LA Governor didn't request federal evacuation help

1

Myrrander

on Sep 07, 2005

look at this:

Link

you'll see what she said

2

Baub

on Sep 07, 2005

Interesting huh? Her own request says that Orleans is handling the mandatory evacuations, when in fact they weren't!

I guess that's born out in the section where she talks about FEMA supplanting the evacuation/sheltering effort is specific parrishes and the Orleans parrish isn't even mentioned!

3

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

Oops! Can we say one termer there Blanco?

4

Independent1

on Sep 08, 2005

If you read the paragraph just prior to the one mentioning assistance for evacuation/sheltering assistance you will see that the New Orleans metropolitan parishes were mentioned where an even higher level of assistance was requested than the paragraph you noted.

City and parish officials were mostly responsible for their own evacuation plans in which many were inadequate. Many were in the process of updating their plans because they knew beforehand they were inadequate. And they all knew that surveys showed that more than 20% of the people in New Orleans and surrounding areas would stay in their homes. Those who had the means to leave town or take a transit bus to a shelter yet stayed are responsible for their own actions. The biggest failure seems to be inadequate planning at hospitals and nursing homes. I suspect the failure there would lie with hospital and nursing home administrators who are responsible for this planning and local officials who are responsible for reviewing and approving such plans. If the governor thought that cities were taking care of their evacuations, maybe that is because city officials were not calling the governors office telling her otherwise? However it looks like the quote from the Governors aide was wrong or taken out of context since several National Guard troops were deployed in New Orleans as early as two days prior to the arrival of Katrina.

When all is said and done I think we will find that many made mistakes including private citizens, local businesses, local officials, state officials, and federal officials.

5

Secret Squirell

on Sep 08, 2005

Great link!

It proves that the only federal assisstance that LA requested was for money.

6

Baub

on Sep 08, 2005

If you read the paragraph just prior to the one mentioning assistance for evacuation/sheltering assistance you will see that the New Orleans metropolitan parishes were mentioned where an even higher level of assistance was requested than the paragraph you noted.

If you're talking about the SBA and DFA, that's just money, those are not resources that can be used in an evacuation.

I agree the percentage of citizens choosing not to evacuate is unreal, but the surveys showed alot of them didn't have transportation, which means that the flooded buses, which sat unused before during and after the storm, are just a slap in the face to those people that the City of NO stuck downtown.

NO's evacuation plan called for those buses to be used, but it never happened.

In any event, this isn't something that the City and State should be pointing fingers at the feds for. They need to look at themselves.

7

Myrrander

on Sep 08, 2005

Golly, and when the DHS website says it takes primary responsibility in the even of natural disasters -- that must be Blanco's fault, too!

Leave it to JU to feature lies when they help cover the right's mistakes.

8

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

Someone has been huffing again. And cant make sense.

9

Baub

on Sep 08, 2005

I checked and I see what you're talking about:

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort.

But when you delve into the National Response Plan (Link), you see how the operation really works. Keep in mind that not all events invoke the implementation of the NRP, but those that do, have to go through a process to get the ball rolling.

This just reinforces the picture that is emerging that the Local/State officials were completely overwhelmed by the event (through incompetence, ignorance, corruption, or whatever) and how do they respond? The point the finger elsewhere.

10

ParaTed2k

on Sep 08, 2005

The basis of the whole fiasco in New Orleans was Mayor Nagin and Gov. Blonco thought that, once they declared the disaster people in Washington would come do their jobs for them. I wonder why they figured that people in Washington knew more about the situation than they did themselves?

Golly, and when the DHS website says it takes primary responsibility in the even of natural disasters -- that must be Blanco's fault, too!

Yes, the DHS does claim to take primary responsibility in the event of a natural disaster, but no federal entity has any responsibility for the initial evacuation of an area. Evacuation is an immediate need that can ONLY be handled by local authorities, and New Orleans' plan was piss poor! The idiot in charge (Nagin) did nothing but whine about how other people aren't doing his job for him. Unfortunately the people who do want the fed to take care of everything now have a huge amount of amunition for their cause.

I, for one, would rather point to Alabama and MIssissippi as examples of why the fed should never have primary responsiblity in a disaster area. That would be as ludicris as an ambulance showing up at your home, making their assessment and then having to turn to call the Dept of Transportation to be told what to do for you as the patient.

Local jurisdictions should be writing their emergency protocols, states should be reviewing those protocols and holding mock disaster drills to test those protocols, FEMA should be setting minimum standards and policies for protocols. Once the disaster is hit (or the disaster becomes inevitable) the city declares the emergency a "disaster", activates those protocols, evacuates and assesses, turns their assessment report over to the state along with their requests for assets, the state assesses their ability to handle the emergency, mobilizes state assets and (if necessary) declares the disaster. DHS and FEMA then make whatever assests are requested availabe and discusses with the state what other assets could be used.

That is what happened in Mississippi and Alabama... and what DIDN"T happen in Louisiana. I'll let the outcome speak for itself.

11

Independent1

on Sep 08, 2005

II guess that's born out in the section where she talks about FEMA supplanting the evacuation/sheltering effort is specific parrishes and the Orleans parrish isn't even mentioned!
If you read the paragraph just prior to the one mentioning assistance for evacuation/sheltering assistance you will see that the New Orleans metropolitan parishes were mentioned where an even higher level of assistance was requested than the paragraph you noted.If you're talking about the SBA and DFA, that's just money, those are not resources that can be used in an evacuation.

Simply pointing out that Orleans parish was in fact mentioned.

Link:
http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976

Looks like Blanco asked for 9 million dollars of funding to support local evacuation/sheltering operations. Once again in hindsight not adequate, but funding is considered help.

NO's evacuation plan called for those buses to be used, but it never happened.

NORTA buses were in fact used during the prestorm evacuation. Not to the extent that states like Fla. now do, and seemingly inadequate, but saying it never happened is simply false.

I'm not saying Blanco had an adequate response, she didn't.....But some people need to look a bit deeper to figure out what really did and didn't happen.

12

Baub

on Sep 08, 2005

NORTA buses were in fact used during the prestorm evacuation. Not to the extent that states like Fla. now do, and seemingly inadequate, but saying it never happened is simply false.

Actually, I'm being literal. The buses in the pictures that have come out of various bus yards, around the parrish, weren't used in the evacuation. That's a tremendous resource that was left abandoned in the face of the storm. You're right though, there were some buses used in evacuation and transporting people to the Superdome.