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We all seem to keep forgetting that FEMA performed very well in Fl al and tx. They performed well the previous year.
What was different about LA?
Peel the onion.... Katrina debunking the myths a pop mechanics article really calls out what happened successes as well as failures.
Many of the failings rest squarely on the shoulders of local and state gov who refused to cooperate, stone walled and misdirected.
As for the checks that also rests on the LA state gov and New orleans local gov. They made it next to impossible for many to be paid.
Could Barrak have over come this? Possibly, I would hope so.
It was one of (if not the worst) hurricane in U.S. history. It took decades to build what it destroyed in a matter of hours (so, if it takes many years to re-build, that should be understandable). In other words it was a natural disaster of unprecedented proportions. Who knows how well Obama and Biden would have done or any one else.....not only is it hard to say, it's not even right to put the blame on one person, the president. It was a break down in communications on every level, as I see it. The federal government had emergency procedures in place for New Orleans but, did any one there locally, like the governor or the mayor, ever review them. They would know better than somone in Washington, if there were parts of it that weren't going to work smoothly.....and if so, did they do it at least annually to see if anything that had changed in the city was now going to conflict with the procedures that had been put in place.
After the hurricane left, there was wide spread looting that complicated matters....people with guns were firing at rescue helicopters which made the pilots unwilling fly for a period of about 24 hours (if I remember correctly, I may be wrong). There were victims that were given, not loaned, $600 (on a debit card) immediately following the storm to use as emergency funds while being relocated some where else temporarily (shelters, other states, etc.) and many used it frivolously (and bought large ticket items like, a television for example).
The Superdome was suppose to be a shelter of last resort for people who were unable to evacuate the hurricane in time but, many people chose to ignore the evacuation orders. The dome started out with 9,000 people seeking shelter in it but, with all the people that had to be rescued, it rose to more than 20,000 (which was well above the amount it was intended to shelter). There were unconfirmed reports of rape, vandalism, violent assaults, crack dealing, drug abuse and gang activity, even though there were 550 National Guardsman in the dome during the storm to maintain order. According to an article in Time," "Over the years city officials have stressed that they didn't want to make it too comfortable at the Superdome since it was safer to leave the city altogether. 'It's not a hotel,' the director of emergency preparedness for St. Tammany Parish told the Times-Picayune in 1999."
In my opinion, you can blame it all on Bush if you want but, that's just unrealistic....was he expected to micro manage Katrina from Washington D.C. Whether it's been handled poorly or could have been a lot worse, no one can say with certainty (unless they have a crystal ball). I think many people failed in taking on all or some of their responsibilities before, during and after the storm....unfortunately that even includes some of the people that ended up being victims of the storm (before you start to reply in disagreement, I'm not saying all the victims were responsible for what happened but, there were obviously some that made it difficult for others).
Hurricane Katrina. Thats when the curtain was pulled back on the neoconservative Republicans in the White House and exposed them for the fraudulent, money grubbing psychopaths they are, who were content to ignore the drowning in New Orleans until almost a WEEK after disaster struck.
If that was not reprehensible enough, remember this: There was quite literally over a WEEK to prepare for the devastating effects of this hurricane hitting New Orleans and the Republicans did NOTHING.
The total and wanton disregard for the effects of these unfolding events and this natural disaster, and its attendant human suffering, will not happen under President Obama and Vice President Biden.
And Mayor Nagin - a black Democrat - had DAYS to prepare New Orleans for the hurricane, and issue the evacuation order.
What did he do? NOTHING.
What has he done since then? NOTHING.
Based on that, Obama - being a black Democrat - doesn't look very promising.
That said, this is a stupid thread that is nothing short of antagonistic and baiting. It doesn't warrant discussion.
And Mayor Nagin - a black Democrat - had DAYS to prepare New Orleans for the hurricane, and issue the evacuation order.
What did he do? NOTHING.
What has he done since then? NOTHING.
Based on that, Obama - being a black Democrat - doesn't look very promising.
That said, this is a stupid thread that is nothing short of antagonistic and baiting. It doesn't warrant discussion.
Nagin issued the evacuation order so late that anyone not already gone would have been in more danger trying to leave and getting stuck in traffic than if they stayed behind. Of course, that is Bush's fault.
Lets not forget that this was a media and political "race" issue. Most people I talk to aren't even aware that Mississippi was where Katrina actually hit. NOLA just got some high winds, rain, and then the levees broke. Of course that was terrible, but there were as many people in dire need in MS as there were in NOLA. The Mississippi gulf coast was completely destroyed. I ran a load of supplies myself from TX to south MS because all of the media and political rats were so busy making a big race and Dems vs Rep stink over it all that they forgot people were without food and water in MS as well. I took a truck and 4x8 trailer full of supplies that my family helped to distrubute throughout the area. Lots of people, both black and white, getting completely ignored in MS because New Orleans was a hotter and more controversial story. Pathetic.
Last edited by TXboomerang; 11-25-2008 at 04:41 PM..
Nagin issued the evacuation order so late that anyone not already gone would have been in more danger trying to leave and getting stuck in traffic than if they stayed behind. Of course, that is Bush's fault.
Lets not forget that this was a media and political "race" issue. Most people I talk to aren't even aware that Mississippi was where Katrina actually hit. NOLA just got some high winds, rain, and then the levees broke. The Mississippi gulf coast was completely destroyed. I ran a load of supplies myself from TX to south MS because all of the media and political rats were so buys making a big race and Dems vs Rep stink over it all that they forgot people were without food and water in MS as well. I took a truck and 4x8 trailer full of supplies that my family helped to distrubute throughout the area. Lots of people, both black and white, getting completely ignored in MS because New Orleans was a hotter and more controversial story. Pathetic.
No doubt.
The media - fueled by this weird anti-Bush hatred so many people harbor - just flat-out lied about this whole thing.
That said, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mayor Nagin should be tried for hundreds of cases of manslaughter. Of course, what does it say for the collective intelligence of the people of New Orleans, when they re-elected him?
Of course, what does it say for the collective intelligence of the people of New Orleans, when they re-elected him?
It speaks for itself. It speaks volumes about the reasons that city has known since the 1950's when Betsy hit that they are totally a sitting duck that was only a matter of time before disaster happened. And honestly, Katrina really wasn't very bad at all compared to what could have been. If the eyewall had come ashore about 75 miles west of where it did, all those people rescued from rooftops? DEAD. Literally thousands and thousands dead instead of the already bad death toll. The state has been squandering time and money for decades now and the city is still very poorly prepared if the real deal actually happens anytime soon.
Here's a National Geographic article that predates Katrina and explains what I'm talking about. Katrina was not the big one, it was simply a very strong warning of what could come.
The media - fueled by this weird anti-Bush hatred so many people harbor - just flat-out lied about this whole thing.
That said, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mayor Nagin should be tried for hundreds of cases of manslaughter. Of course, what does it say for the collective intelligence of the people of New Orleans, when they re-elected him?
Nagin did a deplorable job.
Had no generators in place in the dome no security in place , no stored fresh water or food had no plan at all. Its like not having a Mayor .
When it was time for the Fed gvmt to now take over the same thing happened. Bush was not ready at all it was like not having a Fed gvmt.
Both were reelected and Americas Dems and Reps again showed their blind loyalty to politicians who are incapable of doing their job.
Bush is finally gone but Nagin remains which is why NO will never recover untill he is gone. Look at how incredibly slow the recovery is going .
Only houses being fixed are by private companies or individuals as the city under Nagin is doing nothing.
did you hear the debris from katrina is washing back to new orleans. NO was just ranked as the most violent city in the US. I'd say we did too much.
The people there are good people like any other place you have bad apples.
New Orleans has 3 big problems and it has for yrs-
1- Nagin
2- Nagin
3- Nagin
The people reelect him thus they have done it to themselves same as Bush being reelected
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