George W. Bush is a big spender. He has never vetoed a spending bill. When Congress serves up a big slab of fat, crackling pork, Mr. Bush responds with one big question: Got any barbecue sauce?
-Peggy Noonan
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Complete break down
Pondering my FEMA comments, I began to really ponder all that went wrong down there. I've got to say, it wasn't as simple as we initially heard - and I was too harsh on FEMA now that the facts are starting to surface.
I may be out on a limb here... but from everything I've read, it appears that even though FEMA did step in eventually (really, as of last Friday) what really happened behind the scenes played out like a cheap greek tragedy.
First off, the media had declared NOLA safe, except for some minor flooding along Lake Ponchatrain. Then, things started getting worse. The local governments BAILED and believed that state and the federal governments would just "take care of it." Of course, the Federal government was more than happy to contribute a few hands to a "normal" clean up effort. The state was busy trying to get information which was just not there.
Really, after that it was a snowball from hell. And as it got worse by the hour, the local government completely dropped the ball and fled town. The widespread destruction across a three state area and general mayham componded the problem of access to gas, food etc.
Frankly, it could have been worse. I think it goes to show that you can't depend on our Federal government to come bail you out. It's not designed to do that on this scale. It can't be done. You're neighbor is much more dependable.
FEMA is about command and planning, and expecting instant action on their part is wrong - but it was the only government structure that was in tact and which had the disaster background to handle this. We expect FEMA to be ready for this, but in reality, we've got to know that the sheer numbers of people was just too high to evacuate in less than a few days.
Ohh well, enough ranting. My appologies to FEMA and the National Guard... I still think they could have executed some things better - but given the scope, volume, and lack of information - it really was effective for a LOT of people.
I may be out on a limb here... but from everything I've read, it appears that even though FEMA did step in eventually (really, as of last Friday) what really happened behind the scenes played out like a cheap greek tragedy.
First off, the media had declared NOLA safe, except for some minor flooding along Lake Ponchatrain. Then, things started getting worse. The local governments BAILED and believed that state and the federal governments would just "take care of it." Of course, the Federal government was more than happy to contribute a few hands to a "normal" clean up effort. The state was busy trying to get information which was just not there.
Really, after that it was a snowball from hell. And as it got worse by the hour, the local government completely dropped the ball and fled town. The widespread destruction across a three state area and general mayham componded the problem of access to gas, food etc.
Frankly, it could have been worse. I think it goes to show that you can't depend on our Federal government to come bail you out. It's not designed to do that on this scale. It can't be done. You're neighbor is much more dependable.
FEMA is about command and planning, and expecting instant action on their part is wrong - but it was the only government structure that was in tact and which had the disaster background to handle this. We expect FEMA to be ready for this, but in reality, we've got to know that the sheer numbers of people was just too high to evacuate in less than a few days.
Ohh well, enough ranting. My appologies to FEMA and the National Guard... I still think they could have executed some things better - but given the scope, volume, and lack of information - it really was effective for a LOT of people.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Why do we even pay FEMA?
FEMA has shown it's complete and utter LACK of any common sense in sorting out the gulf situation. There's lots of characterization going on in the media.. painting the looters as all bad, but in reality most of them are mentally in survivor mode. Some points:
1. These people, if they were able, probably DID put aside food and water. Which is now trapped under 9-20 feet of water in their houses.
2. There is only 1 road out of New orleans right now, and it's DANGEROUS to walk around. It's also on the opposite side of the most affected parts of the city. Put another way.. would you stroll through this with your kids? I'd wait for an escort with guns, thank you.
3. It is essential to get people moved out within 48-72 hours of a disaster. After that, the shock of loosing everything you own wears out and you go into survival mode. The serious moral decay of society is coming out big-time here.
3. These evacuation buses are driving right past thousands of people. Today was the first day that any serious evacuation was happening.
I'm not excusing the behaviour of NOLA people - but I understand it. There's looting, rape and murder happening - at the shelters. 60% of the NOLA police force quite because there's no command/control. You have GOT to protect and provide for yourself and your family somehow.
Most people got clean WATER for the first time since Monday. Even at the Superdome.
If I were FEMA last Tuesday:
1. Get school busses and get accessible people out now. Sort them somewhere else and reduce the need to ship in food. There should be armed escorts getting these people out. They should be swathing the city eastward so they can make effective use of the manpower instead of diluting it.
2. Evacuate all hospitals. Call in every ambulance you can and fly them out of Baton Rouge.
3. Air-drop food and water all over the city. Hell, have the coast guard drop food around as they're going to rescue survivors. It took 4 days to get those "tons and tons" into the city we keep hearing about on the news.
They didn't do that. Instead they:
1. Advised everyone to gather at central locations.. and instantly had supply issues because there's only one friggin road into town.
2. They (Army engineers) thought they could fix a 500' levee of MOVING water in 24 hours. Huh?
3. The advised people to evacuate, but didn't coordinate escorts with the National Guard they had.
4. The police were overwhelmed. Many of them didn't even hear that they were under martial law!
5. The city government left town leaving people with no knowledge of the city to coordinate the effort.
It's just totally wrong. Even an 8 year old could figure it out. If you've got limited access you're not going to be able to provide needed services.
FEMA gets billions of dollars to figure this out and completely botched it. Now they're complaining that people are shooting at them, which is wrong, but these people are mentally in survivor mode and if you don't have food or water then you don't matter.
Posted on interdictor blog earlier:
Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.
It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.
Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.
There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.
Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.
The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.
The buses never stop.
Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.
He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."
1. These people, if they were able, probably DID put aside food and water. Which is now trapped under 9-20 feet of water in their houses.
2. There is only 1 road out of New orleans right now, and it's DANGEROUS to walk around. It's also on the opposite side of the most affected parts of the city. Put another way.. would you stroll through this with your kids? I'd wait for an escort with guns, thank you.
3. It is essential to get people moved out within 48-72 hours of a disaster. After that, the shock of loosing everything you own wears out and you go into survival mode. The serious moral decay of society is coming out big-time here.
3. These evacuation buses are driving right past thousands of people. Today was the first day that any serious evacuation was happening.
I'm not excusing the behaviour of NOLA people - but I understand it. There's looting, rape and murder happening - at the shelters. 60% of the NOLA police force quite because there's no command/control. You have GOT to protect and provide for yourself and your family somehow.
Most people got clean WATER for the first time since Monday. Even at the Superdome.
If I were FEMA last Tuesday:
1. Get school busses and get accessible people out now. Sort them somewhere else and reduce the need to ship in food. There should be armed escorts getting these people out. They should be swathing the city eastward so they can make effective use of the manpower instead of diluting it.
2. Evacuate all hospitals. Call in every ambulance you can and fly them out of Baton Rouge.
3. Air-drop food and water all over the city. Hell, have the coast guard drop food around as they're going to rescue survivors. It took 4 days to get those "tons and tons" into the city we keep hearing about on the news.
They didn't do that. Instead they:
1. Advised everyone to gather at central locations.. and instantly had supply issues because there's only one friggin road into town.
2. They (Army engineers) thought they could fix a 500' levee of MOVING water in 24 hours. Huh?
3. The advised people to evacuate, but didn't coordinate escorts with the National Guard they had.
4. The police were overwhelmed. Many of them didn't even hear that they were under martial law!
5. The city government left town leaving people with no knowledge of the city to coordinate the effort.
It's just totally wrong. Even an 8 year old could figure it out. If you've got limited access you're not going to be able to provide needed services.
FEMA gets billions of dollars to figure this out and completely botched it. Now they're complaining that people are shooting at them, which is wrong, but these people are mentally in survivor mode and if you don't have food or water then you don't matter.
Posted on interdictor blog earlier:
Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.
It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.
Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.
There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.
Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.
The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.
The buses never stop.
Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.
He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."
Thursday, September 01, 2005
N'Orleans
Been watching this blog: Interdictor, it's run by a NO ISP called directNIC.com. They're still online there.. riding it out. They've even got a webcam, and regular updates. You can watch looters and national guard. It's pretty startling.
The disaster of NOLA is only growing graver.. the entire rescue effort is blown apart. There's cops wandering the streets with no commanders, almost 1/3rd of the force has quite.
Good lord, even the Hospitals can't get help in NOLA.. There's even a doctor are canoing between buildings.
Hello? We can't move 400 patients in less than 4 days! The government can't get it together.. lots more people are going to suffer or die out there. God help them.
The disaster of NOLA is only growing graver.. the entire rescue effort is blown apart. There's cops wandering the streets with no commanders, almost 1/3rd of the force has quite.
Good lord, even the Hospitals can't get help in NOLA.. There's even a doctor are canoing between buildings.
Hello? We can't move 400 patients in less than 4 days! The government can't get it together.. lots more people are going to suffer or die out there. God help them.
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