Posted on 12/01/2005 6:18:01 PM PST by Ellesu
PEOPLE IN LOUISIANA HAVE SIX-MONTHS TO PREPARE FOR THE NEXT HURRICANE SEASON.
STATE HOMELAND SECURITY LEADERS MET TODAY TO DISCUSS WHAT WENT WRONG AFTER KATRINA AND RITA.
NEW TWO'S VERONICA MOSGROVE WENT TO THE FOLKS IN CHARGE TO GET ANSWERS TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY.
ALL AGREE COMMUNICATION WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST FAILURES. Return to index of stories...
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WHAT WENT WRONG-PKG
As Louisiana tries to pick up the pieces of this devastated region. State officials are reviewing everything that happened right before and in the weeks after the storm hit. U-S Senator Mary Landrieu says while the state is partly to blame for the failures.calling the states evacuation plan inadequate. Landrieu says the federal government is largely to blame.
nothing will change the fact that communication failed.And that was a federal responsibility,.The levee system failed. And that was a federal responsibility.and the emergency response failed.FEMA is the federal emergency management agency and it failed
When New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was asked what three things he would do differently if he could turn back the clock. He said he would order a mandatory evacuation sooner, he would commandeer the buses to move people out and he said he would not wait for the federal government to come to the rescue.
And here's what Governor Kathleen Blanco says she would do differently. She says she'd have a back up communication system.
And instead of waiting for the feds, she'd prepare for the state to handle its own emergency.
The governor says she would activate an automatic phone message, pleading with people evacuate. That calling system would also feature an option for those with no way out to notify them and get help. Return to index of stories...
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WHAT WENT WRONG-CKEY TAG
THE GOVERNOR ADDS. THE STATE WILL HELP PARISHES CREATE A PLAN TO EVACUATE THE AT-RISK POPULATION.
AND SHE SAYS WITH THE NEED TO HAVE STRONGER HURRICANE PROTECTION. THERE SHOULD BE ANNUAL INSPECTIONS OF THE LEVEE SYSTEM. Return to index of stories...
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SURVIVORS REACTION-VO
KATRINA SURVIVORS AGREE.THINGS COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED MUCH BETTER THAN THEY WERE.
THOSE WHO LIVED IN NEW ORLEANS BEFORE THE STORM WANT CHANGES TO EVACUATIONS.
SOME SAY THE CITY AND STATE SHOULD HAVE ISSUED MANDATORY ORDERS DAYS EARLIER.
AND. THEY FEEL BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH CITIZENS WILL HELP NEXT SEASON.
Angela Favorite / Hurricane survivor
"letting people know, you know, where to go cause I really didn't know where to go. And I guess a little bit earlier than what they did causing the mandatory evacuation."
THE STATE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS MET TODAY TO REVIEW ITS RESPONSE.
LEADERS SAY CHANGES WILL BE MADE IN TIME FOR NEXT HURRICANE SEASON.
What Went Wrong after Katrina and Rita
-------Mayor Nagin, Governor Blanco, Mary Landrieu
This article did not mention one word about how SWLA handled the evacuation and recovery for Rita. Believe me when I say that if the media spent half as much time reporting on Rita and the local leadership here then it wouldn't seem so bleak for the whole state.
I have had to stop relying on the MSM for my information because they leave out the things that are working well. Calcacieu and Cameron Parish are solvent because we have excellent leaders who planned ahead yet do we hear anything about that? Nope, just the same old negative crap. People are not getting the whole picture and it's simply too time consuming to refute things.
One good thing in the Rita aftermath that has not been reported on was how Cameron Communications was able to get the communications up and running within a couple of days because they were proactive in burying all the lines and had a fiber optic loop around Cameron Parish. My cousin works for the company and said that the feds have been very interested in how the company handled the aftermath.
Blanko and Landrieu are playing by the DNC talking points book. Blaming the feds is all the dems have. I don't remember the last time Miz Mary even showed her ugly mug here, Vitter has visited many times though as has Boustany.
As Kirkwood said, New Orleans is not made up only of destitute black people living on welfare. That is a small part of the population of New Orleans. The rest of us are just like you,working people trying to raise our familys. Unfortunately that's the only part of the city the MSN shows. Apparently the only parts of NO the you have been is downtown, French Quarter and the inner city.That is a small part of New Orleans. It kills me that you people can't or won't understand this.You so cavalierly write off 10s of thousands of people like so many pests.The are a lot of good productive people struggling to survive here.
Go ahead and write your book. I can't understand how ppl can be so cruel. My house in Lakeview was submerged in 9 ft of water for over 2 weeks as was the entirety of Lakeview with different water levels of course. We trusted the Corps of Engineers to make sure the levees were safe and could hold back the Lake and the River.
I could write a book also on how it makes me feel to have ppl say such terrible things about my City. You just do not understand the absolute devastation we have suffered. I'm not sure this City will ever be the same. And you know what ... I pay taxes and high ones at that. I am a responsible law abiding citizen and living in Jefferson Parish until I can return to Orleans Parish. I will rebuild. It is going to cost me and I was just 8 years away from paying off my mortgage. In case you haven't noticed, we are doing things to make it safer. As a matter of fact, I am going to have to build a house that can withstand 150 mph winds. That's gonna cost me a heck of a lot more than I anticipated. I will also raise my house 12 feet as my home was over 50% damaged (53.91%).
We are good ppl down here. Please don't kick us while we're down. Mayor Nagin is not the jerk that he appears to be in these posts. He is a caring man. I just hope that we can rebuild and prosper and ppl can be happy for us.
I have heard and read STORY after STORY of Katrina refugees who, when given a FREE place to stay, repaid the kindness by theft of property or by trashing the place. There is a video clip today on the Atlanta Journal website (www.ajc.com) about a woman who gave a family from NO a free apartment for 3 months and they TRASHED it and left an ugly note to her! They were apparently P.O.'d when the 3 months were over and they had to start paying rent or find another place. They wanted to continue the free ride.
I know a Ga. state mental healthcare worker who took in a woman and children from NO and they robbed her blind while she was at work.
I know a Red Cross worker who is a very BIG HEARTED (but as liberal as they come) individual who will help ANYONE who needs it. After 2 or 3 days of trying to help process paperwork for Katrina refugees (he was earnestly trying to help them get financial aid, a place to stay, etc.), he refused to go back and help with that effort. He said SEVERAL women got in his face and cursed him out when he tried to get detailed information from them in processing the paperwork. It became evident to him they were falsifying claims.
Any other freepers have stories like this?
Do you really think all people in NO are like that? If you do then it appears your island is sinking into the sea. (your tag line)
By the way, I am also from Lakeview. My house was raised 4 feet and I still had 6 feet in my house.
"We trusted the Corps of Engineers to make sure the levees were safe and could hold back the Lake and the River."
The levees were never designed for Cat 4 or 5 storms. I have seen the flood map. What happened was predicted.
"As a matter of fact, I am going to have to build a house that can withstand 150 mph winds. That's gonna cost me a heck of a lot more than I anticipated. I will also raise my house 12 feet as my home was over 50% damaged (53.91%). "
Both excellent ideas.
I would like to suggest one more. That you build in an emergency exit to the roof. Many of the people died because they were trapped in their houses as the water rose. If they had a build in egress to the roof they would have been able to get out.
I'll tell you what is cruel. It is cruel for Black leaders and the Democrat Party to nurture and foster people to become sub-humans dependent on the government for their very existance. Believe me, I feel deeeply for these people. They are lost forever, and...worse so are their children. And...it is people like you who fail to face reality that enables this Democrat vermin to enslave people in economic and opportunity bondage for generation after generation. You ought to look at them close up and personal, and you will see what current Black leaders and the Democrat "Slavery" party have wrought. If you think the majority of American people don't see the real world, you are only fooling yourself. New Orleans is going nowhere, until there is a "sea change" of ideas and policies, and the installation of effective leaders across board. Until Louisiana dumps Governor Blanco, Mayor Ray Nagin , Senator Mary Landrieu, William Jefferson and the Congressional Black Caucus you'll continue to wallow in an environment you created yourself. And.....why should I have to support your return to being whole. You elected to live in an endangered environment, just as I did when I lived in Florida for seven years. No one put a gun to your head to live in New Orleans, I knew the risks going in, and protected myself and family as best as I could. You should realize the consequences of your personal choice, and ante up the bucks and effort to either move somewhere else or rebuild on your own. I fail to see why I, or any other American should bail you out for a choice you made!!!
Did I ask you to bail me out? I wouldn't take a red cent from you. You are an inhumane unsympathetic individual. One who hates Democrats so much has issues. I'm a Democrat, but totally support what our Republican congressman Bobby Jindal and our Senator (also Republican) David Vitter is doing for the cause, not to mention Democrat Senator Mary Landrieu. Don't look at it as black and white; there is grey area too. You forget that LA is a red state. May you forever be miserable and point fingers instead of taking an active lead in trying to do something for your fellow countrymen.
No, I don't think that ALL people in NO are like that.
I DO, however, think a very large number of people from NO are like that, just by the sheer number of stories I've read and heard. I think 50% of the population of NO is a safe bet.
I would say it's more like 35%. 50% is a little high. No doubt there are a lot of people like that, but not half. During the hurricane all the MSM showed was poor blacks looting and tearing up the Superdome and Convention Center. They reported many tales of horror that have since been exposed as either lies or gross exaggerations. What they didn't show was thousands of brave people helping others survive, black and white. Why would that surprise anyone. The MSM only shows the bad and sensational news. That will never change. Please don't believe any of what you hear on the national news. I don't want any of your money. I only want you all to open your minds and think about what you are saying.
IMHO anyone that is a Democrat is a traitor and guilty of treason to the USA!!! My heart cries to see "your Democrat" vermin aiding and abetting the enemy in the war on terror. My heart breaks with every family that goes through the heartbreak of losing a son or daughter, or having their loved one maimed for life in defense of our great country and your family, children and loved ones. Every word that comes out of the mouths of the likes of Nanacy Pelosi and John "Jack" Murtha, Democrats, etc. further puts our magnificent fighting forces in mortal danger, as it outrightly encourages the enemy to inflict more damage on the very people that are trying to prevent the "terrorists" from coming here to the USA to rape, abuse, behead and murder innocent Americans and children.
As a sidebar, your "great" Louisiana Governor Ms. Kathleen Blanco (Nineteen percent approval) has just cancelled the February local elections in New Orleans. I guess that mental retard/midget figures the whole NO Democrat political machine would go down the toilet without the NO Democrat riff-raff there to vote to keep the corrupt Democrat vermin in power.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am all for debate and discussion on the war and other political subjects, but not when I see politicians advocating things that are going to put our country and people in harms way for political gain. You Democrats should be ashamed to even be associated with such vermin. JFK, HST and FDR, God rest their wonderful souls, must be turning over in their graves to see where their beloved Democrat Party has sunk to. I suggest you vote for someone like Howard Dean or John Kerry. Then, your rebuilding problems will shortly disappear, and so will you and all your loved ones. You will, in fact, have nothing to worry about!!!
Just one person's opinion!!!
Just a brief one. You ought to come to North Texas and see how the New Orleans legions of Mayor Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco have trashed our hotel rooms and apartments. The proof is in the pudding, and what has left NO is nothing but trash and the low life of society that is looking for something for nothing. Your state needs a "sea change" now!!! The inmates are in charge of the nuthouse, while you good folks stand by and do nothing!!!
I agree with you about the media.
That is why I get all my news from the internet.
One thing is true.
The MSM and/or NO leadership LIED about many things happening at the SD and Convention Center. In the beginning, there were many reports of children being raped and killed, and people dying at the SD. Hell, Jesse Jackson even announced several in NO had now resorted to CANNIBALISM!! That what the point when I KNEW the rumors were totally out of hand.
Even the chief of police and the mayor were on Oprah's show talking about all the deaths at the SD. Then, a few weeks later, the police chief said "No, that didn't happen. There were only 2 deaths by natural causes." Was he lying in the beginning or lying later? Why?
I can't argue with any of that, but I maintain, not nearly all of New Orleanians are like that.Now that all our riff raff are somewhere else, maybe we can get that sea change.
I would think that is obvious. The chief resigned.
CajunConservative,
I have relatives in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, and I spent many years in Lake Charles.
What I have heard from my relatives there is the FEMA response has been excellent, local govt. response was also.
I have a niece in Cameron Parish and we lost contact with her until the communications system was back up. She slept through Rita, can you believe it?
Dang, a conservative in SW Louisiana? Counting my relatives, that makes three in all of Calcasieu Parish:)
They voted to do so.
The "Cat in the Hat" if on the ballot should have been the taker of Louisiana office.
More would have been done in such a case to prevent the concerns that the state holds now.
You ought to read the article that was in the LA Times about how Washington has lost interest in NOLA and Louisiana. Your magnificent, braindead Senator Mary Landrieu has ticked a lot of folks off. And...it's not worth talking about Nagin and Blanco. Both are a total waste and loss of humanity!!! On this very post, many times, I urged the good people of Louisiana to rise up and throw out all the Democrats, but my plea has fallen on deaf ears. Now, as you can see, you have lost Washington, and your riff raff has destroyed any good image around the country you ever had. It is really a shame because I love NOLA and the entire Cajun country. You have been done wrong by the current Black leadership and certainly the corrupt Demopcrat Party!!! I hope you guys wake up to take action before all is lost in this historic, entertaining and necessary city in the USA!!! Good luck!!! I hope for the best. Courage and action is what is needed!!! Get rid of Landrieu, Balnco, Nagin Jefferson and the Congressional Black Caucus, and you'll be amazed at how quickly the city comes back to vibrant life!!! Let them remain is power, and you guys are toast!!!
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