Frank Gilliland [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote, in part: > I don't. If people refuse to acknowledge dire circumstances that's > their problem. Much like you refuse to acknowledge that the warnings > did indeed have an effect, as the mass evacuation have proved. The > majority of people who didn't leave simply didn't have the means or > the strength, or had a responsibility to those that remained (hospital > workers, police, fire, etc.). > > The question of the hour is why there was no disaster plan to evacuate > those people. And if the plan was to house them in the dome and other > shelters, why there was no plan to provide for the survivors. Or, if > there -was- a plan, why it didn't work. Those are all questions that > will be answered in the coming months. But clearly something went > terribly wrong, and it -wasn't- because they didn't have enough > warning (additional proof of which you graciously provided above).
No disaster plan to evacuate people who didn't have the means to leave? Take a look at: "http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26";. About halfway down is "PART 2: EVACUATION" and a few paragraphs later is "II. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS". The ninth paragraph under that heading reads: The City of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas. Those evacuated will be directed to temporary sheltering and feeding facilities as needed. When specific routes of progress are required, evacuees will be directed to those routes. Special arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport themselves or who require specific life saving assistance. Additional personnel will be recruited to assist in evacuation procedures as needed. > >Combine this with the state government declaring states of emergencies > >over minor hurricanes and you have a recipe for people staying home. > >This latter cause is due largely to a desire to get federal funding. > >Declaring the SoE is *primarily* about federal funds. > > > What a load of horse-hooey! When Blanco made the request for a federal > emergency declaration she only asked for $9 million and the use of > some federal resources. And, she is right in there blaming Bush for not acting more promptly while not giving Bush the authority to act and thereby becoming the bottleneck in getting aid in there. Yes, you are correct that she DID issue an emergency declaration. However, that apparently did not allow sufficient leeway for Bush to move in some of the ways that he needed to. For instance, I happen to know that a governor has to agree to allow NG troops from other states to operate in their state. Also, similar permission is required for active-duty troops to operate in a state. I still don't know exactly what Bush was wanting from Blanco, but she apparently (yes, the info is 3rd-hand) wanted up to 24 hours to make her decision--whether she took that long I still don't know. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/5/234033.shtml I also went and read the state and federal disaster declarations you pointed to. http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html They specifically authorized FEMA and some welfare agencies to do stuff. (Department of Social Services, Department of Health and Hospitals, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness--but only specifically for providing generators and support staff.) The state declaration is an embarrassment. It looks like a template document where someone didn't entirely replace the "hints" from the template with the relevant facts. There is: (a) List any reasons State and local government cannot perform or contract for performance, (if applicable). (b) Specify the type of assistance requested. Lack of proofreading aside, is there anything in there that would allow a Nationalized Guard unit to operate in the State of Louisiana? No. Is there anything in there that would allow a Guard unit from another state to operate in LA? No. Is there anything in there that would allow active-duty military to operate in Louisiana (other than the arrangements for the normal operations on or between in-state military bases that are in effect during normal times)? No. Is there anything in there that would allow for unified command and control? No. It was a pro-forma emergency declaration to get some extra welfare agency money into the state for the "pore an' starvin'", and when the fecal matter hit the circular ventilation device, she wasn't willing to open things up any more. Limbaugh's show today, included a clip of her excusing herself because Bush had "presented something so complicated that I needed more time to think about it." While the details (no emergency decree) may not have been entirely correct, the main thrust of the story is emerging as correct: Gov. Blanco was the bottleneck in aid getting to the people who needed it. Whether that was due to incompetence, lack of trust of someone from another party, or outright evil intentions remains to be seen. Lowell C. Savage It's the freedom, stupid! Gun control: tyrants' tool, fools' folly. _______________________________________________ Libnw mailing list Libnw@immosys.com List info and subscriber options: http://immosys.com/mailman/listinfo/libnw Archives: http://immosys.com/mailman//pipermail/libnw
