Posted on 09/03/2005 9:23:23 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob
Here is the lede paragraph from a Washington Post Editorial today (3 September), entitled “Left Behind”:
“THE LACK OF National Guard troops because of the war in Iraq; the Bush administration's failure to protect coastal wetlands; the reorganization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: All have been blamed, somewhat arbitrarily, for the stunning scenes of chaos at the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, for the unprecedented floodwaters in the city, and for the huge numbers of people without food or water. But if blame is to be laid and lessons are to be drawn, one point stands out as irrefutable: Emergency planners must focus much more on the fate of that part of the population that -- for reasons of poverty, infirmity, distrust of officialdom, lack of transportation or lack of information -- cannot be counted on to leave their homes after an evacuation order.”
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202140.html
There is no “lack of Guard troops.” There was only a failure of the Governor to call for them, until the last two days in which they have flowed in and taken charge. The lost of the marshes south of New Orleans, its first line of defense, has been continuous for seventy or so years that the Mississippi has been channelized. Reversal of that has just BEGUN in recent years. And, reorganization of FEMA is utterly irrelevant.
Emergency planners DID focus on the need to evacuate people who lack access to public transportation. Here is a quote from page 13 of the Southeast Louisiana Evacuation Plan, last revised in 2000:
“5. The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating.”
Source: http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/plans/EOPSupplement1a.pdf
Census Bureau statistics show that New Orleans had a greater percentage of both children and adults using buses there, than any other major city in the US. So there were ample buses in the city to carry all the remaining residents out in a single trip. The buses were not used.
The Mayor of New Orleans was late in declaring evacuation (later than both the President and the Governor in Louisiana in declaring emergencies). But that was only his first failure. His greatest failure was not moving all those buses to high ground, and telling the remaining residents of the city, “If you want to live, get on the bus.”
There have been many failures over many decades, the biggest being the decades-old decision to defend New Orleans only up to a Category 3 Hurricane. The canal wall which breached had been recently rebuilt to that standard. But the final, fatal failure was the Mayor of New Orleans not lining up all the available buses in the city, and telling his citizens, “If you want to live, get on the bus.”
That is the truth. What the Post editorial offers instead is breathtaking ignorance.
John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
One post this morning referenced the Post editorial. Another referenced the 2000 Evacuation plan. All that was needed to complete the skewering of the Washington Post was some general knowledge about the Mississippi River's channelization.
Enjoy.
It was a snap to write, thanks to FreeRepublic.
The pleasure is All FR's, an Internet Community serving Communities Globally in times of need.
:)
Does someone have a timeline of when the military was called in and by whom?
You fixed it! :)
Not only is their not a lack of NG troops, to this very moment Blanco hasn't called up all the LA national guard.
yuppers , and a "thanks-bookmk-ping" to you Billybob , yer the best
Guess self responsibility ends if you are one of the above.
Ignorance + arrogance + bias.
This single word "arbitrarily" is their out if challenged for spreading the "big lie". More than just bias, it is active collusion.
Yes, a timeline might help the CRITICS recall correctly who did what and when. Wasn't it Pres. Bush who first declared a State of Emergency days ahead - that should have been a clue to La. to get things rolling.
Bravo for you and NewsBusters!
That's hard to believe. Can you link a source?
Bush convinced the Gov and mayor to declare a state of emergency.
Who called in the NG and when? When were out of state NG called in? When was the regular army called in and by whom?
'Wasn't it Pres. Bush who first declared a State of Emergency days ahead - that should have been a clue to La. to get things rolling."
"W" could have gone down there and personally driven all of those people out of town then come back' put on his waders and bailed out all of N.O. with a bucket and the Washington Compost would still blame it all on him.
I do not care what was on paper in the disaster plans, this was intuitive stuff that any sane person working in local government in New Orleans had to have known, and known for years and years. The Post is stating the obvious, and actually absolving the federal government from responsibility for the worst part of this human disaster.
I also remember the news reports from the French Quarter the evening after the storm passed where there were people out on the streets and almost a party atmosphere because the city only had minor damage. What part of "mandatory evacuation" did these people not understand? Where was the mayor's and the governor's disaster plans? Why is it George Bush's fault that there was no leadership in NO and no direction coming from Nagin or Blanco until after the disaster had become a catastrophe?
If leaders should be held responsible for the tragedy the liberal media is proving that Democrats do not deserve to be called leaders.
Actually, I think the editorial made a good point and the first graph indicates those charges were dubious as they certainly are. The gist of the piece is that the local authorities made no plans for the poor knowing they'd suffer if they were not evacuated and they are suffering and dying because of this callousness--the callousness of the people they elected to office.
"Intuitive" is not enough to provide the intimate minute-to-minute, parish-by-parish organization, tracking, and command-and-control necessary to move say one-half million people out of their homes, and provide them with food, water, sanitation, shelter, and protection from thugs.
Especially when most of those people are either thugs or prey.
Most of the local government employees should be locked in the Superdome with the worst of the thugs.
And don't whine to me about "cruel and unusual punishment"--this is literally verbatim the same "protection" they offered to the hurricane victims while loudly congratulating themselves and blaming the President and National Guard on National TV.
Prayers for ALL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.