<p>The local government is still resisting Federal control of the situation. The Feds want to evacuate the rest of the people and the locals are fighting that. Sometimes the answers are in the mirror. The loudest complainer is often the one most at fault. The locals are just covering their HUGE mistakes.</p>
<p>Driver:</p>
<p>I do not think that local and state agencies are exempted from responsibilities in the case of an “Incident of National Significance.” I just saw very little evidence of FEMA’s coordination or even awareness of the existence of such sites as the Convention Center. And this, after an exercise held only last year.</p>
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<p>And there are some things that are beyond the capabilities of local officials and governments. That is why we have a federal government.</p>
<p>I would put greater trust in Witt, whom Gov, Blanco has appointed to consult regarding relief and recovery efforts, than Chertoff or Brown.</p>
<p>The early coordination and planning for disaster is essentially a state and local function. It is also my understanding that locals refused to pay more taxes to maintain and fix the flood control system. If they had done their job better most of the problems would have been averted and we would just be talking about where does NO go from here. And that is the real question.</p>
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<a href=“http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/4/124241/5233[/url]”>http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/4/124241/5233</a></p>
<p>"I just saw very little evidence of FEMA’s coordination or even awareness of the existence of such sites as the Convention Center. " </p>
<p>The question that needs to be answered is, whose responsibility was it to coordinate with FEMA regarding shelters. Was this part of the Hurricane Pam plan and then someone forgot it? The story I heard was that the local officials decided to use the Convention Center but failed to notify FEMA of their plans. Like most “news” coming out, this information is suspect to being wrong or just one of what will be many attempts to finger point, but before we can put the blame on anyone regarding the Convention Center or anywhere else we need to know the facts.</p>
<p>As to pre-hurricane planning and evacuation, I remember listening to the Sunday build-up to the hurricane and the local officials saying that as of 7 or 8 PM that they had blocked off all roads leading from New Orleans for fear of high winds. I wasn’t at the scene, so perhaps it made sense, but it sure seemed crazy to me that if the city was supposed to be evacuated that they would close down the exit roads - wind or no wind.</p>
<p>It’s quite clear from NO’s “Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan” that the city–at least officially–didn’t contemplate the abdication of city government and the instantaneous appearance of a federal czar to save them. This plan is quite detailed, and the mayor apparently followed none of it, including the crucial pre-placement of buses, tow trucks, ambulances, and other essential vehicles. And FF is exactly right about the seat-of-the-pants selection of the Convention Center as a gathering point of last resort. That was a last-minute act of panic.</p>
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<a href=“http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26[/url]”>http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26</a></p>
<p>Recall the interview with Chertoff where he kept mentioning the Superdome while the reporter mentioned the Convention Center. </p>
<p>In a Boston Globe article I posted earlier, a point is made that DHS has done very poor follow-through on scenarios it has developed. The Hurricane Pam exercises were part of this follow-through that did not happen. </p>
<p>I also think that a competent leader would pose questions and offer suggestions, not just wait to receive answers or requests.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you’re going with this, Marite, but it seems to be in the direction of a misconstrued concept of what the coordination between federal, state, and local disaster relief authorities actually means. The Pam exercises were just that, and one thing that was noted was that there was no sound method for evacuating those without cars–as mandated in the city’s comprehensive plan. This revelation didn’t shift responsibility for said evacuation to the feds.
This is what I keep thinking, when I read of the mayor’s ranting, and seeing photos of all those buses underwater. And hear reports of state police being used to cordone off the city, denying access to rescuers, and an escape route for evacuees.</p>
<p>THe FEDS, no matter what the Mayor did or didn’t do, is still blew it, look all over the south</p>
<p>I find it interesting that regular army is there now, while National Guard have been told they have to stay to finish their tour in Iraq, even their home was destroyed and family displaced</p>
<p>And what the police is doing is what the National Guard has told them to do</p>
<p>CGM, It would be nice to be able to have a serious conversation without the incessant interjection of pointless snark. I’m going back to the garden.</p>
<p>If FEMA was only supposed to deal with the aftermath, as someone claimed, they have done a terrible job. If this had been a suprise, does FEMA and DHS look good? It is there job to coordianate this stuff</p>
<p>We have countries all over the world willing to send in equipment, supplies people, and yet even today, FEMA and DHS says “well we have to figure out logistics”</p>
<p>Excuse me, they have had days and days to figure out logistics -
THey have maps, they know were people are needed, they know were we need doctors where people could use tents</p>
<p>ANd if they haven’t figured that out, well, what have they been doing</p>
<p>And don’t say, well they have been busy- its their job to know this stuff ahead of time for disastors all over the country and to be able to open a manual</p>
<p>My fear is that the Administration is figuring out which countries would be acceptable to them to take their help</p>
<p>Will they take it from France and take those doctors from Cuba? Who are at the airport ready to move in now…why not just say send them and we will disperse them around the area, one to each shelter</p>
<p>How hard is that?</p>
<p>Or put them in a helicoptor and drop them in neighborhoods- they are willing to do what it takes</p>
<p>Driver:</p>
<p>Are you saying that FEMA held Hurricane Pam just for the heck of it?</p>
<p>Let’s stipulate that Louisiana politics are corrupt, its governor incompetent, the New Orleans mayor a blowhard. I hold no brief for them. But for all New Orleans’ problems, it is the largest port in the US. It is, as the blog excerpt I posted earlier, a national security issue. It seems a bit complacent to leave it in the hands of local authorities–competent or not, corrupt or not.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that, Marite. It was held to point out deficiencies. But nothing in it provides a mandate for FEMA to walk in and federalize a city. It doesn’t work that way. In your mind, in the aftermath of 9/11/01–should a James Witt have gone into NYC and taken over for Giuliani? I do think there could be an interesting political shift in all this: Rudy could be our next president.</p>
<p>With oil rigs chemical plants airports and more</p>
<p>Why is it that when someone points out that Bush has made a mistake, his followers call it a rant</p>
<p>To say someone made a mistake is one thing. This is quite another: </p>
<p>unfortunately the person in charge only moves when corporations tell him to</p>
<p>I personally cant help but think that some indiscriminate posters take unusual satisfaction in pointing towards human tragedies and political imbroglios from Crawford Texas, to Fulujah Iraq, to those afloat and dying in New Orleans, as it suits their anti-American hysteria.</p>
<p>These posts rarely take the tack of a lament or even a mournful critique but rather a finger-wagging I knew he/they was/were evil yeah, oh yeah! mentality. </p>
<p>Some, while speaking of compassion and care, can barely control their saliva such that an innocent conversant will either duck or be bathed in their spittle; an act more reminiscent of a viper than a saint, all the while using the victims whom they should be compassionate about to further feed their gluttonous, red-faced rage.</p>
<p>Sorry we are so mad people are still dying, that we have spent an obscene amount of money to DHS, that our troops are in IRAQ and can’t even come hope to take care of their families, that we see such a bad job done by to agencies, well, one really, who say things like “we didn’t know what was going on”</p>
<p>ANTI AMERICAN HYSTERIA? We care about Americans, unlike this Adminsitration, when our President went to make a Political speech in the middle of this disaster, we saw some caring there</p>
<p>FS- If a company was managed the way these men have managed FEMA and DHS, it would be bankrupt in a day</p>
<p>If this had been a internal terrorist attack, the one we had here years ago, what a nightmare</p>
<p>If the response by the FEDS/FEMA?DHS is good enough for you, well, we are all in deep trouble</p>
<p>Control our saliva, well, seems you are pretty vocal about one poor woman who lost her son</p>
<p>THere are hundreds of thousands of your own countrypeople living in horrid conditions, who it took this government days to get water too, who said</p>
<p>“who would have thought the levee would break” who cut funding</p>
<p>If people don’t complain, ask questions, etc, the same mistakes will happen again</p>
<p>Have you watched the news- gasp, even Republicans are angry, we look like fools to the rest of the world</p>
<p>And why won’t Bush let in those doctors from Cuba, take those tents from France? Is he too proud? they say its logistics</p>
<p>Okay, get the tents into this country, into the area, by the time they arrive, they can be distributed…why wait?</p>
<p>Its a bunch of garbage to wait for tents and doctors</p>
<p>Anyone know why the Pres. did not proclaim today a national day of prayer? (not that it makes any difference to me; I just thought it a little odd.)</p>