The delay in the Govt response was because the black population was out of control. The local LEO's and local Govt both collapsed. This is the same situation all over the world....relief willnot come to the situation until it is controlled. I blame the people (white black blue or green) of NO and the LEO's/local Govt of NO. Everybody failed. Its a cop-out to blame the Federal Govt and its response time. Period. Its time for the poeple of NO to start looking in the mirror!!!!!!!
Hell inside the Superdome........LA Times article
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Sleeping Dog
Member
Probably two days were lost in the federal (military) response because the LA governor did not ask for help.
And the NG was not sent in immediately following the storm.
And some portion of the police department deserted.
"Black" communities are hit all along the coast. Only NO "blew up". So race may play a part, dunno, but not a major factor.
Regards.
spartacus2002
Member
1. Regarding the looting, the "sit on my butt and wait for gummint to help, and the "I'm looting to get back at the system" issues: those are welfare-culture issues, not race issues. I've spent time in NO, and it just so happens that (a) NO has a very large black population and (b) NO has a large welfare population. They aren't looting because they are black, so please, let's leave race out of it.
2. Regarding the preparation: anybody who has driven thru or even seen a frickin' aerial photo POSTCARD of NO knows that a Cat 4+ hurricane will turn it into a lake. We knew 48+ hours out that Katrina would be a MONSTER and that it was aimed straight at NO. In fact, according to what I've seen in the news, GWB personally asked the Governer of LA to order a mandatory evacuation of NO last Friday. So, as of last Friday, the head of FEMA and the head of the armed services should have been sitting in a room, with the Louisiana crisis management folks on speakerphone, planning how to find and airlift MREs, water, and med supplies -- even if it meant cutting thru red tape and tearing up USAF flight schedules and calling folks in on the weekend.
OK, it is easy for me to monday-morning quarterback, but hey, I only spent 12 years in uniform planning for crises, and that's a helluva lot more qualification than FEMA director Brown has had.
Sorry, rant off.
2. Regarding the preparation: anybody who has driven thru or even seen a frickin' aerial photo POSTCARD of NO knows that a Cat 4+ hurricane will turn it into a lake. We knew 48+ hours out that Katrina would be a MONSTER and that it was aimed straight at NO. In fact, according to what I've seen in the news, GWB personally asked the Governer of LA to order a mandatory evacuation of NO last Friday. So, as of last Friday, the head of FEMA and the head of the armed services should have been sitting in a room, with the Louisiana crisis management folks on speakerphone, planning how to find and airlift MREs, water, and med supplies -- even if it meant cutting thru red tape and tearing up USAF flight schedules and calling folks in on the weekend.
OK, it is easy for me to monday-morning quarterback, but hey, I only spent 12 years in uniform planning for crises, and that's a helluva lot more qualification than FEMA director Brown has had.
Sorry, rant off.
Spartacus -
+1 on both points.
The New Orleans Times Picayune ran a series a couple of years ago about the potential damage a Cat 4 or 5 hurricane could do to N.O.:
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/
Especially prescient:
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/leftbehind_1.html
"A large population of low-income residents do not own cars and would have to depend on an untested emergency public transportation system to evacuate them.
Much of the area is below sea level and vulnerable to catastrophic flooding. Based on the danger to refugees and workers, the Red Cross has decided not to operate shelters south of the Interstate 10-Interstate 12 corridor, leaving refuges of last resort that offer only minimal protection and no food or bedding."
+1 on both points.
The New Orleans Times Picayune ran a series a couple of years ago about the potential damage a Cat 4 or 5 hurricane could do to N.O.:
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/
Especially prescient:
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf?/washingaway/leftbehind_1.html
"A large population of low-income residents do not own cars and would have to depend on an untested emergency public transportation system to evacuate them.
Much of the area is below sea level and vulnerable to catastrophic flooding. Based on the danger to refugees and workers, the Red Cross has decided not to operate shelters south of the Interstate 10-Interstate 12 corridor, leaving refuges of last resort that offer only minimal protection and no food or bedding."
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Again, the Ponchartrain levee breaks occurred in levees designed and built in the 1960s and following years, protecting only against a Category Three storm. The Picayune was correct in talking about the problem, but even completion of the current project wouldn't have occurred until some three years from now with full budgeting--and, again, think Category Three.
Art
Art
Justin
Moderator Emeritus
And yet Bourbon St. has remained relatively unscathed.
I guess He missed it by --><-- that much.
Stevie-Ray
Member
+1 Perfectly said!
Stevie-Ray
Member
Certainly. Somebody that sees this as a parallel would say that God has given them a choice. Does Bourbon Street remain the den of iniquity that it is, or does it now change for the better? Personally, I wondered how long it would take for this to come up. Mentioned it to the wife the other day.
zerosignal
Member
Art, my comments about foreign aid versus the aid given to New Orleans wasn't meant to be a direct comparison. I was simply stating a generalization. When I refer to the government not giving the amount/quality of aid to the citizens of NO, I was mainly talking about the state government.
As i said, individual states rely entirely too much on federal aid for any adverse circumstance they encounter. Granted, this disaster is much too big for one state to handle alone, but I would much prefer that other states lend a hand to Louisiana than they go begging for federal aid.
Our country was designed for states to be fairly independent, with only small federal oversight, and it seems that the exact opposite has become true these days.
Honestly, i think all of this is an after effect of so many worthless politicians with no true leadership skills running the country. Every new selfcentered mayor/governor/president I see just makes me wish for more people like Rudolph Guliani or Major Richard Winters from "Band of Brothers". Men who know that leadership means sacrificing yourself for the betterment of those you represent.
Sorry for any misunderstanding.
As i said, individual states rely entirely too much on federal aid for any adverse circumstance they encounter. Granted, this disaster is much too big for one state to handle alone, but I would much prefer that other states lend a hand to Louisiana than they go begging for federal aid.
Our country was designed for states to be fairly independent, with only small federal oversight, and it seems that the exact opposite has become true these days.
Honestly, i think all of this is an after effect of so many worthless politicians with no true leadership skills running the country. Every new selfcentered mayor/governor/president I see just makes me wish for more people like Rudolph Guliani or Major Richard Winters from "Band of Brothers". Men who know that leadership means sacrificing yourself for the betterment of those you represent.
Sorry for any misunderstanding.
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