Katrina Response Mismanagement

[Morrigoon]

I'm not suggesting the dismantling of government. In fact, in my last post, I erased a whole paragraph about the government having the responsibility to maintain roads, borders, and order. But when they overstep those bounds, they introduce inefficiencies which translate into waste or mismanagement.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't have been responsible for getting those people out, certainly they were (maintain order), but the fact is, they DIDN'T DO IT. They had busses sitting right there, they had the knowledge that the city could be flooded, they had research that showed a flooded New Orleans would be a toxic disaster. They didn't do it.

These are not the types of people I want in charge of my health care.

In fact, the only form of "universal health care" I'd support would take the form of insurance. Unfortunately, that still gives the gov't a dangerous level of control over the health care industry, making it less profitable, and therefore, discouraging any kind of innovation or quality.

But I'm going way OT here, sorry.

FEMA was very clearly incompetently led. But this is still an indictment of government at all levels. There never should have been that many people for FEMA to have to come rescue in the first place. The way Louisiana mishandled the hurricane Ivan evacuation, plus the mishandling of the Katrina one both led to there being far more people in NO than there should have been. Some by choice, remembering the hassle of trying to leave the city last time, and some by circumstance, being too poor to leave unless the city busses were used.

There was no organization of the effort either. Had there been concrete plans in place for busses and citizens to meet at specified locations in the city, to be transported out of there, both the city and the citizens could have acted quickly, way in advance, to clear out. None of that happened. People were sent to locations that took days for authorities to become aware of, with no supplies, no communication, nothing.

You can't blame Bush for not knowing there were people at the convention center. Whoever sent people there (governor?) should have made sure that rescue organizations were aware. If the convention center had been a pre-planned shelter or gathering point, then the governor's office could have kept information on those locations on file to email to FEMA well in advance of the storm actually hitting the city.

But I *do* wonder at FEMA not staging trucks and rescue units... I'd like to hear more on the chain of command and communication that would/should have led to that happening.

[Morrigoon]

Okay, even though this article is called "How Bush Blew It", it's really quite an interesting insight into the entire multi-level mess.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9287434/

All I can say is Kathleen Blanco needs to be removed from office, pronto.

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

All I can say is Kathleen Blanco needs to be removed from office, pronto.

And do you have the same opinion about President Bush?

[Morrigoon]

Scrooge: What, you'd prefer Cheney?

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

Scrooge: What, you'd prefer Cheney?

You didn't answer my question.

Do you think Bush should be removed from office?

[Scrooge McSam]

He he Actually, neither of them.

And please don't think I'm picking on you, because that's not my intent. I've just noticed a trend among a few that will state the inadequacies go right on up the line, will bash Blanco and Nagin to high heaven, but are curiously silent when it comes to the fed's role in all this.

[scaeagles]

I hope you don't mean me, my dearest Scrooge. I have plainly said that the deficiencies of the feds are apparent and appalling, and urged the resignation of Brown as an unqualified boob. I bash Blanco and Nagin because I still - and always will - view this as primarily and issue of ineptiutude of local government making things so much worse than they need to have been.

[Scrooge McSam]

No, Leo. Your castigation of Blanco and Nagin has been harsh and a bit overplayed in my opinion, but you've made it clear you're not pleased with the fed response either.

[wendybeth]

One of my co-workers has a husband who is a firefighter. He volunteered to go down to the South with a contingent of Spokane area firefighters, and his reports from the field are pretty unpleasant. First, they had to fly into Atlanta and get shots like the ones you get if you are going into Africa or any of the tsunami areas. He is near Biloxi, an area he was very familiar with, and he said it's just pure destruction- pictures cannnot begin to convey the devastation. We also have a nephew who is in NO with the military, and he has contracted some funky skin rash and is sick, although they don't know with what yet.

I'd heard on the day before the hurricane struck that the airport had closed and public transport was not running. It sounds like the locals cut and run, although time will tell if it's a case of them running or being ordered, but what a shame. So many more people could have and should have been able to get out.

[wendybeth]

Well, this little article gives a bit of insight into why the levees may have not been up to snuff:Levee Board corruption charges