Right-Wing Myths About Katrina, Debunked
Right-Wing Myths About Katrina, Debunked
There are a lot of right-wing myths about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. ThinkProgress has created this guide to help you set the record straight.
CLAIM — STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE MOSTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FAILURES: “White House Shifts Blame to State and Local Officials” [Washington Post, 9/4/05]
FACT – BUSH PUT FEMA IN CHARGE OF EFFORT BEFORE KATRINA STRUCK: “Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.†[White House, 8/27/05]
FACT — FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ABLE TO ACT WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM STATES: The Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Chertoff activated the National Response Plan last Tuesday by declaring the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina an ‘Incident of National Significance.’ The plan, which was rolled out to much fanfare in January, essentially enables Washington to move federal assets to the disaster without waiting for requests from state officials.†[Wall Street Journal, 9/13/05]
CLAIM — NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED BREACHED LEVEES: On ABC’s Good Morning America, Bush said, “I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees.†[Good Morning America, 9/1/05]
FACT — LEVEE BREACH PREDICTED REPEATEDLY: Responding to Bush’s comments on Meet the Press, Dr. Ivor Van Heerden of the LSU Hurricane Center “I didn’t buy that because, you know, we had discussed on numerous occasions that a worst-case scenario would be if we had one of these major hurricanes and then we lost the levee systems.” A White House advisor sat in on the “Hurricane Pam Exercise,†a computer simulation of the possible effects of a Category 3 hurricane on New Orleans. The exercise found that “…a storm like Hurricane Pam would: cause flooding that would leave 300,000 people trapped in New Orleans, many of whom would not have private transportation for evacuation.†[Meet the Press, 9/11/05]
CLAIM — GOV. BLANCO DELAYED STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION: In a Sept. 4 Washington Post article, which was corrected hours later, an anonymous Bush administration source claimed Governor Blanco had not yet declared a state of emergency in Louisiana. The Post reported, “As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.†[Washington Post, 9/4/05]
FACT — GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA ON AUGUST 26: Three days prior to when Katrina made landfall. [Office of the Governor, 8/26/05]
CLAIM — GOVERNORS WANTED FEMA TO BE WEAK: Brit Hume: “FEMA, first of all, is not a first responder. FEMA is basically a tiny little agency that has been kept weak. And you know why it’s been kept weak? The governors want it that way.†[Fox News Sunday, 9/11/05]
FACT — STATE OFFICIAL COMPLAINED ABOUT WEAKENING OF FEMA UNDER BUSH: “State and local disaster-relief officials have been complaining about the lack of federal involvement in emergency response for some time. Trina Sheets, the executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, which represents local emergency personnel, told Salon that “since the Department of Homeland Security was established there has been a steady degradation of the capabilities.†[Salon, 9/7/05]
CLAIM — RESIDENTS WHO REMAINED IN NEW ORLEANS ARE TO BLAME FOR NOT EVACUATING: Sen. Rick Santorum said, “I mean, you have people who don’t heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.†[Associated Press, 9/6/05]
FACT — MOST RESIDENTS WHO REMAINED COULDN’T AFFORD TO LEAVE: New York Times: “The victims, they note, were largely black and poor, those who toiled in the background of the tourist havens, living in tumbledown neighborhoods that were long known to be vulnerable to disaster if the levees failed. Without so much as a car or bus fare to escape ahead of time, they found themselves left behind by a failure to plan for their rescue should the dreaded day ever arrive.†[New York Times, 9/2/05]
CLAIM — BUSH “STRUCK THE RIGHT BALANCE†BETWEEN HIRING POLITICAL CRONIES AND EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS: Vice President Cheney said Bush had “struck the right balance between political appointees and career professionals to oversee the relief efforts.†[AP, 9/8/05]
FACT — MOST TOP FEMA OFFICIALS WERE POLITICAL HACKS: “Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters.” [Washington Post, 9/9/05]
CLAIM — MAYOR NAGIN LEFT 2,000 SCHOOL BUSES BEHIND IN THE FLOOD: Sean Hannity said, “You would have thought that the 2,000 buses, school buses, that sat in the yards would have been used to help those people that were incapable of getting out on their own, but none of that had happened locally.†[Hannity and Colmes, 9/6/05]
FACT — NEW ORLEANS HAD LESS THAN 300 WORKING SCHOOL BUSES: “The [Orleans Parish school] district owns 324 buses but 70 are broken down.” [New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/5/05]
CLAIM: LOCAL OFFICIALS DESERVE BLAME FOR LACK OF EVACUATION BUSES : Rick Santorum claimed, “Many didn’t have cars … And that really was a failure on the part of local officials in not making transportation available to get people out.†[Times Leader, 9/6/05]
FACT: LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD REQUESTED 700 BUSES FROM FEMA FOR EVACUATIONS, FEMA ONLY SENT 100: The Boston Globe reported, “On Sunday, the day before the storm, the Louisiana National Guard asked FEMA for 700 buses to evacuate people. It received only 100.†[Boston Globe, 9/11/05]
CLAIM — MILITARY NOT STRETCHED THIN BY IRAQ: President Bush said, “We’ve got plenty of troops to do both. Let me just — let me just talk about that again. I’ve answered this question before, and you can speak to General Honore if you care to. He’s the military man on the ground. It is preposterous to claim that the engagement in Iraq meant there wasn’t enough troops here, just pure and simple.” [White House, 9/12/05]
FACT — MILITARY LEADERS SAY IRAQ HAMPERED THEIR EFFORTS AFTER KATRINA: National Guard Chief Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said, “Had that (Mississippi and Louisiana) brigade been at home and not in Iraq, their expertise and capabilities could have been brought to bear.†The Washington Post reported “In Louisiana and Mississippi, civilian and military leaders said the response to the hurricane was delayed by the absence of the Mississippi National Guard’s 155th Infantry Brigade and Louisiana’s 256th Infantry Brigade, each with thousands of troops in Iraq.†[AP, 9/10/05, Washington Post, 9/10/05]
CLAIM: NEWSPAPERS REPORTED NEW ORLEANS HAD BEEN SPARED SIGNIFICANT HURRICANE DAMAGE: Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said, “I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, ‘New Orleans Dodged The Bullet.’” [Meet the Press, 9/4/05]
FACT: HEADLINES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ANNOUNCED “CATASTROPHIC†DAMAGE TO NEW ORLEANS: The Tuesday, August 30th edition of the Times-Picayune led with a banner headline reading, “CATASTROPHIC: Storm Surge Swamps 9th Ward, St. Bernard; Lakeview Levee Breach Threatens to Inundate City.” Dozens of other major newspapers led with headlines describing Katrina’s horrifying aftermath. [Times-Picayune, 8/30/05; Newseum via Wonkette]
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Excellent work, as always.
September 13th, 2005 at 1:31 pmYes, excellent work folks.
Now, please start on what comes next. The GOP will be pushing the “see federal government does not work, so let’s reform and give more power to the private sector”. It is coming and we need to start hitting them before this slime gels into a solid.
September 13th, 2005 at 1:35 pmDude! That is a sweet list of claims vs facts. This is excellent work.
September 13th, 2005 at 1:37 pmGreat work!
Add to the list…
CLAIM: There will come a time to look at what went wrong, but now is the time for relief efforts..
FACT: Didn’t the president say he can do 2 things at once? Also, how do you know we have “all the time in the world” ? A tropical storm in the next month could throw NOLA into an even worse state than it was 2 weeks ago…
September 13th, 2005 at 1:42 pmmis-spoke
September 13th, 2005 at 1:52 pmwhat I ment was..
nobody told me, all means:
lies lie and more lies
Now its “damage control”:..lies to cover up lies.
Yep! Now what do we do.? I have been watching all the Bush junk since Jan. 2000, turned many people in to watchers and responders like myself. Have sent thousands of letters on all important issues to my rep’s and friends. C-Span and Cnn have covered all the votes on the house and senate floors etc; to date very little has been won for civil rights, social programs and enviromental issues. One poster on a diffrent site said we should recall. What ever your answers are here we need to get together and do something now. Our people and the Iraq people are dieing as we write. There is not now, nor ever been anything good coming out of this dreadful administration..Blessings
September 13th, 2005 at 2:03 pmStuff You Should Read
Clip and save.
September 13th, 2005 at 2:16 pmNice work, TP!
September 13th, 2005 at 2:19 pm#2 Citizen, in my opinion, is absolutely right. Look for them to use this as a weapon to further privatize government agencies and their responsibilities.
#6 SC also makes a point. We have all done much in the way of writing letters to congress, newspapers, and news agencies; we have marched, and otherwise demonstrated. We have gotten nowhere. We must redouble our efforts to bring our country back from the brink of fascism, so embraced, yet heartily denied, by this administration.
I also agree with #6 and #8. As for me, at least, on September 24th, I can vent my anger just a little bit more as I march on the White House. But I definitely feel that something has to be done to protect this country from this evil, arrogant, noncompassionate, selfish, unintelligent and antiintellectual administration.
September 13th, 2005 at 2:48 pmExcellent work, and with the timeline, invaluable.
One note: I blogged about this earlier today (http://suspect-device.blogspot.com/): The New Orleans levees didn’t breach. Levees are enormous earthen berms fifty feet wide at the bottom. What broke were canal floodwalls, besically concrete slabs maybe a foot thick. Why is this important? Because it helps shoot down another right-wing canard: that there’s no federal responsibility for the levees. The story goes that the NOLA levee district, which is responsible for the levees, got million of dollars and squandered it (which may be true; they’re pretty bad).
But the canals are a joint responsibility of the city and the Army Corps of Engineers — so there is fed responsibility, and FEMA budget cuts did indeed impact the repair of what everyone inaccurately calls “levees”.
September 13th, 2005 at 2:50 pmSee you on the 24th, Lisa.
September 13th, 2005 at 3:05 pm#2, yesterday I read an article at the foxnews site of all places where it read that republicans are starting to distance themselves from Bushco on the war. They are worried about 06.
Keep up the pressure. Let all members of the house and Senate know that they will be jobless if they do not start impeachment hearings immediately.
September 13th, 2005 at 3:08 pmBush says he takes responsibility for slow hurricane response
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-09/13/content_3486690.htm
September 13th, 2005 at 3:17 pmO.k., the responsibility is on you junior.
September 13th, 2005 at 3:41 pmNow man-up and resign.
In a short statement on Tuesday, George W. Bush completely undermined the entire premise for his second term as President.
Saying that “I take responsibility” for his administration’s disastrous response to hurricane Katrina, President Bush unwittingly demolished his national security credentials. The same man who campaigned for reelection in 2004 as the guarantor of Americans’ safety at home and abroad admitted his impotence…
For the full story, see:
“George Bush, Security Risk.”
September 13th, 2005 at 4:16 pmNote that in the Executive Order, Orleans Parish, among the other hard-hit parishes (the Louisiana equivalent of counties) were not mentioned.
Bob Harris has a map here:
http://www.bobharris.com/content/view/637/1/
No, I don’t know why either.
September 13th, 2005 at 4:23 pmThank you. This was needed. Some will never be convinced, however.
September 13th, 2005 at 4:47 pmNote that in the Executive Order, Orleans Parish, among the other hard-hit parishes (the Louisiana equivalent of counties) were not mentioned.
Bob Harris has a map here:
http://www.bobharris.com/content/view/637/1/
No, I don’t know why either.
Yes, that has been noticed before… Like they wanted this to happen.
Think tourist dollars and a land grab.
September 13th, 2005 at 4:49 pmFantastic compilation job!I love your site…you are now at the top of my favorite list…thank you! A few other notes….curious how quietly over $100 million contracts handed out Friday Sept 10th to…yup, you guessed it…Haliburton related companies (see USA Today, Sept 10th, Firms with Bush – Cheney Ties clinch Katrina Contracts).
September 13th, 2005 at 4:59 pmAlso, one cannot help but wonder exactly what transpired between the Mayor and Bush in back of Air Force One. Ever since that fateful discussion, it seems Mayor Nagrin has been on attack mode towards Gov. Blanco in concert with the Bush administration. He seems to be very comlimentary towards Bush, the individual, in his TV interviews while still reserved regarding criticism for FEMA…yet full of ever-growing vehmenence towards fellow Dem Blanco. As a Texas Demo, I just find it odd. Many of us here in Tx., that have been wronged for far less by Dubya, have never found it as easy as the good Mayor to be so forgivin’ towards the lowdown snake…
“I take responsibility…” This is a KKKarl Rove spin to gain back points in the polls and make der leader look as though he is on top of issues and in charge. Wait, they don’t pay attention to the polls. Good luck.
September 13th, 2005 at 5:03 pmLisa – We LOVE Texas democrats and it’s GREAT to have you aboard!! And, I agree Nagin is a bit to consiliatory to Bush – he deserves JACK.
GO TEAM CONSCIENCE
September 13th, 2005 at 6:02 pmThis is excellent work, thank you.
However, do you mind if I ask an impertinent question?
Hasn’t this kind of analysis been carried out by anyone who is identified as “neutral”?
(I’m asking because some of my readers may discount this because of the source. I’ll still link to you…)
Let me know, thanks.
September 13th, 2005 at 6:07 pm[...] Think Progress » Right-Wing Myths About Katrina, Debunked There are a lot of right-wing myths about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. ThinkProgress has created this guide to help you set the record straight. [...]
September 13th, 2005 at 6:37 pmTwo quick things…
1) There actually WERE headlines that read New Orleans dodged a bullet, but they were two very small papers. The Grenada Star, and World Net Daily. Even so, if these are the only two papers our officials are reading for news – we need to fire them.
2) Just a question. With 254 working school busses of their own, and 100 more delievered by FEMA, why didn’t they use that total of 354 school buses to get people out? Or did they? I heard an intreview with the Mayor who claimed they didn’t have any drivers. Perhaps there is evedence of that out there somwhere.
September 13th, 2005 at 7:11 pmClips and comments on Katrina (9-12)
With the glut of texts about hurricane Katrina and its (mis)management, I’d add the following sources and items to my interim analysis: Katrina related oil spills. Tim Haab relays that the oil spills into the Mississipppi are about 3.7M gallons. About…
September 13th, 2005 at 7:11 pmThanks for posting this compilation. I have a couple of neocon e-mail correspondents I want to piss off with the facts.
September 13th, 2005 at 7:43 pmCan’t get trackback to work, it seems. Instead, let me just say that I’ve linked to this excellent post as part of my ongoing analysis, which mainly deals with environmental aspects. Thanks.
http://kaspit.typepad.com/weblog/2005/09/clips_and_comme.html
Also, you should see my link there of all the FEMA waivers etc on regulations, incl safety regs.
September 13th, 2005 at 8:00 pm#22 Might any of them have been among those turned back by armed guards from the highway.
September 13th, 2005 at 8:06 pmFacts vs Claims about the Kat debacle.
September 13th, 2005 at 8:07 pm“Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters.â€
I disagree! All of them were handlers in the biggest disaster in the last 100 years – Bush’s election.
September 13th, 2005 at 9:30 pmI am troubled by Marty Evans (CEO of the Red Cross) claiming, now, that Blanco did not allow the Red Cross entry into NO at the beginning. Both Blance and the Red Cross said at first that it was a security issue – now Evans says that Blanco said we will starve those people out. Media Matters addressed the point – but it was a WAY weak rebuttal, amounting to little more than Evans and the Red Cross changed their story.
Are there any facts out there? Records of conversations, independent corroboration, anything?
Jake
September 13th, 2005 at 9:41 pmWho started all these lies, and who propogated them? I know the MSM propogated them FOR the liars! That is what the MSM has become: a megaphone for the liars! The MSM just simply allows liars to say lies on their channels, without response or saying that they’re lying. Or, they simply should not let on people who are lying.
September 13th, 2005 at 9:43 pmThe buses….
http://mediamatters.org/items/200509120005
September 13th, 2005 at 9:55 pmI guess if you STOPPED reading when you reached the word “spared” you could claim that everybody was reporting that “New Orleans was spared.”
“spared a direct hit”
September 13th, 2005 at 10:01 pm“spared New Orleans the worst”
“spared even greater devastation”
“spared the expected total devastation”
“spared the brunt”
“spared the city the worst”
“spared the storm’s full fury”
Picking on the Sean Hannity quote about 2,000 buses misses the larger point: by several photos that have been published and by other published accounts, we know that the City had about 250 school buses available two days before Katrina hit.
250 x 50 passengers per trip x 1 or 2 trips each = a lot of people moved out before the hurricane.
If the issue was trained drivers, that’s when you call the National Guard — they have lots of people who know how to drive heavy vehicles. Mayor Nagin picks up the phone to Gov. Blanco (who after all is the commander of the Guard), who then makes it happen.
Add the 100 buses that FEMA was able to send, and you’ve got the change to move 15,000 people per trip. Make sure that the contraflow lanes out of town have a priority for buses, and you might move up to 50,000 people in two days. The Superdome then isn’t a last-minute holding pen, but a last-minute rallying point to get out of town.
By focusing on the Hannity quote, you try to saw down one tree but miss the forest. The city and state failed to activate their plan to move people out of the city using available transit. That’s the issue.
September 13th, 2005 at 10:12 pmAnd another thing: picking on FEMA because they didn’t deliver 700 buses on command misses a key point: FEMA delivered 100 buses more than Mayor Nagin did.
September 13th, 2005 at 10:14 pmFor one, I really love how you use (in many cases) politically biased media reports as your source for your “facts”! Nice try trying to pass off opinions as absolute fact. Bottom line is there is plenty of blame to go around and to suggest that the Democrat Mayor and Governor are wholly blameless is a crock. I wish they would stand up and accept responsibility for their failings, as President Bush did for the failings of the Federal Government. But it will never happen as there is no honor among theives.
September 13th, 2005 at 10:18 pm[...] Yes. Any Cuban is better educated, better read and better informed than most Americans. This does not surprise me. This is the same Dr. Nelson Valdes who told us how the Cubans deal with hurricanes: If you guessed better than Americans, you’d be right. Right-Wing Myths About Katrina, Debunked [...]
September 13th, 2005 at 10:54 pmOkay, there were “just” about 250 working school busses, and about 350 transit buses. Assume 100 of the transit buses don’t work, and call it 500 working buses total, instead of 2,000.
So? The “right-wing” critique still stands.
At 50 passengers per bus average, and only one trip per bus, 25,000 more people are evacuated in advance. Resources in the city that survive Katrina hitting go about 25% further. And there are now 500 more working buses within a day’s drive of New Orleans on Monday, instead of under water, which can be immediately used to do post-Katrina evacuations.
The conclusion is simple. Tens of thousands of people suffered more and suffered longer because local officials did not folow their own local emergency plans and use the buses they already had to evacuate people.
September 13th, 2005 at 11:35 pmLook I’d like to see BushCO taken down a notch as well, but this ‘debunking’ is pretty weak. You’re basically making a bunch of ’straw man’ arguments and misrepresenting, or selectively promoting, quotes and citations – since when is Sean Hannity an authority on anything! This sort of tendentious criticism discredits valid critical analysis and makes us look like opportunists. As a long time reader I’d suggest pulling this post and taking the time to develop a solid critique.
September 14th, 2005 at 12:00 amPaul, darlin’…far be it from lil’ole me to criticize, but the facts are facts. Your President Bush failed miserably at performing his administrative duties when called upon in the wake of the worst disaster in modern history.I do not see one post here suggesting local and state government officials are blameless. What I do see is a sizable number of verifiable wire reports that contradict White House claims designed to re-write the history of Katrina events. What I also see is the logical conclusion that the rest of humanity recognize…the federal government, by design, always bears the greater load of responsibility in such matters – for better or worse.
September 14th, 2005 at 12:06 amTragically, in this case, Bush’s federal govt made Katrina’s event far worse than any other entities involved.The magnitude and catastrophic consequences of his actions and non-actions are unparalled.
Paul darlin’…live and be well in DeNial-ville and simply dismiss this all as merely ‘opinion’ if you wish. In retrospect, history will recall these ‘politically biased media reports’ as heartbreakin’ fact when all is said and done.
Dude, your debunking just got seriously debunked:
http://billhobbs.com/hobbsonline/007288.html
Ouch.
September 14th, 2005 at 12:43 amAh! Soo good to see so many people responding to the one thing I really had questions on. My brain will have a feeding frenzy tomorrow (I’m sleeepy right now).
And #39, whats with the sufboard talk “DUDE… your debunking just got SERIOUSLY debunked!” Are you a pot head? Be honest.
Thank you for providing the link however, since all the replies are apparently debunking the debunking of ThinkProgress’ debunking (say THAT three times fast!)
September 14th, 2005 at 1:31 am#35: “I wish they would stand up and accept responsibility for their failings…”
*************************************
The Mayor did.. on the Dateline episode last week regarding the hurricane.
Nice list TP … thanks for compiling it for the rest of us.
September 14th, 2005 at 2:03 amSteve, compare the Bush pre-landfall executive order in response to Gov. Blanco’s official request for FEMA assistance to the other Bush pre-landfall executive orders for Alabama and Mississippi. Why do these two e.o.’s direct FEMA response to the counties in AL and MS that are expected to be hardest hit, while the Louisiana e.o. lists the parishes expected to have minimal damage?
Also, at the bottom of each executive order is the name of someone at FEMA who was assigned the task of coordinating FEMA’s response prior to landfall and afterward. William Lokey, a career FEMA employee, was dispatched to Baton Rouge to set up an in-state FEMA Command Post. He is quoted in a newspaper article as saying he did the best with what he had and that he had difficulty finding out what was happening in New Orleans because of communication breakdowns. Also, the article stated that he would order things to be delivered, but either they’d go undelivered or end up going somewhere else.
That last statement got me wondering. Who overruled the FEMA commander in charge of FEMA’s disaster response in Louisiana and redirected supplies and personnel elsewhere? I really doubt it was the governor or the mayor. Look at the Bush executive order again. It had to be someone at the Department of Homeland Scariness (DHS)…or is that Department of Homeland Screwed-up-ness? But I also doubt it was poor Michael Brown. Someone else at DHS, probably placed there by the DHS head, Chertoff, was immediately over the three FEMA commanders on the ground in LA, MS and AL.
In other words, the first thing we must discover is the actual chain of command. The three FEMA coordinators, starting with Mr. Lokey, should be asked who at the DHS contradicted their orders from their command post. Hey, maybe this was what Cheney was doing while he was missing in action during Hurricane Katrina. Maybe he was patched into DHS and FEMA and doing what he does best…screw things up. Or maybe it was Rumsfeld…seeing as how his game-plan for Iraq has been such a success.
Anyway, someone at DHS or higher-up was interfering with the work of the FEMA disaster coordinators. Once we find out who this was, we will have a fuller picture of who in the Bush White House bears ultimate responsibility.
September 14th, 2005 at 3:03 amI started reading this post with interest, but when I got to Hannity’s claim about the busses, I felt compelled to click on your link that disputed that one. The date you use for the link is the day before the one you use to link Hannity’s comment. But if you look at the link, it’s two years old.
I’m certainly not saying Hannity was right. But your credibility is in question when you dispute his claim with two-year-old news of 70 broken down busses. Shame on you.
September 14th, 2005 at 6:10 am>
–For worse…because when we don’t hold local officials accountable, we get bad government.
Mario Cuomo and David Dinkins made a career out of blaming the Feds (i.e., Reagan and Bush) for their problems. In contrast, Bill Clinton focused on running his state and working with the Feds whenever possible. We all know the result. Bill Clinton became President. Mario Cuomo and David Dinkins were booted from office when it became clear they couldn’t govern even with a Democrat in the White House.
September 14th, 2005 at 10:27 amOkay, you’ve seen one side. Go to http://billhobbs.com/hobbsonline/007288.html to see this debunking debunked.
September 14th, 2005 at 10:40 amYou need more than buses to evacuate an entire city. You need places to bring people. The mayor of New Orleans is in charge of his city — and the entire city was staring down the teeth of a Category 5 Hurricane. It wasn’t like he could bring people up to a campground above sea level and wait this thing out in tents. And hurricanes can do plenty of damage inland (even Shreveport, which is as far away from NO as you can get and still be in Louisiana, suffered severe hurricane damage in the 1980’s).
What Nagin did do on Sunday was use city buses to bring people to designated shelters all around the city, including the Superdome (as well as several schools). Was it enough? Probably not. But you can argue all you want about whether the evacuation could have been better (you will never have 100 percent evacuation — the models predicted about 65 percent, and NO managed 80). It doesn’t change the fact that the federal response to the crisis was a national joke.
September 14th, 2005 at 11:01 amIt’s amazing the lengths that Bush apologists will go to to protect their pretend president.
How many times does Bush have to LIE directly to your face before you finally get it?
Bush is a liar and a thief and only interested in raiding the federal treasury for his friends.
But go ahead and keep protecting him because we all know that the cheerleader from Connecticut pretending to be a cowboy from Texas is not man enough to protect himself.
September 14th, 2005 at 11:25 am[...] For a debunking of several Republican talking points trying to shift blame for the disaster response, check here. [...]
September 14th, 2005 at 11:49 amBush will ruin this country yet. Under his watch, we’ve had, for example, 9-11 (now known to have been predictable and avoidable), the Patriot Act, no capture of Osama bin Laden, a stagnant stock market & economy, skyrocketing fuel prices & and record profits for the oil companies, phoney and hypocritical excuses for the Iraqi Oil War, a completely mismanaged Iraqi Oil War, Haliburton (i.e., Cheney)war-profiteering, US torture of so-called “enemy combatants”, use of illegal gas warfare against so-called enemy combatants, greatly increased international terrorism, and now the New Orleans disaster. This disaster in New Orleans was predicted by hundreds of experts and countless others, many of whom warned the White House and federal agencies. The disaster even was accurately predicted in a fictional senario published in National Geographic magazine’s October 2004 issue. Bush chose to focus on stealing Middle East oil reserves, rather than protecting this country’s peoples and infrastructure. How will he pay for this $300+ Billion dollar New Orleans disaster plus the Iraqi Oil War! Well, Bush has already lined-up his corporate friends to profit from this disaster by awarding them, including Haliburton, no-bid exclusive reconstruction contracts for New Orleans! We really must vote all of Bush’s cronies and supporters out of office, and ASAP. This is the only message they’ll understand.
September 14th, 2005 at 1:13 pmo.k. It is too much trouble for neocons to hit a key in order to read your backup links – so I’ll post one fact proof for them, they probably won’t read it either as they are ROVE PR or totally, permanently, and disastrously “stoopid” (not unlike their “fearful” leaders: (read on, (if you can comprehend!))
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html
Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.
The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
Representing FEMA, Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named William Lokey as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.
September 14th, 2005 at 2:45 pmI am new to this USA. I come from Uganda and am happy to life here. I read with grate intrest your sayings and think how can people have so much hate for this President of the USA? To me this man is a very good man. This USA is a grate place. Come to my Uganda and see how we live. Many people here must not know how good it is here and how bad it is many other places. My friend says that this is perspective. He says I have good perspective because I was not born here and know how bad it is in other place. It looks like to me that many people have hate. Is this because they have lost their political place in the USA government? How can you be so full of hate when you have it so good? I will not understand.
September 14th, 2005 at 2:46 pm[...] There are a lot of right-wing myths about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. ThinkProgress has created this guide to help you set the record straight. [...]
September 14th, 2005 at 2:53 pm#51. Borda. We are sorry about your country’s circumstances. Read #50 and you will read directly from the White House press release. You will see we were lied to by our administration. Right now Bush is in Israel doing photos with their leader. We love our country not a political party, and we do not want our country to become like Uganda. If it does, you WILL understand. Are you a citizen of the USA yet?
September 14th, 2005 at 2:58 pmCoreesa. Thank you. I do not understand what lie you are saying happened. In my country many more people would have to die in this disaster. In USA many people for days much to help people and save people that are not a friend. USA government brings military and food and water and saves many many people. USA government spends many money to help. But people still mad. People say government is bad and lies and only give money to themselves and friend. People say USA president not like black peoples. I am black people. I do not think USA president not like black peoples. I still will not understand. Many people in USA must not understand.
September 14th, 2005 at 3:13 pmI agree with 2nd poster, however, you’ll have to give general public something to focus on, i.e. bush won’t be elligible. otherwise, concept won’t be had. it’s like rebranding.
September 14th, 2005 at 3:22 pmYou libs out there have to stop reaching for the bong so much. Put it away for a day or forever and start breathing in the truth, as opposed to the views of the radical hate-spewing american attack machine. Last I checked, most of us call ourselves Americans. The crap a lot of you neolibs regurgitate makes me wonder just who’s side you are on, because a lot of what you people write is aimed at making who look bad? The answer to that is our, let me repeat, our President.
Have a nice life American haters.
September 14th, 2005 at 3:46 pmP.S. I don’t think #51 and # 54 is actually from Uganda, he/she sure had you left wing kooks fooled. His written English is not consistent. Sometimes he writes how you might believe he actually talks. Most people don’t write exactly as they speak.
Dumbasses
September 14th, 2005 at 3:50 pmI’ve been following the Katrina myths story for a while…here are some posts with various right-wing talking points (listed below) debunked.
Mayor Mayor Nagin didn’t follow his evacuation plan (with more here and here
The city didn’t evacuate hospitals as in the city/state plans
FEMA responded quickly
The Red Cross wasn’t allowed into New Orleans
The USS Bataan responded quickly and fully
September 14th, 2005 at 4:44 pm[...] Think Progress » Right-Wing Myths About Katrina, Debunked [...]
September 14th, 2005 at 4:47 pm#57 — Neolibdebunker
September 14th, 2005 at 6:11 pmI just checked back to see if you responded, I think that #51 and #54 are none other than yourself! Clever aren’t you? I called it right when I said you Bush worshippers are totally, permanently, and disastrously “stoopidâ€! Please relate to the adjective, “disastrously,” because therein is whereupon your ilk perish at the same time the rest of our civilization does. Yes, at the hands of your leader.
… Don’t the American people understand how bravely the ‘ shrub ‘ terror- , errr , tries to protect us ??? Just like he bombed Iraq to protect us from Osama ( in Afghanistan ) , he prepared for Katrinas assault on NOLA by fortifying the ranch in Crawford ! Why don’t we liberals understand the ‘ big picture ‘ – oh yeah , ‘ shrub ‘ drew it in crayons !!! … ;)
September 14th, 2005 at 6:14 pmNeolibdebunker:
By your “logic,” if I criticize Prez Bobo in any way I’m on the side of the hurricanes. In this case hurricane Corina.
Perish the thought.
September 14th, 2005 at 6:22 pmdoes anyone have a link to an image that contained quite a lot of newspaper headlines after Katrina struck? the word “catastrophe” appeared multiple times. other than the one hosted by wonkette as linked above. i saw it, but i don’t remember where. please help.
September 14th, 2005 at 9:55 pmstudy Hubbert’s Model. do not be distracted by the politcal rhetoric – notice how you cannot actually tell the “dem party leaders from the repub party leaders” – the democratic party leaders appear to be powerless, or is it that they understand exactly why the republican administration is doing what it is? carefully examine Colin Campbell, ASPO. connect the dots, democratic leaders and republican leaders have and continue to, prioritize their own agendas, each and every one. the people – each and every individual human being that is not one of the ‘elite’ – is a commodity because that is how capitalism is.
September 15th, 2005 at 1:45 am[...] Right-Wing Myths About Katrina, Debunked [...]
September 15th, 2005 at 4:50 amThis is a funny one, and I got some laughs from it, how true it is.
Comment by tinfoil milliner
“Neolibdebunker:
By your “logic,†if I criticize Prez Bobo in any way I’m on the side of the hurricanes. In this case hurricane Corina.
Perish the thought. “
September 15th, 2005 at 2:29 pmThis was posted to me, and I read the whole thing along with the comments. I’m surprised so many people read so blindly into this. The only fact I’ve read in this whole thing was that local, state, and federal Gov. failed in their part to properly handle this crisis, and that’s it. As for the article it self, it followed claims with more claims, all that your quoting is one newspaper article calling it a claim and quoting another newspaper and calling it fact. I find it funny that people are saying the Bush admin is unintelligent and anti-intellectual, then turn around and read this as fact. This article is a collection of illogical thought, and defiantly needs a lot more research. In fact I don’t even know why I’m wasting my time responding to this drivel.
September 15th, 2005 at 10:08 pmSomeone’s getting very desperate. You so-called debunking of the bus “myth” is ridiculous.
The fact is Nagin had all those school buses AND municipal buses at his disposal to use to evacuate residents PRIOR to Katrina hitting. NOLA hurricane evacuation plan clearly noted this. NOLA is apparently in CYA mode and, as of Satruday afternoon, has pulled that page from its web site. See http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26
The point is it doesn’t matter if Ray “The CIA is Going to Get Me” Nagin had 300 or 2,000 buses since he failed to use even one bus.
Last year Democrats, in conjunction with church leaders in Florida, used 80 buses carrying 60 passengers apiece to get them to the polls. If Nagin had used his 2,000 buses, 120,000 people could have been evacuate BEFORE Katrina hit. Why can Democrats mobilize buses to get people to the polls, yet can’t mobilize them before disaster hits? Apparently, they care more about votes than lives.
September 17th, 2005 at 3:01 pmSadly it takes something like this to open the American public’s eyes to what the rest of the Western world has known for years and years. There are still some though, that have their heads in the sand, and sadly too, they are the one’s, that unless you all take notice and action now, will again run your country after the next election.
September 17th, 2005 at 7:05 pmBush has no desire to help his own people – he out of office next term anyway and he has no desire to help people he cannot gain anything from or power over. He’s a greedy little man and should be tried as not only a war criminal but a common criminal on manslaughter charges in his own country.
#69 Adrienne, when you take care of the inequitites the poor Maori’s suffer at your countries formerly blood thirsty hands – get back with us – love to chat. We’ll be happy to ship the great “moral giant” Rev. Jesse to find out why those poor indigenous people have been sooo mistreated in New Zealand – and why (using demographics liberals LOVE) if they comprise only 20% of the population do they make up 50% of the prison population – you hypocrite!!!
September 17th, 2005 at 8:29 pmmighty – I did not mention anything about ‘race’ in my writings however I will address it with you regarding my country. The Maori here have been returned alot of the land that was ‘taken’ from them (they sold it for guns and blankets basically) and have failed to do anything with the land. It has gone to waste. The Maori of this country are entitled to more than I as a white person am. They have become racist in their beliefs and teachings – e.g. there are schools that my child may not attend becos he is white. There are no strictly white schools in this country. There are Maori here though, that complain about the ‘pakeha education system’ not working for Maori, yet these very people got their education and became lawyers and politicians and teachers through the very system that they now say does not work.
September 18th, 2005 at 2:27 amThere are also no ‘full blood’ Maori in this country and they are not ‘native’ as with the Aboriginals of Australia and American Indians. There are about 300 000 “Maori” here in a population of 4 million. We do not limit the residence of Maori to ‘reservations’.
You would need to ask the Maori in prison why they are there, everyone is responsible for the choices they make, and accountable. They are given the same opportunites that I am. I choose not to break the law.
Rather than call me a hypocrite, which I am not as my best friend is part Maori and part Samoan – I suggest strongly that you check your facts. But then, I hazard to guess, that you are an American and ‘facts’ seem to be something that a lot of you don’t have….hence the above writings from myself.
I’ve seen a bit of talk about the busses, and I think people have forgotten the timeline and not thought through the logistics.
Katrina was upgraded to Category 4 at 1 a.m. Sunday morning, 29 hours before it hit. Starting at 1 a.m. Sunday, how do you find busses, drivers, fuel, and a safe place to put tens of thousands of people that is out of the hurricane’s path? (Remember that it’s not just a matter of getting them from point A to point B… point B must be out of the hurricane’s path, or must be hurricane-secure)
All of this assumes that a full city evacuation would be clearly mandated for a category 4 hurricane… if not, some 6-8 hours are lost before Katrina was upgraded to a category 5.
It may well be true that Blanco and Nagin deserve scorn for not having mobilized any large scale use of busses… but even if they’d known they had to evacuate everyone once Katrina was Category 4, they still would have had a hard time accomplishing it.
September 18th, 2005 at 4:05 pmAdrienne – WOW!!!Isn’t it amazing that only non-Americans have “facts”. Your little tidbit about your friend reminds me when the “limousine liberals” over here “all had friends who were black”. We who did just smiled.
September 19th, 2005 at 2:52 pmHere’s the latest hapless lie the GOP is tryin’ to pass over the heads of the less informed … that Shrub’s failure to show up for Katrina the first few days of death and loss weren’t REALLY his fault. Blesshispoorpatheticliloleheart!
September 19th, 2005 at 4:27 pmIt was that dang Posse Comitatus Act!!!! Yessiree!!!
See, that dadgum Govenor and those Justice Dep officials and the DOD, well, they TOLD him not to take control of the relief effort….
Umm….only problem is..the AP press already has published , well documented record of awhole MESS of US ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINE troops at work…in addition to the National Guard….
So I guess y’all better find a new alibi….
This dawg don’t hunt.
[...] This target-rich post at Progress Now (Podesta, Clinton, etc.) attempts to debunk a few points: [...]
September 19th, 2005 at 9:56 pmFEMA is not responsible for drafting and implementing an effective emergency management plan for every single metropolitan area in the U.S.A. Additionally, FEMA is not a first responder. New Orleans should have had an “adequate plan” already in place. If they had one, it wasn’t a very good one and it obviously wasn’t implemented in any form in an effective manner. Instead of FEMA working in support of the City of New Orleans in carrying out their emergency management plans, FEMA was required to develop and implement plans on the fly while the crisis was going on. A failure of this magnitude by the City of New Orleans should not be taken lightly nor forever forgotten. Don’t be stupid, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is basic City Emergency Management Responsibilities 101. The people of New Orleans should be outraged and demand the resignations of the appropriate City Officials sooner rather than later.
September 20th, 2005 at 5:36 pmNEOLIBDEBUNKER.
What are your credientials? Mine, US Army Ranger, 52 Parachute jumps, two broken bones, shot at numerous times, deifed death on behave of your W’s Father. How dare you question my PATRIOTISM!!
F/U GOT TO HELL.
September 20th, 2005 at 8:24 pmNEOLIBDEBUNKER.
What are your credientials? Mine, US Army Ranger, 52 Parachute jumps, two broken bones, shot at numerous times, deifed death on behave of your W’s Father. How dare you question my PATRIOTISM!!
F/U GOTO TO HELL.
September 20th, 2005 at 8:25 pm“WOW!!!Isn’t it amazing that only non-Americans have “factsâ€.”
September 20th, 2005 at 10:30 pmSeems you don’t have a very good comprehension of the written English language, mighty. I did not say anything of the sort. Perhaps if you weren’t quite so reactionary you would be able to understand better what is written.
It is better to remain silence with your thoughts and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
:)
Only 1900 manslaughter and ‘friendly fire’ deaths in Iraq?? Only a matter of time till it tops 2000. Be sure and send George a ‘thank you’ card won’t you all.
‘Sadly it takes something like this to open the American public’s eyes to what the rest of the Western world has known for years and years’
An America hating Kiwi? Gee, what a shock. So, pray tell, what exactly did Katrina open our eyes to that intellectual betters like yourself already knew? You knew Nagin and Blanco were completely incompetent? You knew Nagin would ignore his own emergency plan? You knew it would take a phone call from Bush to prompt him to finally order an evacuation? Wow, you are good. FYI, most of the ‘rest of the western world’ knows fuck all about the US’s political system. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve had to explain to brainless non Americans that the Feds cannot simply take over. Posse comitatus ring a bell? Course not you idiot kiwi. Which takes us back to this pathetic so-called ‘debunking’. Asking feds for assistance or coordinating management is very different from allowing in combat troops and taking over complete command. Bush couldn’t just swoop in and take over. THAT, my friends, is a MYTH.
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:18 amTo James:
Nobody asked FEMA to be a first responder.
FEMA wasn’t expected to be.
FEMA STILL screwed up it’s job to coordinate relief efforts days upon days after the disaster.
Everything would have gone smoother if FEMA had just stayed in Washington and never had showed up.
September 23rd, 2005 at 2:24 pmLooking at the storm track, NOLA fell into the bullseye sometime between Saturday 10:00am and 4:00pm. That gave one day of daylight to do everything. The right-wing presumes that NOLA was supposed to both evacuate to the Superdome and as an afterthought evacuate an additional 10,000 people to Texas.
October 2nd, 2005 at 3:01 amYou are unable or unwilling to look past who’s presently sitting in any office that was involved. You continue to want to blame someone, not something or some policy. You need to look at what FDR has discribed and see if it fits as part of the root cause of what transpired in NOLA.
FDR in full context from the State of the Union address in question:
“The lessons of history, confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces a spiritual and moral disintegration fundamentally destructive to the national fibre. To dole out relief in this way is to administer a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the human spirit. It is inimical (not favorable) to the dictates (decisions for others with absolute authority) of sound policy. It is in violation of the traditions of America. Work must be found for able-bodied but destitute workers.”
October 26th, 2005 at 5:54 pmmadrid spain hotels
Radar Contact: Time to…
November 1st, 2005 at 7:31 pmWHile FEMA could have done better for relief efforts, the locals are the ones who should respond first. Not enough was done to get the people out. The Superdome should NOT have been used as a shelter. It’s 12 feet below sea level.
March 11th, 2006 at 10:05 am2000 or 300 buses, it doesn’t matter. They should have been used along with the RTA buses. Many evacuees had their own transportation. Some drove to the Superdome. Their flooded cara are still there.
[...] Partial explanations for FEMA’s ineptness may be found in the Washington Post (9/4); Knight-Ridder discussion of FEMA’s focus on terrorism 9/2; and Kevin Drum’s chronology (Washington Monly 9/1) of fema & flood control projects for the past few years. Other explanations might lie in the capability of FEMA & Homeland Security staff: Think Progress (9/6) examines the qualifications of other FEMA staff. The Wash. Post points out (9/8) that five of the eight top FEMA officials have no disaster experience and are apparently all patronage appointees: Bush donors or Republican political operatives. In that environment, it’s not surprising that the Post also found that veterans who have emergency management experience have left FEMA in droves since the Bush appointees came in. Fafblog points out why the President is not to blame (9/6) and offers another approach (9/5). … As for what didn’t happen, ThinkProgress.org debunks (9/13) right wing myths about Katrina, evacuation, and emergency relief efforts. [...]
June 27th, 2006 at 7:24 pm“You need more than buses to evacuate an entire city. You need places to bring people. The mayor of New Orleans is in charge of his city — and the entire city was staring down the teeth of a Category 5 Hurricane. It wasn’t like he could bring people up to a campground above sea level and wait this thing out in tents. ”
First of all, why not? Why would tent cities outside of the danger zone be a problem? We need to understand that this was a natural disaster. Many natural disasters hit with no warning. Ask those in the tornado belt if they would be OK evactuating to a safe tent city until the danger passed and they would tell you “fine by me.” No offense to the people of NO but they needed to be moved outside of the danger zone, no matter what the accomidations, tents or not. Hell, the plains of Texas would have been a fine place to move these people temporarily until the danger passed. On that note, a bus on the road outside of the danger zone would have been a safe place for residents of NO, at least temporarily. As a former resident of Charleston during Hurricane Hugo, you don’t start looking for permanent housing the day before the big one hits. You make do.
“And hurricanes can do plenty of damage inland (even Shreveport, which is as far away from NO as you can get and still be in Louisiana, suffered severe hurricane damage in the 1980’s).”
That’s the same thinking that sent many SC residents to Charlotte, NC when Hugo got hit. Guess what? Charlotte was hit harder than many places in SC. Why would you consider keeping these people in LA? Biggest lesson: hurricanes move in and east. Consider the following town: Calcasieu. It’s a little over 200 miles west of LA (west being the key word). According to Mapquest, buses could have reached it in about 4 hours, give or take. Shreveport is over 5 hours away. Calcasieu was left unscathed by Katrina. How many buses left LA for Calcasieu?
“What Nagin did do on Sunday was use city buses to bring people to designated shelters all around the city, including the Superdome (as well as several schools).”
He issued a mandatory evacuation of August 28. Guess what day the hurricane made landfall? 11:25 CDT, August 28. The Superdome was declared to be a “shelter of last resort”. Know when the Governor of LA declared a state of emergency? August 26, two days before the storm hit. And, you know what? The Superdome actually worked as a “shelter of last resort”. Only three people died in the Dome during Katrina. It did it’s job as a shelter. It wasn’t meant for long-term housing, as Mayor Nagin clearly pointed out.
“Was it enough? Probably not. But you can argue all you want about whether the evacuation could have been better (you will never have 100 percent evacuation — the models predicted about 65 percent, and NO managed 80). It doesn’t change the fact that the federal response to the crisis was a national joke. ”
Sounds crazy but here’s my main question: why is the national government supposed to help you in a hurricane? Yeah, I know, it sounds crass. But, seriously, what are they supposed to do before and after? What are their defined roles? Is the FBI supposed to help you get out of your threatened house? Is the CIA in charge of bringing bottled water to shelters? The answer is that these things are under the almost-exclusive jurisdiction of the state and the local governments. It’s their job to get you out. It’s their jobs to get you shelter. It’s their jobs to clear the streets. Take it from someone who has been through a hurricane- FEMA is there much later, in the aftermath. It is not FEMA’s job to get your butt to safety, nor is it the federal governments job.
August 30th, 2006 at 1:47 am“You need more than buses to evacuate an entire city. You need places to bring people. The mayor of New Orleans is in charge of his city — and the entire city was staring down the teeth of a Category 5 Hurricane. It wasn’t like he could bring people up to a campground above sea level and wait this thing out in tents. â€
First of all, why not? Why would tent cities outside of the danger zone be a problem? We need to understand that this was a natural disaster. Many natural disasters hit with no warning. Ask those in the tornado belt if they would be OK evactuating to a safe tent city until the danger passed and they would tell you “fine by me.†No offense to the people of NO but they needed to be moved outside of the danger zone, no matter what the accomidations, tents or not. Hell, the plains of Texas would have been a fine place to move these people temporarily until the danger passed. On that note, a bus on the road outside of the danger zone would have been a safe place for residents of NO, at least temporarily. As a former resident of Charleston during Hurricane Hugo, you don’t start looking for permanent housing the day before the big one hits. You make do.
“And hurricanes can do plenty of damage inland (even Shreveport, which is as far away from NO as you can get and still be in Louisiana, suffered severe hurricane damage in the 1980’s).â€
That’s the same thinking that sent many SC residents to Charlotte, NC when Hugo got hit. Guess what? Charlotte was hit harder than many places in SC. Why would you consider keeping these people in LA? Biggest lesson: hurricanes move in and east. Consider the following town: Calcasieu. It’s a little over 200 miles west of LA (west being the key word). According to Mapquest, buses could have reached it in about 4 hours, give or take. Shreveport is over 5 hours away. Calcasieu was left unscathed by Katrina. How many buses left LA for Calcasieu?
“What Nagin did do on Sunday was use city buses to bring people to designated shelters all around the city, including the Superdome (as well as several schools).â€
He issued a mandatory evacuation of August 28. Guess what day the hurricane made landfall? 11:25 CDT, August 28. The Superdome was declared to be a “shelter of last resortâ€. Know when the Governor of LA declared a state of emergency? August 26, two days before the storm hit. And, you know what? The Superdome actually worked as a “shelter of last resortâ€. Only three people died in the Dome during Katrina. It did it’s job as a shelter. It wasn’t meant for long-term housing, as Mayor Nagin clearly pointed out.
“Was it enough? Probably not. But you can argue all you want about whether the evacuation could have been better (you will never have 100 percent evacuation — the models predicted about 65 percent, and NO managed 80). It doesn’t change the fact that the federal response to the crisis was a national joke. â€
Sounds crazy but here’s my main question: why is the national government supposed to help you in a hurricane? Yeah, I know, it sounds crass. But, seriously, what are they supposed to do before and after? What are their defined roles? Is the FBI supposed to help you get out of your threatened house? Is the CIA in charge of bringing bottled water to shelters? The answer is that these things are under the almost-exclusive jurisdiction of the state and the local governments. It’s their job to get you out. It’s their jobs to get you shelter. It’s their jobs to clear the streets. Take it from someone who has been through a hurricane- FEMA is there much later, in the aftermath. It is not FEMA’s job to get your butt to safety, nor is it the federal governments job.
November 8th, 2006 at 11:59 amMichelle Marsh Pic
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:16 amNatasha Yi Nude
I Googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.
March 17th, 2008 at 1:37 amMagdalen
I would like to read more, can you provide a link to some of your greatest work?
March 19th, 2008 at 2:21 pmNutritional Supplements Weight Loss Weight Loss
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
March 20th, 2008 at 5:09 amProperty Management
Found your blog on yahoo – thanks for the article but i still don’t get it.
March 20th, 2008 at 5:24 amHotels Doubletree Hotel Chicago Hotels
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
March 21st, 2008 at 12:15 amoilwell service
Man i love reading your blog, interesting posts !
March 22nd, 2008 at 4:39 amJack
I declare war on thee.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:13 amGay Sex Gay Sex Videos Black Gay Men
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
March 28th, 2008 at 8:22 amDiscount Home Exercise Equipment
Thanks for this post!
April 1st, 2008 at 8:35 pmNude Jenna Jameson Nude Jenna Jameson Nude
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:56 pmacai berry…
dude cool site i like it very much….
February 25th, 2009 at 5:08 pmviagra in canada…
kinda makes you wonder….
March 18th, 2009 at 2:51 amBUY SOMA…
an interesting take on a boring topic….
March 19th, 2009 at 4:07 ambuy ultram online…
an interesting take on a interesting topic….
March 19th, 2009 at 5:50 ambuy tramadol online cheap…
once again you outdid myself…
March 19th, 2009 at 5:55 ambuy viagra…
kinda makes you wonder….
March 31st, 2009 at 1:41 amcanadian online pharmacy…
kinda makes you wonder….
March 31st, 2009 at 2:59 ambuy tramadol…
an interesting take on a interesting subject….
April 6th, 2009 at 11:23 ambuy viagra…
an interesting take on a interesting topic….
April 6th, 2009 at 12:33 pmbuy viagra no prescription…
kinda makes you wonder….
April 6th, 2009 at 2:48 pmbuy viagra no prescription…
this is why i always pick my nose….
April 6th, 2009 at 5:01 pmbuy viagra no prescription…
an interesting take on a boring subject….
April 6th, 2009 at 6:00 pmbuy viagra…
once again i outdid myself…
April 6th, 2009 at 6:44 pmbuy cheap viagra…
kinda makes you wonder….
April 6th, 2009 at 8:54 pmbuy cheap viagra…
an interesting take on a boring subject….
April 6th, 2009 at 9:24 pmbuy tramadol…
this is why i always pick my nose….
April 7th, 2009 at 1:55 ambuy viagra…
this is why i always pick my nose….
April 7th, 2009 at 4:57 am