The New Orleans Convention Center is cleared, thank goodness — and thank the U.S. Army and Coast Guard. They used helicopters to get those poor people out of there. But I wonder whether they should have used busses or trucks for that job and helicopters for the many people who are still trapped all around the city in their homes. What I really wonder is whether they put their resources behind getting rid of this PR nightmare. I hate to think how many people are still trapped on roofs and in attics; I hate to think how many are dying; I hate to be cynical but after this week watching New Orleans, how can you help it?
: Says the AP:
Thousands more bedraggled refugees were bused and airlifted to salvation Saturday, leaving the heart of New Orleans to the dead and dying, the elderly and frail stranded too many days without food, water or medical care.No one knows how many were killed by Hurricane Katrina’s floods and how many more succumbed waiting to be rescued. But the bodies are everywhere: hidden in attics, floating among the ruined city, crumpled on wheelchairs, abandoned on highways.
And the dying goes on — at the convention center and an airport triage center, where bodies were kept in a refrigerated truck….
Three babies died at the convention center from heat exhaustion, said Mark Kyle, a medical relief provider.
For those of you in the comments who smugly say I’m overreacting to this scandal, read that sentence again and again.
: Speaking of cynicism: The Arab News reports:
Inside the stadium, several reporters noted that lawyers already were circulating among the storm victims, promising to find compensation for them with a class-action lawsuit against city and state officials.
I predict more than 5000 dead. What a PR nightmare that would be. But thank God they are out of the Super Dome.
How can anyone want to sue the city. It has enough problems already. People were told to evacuate and did not. No one told them to stay. They were warned. we were all warned that a direct hit to no would be just like this. I feel horrible for these victims, but they are victims of a natural disaster, no one purposely neglected anyone. Shooting at rescue workers??? Come on. Raping people, looting for vcrs and dvd’s . These things were done by sick individuals who made it worse for everyone else. these are the people who intensified the nightmare of Katrina, not city officials!!!!!!!!!!!
I think they should sue FEMA. The fact remains that they could have gotten in there with supplies on Wednesday at the latest and didn’t.
Oh good. Lawyers. You know, they always think a lot about the the good of the many versus the good of the few.
Hey, maybe that’s the reason why W appointed a lawyer as head of FEMA?
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/002458.html
Jeff,
You were overreacting. You don’t know what’s going on nor do you have any experience in dealing with such things. All you can do is wonder this, wonder that. Heck, I think my cat can wonder. It’s not much of a talent.
There has been some good discussion out there as to what is involved in such an effort. I think countercolumn has had some of the best comments. Note that he is in the Florida National Guard and *has* been involved in hurricanes, most recently hurricane Dennis. He rants a bit, but he knows what he is talking about. One can learn something reading him.
I wish they had used all the hundreds of school busses sitting idle while the mayor practiced his “Get off yer asses” speech.
countercolumn? I just read his blog. He’s only citing lame comments if he isn’t taking single sentences out of context alltogether. All those apologists were totally rebuted in the threads. GOP spin and talkingpoints are too weak to stand against the documented truth this time.
‘You don’t know what’s going on nor do you have any experience in dealing with such things.’ Maybe. I guess JJ has only as much experience in emergency management as Michael Brown. Luckily, he isn’t playing head of FEMA, but just executing his right of free speech here.
Grray,
All those apologists were totally rebuted in the threads.
Suuure they were. I suspect your opinion would be the same no matter *what* the facts were. Reality based means never having to deal with reality. It’s a fantasy.
Grray, continued…
For instance, I went and looked at the Sensing post. There was no refutation except for one person like yourself who had an opinion, but no understanding. In the same thread there were 44 comments, many from folks with experience. Frankly, a mere political stance is pretty damn worthless in the real world. Cheap, that is. No substitute for knowing how to do things. Expertise takes hard work and experience, not talk.
‘Sensing post’? What’s that? I remember that Bob guy who claimed to have experience. Strange that his arguments couldn’t survive even basic check-over. Most of the time, I recognize if someone is an specialist when I’m listening to his expertise. Imho, if Bob really is in emergency management, it’s because he was fundraising for Bush in the election.
Grray,
‘Sensing post’? What’s that?
You know, there is an easy way for you to answer your question. You don’t have to parade your laziness for all to see and admire. Really. And you have the nerve to bitch about other folks being incompetent.
Hey, I’m following several threads. Pls excuse that I’m getting a little bit lazy after only 7 hours. Which one of the 411 google hits for “sensing post” is it? None makes sense. Never heard that term. You must be joking.
FEMA was not issued authorization by the governor of Louisiana until Wednesday the 31st.
syn, I think you’ll find that the Monday Morning Rescue Squad do not care one whit about the facts, time, scale, logistics or the legal, Constitutional or other formal standards related to the hierarchical SOP that controls activation of the National Guard, FEMA, etc.
The feds were supposed to take their cues from New Orleans Mayor Nagin, who shredded his own city’s disaster plan and ran for the hills. They were supposed to transcend the laws of time and physics to send in the cavalry the *instant* that the media started showing the worst of the worst — state and federal legal procedures be damned.
It’s simple. Aid workers should have ignored the threat of being shot by organized criminal gangs in NO. Truckers should have ignored the dangers of driving over weakened bridges on blocked secondary roads. National Guard should have been parachuted into Jefferson Parish. Helicopter gunships should have bombed the Superdome and Convention Center with Aquafina.
And Nagin should be considered a “hero” because he finally got off his ass and ordered an evacuation 24+ hours AFTER he was REPEATEDLY advised to do so by his betters. And just never mind that it was Too Effing Late to use the resources he had at his disposal to help the people in his city who needed it most. They were FEMA’s, the National Guard’s and Bush’s responsibility, after all.
In the end, though the heavens fall, we’ll be fed a new meme that the lefty echo chamber in the media will turn into a new ‘reality’: “Bush denied, poor blacks died”.