used the school buses BEFORE the flooding to evacuate PEOPLE to higher ground.