[Nebullis]

Just for the record, the massive flooding in New Orleans was not caused by the storm surge. It was caused by water flow through levee breaches from Lake Pontchartrain.

And it's truly naive to expect local buses to move 1/3 of the city in less than 48 hours. Even assuming that everyone was standing and waiting at bus stations with important medicines and papers in hand.

[tflabo]

"And it's truly naive to expect local buses to move 1/3 of the city in less than 48 hours."

Nonsense....they could have made a huge dent in running all those buses 24 hrs/day instead of sitting there getting flooded out. The effort was pitiful no less.

[Prophet in the wilderness]

The buses should have been moving 72 hours BEFORE the hurricane hit.
The roads were dry and passable BEFORE the hurricane hit, and with 500 buses, they could have gotten a lot of people out who WANTED to get out, but, many either chose to stay, or refused to evacuate.

[Gideon7]

And it's truly naive to expect local buses to move 1/3 of the city in less than 48 hours.

400 buses, 60 people per load, going to Baton Rouge, can move 480,000 people in 48 hours.

[kenth]

"And it's truly naive to expect local buses to move 1/3 of the city in less than 48 hours. Even assuming that everyone was standing and waiting at bus stations with important medicines and papers in hand."


Why is it that you who discount bussing people out of harms way as a viable option, which is part of the mandatory evacuation plan for New Oleans by the way, seem to think that unless total success is to be had, it's a bad idea?

[concerned about politics]

Just for the record, the massive flooding in New Orleans was not caused by the storm surge. It was caused by water flow through levee breaches from Lake Pontchartrain.

The levee was engineered to withstand a category 3 hurricane. The state government knew the storm heading their way was a category 5, and that the levees could easily break. If they didn't know that, maybe they weren't qualified for their positions. They should have let the Feds deal with it from the beginning. Look how many people have been saved since Bush took over. Imagine how many could have been moved BEFORE the flood!

[Hermann the Cherusker]

And it's truly naive to expect local buses to move 1/3 of the city in less than 48 hours. Even assuming that everyone was standing and waiting at bus stations with important medicines and papers in hand.

Every day, 1/4 of Philadelphia rides on SEPTA's buses. I doubt it is any different in New Orleans. I'm sure that given 48 hours, they could have ferried everyone out had there been an actual plan.

[TXnMA]

Just for the record, the massive flooding in New Orleans was not caused by the storm surge. It was caused by water flow through levee breaches from Lake Pontchartrain.

And exactly what, then raised the Ponchartain water level so that it slopped over the levees and started eroding them?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And it's truly naive to expect local buses to move 1/3 of the city in less than 48 hours.

And what is it to defend not using them at all -- not even trying to save as many lives as possible?

What/who are you trying to defend?