Re: Is it just me?

On Sun, 04 Sep 2005 17:30:19 GMT, "\"R&B\"" <NotMyAddress@xxxxxxx>
wrote:

>"Tex" <marktexkoenig@xxxxxxxxx> wrote
>>
>> In all good disaster plans, you should have food/water/medicine,
>> etc. for at least 2 weeks...it might just take that long for help to
>> arrive.
>> Now granted, floods like NO and tidal waves that hit the Gulf Coast
>> wipe alot of that aside...but, most people don't make plans like that.
>
>
>We actually agree, in theory, on that.
>
>Just one little detail your remark glosses over...
>
>Upon what paradigm, upon what point of reference, upon what experience we've
>ever witnessed in the history of America, would a person assume that it
>would take two weeks for help to arrive? What incident can you point to
>that would suggest to anyone in the US that this sort of delay would happen?
>

Two weeks? The flooding started on Tuesday! You can't blame Bush for
the local and state officials who didn't follow their evacuation
and/or emergency operation plans!

I've said this before and bears repeating:

The problems in New Orleans are a direct results of the actions or
inactions of the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans.
The decisions they made prior to the Katrina making landfall and in
the early hours after the storm passed are what has allowed the
situation in New Orleans to spiral out of control.

State and local authorities, not the federal government, are
responsible for disaster preparedness. The response to any disaster
starts at the local level with the local police, fire, EMS and public
works departments. Private organizations like the Red Cross and
Salvation Army can and do provide important assistance but they can't
operate effectively unless local and/or authorities can provide
a reasonable safe environment for them.

It's up to local authorities to identify shelters, evacuations sites
and distribution sites of for relief supplies. It's also their
responsibility to see those shelter and evacuation sites are stocked
with the appropriate supplies.

If the local governments are overwhelmed they can then request
assistance from the state government who can dispatch state resources
such as the state police and National Guard (Note: As a matter of law
once the governor issues a mobilization order, National Guard personal
have up to 72 hours to report for duty.) to assist.

If the state government is overwhelmed the governor of that state can
request assistance from the federal government. In situations like
this FEMA is point agency. FEMA isn't not an army that rolls into with
thousands people and takes over they work in coordination with the
local and state officials to man power and supplies where there
needed... That takes time. Roads have to be cleared of storm debris,
bridges need to be inspected and supplies move from staging areas
outside the storms path.

Ultimately it's the local and state officials who are in charge...
It's their actions or inactions that will make or brake any relief
operation. It seems to me that the state and local governments in
Louisiana and New Orleans have failed miserably and are trying to pass
the blame onto the feds.

That said rest assured everything that can be done is being done. It
takes time (the first 72 hour are really in the hands of state and
local authorities) to mobilize a relief effort of this magnitude.
Where talking about organizing relief efforts over a 90,000 square
mile area. It's going to take time, more time than anyone would like,
to reach all of the people in need of help.

If we're going to play the blame game lets put the blame where it
belongs... With the state and/or local officials who have dropped the
ball.

Question that need to be answered:

1) Why did it take a phone call from President Bush to get Gov. Blanco
and Mayor Nagin to order a mandatory evacuation?

2) Why are there 200+ buses that are sitting in a flooded lot in New
Orleans? Why weren't those buses used to evacuate people before the
storm?

3) Why, as of yesterday, hadn't Gov. Blanco declared a state of
emergency? President Bush and the Governors of Mississippi and Alabama
all issued emergency declarations before to the storm hit.

4) Why did Gov. Blanco wait until Wednesday reach out to a multi-state
mutual aid compact for assistance?

Cheers-

Jeff Setaro
jasetaro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://people.mags.net/jasetaro/
PGP Key IDs DH/DSS: 0x5D41429D RSA: 0x599D2A99 New RSA: 0xA19EBD34
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: New Orleans
    ... > Hello Bruce There seems to be a lot of; ... Mandatory evacuation was ordered by the ... rather than the Federal Government and Corp of Engineers. ... did not loose their entire infrastructure and communications as New Orleans ...
    (rec.models.railroad)
  • Re: You might find this interesting..
    ... > regarding the situation in New Orleans and the Gulf State Region. ... > then my ass DESERVES to be perched on top of a building after the storm ... > BLACK LEADERS, those currently criticizing our government, done more to help ... > tells you to evacuate, ...
    (alt.vacation.las-vegas)
  • Re: You might find this interesting..
    ... >regarding the situation in New Orleans and the Gulf State Region. ... >then my ass DESERVES to be perched on top of a building after the storm ... >BLACK LEADERS, those currently criticizing our government, done more to help ... >tells you to evacuate, YOU EVACUATE. ...
    (alt.vacation.las-vegas)
  • Re: For the citizens of New Orleans
    ... stock up on water and non-perishables. ... Just because they were smart enough to leave during a mandatory evacuation, doesn't give you the right to take their stuff... ... (For Christ's sakes, it's New Orleans, find a voodoo warrior and put a curse on them) ... Regardless what the Poverty Pimps Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton want you to believe, The US Government didn't create the Hurricane as a way to eradicate the black people of New Orleans;. ...
    (misc.survivalism)
  • Re: OT: Maddening news coverage...
    ... > Indeed - but they had a hell of a lot more notice than 24 hours. ... the storm only really accelerated from "bad news" to ... The "mandatory evacuation" was made by the ... the government don't care 'cause ...
    (uk.comp.sys.mac)