Posted on 09/10/2005 10:34:29 AM PDT by Miss Marple
While cable news and the networks have concentrated their criticism on FEMA for the most part, I thought it would be helpful to concentrate our attention on the state and local actions during Hurrican Katrina and the subsequent flooding of New Orleans.
To that end, I have assembled a collection of links which document the lack of action by the state and local authorities, as well as some deliberate efforts to obstruct federal action.
This thread is meant to document the actions, and not to speculate on the motives of the State of Louisiana or the City of New Orleans. I intend for this thread to be useful as a resource for Freepers as they discuss the situation with those who have been fed the MSM spin and are not aware of the facts. Clogging the thread up with speculation will not be helpful.
I MAY start a speculation thread separate from this one. But until then, on this thread, let's stick to the facts.
Any additions of links or reports from the networks would be gratefully appreciated. Please attribute all sources and follow posting guidelines.
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NATIONAL GUARD
As detailed in these two articles, the governor was the person responsible for the few numbers of guardsmen deployed. She refused to sign the paperwork that would bring in guard units from other states until the Wednesday AFTER the storm.
State Rebuffed Bid to Put Louisiiana Troops Under U.S. Command Amid New Orleans Chaos
DENIAL OF ACCESS TO RELIEF AGENCIES
In addition to the low numbers of National Guard troops activated, relief agencies were denied access to New Orleans by the Louisiana authorities. The following articles explain why we saw no Red Cross, Salvation Army, or other groups on the scene.
FNC's Major Garrett: Red Cross Blocked by Order of the Louisiana State Government
Major Garret new blockbuster---Salvation Army efforts at supplying the evacuees BLOCKED
Louisiana officials accused of blocking rescue volunteers
ping
There is an audio of a Red Cross spokesperson on the Diane Rehm Show on NPR on Wed., Sept. 7.
http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/05/09/07.php
The statement from the Red Cross is approximately 3/4 of the way through the program.
The Red Cross web site also had a statement about it, but I can't find it right now. They change their pages often.
Thank you, MM.
and, BUMP for reference
Thanks, for the post. :)
Great job, thanks.
This is a good source for MSM types who might want to know the truth. I would hope that a few congressional investigators would take a look too.
"The Red Cross web site also had a statement about it, but I can't find it right now. They change their pages often."
From the current homepage on http://www.redcross.org/; then in the right-hand side (Red Cross Responds to Katrina), then down to "New Orleans Situation". Click on that and you get (I haven't been able to find a date on this):
http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html
Disaster FAQs
Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?
Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?
• Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
• The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.
• The Red Cross has been meeting the needs of thousands of New Orleans residents in some 90 shelters throughout the state of Louisiana and elsewhere since before landfall. All told, the Red Cross is today operating 149 shelters for almost 93,000 residents.
• The Red Cross shares the nation’s anguish over the worsening situation inside the city. We will continue to work under the direction of the military, state and local authorities and to focus all our efforts on our lifesaving mission of feeding and sheltering.
• The Red Cross does not conduct search and rescue operations. We are an organization of civilian volunteers and cannot get relief aid into any location until the local authorities say it is safe and provide us with security and access.
• The original plan was to evacuate all the residents of New Orleans to safe places outside the city. With the hurricane bearing down, the city government decided to open a shelter of last resort in the Superdome downtown. We applaud this decision and believe it saved a significant number of lives.
• As the remaining people are evacuated from New Orleans, the most appropriate role for the Red Cross is to provide a safe place for people to stay and to see that their emergency needs are met. We are fully staffed and equipped to handle these individuals once they are evacuated.
Thanks
The southern libs think they're still running a plantation for slaves.
Start about 5 years back, before this hurricane. Apparently there is some missing FEMA money, that was earmarked for hurricane related projects.
I regard that account by supposed CA paramedics as highly suspect. If you understand that most of the problems we have seen were caused, at the root, by people who decided not to obey evacuation order, I, for one, would not expect professional first responders to ignore such orders. I would expect them, better than most, to respect it knowing the essential need for cooperation in emergencies. And, if they did gt in a mess, I wouldn't expect them to publicize it in a communist anti law enforcement rant about class etc.
Outstanding, Miss Marple. I was just about to start the Day in the life of... thread for today. I'll put a link of this thread there.
Thanks, TomGuy. I was going to add the links to the two timelines I did, but appreciate you doing so.
Which would be...what? 0.00000001% of the MSM?
Yeah, so I'm an optimist...
IEM to Lead Development of Hurricane Plan for Louisiana June 9, 2004
IEM Inc., a Baton Rouge, La.-based emergency management and homeland security consultant, announced it will lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
In making the announcement today on behalf of teaming partners Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates, IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas explained that the development of a base catastrophic hurricane disaster plan has urgency due to the recent start of the annual hurricane season which runs through November. National weather experts are predicting an above normal Atlantic hurricane season with six to eight hurricanes, of which three could be categorized as major.
Witt was involved in drawing up the plans that were ignored by the local authorities to evac the city. They got paid by FEMA for those plans.
Remember, once in a while, they get it right. Honest!
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