Yes, that was a very good post!

 

I understand that alot of the negativity is coming from anger, anguish, and compassion. I have plenty of that myself. However, one good thing that my husband taught me, is to not come to conclusions before I know what actually happened (or to not judge people based on first impressions).

In my looking around, I have also found alot of stuff that I found hilarious (in a very sad way). There are conspiracy theorists that say Pres Bush created the hurricane to raise the price of oil/fuel to allow himself, and his rich friends to get richer. There are those who blame Pres Bush for the hurricane, because he did not sign the Kyoto treaty. Frankly, I'm impressed. For a man so maligned, he has had to deal with more during his Presidency than any president since WWII (both 9/11 and now this).

He is a better man than me. If both of these things had happened to me, and I would have had to deal with both up close............ I don't think I would be able to function. I'm not saying that he is a great President, just that he has had to deal with alot. With all that on his plate, there is no time for BJ's in the Whitehouse.

 

Dang sweety, your on a roll today, eh!

 

Thank you................... thank you.................... (taking my bow. LOL)

I guess I have read so much over the last week or so, that I am just tiring of the "party line."

BTW, if anyone knows a hurricane victim who can get to AZ, I have offered up my spare bedroom for FREE housing for up to 2 survivors. I will be willing to drive anywhere in AZ to pick them up. I have registered on 2 sites for this also. We don't have money, but we do have a little spare space.

 

Local and State, I agree completly. The Feds less so. As has been stated on this board previously, and told to us in ALL the disaster trainging for events like this: Federal support will be 72-96 hours out.

 

Here's a very interesting read for you all...

From the Associated Press

"The top U.S. disaster official waited hours after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast before he proposed to his boss sending at least 1,000 Homeland Security workers into the region to support rescuers, internal documents show."

"Brown's memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public.""

"Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments."

"Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon."

Some interesting things are coming to light now.
Certainly, there were faults at the State and Local levels too - no doubt, but the Senators and Congressmen are on this pretty hard now, and some of the Federal shortcomings are already showing up in paper trails.

I don't care to point fingers. There is no single person to shoulder the lack of response IMO. But if I were in any position to provide relief or disaster management, I would have erred on the side of "over-reacting" instead of "waiting to see". I guess I am just that way.

The thing that bothers me the most in the article above is that FEMA wants 48 hours of TRAINING for their staff prior to deployment?!?! WTF!!!
Why do we send people to Maryland, Florida, and Georgia for training AFTER the disaster?
So what exactly do these people do when the sun is shining and there is no pending holocaust taking place... watch Oprah and play cards?

This is bad...
Makes me feel REAL good about our disaster preparedness programs that were such big topics after 9/11.

 

Another thought just hit me...

GM and Ford both responded with money, vehicles, and supplies even faster than our own government did asking for troops, National Guardsmen, and assistance from the airline/chopper/transportation industry.

That's BAD.

 

Yes, but the State has to ASK for that help. Bush two days before the hurricane hit was begging the Governer (I think - whomever the chick is) to ask for help (the way it has to go - it has to be asked for by the state - it's law). Anyhow, she finally asked for it, but wasn't even planning on it. Also, she only requested a seemingly small amount of money and the feds approved her for 100x that.

I'm not gonna say some people should or shouldn't have moved faster. It was a natural disaster period. Something of this scope has not hit the US in a LONG time. There's only so much you can do so fast. Just because this is the USA does not mean we can wave our finger and tell that Cat 5 hurricane to go away. I think we're doing the best job with the experience and resources that we currently have.

 

In cotradiction to your claim above that Bush was begging the local leaders to be proactive...

The NBC Nightly News tonight showed Senator Trent Lott asking the president PERSONALLY to intervene and get 2000 trailers to the N.O. area as soon as possible. They were asked for last Thursday by the Governor, and when Bush went back for his second trip this weekend, there were still no trailers. After Trent Lott asked for personal intervention in front of TV cameras, 200 units majically showed-up today. Yup... 200.

They go on to show over 12,000 trailers stored in a big lot in Georgia - none of them even close to being moved anywhere.

Sorry, but I don't buy the "Bush is faultness" philosophy.
And the recent comments from his mother and wife do nothing to help my opinion of them either.
He's not the only one to carry blame, but he is certainly not 100% clean either.

 

Government broke down on all levels during this disaster. It started first with inept leadership from Nagin, then even more inept leadership from blanco and then when all that crap got to the federal level it was mired in beaucracy.

The mayor could've used all available public transport to get everyone out but he didnt. Blanco could've ordered the National Gaurd in to escort a coordinated city evacuation but she didnt. They could've also sent in many state owned vehicles to help move people but they didnt.

FEMA acted to late requesting aid and only had minimal support there on the staging zones for after the storm. Also flooding by a breach in the levee system kinda caught everyone off because it basically happened after the expected time they thought it would breach. Considering NO was dry after the hurricane, I think they started diverting aide to other areas and then when the levee broke after they thought it would've held, they rushed into NO already behind the ball.

Due to all the resources being poured into NO they took away resources from the other devastated areas outside NO such as Slidell,Chalmette, and etc. Also national attention was diverted from Mobile, Gulfport, and etc. Places IMHO that got it MUCH WORSE than NO. At least New Orleans is still standing....

Beaucracy on all levels caused a major failure in help being delivered immediately and efficiently. A clear plan was not drawn up for such a worst case sceanario and now the pains of such poor planning is evident. The situation here in Louisiana was due to a massive break down in the chain of command starting on the local level and then on up. As for Mississippi, and Alabama, help didnt get there soon enough afterwards because everyone was distracted by the people looting, killing, and raping in NO.

Cliff Notes:

Mayor Ray Nagin is not an efficient leader who failed to draw up and plan ahead for such a problem.

Cathleen Babineaux Blanco is also an inefficient leader who failed to draw up a plan for such a probelm and implement it with a plan with NO and the surrounding coastal area of Southern LA

Federal Government failed to intervene when it should've and is reaping massive amounts of flak because of it.