Good morning, Frank...
Frank Gilliland wrote:
> The government had known for -DECADES- just how much damage such a
> hurricane would cause if it hit the area. Katrina was a -CAT 5- for at
> least two days -BEFORE- it hit land. New Orleans was in it's projected
> path ever since it passed over Florida. Bush had -MORE- than enough
> time to prepare for the worst case scenario, and he -KNEW- what that
> scenario might be.
I totally concur. I would also add to that list, that the Governors and
emergency-preparedness teams, including FEMA, HAD knowledge of the scope
of the disaster long before Katrina even was a low pressure center. The
studies of what would happen in the scenario of a CAT-5 hurricane coming
ashore in the low-lying New Orleans area had been there for several
decades, but nobody in government reads technical reports these days, it
seems.
> Bush could have had troops and aid ready to respond as soon as the
> wind stopped. Even as the situation deteriorated after the storm, he
> had, and -STILL- has, plenty of resources at his disposal. There are
> at least six undamaged military bases within flight range of the CH-53
> and CH-46 helicoptors, and CH-53E's can be refueled in flight. So
> RIGHT NOW there could be a whole -ARMADA- of choppers dropping
> supplies and troops and evacuating the people. Camp Lejeune has
> hundreds of amtraks (amphipious vehicles) that the Navy could ship to
> the coast within 2-3 days, so right now there could be plenty of help
> -ON THE GROUND-. He could put a price freeze on the price of gas and
> diesel, or at least make a strong declaration against price gouging
> and other corporate looting. Since the disaster area covers more than
> one state he could declare martial law and secure the area. All these
> things have been done by presidents in the past for other disasters.
> Bush has done none of these things.
The lack of leadership and preparedness is what totally drives me nuts
right now about Bush and Chertok. As far as I can tell, the only real
signs of leadership are being shown by a the Bird Colonel who has taken
charge of providing food and water for the survivors.
What if this would have been a real terrorist attack? It is a question
that several news media sources are asking, and although I am tempted to
dally there, this disaster *should* have been well-identified LONG before
Katrina made landfall.
> So what -is- he doing? Well, he's raking in some pretty good profits
> from the higher oil prices. And he's begging the public for donations.
> Meanwhile, Congress is moving on an aid package that amounts to the
> money that is spent on Iraq for an entire week, and Koffi has pledged
Actually, Congress passed the aid package, but without all the facts being
present, I seriously doubt if the amount of money in the government
package is truly enough. Using a computer program written half a decade
ago to generate damage estimates, and just what I have learned from the
media in terms of the impact area(s) involved, the actual cost of
rebuilding the civic infrastructure (power, pumps, broad-spectrum
communications and water systems) could easily exceed the amount of money
allocated by Congress. That leaves little or nothing to help the
approximate 60% of low-income families rebuild homes that were not covered
by flood insurance, not to mention other infrastructure and buildings that
were not likewise insured against flooding.
Ultimately, factored into the costs of the disaster, someone somewhere is
going to factor in the costs of overtime by police and fire personnel,
most of whom (not all) have or will have worked nonstop for months. Do the
bean-counters actually include those administrative costs in a time of
disaster? I haven't been able to find anyone to authoritatively answer
that question, but if so, it would also drive the cost of recovery
maddeningly upward.
> to offer international aid (what a disgrace). And now Bush wants to
> land there, tying up desperately needed resources for his visit, and
> make another glory-speech on a pile of rubble.
I have to see both sides of the arranged-for-TV meeting yesterday morning.
On one hand I view it as a chance to wave the flag for compassionate
conservatism, with a well-timed appearance by two disaster victims, of
course accompanied by the Governors, Mayors and dignitaries of the
impacted area. As such, it was a waste of resources. On the other hand, it
was the first time Bush actually saw things first-hand, and I would
imagine that might touch even a hard-nosed Texas bureaucrat.
> Bush is an idiot.
No contest.
Dave
--
Dave Laird ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
The Used Kharma Lot / The Phoenix Project
An automatic & random thought For the Minute:
My idea of roughing it is when room service is late.
_______________________________________________
Libnw mailing list
Libnw@immosys.com
List info and subscriber options: http://immosys.com/mailman/listinfo/libnw
Archives: http://immosys.com/mailman//pipermail/libnw
