Posted on 09/11/2005 5:30:25 PM PDT by frankjr
Nagin said that by daybreak, he might have to order the first mandatory evacuation in New Orleans history, although his staff was still checking whether that would pose liability problems for the city. Nagin did not tell everyone to leave immediately, because the regional plan called for the suburbs to empty out first, but he did urge residents in particularly low-lying areas to "start moving -- right now, as a matter of fact." He said the Superdome would be open as a shelter of last resort, but essentially he told tourists stranded in the Big Easy that they were out of luck.
"The only thing I can say to them is I hope they have a hotel room, and it's a least on the third floor and up," Nagin said. "Unfortunately, unless they can rent a car to get out of town, which I doubt they can at this point, they're probably in the position of riding the storm out." ...
Nagin also announced that the city had set up 10 refuges of last resort, and promised that public buses would pick up stragglers in a dozen locations to take them to the Superdome and other shelters.
But he never mentioned the numbers that had haunted experts for years, the estimated 100,000 city residents without their own transportation. And he never mentioned that the state's comprehensive disaster plan, written in 2000 and posted on a state Web site, called for buses to take people out of the city once the governor declared a state of emergency.
In reality, Nagin's advisers never intended to follow that plan -- and knew many residents would stay behind. "We always knew we did not have the means to evacuate the city," said Terry Ebbert, the sharp-tongued city director of emergency management.
...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
If you need an ID and pw to read try:
http://www.bugmenot.com/
Enter www.washingtonpost.com
Account #1 mya@yahoo.com culpepper
In other words the Post is finally revealing some basic truths that we've known for almost 2 weeks.
Kind of a late time to be thinking about liability. Poor planing must be the perfect excuse for blaming everyone else. Don't worry mayor, you won't be sued. Hah!
This article absolutely destroys the city and state.
Hey Mary...that's Federal mass transit.
Mark to read in the morning. Your excerpt is more truthful than I expected from the WP; I hope the rest is as good.
It's not. There are five pages. By page three the blame has shifted entirely to the Federal Govt. and the President and that's where it stays.
Disagree. This is a well crafted pro-Blanco piece. MSM is full of these. Need to keep Blanco clean, so they go after Bush and Nagin. A lot of the anti-Nagin stuff, mostly BS, comes from the right.
The money dems have so far successfully delineated the blame game from the right against Nagin, from the left, against Bush.
They need to keep Blanco clean because otherwise lose all hope some fed redevelopment money will be laundered through the State.
An example of protecting her is the "blame the buses on FEMA" angle.
"By page three the blame has shifted entirely to the Federal Govt. and the President and that's where it stays. "
How right you are. I was just excited that the Post even mentioned Nagin. Give it time. Bring on the Commission!!!!
****"We always knew we did not have the means to evacuate the city," said Terry Ebbert, the sharp-tongued city director of emergency management. *****
So why even try ---right?
Blanco makes Nagin look like a genius. Put a fork in her, she's done.
They're going to throw Nagin under the bus to save Blanco. Blanco must be easily manipulated by the Landrieu machine and they need her there.
The LA political power machine is meeting in Baton Rouge headed by the Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu...while Nagin sits in Dallas rallying the business community from NO around him.
As much as Nagin is an idiot, Blanco was the true weak link here in the chain of command.
This will get interesting.
Bush was greeted at the airport by Mayor Ray Nagin as he began his third visit to the disaster region. They took a helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima, a Marine helicopter ship docked near downtown New Orleans on the Mississippi River, where Bush planned to spend the night.
Doesn't sound like much of a plan, to me.
Then again, Ebbert's the NOLA DHS chief who misinformed everyone, via the AP, that the breach in the levee could be fixed in a few hours and the water would only rise slowly in the period before it was repaired.
The article highlights some pretty idiotic quotes from Ebbert. I think he is sacrificial victim #1.
If Nagin has half a brain he'll cozy up good. I think the LA Dems will sacrifice him to save Blanco.
His only shot will be to come forward and say that Blanco blocked his efforts.
I'd like to know who said no thanks to the train. Was it the NO locals or was it higher up?
Nagin has already been quoted as saying that he issued a mandatory evacuation order and Blanco told him he couldn't do that only she could do that. I wonder what else was blocked by the Gov. aside from the Salvation Army, Red Cross, and the Doctors that tried to come in.
He might do just that.
As you no dount know, he has no lost love for this woman. I think it's actually safe to say he despises her.
Since she has been guv I'm pretty sure she has never met with the man to discuss anything about the emergency preparedness needs for NO....not that that excuses his pathetic performance in any way.
I'd personally like to see them both fry...politically speaking of course.
I agree with you on the fry both of them part. Totally incompetent.
I think Nagin actually likes W though. He donated to his first campaign for President. No donations to Algore.
He may decide that it's better to side with him than to let the LA machine sacrifice him.
It's a long read, but, worth it.
Especially considering it's from the Washington Post.
President Bush took control, as much as legally possible, as soon as he realized that locals and state had abdicated all responsibility.
And incompetent Granny Blanco fought him at every turn.
She did not want President Bush controlling the relief effort.
The state people thought that FEMA would bring in the National Guard-they had no idea that it was dear Granny Blanco who was legally entrusted with that responsibility.
Granny Blanco didn't even ask for federal troops until Wed.
We have no idea about her National Guard mobilizations, as the Louisiana National Guard has been ordered to keep quiet-per Lt Col Cowan's investigation on O'Reilly.
Expect the MiSerable Media to pretend this article was never written and to continue to concentrate on their main mission-salivating over corpses.
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