Mayor to feds: 'Get off your asses'

CNN.com ^

[Millee]

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin blasted the slow pace of federal and state relief efforts in an expletive-laced interview with local radio station WWL-AM.

The following is a transcript of WWL correspondent Garland Robinette's interview with Nagin on Thursday night. Robinette asked the mayor about his conversation with President Bush:

NAGIN: I told him we had an incredible crisis here and that his flying over in Air Force One does not do it justice. And that I have been all around this city, and I am very frustrated because we are not able to marshal resources and we're outmanned in just about every respect. (Listen to the mayor express his frustration in this video -- 12:09)

You know the reason why the looters got out of control? Because we had most of our resources saving people, thousands of people that were stuck in attics, man, old ladies. ... You pull off the doggone ventilator vent and you look down there and they're standing in there in water up to their freaking necks.

And they don't have a clue what's going on down here. They flew down here one time two days after the doggone event was over with TV cameras, AP reporters, all kind of goddamn -- excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed.

[Texas2step]

Thanks. I HATE the blame game. I hate it when they blame President Bush (undeservedly), and while Nagin definitely deserves a great deal of the blame here, now is not the time.

And the comparison to 9/11 simply isn't fair. There is NO COMPARISON to anything we in the U.S. have ever seen.

[Rome2000]

City Of New Orleans
Mayors Office of Communications
1300 Perdido Street, Suite 2E04
New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
504-658-4940
C. Ray Nagin
MAYOR FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2005



Mayor Nagin Urges Citizens to Prepare For Hurricane Katrina
(New Orleans, LA) In response to the potential threat of Hurricane Katrina, Mayor C. Ray Nagin is urging all citizens to begin preparations now for the coming storm. Mayor Nagin will hold the next press briefing at 5 p.m. today in the Mayor’s Press Room, second floor of City Hall.

“Although the track could change, forecasters believe Hurricane Katrina will affect New Orleans,” said Mayor Nagin. “We may call for a voluntary evacuation later this afternoon or tomorrow morning to coincide with the instatement of contraflow. This will give people more options to leave the area. However, citizens need to begin preparing now so they will be ready to leave when necessary. Do everything to prepare for a regular hurricane, but treat this one differently because it is headed our way. This is not a test.”

The Mayor also recommended that residents of Algiers, the Lower Ninth Ward and low-lying areas begin evacuating now.

Gov. Blanco also urged citizens to take the storm seriously. “We can restore property, but we cannot restore lives,” she said.

Mayor Nagin is working with Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other City, local and State officials are watching the storm’s path and working together to make decisions that affect citizens. Gov. Blanco has declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, which provides city government with additional authority and improved access to resources needed when responding to elevated threats, such as natural disasters.

A state of emergency has been declared for the City of New Orleans. Citizens are advised to:
• Fill their cars with gas. Tolls have been suspended on roadways.
• Remove potential debris from their yards (including lawn furniture, potted plants, loose tree branches, etc.)
• Board windows and glass doors
• Make sure that nearby catch basins are clear of leaves or trash
• Stock up on bottled water, batteries, and non-perishable food items
• Check on family, friends and neighbors, especially the elderly, to make sure everyone has an evacuation plan
• Make provisions for pets. Shelters and many hotels do not accept pets.
-MORE-


“The key is being prepared for the event,” said Mayor Nagin. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure our city is safe.”

Shelters for Citizens with Special Medical Needs

There are two shelters for people with special medical needs open in the state. Citizens should call prior to going to the shelters. The shelter in Alexandria can be reached at (800) 841-5778; the number for Monroe’s shelter is (866) 280-7287. If it becomes necessary, other shelters will be opened in various cities. The Superdome will be opened as a refuge of last resort for special needs patients if it becomes necessary. All individuals may have one caretaker.

Anyone planning to spend time in a shelter should bring three to four days’ worth of food, sleeping gear, and medical supplies including oxygen, medicine and batteries for any necessary devices. No weapons or bulky items are allowed in any shelters.

New Orleans EMS is responding to medical emergencies only. For non-emergency transportation needs, citizens should contact local non-emergency ambulance providers:

Acadian: (504) 366-0911
Lifeguard: (504) 214-1911
Guardian: (504) 818-2600
A-Med: (504) 362-9490
Care: (504) 367-4231
On-Call: (504) 866-0481

Closings
New Orleans Public Schools will be closed Monday, August 29, 2005. All NOPS activities scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled.

New Orleans Public Libraries will close at 3 p.m. today, Saturday, August 27, 2005, and remain closed through Monday, August 29, 2005.

The City of New Orleans will be issuing additional advisories as the storm progresses. Citizens are asked to remain alert, monitor news stories and be prepared to respond promptly to any public safety advisories.

--END--

[beltfed308]

That pic will be a perfect campain poster for his competition.

[TommyUdo]

I'm not one of those drug addicts. I am thinking very clearly.

[Conservative4Ever]

Nagin is one of the sorriest a$$ed city officials I have seen or heard in a very long time. He is pitiful. He should have set up food, water and sanitation in the dome in NO prior to sending those people there. There was time to do this. City, school buses..medivans could have driven the city streets to get the people out and into neighboring towns with hospitals, shelters and such. Better prep work could have prevented much of this.

Red

[pollyannaish]

I don't care what party he is. He is a blame shifting incompetent which is only marginally better than the invisible weeping governor.

What you are seeing today is the President and First Lady stepping into a leadership void. It didn't have to be there. The administration assumed the local and state governments would do their job.

When it became apparent they would not, the president began to skillfully change the situation. By Monday, things will be significantly different because of what he started today.

But the next thing we are going to hear from the left is how the President and First Lady are trying to hog all the credit for things going well. Just wait.

BTW, I think the First Lady is kicking butt. She makes the governor look like a weenie. That said the press is a bunch of sniveling...well, I don't want to get banned.

[epluribus_2]

>>This man's resources were wiped out.

Two days after he could have used them.

[mozrock]

But just to set the record straight he is a Dem: http://www.nationalreview.com/dreher/dreher073102.asp

3rd paragraph, 3rd line

[gogeo]

This proves the old saying...nothing is impossible if it's someone else's job.

[pollyannaish]

Yes, I realize that. I just don't care at this point. Leadership will come from who ever provides it.

Today it is the President and First Lady...but only because those closer to the disaster it squandered the opportunity.

[hombre_sincero]

America to ignorant democrat mayor --- K.M.A.

[ChadGore]

Only CNN could bastardize the story this bad.

[faithincowboys]

God, I really wish Ray Nagin had used school buses and other means to evacuate his people from the City. And the evacuation instructions "try to find a life out of town" were and will for all time be piss poor advice. He needs to look in the mirror and fall on his sword.

[ridesthemiles]

I am very frustrated because we are not able to marshal resources"
That's because you are I-N-C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T, Nagin. No plan, no leadership, and you made stupid decisions when you finaly did make one.""

Other Threads on FR state that Missouri and Connecticut have sent/offered help respectively and the search and rescue persons from Missouri are holed up at the Saints training camp and Nagin won't let them into NO. Connecticut has basically been told, Thanks, but no thanks.
Either Nagin is speaking out of both sides of his mouth, or his staff is sabotaging outside efforts to help.

OTOH, I saw too many huge black women crying for "something to eat" (consider this your first days of weight watchers?) and demanding "more" and wailing about how no one cares about them. After careful consideration about sending a donation to the Red Cross, I decided to instead go get a nice haircut and new hairdo and if I have enough left over, maybe a manicure. She had both of those, neither of which looked shabby or cheap, and I have had one of each in my entire life. I'm 65.
Bottom line- She's better coiffed and manicured than I and she is sounding ungrateful for getting something to eat "that wasn't hot". Poor baby... I'll keep my money. Her big mouth just talked me into it.

[Texas2step]

Two days after he could have used them.

Yes, absolutely. I'm not saying he shares no blame. I'm not saying he's not incompentent, he obviously is. He's spewing, and trying to deflect blame, some of it undeservedly on the federal government, but just as must deservedly on the state government.

[lugsoul]

No, he just wants to get some help to his people. If you can't hear that in the interview, then you aren't listening.

[meyer]

The administration assumed the local and state governments would do their job.

Had they been dealing with Jeb, the administration would have assumed correctly. But they weren't.

[ChadGore]

Re: That dude needs to grab a big bowl of shut-the-hell-up!

Speeking of super bowl . . . if he would have used his own busses on Friday and Saturday . . tens of thousands would be out of harms way now.

[MisterI]

When the last refugee is evacuated from the city, exactly who and what is he the mayor of?

[Paradox]

I don't care what party he is. He is a blame shifting incompetent which is only marginally better than the invisible weeping governor.

I agree, but we shouldn't jump to the conclusion that he is a Democrat and/or working for them. Makes us look stupid.

He is definately on crack though, I feel sorry for the guy, but I have no sympathy for the Governor, she is the one who is responsible for the post hurricane debacle.