A lot of people (Paul’s latest sparring partner included) have been slamming FEMA’s performance in the wake of hurricane Katrina. It’s true that a lot of people have suffered — and died — in the aftermath. But was FEMA really inept?
The agency handled disasters in much the same timeliness as Katrina last year, and it was regarded as excellent performance. In fact, last summer they helped Florida deal with no less than four hurricanes. With no change in personnel at the top, now it’s being criticized. What has changed since then?
1) The sheer magnitude of the destruction — Katrina did far more damage than the other storms.
2) The utter incompetence of the state and local officials — nearly every disaster plan has a section that says “FEMA and other federal resources will be available within 72 to 96 hours; until that time, it is the responsibility of local and state agencies to manage the crisis.”
3) The patience and comprehension of the American people has been eroded by the instant-gratification mentality, combined with the 24-hour news cycle and competitiveness of the 24-hour news channels.
4) The Left’s determined focus to blame everything they can on Bush, to find the dark cloud attached to every silver lining and attempt to attach it to him.
In all the howling about Bush in the wake of Katrina, one thing I have noticed is not a single coherent, substantive suggestion about what might have been done has emerged.
1) Override Governor Blanco? Little matter of the law and the Constitution. The President can only supplant the authority of a Mayor and Governor if he invokes the Insurrection Act, and that is a HUGE gun — as in “use this only in the direst of circumstances, or expect to be impeached — and even then, expect it.”
2) Get the rescue efforts there faster? Not possible. The hurricane wiped out roads, rails, bridges, docks, and airports. Supplies are HEAVY and BULKY, and I’ve read a few pieces by actual military logistics experts who actually do that sort of thing for a living. They say that the response time was actually exceptionally good.
3) Pre-position rescue personnel and supplies: WHERE? You send that stuff into a disaster area before it becomes a disaster, and you risk it being destroyed by the disaster. And that point all you’ve achieved is creating more victims and throwing away a big chunk of critical supplies. You assemble them OUTSIDE the disaster area, then send them in once it’s passed — which is exactly what happened.
4) Spend more money on flood-prevention programs? They did. But a few facts that don’t often get discussed when the focus is “blame Bush!” For one, that money is disbursed by the government, but actually spent by state and local officials — who put it into improving the locks system (which was actually seeing DECREASING traffic, not increasing), casinos, and other pork-barrel projects, not the levees. For another, the levees that failed were the ones that had been “upgraded;” the “unimproved” ones held just fine. For a third, the levees were designed to withstand a Force 3 storm when they were first built decades ago; Katrina was a strong Force 4 when she hit. Improving them to withstand a hurricane as strong as Katrina is a project that will take years and years just to STUDY and DEVELOP.
5) Improve the evacuation plans? That’s the responsibility of the state and local officials. Last year, with Ivan, they had a “dress rehearsal” for a big storm — and everyone knew it, and called the plans “a complete failure.” In that year, what did they do to improve them? Not a damned thing.
Yeah, the top guys at FEMA might be hacks. They might even have screwed up a few things. But all federal agencies learn to “work around” the political appointees at the very top and still do their jobs — and FEMA is no exception, as shown last summer.
And should “Brownie” be fired? For padding his resume’, yeah, I think he should. And if the guy who recommended him wasn’t already out of government service, I’d say fire that guy, too.
But it is, has been, and always will be the duties of the local and state officials to be the first responders to disasters, and to hold the line as best they can until the federal government can marshal its resources to back them up — and even today, in the best possible circumstances, that can take up to three or four days.
That’s just the way it is, just the way it has to be, under the Constitution, and just the way it ought to be.
I figure you’ve done the mapquest by now…care to respond to staging material at Polk?
Ever been a transit officer for a company road march? (And yes I know where Duke is)…and since you’ve never actually served, I’ll tell you it’s much simpler to travel 3000 miles with 3 kids than to road march 100 miles with a company’s assets.
Nothing from your quote about the funding negates my statement… RECORD funding, just less than asked for. I realize for a spoiled child such as yourself, you may never have been told “No”…but those of us that actually have careers, business’ etc, we often learn to make do with less than what is desired.
As for moving the people of NO to shelters via Bus…they (the locals) apparently failed in that too….
The American people are not stupid
Well, they are waking up. Bush’s support is around 40% now.
Thanks for the personal account Lew. From what you’ve seen, do you think this storm was as damaging as Camille? Like I said, I didn’t live on the GC then but I remember the destruction and death as staggering. I’ve been tempted to think that the news out of Mississippi this time have been better than expected but it could just be that the full magnitude of the damage there has not yet been established.
Tob
“THAT plan is from 2000 and contra to the PigBoy, does not call for using buses to remove people from NO. The buses are to be used to move them to shelters in NO.”
Really? Can you point me to where it says that when such buses are used in a mandatory “Get The Hell Out of Dodge” evacuation they are only to be used for inter-city transportation?
Sorry, but that was the plan they had in effect at the time.
I’ve been tempted to think that the news out of Mississippi this time have been better than expected but it could just be that the full magnitude of the damage there has not yet been established.
Try http://www.wdsu.com
Can you point me to where it says that when such buses are used in a mandatory “Get The Hell Out of Dodge” evacuation they are only to be used for inter-city transportation?
Sure –
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26
ANNEX I: HURRICANES
Approximately 100,000 Citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation. Shelter assessment is an ongoing project of the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Shelter Coordinator.
The following schools have been inspected and approved as Hurricane Evacuation Shelters for the City of New Orleans:
Laurel Elementary School
Walter S. Cohen High School
Medard Nelson Elementary School
Sarah T. Reed High School
Southern University Multi Purpose Center
Southern University New Science Building
O. Perry Walker High School
Albert Wicker Elementary School
gizmo, what he doesn’t want you to read is the rest of the Aug 28th letter, what comes after this ominous sounding introduction, where we find that Blanco is asking for 1) money, and 2) help with debris removal after the storm.
I also didn’t write about Blanco trying to call Bush and being forced to leave a phone message with a flunkie. The flunkie did return her call after a couple of hours.
Thanks for the link Steve J. Biloxi and Gulfport seem to have taken a pounding. Is it worse than Camille though? I’ve been unable to find a current casualty count for this area. Two dead in Mobile and none that I am aware of ‘east of the bay’ means that those areas hardest hit by Ivan and Dennis were spared this time and for that I’m thankful.
Tob
SteveJ, thanks for the poll results on Bush. It’s really gonna have a major impact on his run for the presidency in 2008.
I figure you’ve done the mapquest by now…care to respond to staging material at Polk?
Two Helos guys saved about 100 people in NO. They were stationed in Pensacola.
Now, what state is Pensacola in?
SteveJ, thanks for the poll results on Bush. It’s really gonna have a major impact on his run for the presidency in 2008.
Posted by: DaveD
It’s going to have a major impact in 2006.
Bush, during an inspection tour of the devastated region last Friday, praised Brown, telling him, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
Thanks for the link Steve J. Biloxi and Gulfport seem to have taken a pounding. Is it worse than Camille though?
Dunno. I’m pretty busy keeping track of this criminal administration. I think NOAA has a historical section on hurricanes, maybe you could try that.
I said “only” to be used….
The non-existent plan also details several different types of “hurricane evacuations”. Are you suggesting the course of action should be the same regardless of the threat such as one mainly of wind damage vs. one with a strong likelihood of making the city part of the GoMex?
Also, I don’t see the Superdome on that list. Do you?
Thanks for the link Steve J. Biloxi and Gulfport seem to have taken a pounding.
Yes. It is very sad to see almost nothing standing. I recall one woman saying she used to live 2 blocks from the ocean and now she lives just 1 block.
I did see a pic of a mass being held outside because the church had been destroyed, so there is still hope.
Also, I don’t see the Superdome on that list. Do you?
Posted by: Gizmo
Correct. They were planning for a CAT 3 back in 2000. The listed shelters could not withstand a CAT 4 but the SuperDome could.
“It’s going to have a major impact in 2006.”
Really? His numbers were about this low once before… After the Iraqi prisoner scandal. And six months later he was re-elected. A year is a lifetime in politics. The Dems ain’t going want to look at this too closely either if you want to look at voting records related to the restructing of FEMA, vetting FEMA officials when they ran the Senate, etc.
Jay,
StevJ seems to like to use your bandwidth to post obsolete, already shot down links with timelines that have been killed already. Perhaps you should consider asking him to actually read the Kelly article, the logistics necessary to move large convoys of relief, the prestaging of relief, the actual relief provided from day one.
StevJ thinks that we ought to just throw out the Constitution when it becomes inconvenient to obey the law. Yet he wants to conflate the NRP, Stafford Act, Title 10 and the Constitution when, in fact he knows nothing of the law.
So, he links to all kinds of irrelevent shit, clogs up the debate and becomes an expert on the law because……..he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night!
Either he should become educated with what happened and when or start his own blog and waste his own bandwidth.
Just a suggestion.
Does Steve J. Remind anyone of Joser?
A year is a lifetime in politics.
Quotes live forever. Here’s just one of HUNDREDS:
“Terri Schiavo is not brain-dead; she talks and she laughs, and she expresses happiness and discomfort. … It won’t take a miracle to help Terri Schiavo; it will only take the medical care and therapy that all patients deserve.” TOM DELAY, http://majorityleader.gov/News.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=411
if you want to look at voting records related to the restructing of FEMA, vetting FEMA officials when they ran the Senate, etc.
You get partial credit on this one. Lieberman (D- MBNA) chaired the committee that approved “Brownie.”
Me:
Bus drivers are easy to get. Offer them a hundred buck a day bonus on their regular pay and you’d have plenty, just from the local labor pool.
SteveJ:
“LMFAO – how can you possibly believe that?”
From my friends who are making serious money to drive things into and out of the area right now. I ran into one guy at the store, who was loading up with snacks before he left for Biloxi with a truck full of generators and parts. He’s making about half again as much as he does in his regular driving job.
In other places (the hurricane areas in Florida, for example), they usually use regular school bus drivers and only pay them straight time or overtime (as necessary). This has worked fine for years, and the only time I’ve heard someone claim that it wasn’t possible was when Nagin bleated it out (and idiots echoed it like it was gospel).
Using school buses and drivers was in the New Orleans and Louisiana emergency plans.
And six months later he was re-elected.
By the lowest margin EVER for a sitting President.
EVER.
BTW, seen all that “political capital” around lately?
From my friends who are making serious money to drive things into and out of the area right now.
Do they work for KBR?
President Clinton issued preemptive disaster declarations for Florida and Georgia.
The early declaration “enables state and local governments to get equipment and other things … in place to begin recovery efforts at the earliest possible moment,” oh look it says state and local governments to get equipment in place. not FEMA. Oh look President Bush declares a state of emergency in Louisiana under the authority of the Stafford Act Saturday, August 27. SO how was this different? hmm could be the local and state desided NOT to get there vehicles ready. could it be that in the previous storms under clinton they had more warning on the power of the storms. Could it be that They didn’t expect the levee walls to break.
Could it be that They didn’t expect the levee walls to break.
No. This was another Bush lie.
CNN.com noted that “officials have warned for years that a Category 4 [hurricane] could cause the levees to fail.” The CNN.com article added that in an August 31 interview on CNN’s Larry King Live, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director Michael Brown said, “That Category 4 hurricane caused the same kind of damage that we anticipated. So we planned for it two years ago. Last year, we exercised it. And unfortunately this year, we’re implementing it.”
Henry,
Responding to your points:
I agree…the state and local government did a good job with this…FEMA was uninvolved in the evacuation (which they should be…is anyone arguing that FEMA should have been involved in the evacuation?).
Actually, the worst-case scenario would be if the eye of the storm tracked slightly east of New Orleans (b/c of the storm surge from Lake Ponchartrain). And this is what happened. No dodge.
As for the Red Cross, the state denied the Red Cross access on Thursday, three days after the hurricane hit. And the Red Cross agreed with the decision of the LSDHS.
Even though funding for levee maintenance was cut by the Bush administration, even Clinton or higher levels of funding likely wouldn’t have solved that problem. The levee break can’t be pinned on the Bush administration.
The main point is that FEMA’s response wasn’t quick enough to many places, and it wasn’t big enough for the size of the catastrophe. Here’s an example from the
WWL-TV blog of slow response:
3:14 P.M. (Friday) – St. Bernard Parish officials say that FEMA has not called them yet…five days after the storm.
President Clinton issued preemptive disaster declarations for Florida and Georgia.
The early declaration “enables state and local governments to get equipment and other things … in place to begin recovery efforts at the earliest possible moment,” oh look it says state and local governments to get equipment in place. not FEMA. Oh look President Bush declares a state of emergency in Louisiana under the authority of the Stafford Act Saturday, August 27. SO how was this different? hmm could be the local and state desided NOT to get there vehicles ready instead they called FEMA to do it for them and FEMA sent as many as they couldget ahold of in the time they could. Could it be that in the previous storms under Clinton they had more warning on the power of the storms. Could it be that They didn’t expect the levee walls to break.
which they should be…is anyone arguing that FEMA should have been involved in the evacuation?).
I am.
(Context restored for the dim)
It still took them the best part of two days to get into New Orleans.
Funny, they said 20 minutes.
They left at 6 PM Thursday and got into New Orleans late Saturday. That ain’t 20 minutes.
SteveJ:
They wrote that it took 20 minutes to get from the outskirts of NO to the SuperDome.
So you’re backtracking now and pretending that since they managed to get from the outskirts of town, that’s the same as “getting there” when they started off several hundred miles away…
BTW, do you know WHERE Duke is?
Yes, it’s about the same distance that most of the relief supplies and National Guardsmen had to come from, even with prepositioning (keeping in mind that a huge part of the US was still feeling the effects of the storm during the first two days). Of course, the Duke students didn’t have to waste a day or so clearing roads, or hauling in hundreds of thousands of tons of supplies, or organizing anything, so they had an advantage.
..so when they got into New Orleans, on Saturday after the storm, it was about three days after the first (Federally funded and organized) bus evacuations, along the same route that the Feds had cleared and inspected (bridges wash out during big storms), about a day after the Superdome was cleared of evacuees (who were in several major refugee centers across Texas and Louisiana by teh time the Duke kids arrived), and about the time the Convention Center was being cleared.
The Duke kids are like someone watghing someone else shop, prepare, and serve a huge banquet, and trying to pretend how easy it was because they showed up and handed someone a basket of dinner rolls…
As for the Red Cross, the state denied the Red Cross access on Thursday,
It isn’t clear that it was the state.
Homeland Security won’t let Red Cross deliver food
Saturday, September 03, 2005
By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm
As the National Guard delivered food to the New Orleans convention center yesterday, American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them to do the same.
I had an e-mail exchange with this reporter and she double-checked with the Red Cross. She stands by her story.
More here:
http://radamisto.blogspot.com/2005/09/another-blame-locals-meme-debunked.html
From my friends who are making serious money to drive things into and out of the area right now.
SteveJ:
Do they work for KBR?
The one guy is driving stuff in for Shaw. That’s run by the guy who’s the chariman of the Louisiana Democratic Party, so I can see where you’d be concerned about graft.
Hopefully, KBR and Halliburton will get more of the contracts, so the amount actually used for reconstruction will be higher (as opposed to what’s been the norm in Louisiana for decades).
FEMA sent as many as they couldget ahold of in the time they could.
“Brownie” didn’t start sending anyone until Tuesday and then it was only evaluation teams.
Hopefully, KBR and Halliburton will get more of the contracts
LOL – are you a troll?
KBR spent millions getting $82,100 worth of LPG into IraqBy DAVID IVANOVICH
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3085603
WASHINGTON – Iraq needed fuel. Halliburton Co. was ordered to get it there – quick. So the Houston-based contractor charged the Pentagon $27.5 million to ship $82,100 worth of cooking and heating fuel.“It is illogical that it would cost $27,514,833 to deliver $82,100 in LPG fuel,” officials from the Defense Contract Audit Agency noted in the report.
THIS JUST IN –
“BROWNIE” HAS RESIGNED!!!!!!!!!
SteveJ:
I had an e-mail exchange with this reporter and she double-checked with the Red Cross. She stands by her story.
Well, she’s stupid and incompetent, then, because the Red Cross and the Salvation Army say otherwise.
It’s just a careless and dim reporter who heard “DHS” and thought that the was the Federal DHS, and not the Louisiana DHS (a completely separate agancy).
American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them to do the same. and this has been covered in several several other posts http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html
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.
Llama School:
The levee break can’t be pinned on the Bush administration.
Thanks for at least admitting that, now please get the word out to the rest of the left. They can’t seem to think straight.
CIRBY –
GO TO THE LINK I GAVE YOU AND READ
DAVEK –
I also read that FAQ. That’s why I wrote “It isn’t clear.”
Yeah, it was the Department of Homeland Security. The LOUISIANA Depsrtment of Homeland Security. That selective search engine sure does seem to work in your favor.
News articles published on September 11 by the Knight Ridder news service and the Palm Beach Daily News reported as fact that Louisiana state officials, including Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, blocked the American Red Cross from bringing relief to survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
The Palm Beach Daily News reported: “The workers were told they would not be allowed to set up aid stations because the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security wanted people to leave the battered city, and officials feared that feeding and aid stations would discourage them from leaving.”
In the Sept. 1 portion of a Katrina timeline (registration required) titled “Lessons from the Tragedy,” Knight Ridder reported:
At times, state officials also seemed to stand in the way of relief measures. … The Red Cross begged to be allowed to distribute aid at the convention center, but was apparently blocked by Louisiana officials. National director Marty Evans made a personal plea to Blanco, the governor. But state officials said to wait for better conditions.
http://mediamatters.org/items/200509120001
Steve J. Getting your sources from a reporter is using heresay.
Get your sources from the origin, red cross had stated that it was the STATE homeland security department.
Look at DaveK’s comment a few above mine.
He links to it.
BULLWINKLE-
That may be correct.
It is correct, I used the Media Matters link because they are about far left as it gets. I figured even you would have a hard time disputing it. If you were to try looking for the truth rather than trying to support your opinion you might be shocked at what you find.
“That may, be correct?”… I think what you meant was it IS correct. Still waiting to hear about your thoughts on prepositioning….and I don’t mean helo’s, dumbass…by that token we need not pre-position ANYTHING, because we can fly it in. I’m talking about food, water, clothing etc…the same things you meant until you realized that Ft. Polk is out in the sticks.
What a maroon! heh
Erm, you forgot about the Coast Guard Helicoptors working around the clock to rescue people
oh wait they are military so they don’t count.
Bullshit.
Well Jay, I remember you complaining about Paul’s posts garnering tons more comments than yours.
Looks like you hit the big one. (Most likely due to Steve J. He seems to comment 5 times in a single sitting for each post.)
It’s true that it was Louisiana State DHS. But to be clear, the Red Cross
agreed with the Louisiana DHS decision.
“Mayeaux, appearing at the news conference with Howell, said he had asked the Red Cross to wait 24 hours for conditions to be “set” for the operation.
“To set up a feeding station to feed a large number of people, you need space. You need to escort the personnel into position. … And we asked Mr. Howell, and he concurred, to wait 24 hours to go to set that in,” Mayeaux said.”
Llama School, so then the Red Cross also accepts partial blame to what happened as well. Just stop pinning it on FEMA and Bush.
“THAT plan is from 2000 and contra to the PigBoy, does not call for using buses to remove people from NO. The buses are to be used to move them to shelters in NO.”
Steve J. maybe you should read the plan…
PART 2: EVACUATION
I. GENERAL
The safe evacuation of threatened populations when endangered by a major catastrophic event is one of the principle reasons for developing a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The thorough identification of at-risk populations, transportation and sheltering resources, evacuation routes and potential bottlenecks and choke points, and the establishment of the management team that will coordinate not only the evacuation but which will monitor and direct the sheltering and return of affected populations, are the primary tasks of evacuation planning. Due to the geography of New Orleans and the varying scales of potential disasters and their resulting emergency evacuations, different plans are in place for small-scale evacuations and for citywide relocations of whole populations.
Authority to issue evacuations of elements of the population is vested in the Mayor. By Executive Order, the chief elected official, the Mayor of the City of New Orleans, has the authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane.
Evacuation procedures for special needs persons with either physical or mental handicaps, including registration of disabled persons, is covered in the SOP for Evacuation of Special Needs Persons.
Major population relocations resulting from an approaching hurricane or similar anticipated disaster, caused the City of New Orleans Office of Emergency Preparedness to develop a specific Hurricane Emergency Evacuation Standard Operating Procedures, which are appended to the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
The SOP is developed to provide for an orderly and coordinated evacuation intended to minimize the hazardous effects of flooding, wind, and rain on the residents and visitors in New Orleans. The SOP provides for the evacuation of the public from danger areas and the designations of shelters for evacuees.
II. CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS
The Hurricane Emergency Evacuation Standard Operating Procedure is designed to deal with all case scenarios of an evacuation in response to the approach of a major hurricane towards New Orleans. It is designed to deal with the anticipation of a direct hit from a major hurricane. This includes identifying the city’s present population, its projected population, identification of at-risk populations (those living outside levee protection or in storm-surge areas, floodplains, mobile homes, etc.), in order to understand the evacuation requirements. It includes identifying the transportation network, especially the carrying-capacity of proposed evacuation routes and existing or potential traffic bottlenecks or blockages, caused either by traffic congestion or natural occurrences such as rising waters. Identification of sheltering resources and the establishment of shelters and the training of shelter staff is important, as is the provision for food and other necessities to the sheltered. This preparation function is the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Conduct of an actual evacuation will be the responsibility of the Mayor of New Orleans in coordination with the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and the OEP Shelter Coordinator.
The SOP, in unison with other elements of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, is designed for use in all hazard situations, including citywide evacuations in response to hurricane situations and addresses three elements of emergency response: warning, evacuation, and sheltering.
1. Warning: Formulates a comprehensive system for public information, early recognition of impending storms, and dissemination of emergency warning.
2. Evacuation: Formulates an effective procedure for orderly evacuation of residents and visitors within available warning time.
3. Sheltering: Formulates a comprehensive system of accessible shelters of adequate size.
The SOP is limited as it is not designed to address the protection of personal and real property, yet is developed to cover the total New Orleans geographic area. The timely issuance of evacuation orders critically impacts upon the successful evacuation of all citizens from high-risk areas. In determining the proper time to issue evacuation orders, there is no substitute for human judgement based upon all known circumstances surrounding local conditions and storm characteristics.
Information received from the National Hurricane Center concerning the storm’s tract will allow the focusing on either a landfall, paralleling or exiting storm scenario. Information involving local conditions such as pre-hurricane rainfall, tide schedules, and the amount of pre-storm publicity, must be taken into account, as are the various known circumstances that are explained in the information summary portion of the Hurricane Evacuation Plan, in determining when an evacuation order should be issued. Any assumption regarding where and how the storm will likely make landfall involves clear and constant communication with the National Hurricane Center, the local office of the National Weather Service, State OEP and various local agencies that are monitoring either the storm’s progress or other elements of the city’s preparedness to weather the storm’s passage.
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.
Slow developing weather conditions (primarily hurricane) will create increased readiness culminating in an evacuation order 24 hours (12 daylight hours) prior to predicted landfall. Disabled vehicles and debris will be removed from highways so as not to impede evacuation. In local evacuations involving more than fifty (50) families (i.e. 50 single dwelling units), staging areas may be established at the closest available public area outside the threatened area. Upon arrival at the staging area, evacuees will be directed to the appropriate shelter facility. Evacuees will be encouraged to stay with friends or relatives in non-threatened areas whenever possible. Security measures will be employed to protect the evacuated area(s) in accordance with established procedures and situations.
The use of travel-trailers, campers, motorcycles, bicycles, etc., during the evacuation will be allowed so long as the situation permits it. Public information broadcasts will include any prohibitions on their use. Transportation will be provided to those persons requiring public transportation from the area. (See Special Needs Transportation, ESF-1). An orderly return to the evacuated areas will be provided after the Mayor determines the threat to be terminated. Transportation back to the evacuated area after threat termination will be provided as available.
The entire context of this section of the plan concerns what to do in the event of a Cat 3 hurricane and the need to evacuate the entire city.
The reposnsibility for evacuating the city falls on the mayor.
* The plan says that 72 hrs is needed to completely evac the city. That wasn’t done.
* The plan calls for the use of public transportation to evacuate the needy and indigent. That wasn’t done. You may be closing your eyes about the buses, but they exist. Are you saying that before the hurricane they couldn’t get 500 people to drive those buses? That includes the bus drivers themselves, national guard, police, city workers or volunteers?
* The plan calls for setting up temporary shelters supplied with food, water and other necessities including security for the evacuees. This wasn’t done, see SuperDome.
The responsibility for evacuating the city fell to the mayor. He did not follow his own plan. You can blame FEMA all you want but the simple undeniable fact is that if the mayor had used the 500 buses that were less than two miles from the SuperDome he could have avoided the whole SuperDome crisis all together.
Steve J. “3 kids from Duke managed to get there faster.”
Maybe you should read the things you link to.
“The evacuation was basically complete by the time they arrived, at about 6:30 or 6:45 p.m. What the trio saw there horrified them.
“The only way I can describe this, it was the epicenter,” Buder said. “Inside there were National Guard running around, there was feces, people had urinated, soiled the carpet. There were dead bodies. The smell will never leave me.”
It sounds to me that they didn’t get there faster. It sounds to me that they got there after the fact. Furthermore, they talk about dodging fallen trees and powerlines to get there and having to take detours as they were “turned away by police and National Guard.” Is it possible they were turned away because the route was dangerous?
These guys weren’t pathfinders. They didn’t get into the city before the rest of the relief effort. They didn’t have to move tons of supplies and equipment over washed out roads and bridges or clear downed trees and power lines.
What they did was great and highly commendable.
But what you did was to mislead people about it. You either didn’t read the article or you lied.