One of the better sequences of events that I've seen is from http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2005/09/04/katrina-response-timeline/ Rightwing nuthouse. This is a must read.
Clearly, the local and state officials who were the decision makers weren't familiar with their plans. NOLA's plan called for evacuation of citizens who couldn't get themselves out on busses. No busses really moved except to the Superdome. I have, and the city fathers seemed to have, no idea where folks would be bussed to, if they were bussed. Don't trust the locals to know what they are supposed to do.
New Orleans did not have a backup communications plan. It seems that natural gas fired the emergency generators for police communications. They were not allowed to put in propane tanks for backup fuel for the generators. They didn't buy satellite phones (FEMA grant of $11.2 billion for emergency supplies and they didn't use some of the pork for buying sat phones. No other backup communciations. Think anyone will consider this in the future?
Don't Trust the Pols to do the right thing. The Mayor and the Governor dithered over evacuations. They are still arguing about evacuating the remainder of the people there. The mayor says go, the Gov says "not until I make up my mind." Wonder how many more deaths they need to blame FEMA for? The most incredible piece of government crime is the fact that the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security refused to allow the Red Cross or even relief supplies to go into the city because they wanted people to evacuate. Think of thousands of people in the Dome and Convention center with no water, food of sanitation and some group of idiots decided to starve them out.
Trust the pols to make sure that someone else is to blame. It didn't take long for the blame game to start. If half the energy spent shifting the blame was put into fixing the problem, then we'd be much farther ahead in this process. Instead, our friendly Democrats, are making sure that all the political hay can be made while the tragedy is going on. The Senate and House Democratic leadership has taken no actions to alleviate the problems or assist in any way. They have made every effort to blame Bush for even state and local failures. Pelosi was on the news tonight saying that Bush is clueless because of his response to her demands that he fire Brown. Sounds more like Bush's response was what you would say to an idiot who is being obnoxious and she wasn't smart enough to realize it.
Trust the pols and bureaucrats to have a turf first, people last attitude. The internecine squabbles are causing people to die.
Trust the folks who see their duty as getting the job done and don't worry about upsetting someone's fiefdom. There should be a paper shortage for the folks who have selflessly risked their lives saving others. It takes no little skill and courage to do these rooftop rescues we have been seeing. LTG Honore is one of those folks who isn't worried about stepping on toes. He is mission first, devil take the hindmost. I hope he writes some memoires of this period. Trust the thousands of selfless folks who have moved in and started saving people, feeding people and doing other things while the "leaders" are accessing the situation, studying the situation, having group gropes and otherwise dithering. A decision that is less than optimal is better than no decision at all. Be not afraid of criticism of people who aren't in your place and probably couldn't do it half as well. Lead, follow or get out of the way. We have thousands of heroes who have done just that despite the best efforts of the government.
Trust the media to get it wrong. Most of them don't have the education, smarts or will to learn to get it right.
Realize that you are on your own. Especially in Louisiana.
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