Posted on 09/03/2005 12:14:14 PM PDT by joinedafterattack
"The big question for the Mayor and Governor, which is now being used shamelessly by the "Blame Bush" crowd against the feds, was how to save the 100,000 - 150,000 most vulnerable people who could not or would not save themselves. THAT problem, although still enormous and difficult, could have been addressed in advance to head off the result that should have been forseen, what we had going on in NOLA for the past week."
The problem is that these 'mandatory evacuations' are not, in fact, mandatory. I'd be interested in hearing how you would deal with people who do not wish to evacuate.
Also, there is the issue of how do you pay for the evacuation expenses of those who cannot pay themselves. The food and lodging bill for 150,000 for five days would be enormous. Remember, if you had wanted to evacuate everyone in the path of every hurricane, you'd be paying this bill several times a year. And, you would quite often wind up evacuating many thousands who would not have been affected.
"Which one is better: sitting on the overpass or in the Superdome in New Orleans with little food and water or sitting on a highway in Texas where aid workers can actually get to you?"
Well, I would prefer to be on the highway in Texas as would any rational person. That said, do you think the media would have responded any differently? The problem I keep trying to emphasize is that in order to have evacuated, we would have had to evacuate several million people, not just a few thousand in NO.
Remember this hummer was 400 miles wide and no one knew where it would hit. Sure, we knew on Saturday that NO was in the gun sights but you'd have had to decide on evacuation on Tuesday or Wednesday to get that many people out of harms way. Add in the size of this thing and you'd have had to evacuate several million people.
I think justification for use of busses (school or city), would also fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
SECTION 2: The state of Louisiana's emergency response and recovery program is activated under the command of the director of the state office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to prepare for and provide emergency support services and/or to minimize the effects of the storm's damage.
That would be this guy:
The Security Czar
Retired Marine Col. Terry Ebbert stepped into the local spotlight last week as the nation went to war in Iraq amid national warnings of possible terrorist reprisals.
Ebbert, 60, has been directing the city's new Office of Homeland Security and Public Safety since his appointment by Mayor Ray Nagin on Feb. 11. A highly decorated war hero and the former executive director of the nonprofit New Orleans Police Foundation, Ebbert has been given major powers and responsibilities as an executive assistant to the mayor. His duties are commensurate with his $114,676 annual salary.
Ebbert is charged with coordinating the city's terrorism response capabilities and obtaining federal and state funds for homeland security. He also will oversee the police and fire departments, the Office of Emergency Preparedness and city Emergency Medical Services, and the 911 Center or Orleans Parish Communications District.
His duties extend beyond a crisis or special events such as Mardi Gras. Ebbert has responsibility for the daily operations and planning of all those departments as well as the management of their budgets, Nagin told Gambit Weekly last week, after presenting his plan to re-organize city government to the City Council. "Mr. Ebbert is responsible for all matters related to public safety," the mayor said.
"The superintendents of the Police and Fire Departments and the director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness all report directly to me," Ebbert stated in a Feb. 28 interview. "I report directly to the mayor and those three agencies report directly to me." (Nagin later transferred EMS from the city Health Department to Ebbert's command.) If there is a disagreement between the homeland security chief and the police chief or the fire chief, Ebbert says: "I have the final say over bringing them all together so we all agree. It's a team effort."
Historically, all four agencies now under Ebbert were under the chief administrative officer. So the transfer of those departments -- especially fire and police -- constitutes a major power shift at City Hall. Nagin told the City Council that CAO Kimberly Butler was "somewhat overburdened" by having 35 departments reporting to her prior to the re-organization. Studies show "10 to 12 [departments] is enough," he said.
Generally, City Council members voiced support for the mayor's bold initiative. But some expressed concerns over the mayor's overall reorganization plan, citing "conflicting language" in the City Charter. Nagin said later that the new Homeland Security structure, which constitutes "the bulk of the changes" in his re-organization plan, conforms to the charter.
Administration officials note that the voter-approved charter amendments of 1995 authorize the mayor to re-organize city government. They specifically note City Charter Section 4-302, which states in part: "Should the Mayor remove a department head from the supervisory authority of the chief administrative officer, the Mayor shall immediately assume full responsibility for the supervision of such department head." That may indeed give him all the authority he needs, but we suggest that if the new public safety structure meets expectations, Nagin should consider asking the voters to institutionalize his latest reforms -- a step his predecessor failed to take with regard to improvements at NOPD.
With organizational hurdles out of the way, Nagin expects Ebbert to help our financially strapped city in Washington, where state and local governments are competing for $1.3 billion in funds from the federal Department of Homeland Security. Ebbert -- respected both in military circles and the local law enforcement community -- is highly qualified for the task. A native of Chicago, he was a twice-wounded Marine infantry combat commander in the Vietnam War and a recipient of the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest award for valor. He later directed civilian and military police protection for all naval bases and nuclear weapons sites in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, from the Indian Ocean to California. He retired from the Marines after 29 years to direct police and fire security for the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserves along the Gulf Coast.
"He is a true gentleman, extremely intelligent and probably one of the most perceptive individuals I know," local U.S. Attorney Jim Letten says. "I can't think of anybody who is more on the cutting edge of issues like crime enforcement and prevention -- and also national security."
"Terry Ebbert is a man of his word and an individual who has the ability to get things done," says Anthony Radosti, vice president of the private Metropolitan Crime Commission. "He is well respected and commands respect."
America has seen former military commanders take charge in government positions before, with mixed results. Increased efficiency, improved job performance and a sense of mission are the optimal outcomes. However, city employees -- including police and firefighters -- cannot be expected to take orders without question in the same manner as soldiers, sailors or marines. This is merely a cautionary note, however; we applaud Ebbert's selection as Homeland Security director. As our country enters war, we look to him to give our city confidence during these uncertain times.
Who said:
FEMA is getting an earful from the man heading New Orleans' emergency operations.
Terry Ebbert says the federal agency's response to Katrina is "a national disgrace."
Ebbert says FEMA has been in the city for three days, but he says that has yet to result in any command and control. He says Mayor Ray Nagin has been "pushing and asking, but we're not getting any supplies."
The emergency chief says the evacuation of thousands from New Orleans to Texas has been "almost entirely" a Louisiana operation -- saying he hasn't seen "a single FEMA guy."
I think there is a lot of confusion about what FEMA is and should and can do.....they can't really do much cause of the way they are structured...according to what some talking head was saying on TV!
I'm kind of confused by all that. Where did it come from? Sounds like a bunch of places. Is it saying the mayor has to get permission from the czar? And what's with that very last paragraph?
That's what I think!
And look who the CZAR is, one of the ones bashing Bush and FEMA!
It came from here:
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2003-03-25/commentary.html
Administration officials note that the voter-approved charter amendments of 1995 authorize the mayor to re-organize city government. They specifically note City Charter Section 4-302, which states in part: "Should the Mayor remove a department head from the supervisory authority of the chief administrative officer, the Mayor shall immediately assume full responsibility for the supervision of such department head."
Sounds to me like the buck still stops with the mayor.
Ya know, I don't give a rats-pa-toot--- if they canvass the neighborhoods for votes and pick them up to take them to the voting booths, then it should be every bit as important (in fact, more important) to pound on doors when a cat 5 hurricane is heading straight for them. AND to have transportation out as well. I know for a fact officials were pounding on doors in Baton Rouge.
BUMP
BUMP
It is a sure thing that if it had been "election katrina" the dems would have stopped at nothing mobilizing the busses and rides and other conveyances to take care that all these folks' votes were counted - numerous times. But, hey, it was only their lives, this time, not the jobs of the elected representatives, so WTF cares.
To top it off, assigning the blame onto Republicans is to make sure that those remaining alive can be counted on to blindly follow democrats again. Even after witnessing the level of contempt the democrat power holds for the poor among their numbers.
Talking head disaster manager saidthe NO plan was an example of a "broken plan", one that was based on a false premise. That being a city of 1 million people could be evacuated in 72 hours. 72 hours is bad for 2 reasons.
1. It's still not enough time
2. You don't know where a hurricane is going or what the intensity will be 72 hours out.
There would be more hell raising from a cry wolf evacuation than you could imagine. Darned if you do, darned in you don't. Having said this, Louisiana has no decent leadership.
Bump.
Very well said.
Don't forget the 100 to 150 city buses left stting at the city bus barn that they mayor did have control over. No excuses for having to get permission to use city buses. The school and the city buses should have been running non-stop from Thursday night through Sunday night getting people out of harm's way.
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