AP Warned of New Orleans Disaster

NewsMax ^ | 9/3/05 | NewsMax

[blake6900]

Perhaps you missed the first sentence:

What it said:

Responsibilities of the New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are almost entirely in civil works. Flood control, navigation and the environment are the big jobs.

What you said:

Interestingly the US Army Corps of Engineers claims to have the primary responsibility for maintaining the Levee System.

You are truly amazing! You must know the former statement does not necessarily mean what you've said it means. "Flood control, navigation and the environment are the big jobs" does not equate to "the US Army Corps of Engineers claims to have the primary responsibility for maintaining the Levee System".

With all due respect many of the statements you've written here have made your credibility questionable at best. You're the same individual who's been saying the Mayor didn't mishandle this situation and, in your mind, did the best he could. In fact, you've implied he did a stellar job considering the circumstances. However, as time goes by we're finding that not to be the case. Of course, you're also the same individual that believed using the local school buses for evacuation purposes would have "complicated matters"...your words, not mine

I should have known from that point on you were not to be taken seriously.

I'm sorry your state and local governments were inept in the dealing with this tragedy. But the reality is they were. They had the first hands on the situation and they failed miserably. And it says much about the State of Louisiana and its' inability to plan ahead. You guys lived in a city in a bowl and it appears your "disaster plan" and "evacuation procedures" either were inadequate or not followed.

Your local officials let you down. That's becoming more clearer as days go by. Your mayor goes on the radio Thursday night and screams "We need 500 buses, man!" when literally hundreds of buses were available before the storm came or the levees broke. Where is Mayor Nagin now. Why isn't he answering questions. The answer is he's hiding because he doesn't have an acceptable response to why he didn't use them.

It is comforting, though, to see Gov. Blano has asked for school buses and drivers in her public health emergency proclamation yesterday. Of course, why it took her so long to issue it in the first place is a good question. Perhaps she got the advice from the former Clinton FEMA head she's hired. It's obvious she didn't come up with the idea on her own.

Ya know, you folks really should demand her and Mayor Nagin's resignations immediately.

[IronMan04]

It has never been a secret that the political leadership throughout LA is corrupt and inept. They have been so since the days of Huey Long and have been from members of both parties. However, for a municipal government to coordinate an evacuation of a million people in less than 48 hours along two viable roads is an achievement that had never been done before in the history of the United States.

As for the buses you have to remember that members of the police force are only paid $10.00 and hour and the school bus drivers are paid even less. Furthermore, civil workers have families and own property and were likely more concerned about their own self-interests than they were their ten dollar an hour job.

Finally, the people that stayed in their homes choose not to leave knowing they would be looted by neighbors or because they may not have known the real consequences of the storm.

A million people evacuated in less than 48 hours will be seen as the great sucess of the local governments.

Lastly, on what basis do you free the US Army Corps of Engineers of responsibility of the Levees?

[IronMan04]

Your local officials let you down.

The local officials and the federal officials let New Orleans down. The Gov and both US Senators failed. And yes David Vitter is a Republican and he failed just like Sen Hillary Clone and the Gov. But, FEMA's failure will be the greatest as everyone in America now knows that there is not plan to deal with disaster in their town.

[blake6900]

As for the buses you have to remember that members of the police force are only paid $10.00 and hour and the school bus drivers are paid even less.

Finally, the people that stayed in their homes choose not to leave knowing they would be looted by neighbors

Well, looks like you guys got your money's worth. Sometimes people (like policemen and school bus drivers) just have to do the right thing. Or at least should. Apparently that's an impossibility in New Orleans. The pay rate of school bus drivers is irrelevant since your mayor never ordered the buses be used. A nineteen year old kid took a bus, filled it with victims and drove it to Houston. When he was asked "why" he said he couldn't just sit there and do nothing. That kid did the right thing. Apparently many in your local police force and your bus drivers couldn't, or more likely, wouldn't.

BTW, that same corrupt leadership that has existed in Louisiana for years fought tooth and nail to keep the Feds out. What a difference a few days make. Now they're bi!ching that the Feds didn't get there soon enough. And I've never mentioned political parties in any of my posts.

Lastly, on what basis do you free the US Army Corps of Engineers of responsibility of the Levees?

I never said that. I said a local levee commission, in my opinion, misused funds on nonessentials and all you did was chastise me for calling it by an incorrect name and telling me that in all the years you've lived in New Orleans you'd never heard of it. In fact you implied that I apparently did not know how to use Google. When I corrected myself, and used the proper name, you never responded to my original allegation.

And finally...

A million people evacuated in less than 48 hours will be seen as the great sucess of the local governments.

Perhaps that's true but that will be revisionist history when looked at in the context of how many more could have gotten out but didn't because of poor planning.

I mentioned earlier that local authorities knew that even though the Superdome was a place of last resort, there would be thousands showing up there. You've never answered why they didn't think to put any provisions there whatsoever during the days leading up to the storm hitting.

Perhaps it was because the truck drivers don't make enough money either.

[IronMan04]

First of all you said the New Orleans Levee Commission. That organization does not exist but Orleans Parish does have a levee board. Now the Mayor or New Orleans was no jurisdiction over the Parish Levee Board not does he have power over the Orleans Parish School buses

I do not think the City of New Orleans has fought to keep the Feds out since 1864. I am not sure the Mayor was in power back then.

As for integration the neighborhood where I grew up was integrated since the 1930's and still is. New Orleans did not need the Feds to tell it how to integrate.

As for the provisions in the Superdome I have wondered why there were none there. But I would look to FEMA who in 2001 listed a hurricane in NOLA as one of the top three disasters the NATION faced.

Where was FEMA?

[blake6900]

Where was FEMA?

FEMA was in Mississippi and Alabama because the governors of those states asked for help before the storm arrived. As of this writing your governor still had not handed control of the rescue operation completely to the Feds because to do so would admit she made a mistake in not doing it to begin with.

The mayor may not have jurisdiction over the Orleans Levee District (OLD) Commission but he does make an appointment to it along with the six appointments that the governor makes.

As for integration the neighborhood where I grew up was integrated since the 1930's and still is. New Orleans did not need the Feds to tell it how to integrate.

Oh, yeah?! Then how come the majority of people left behind were black. And how come your mayor gave priority to guests at the Hyatt? And you still haven't given a legitimate reason why the buses were parked unless you really believe your "reason" was legitimate.

Oh, yeah...I forgot. It's because cops and bus drivers don't make enough money to give a sh!t about their fellow citizens.

Look, your logic confounds me. If you want to give your governor and mayor a pass, then go ahead. I don't live there. You do. And judging from the way your state and local authorities have dealt with this, before, during and after, and how you defend them, I'm glad it's you living there and not me.

I'm done...

[BykrBayb]

Allowing the poor people to evacuate would have complicated matters for whom? For you? I guess they don't matter. How convenient for you that you didn't have to share the road with them.

[IronMan04]

Everyone failed from the President to the Orleans Parish dog catcher.

Furthermore, when FEMA requested funds to improve the Levee system in 2001 the Republican Governor of the State did nothing to see that the funds were approved.

[IronMan04]

The Greater New Orleans area evacuated over a million people on no more than tow roads in less than 48 hours. That has never been done before in the history of the United States.

The Evacuation was a success.

[BykrBayb]

Only for those who were evacuated. But as has been pointed out repeatedly, those who weren't, apparently don't matter. Let them eat cake, right?

[IronMan04]

The State of Mississippi Failed in their evacuation too. Do you want their governor's head on a platter?

[BykrBayb]

You have a real reading comprehension problem, don't you?

[blake6900]

You have a real reading comprehension problem, don't you?

Yes...he does. I've tried dealing with him but ya can't talk sense to those who have none. I'm still trying to figure out his reasoning that not using the school buses was a good thing because doing so would have only (his words) "complicated matters".

Jeeez...

[blake6900]

Furthermore, when FEMA requested funds to improve the Levee system in 2001 the Republican Governor of the State did nothing to see that the funds were approved.

I told you. I never part up political parties. You must be the only person in the world that believes the evacuation was a success and I guess you reasoning is because you got out.

Yikes!

Now leave me alone. You're starting to frighten me.

[BykrBayb]

I think I see the problem. He went from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1474029/posts?page=212#212 (inviting everyone to loot his house) to http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476562/posts?page=15#15 (being thankful that the dregs weren't clogging his highway during evacation) in about three days. Apparently his hurricane preparedness plan involved leaving all the low income people in the path of the hurricane, and letting them rip each other to pieces for survival.

[IronMan04]

Over a million lives were saved.

[bjs1779]

Even with an evacuation underway by Noon on Saturday and all lanes on all roads open traffic was bumper to bumper from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning. The Buses would have only complicated matters

There are not many people that are thankful that everyone didn't get out, you just happen to be one of them.

[Tall_Texan]

The only lesson the locals learned from Ivan is that "the storm will turn". Famous last words.

[BykrBayb]

Hey, those poor people would have gotten in the way of rich people trying to evacuate their several real estate holdings. Give the man a break! He has all kinds of insurance forms to fill out now. Life is complicated enough without having to give a crap about poor people. /sarcasm

[Nov3]

The Superdome while turning into a cesspool saved people's lives.

It may have savedc some lives during the storm. Afterwards the people would have been better off outside it