As someone who is in the area hit by the hurricane, visited New Orleans quite often, and lived in an area protected by levees nearly all of my life, I have a little more to say.
1. Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans had an evacuation plan in place after last year's hurricane scare. School buses and drivers were on stand-by to drive out the remaining citizens until the mayor himself canceled the plan because he didn't want to do it "half-assed". (The mayor wanted to use Greyhound buses and not school buses.)
2. For those complaining about FEMA not moving fast enough into the area, I ask you a simple question. How were they supposed to get there? Let me tell you something about southern Mississippi and Louisanna. It's cover in fucking trees. Pine trees to be exact. Most if not all less than 50 years old due to the heavy lumber industry in the region. I couldn't get out of my fucking driveway because of all the trees down around my house. All highways and interstates in the area had the same problem. Not only was New Orleans under water, but so was the entire surrounding area. Coming in over water wasn't safe because there was no way to tell if water levels had been lowered in the lake, bay, or river (and the Mississippi river had been reported down by at least fifteen feet prior to the storm hitting the area) as well as any debris that might have been in the water. And when rescue teams were sent in in helicopters, assholes were taking shots at them. Hell, even when FEMA could get in there, bastards were still shooting at rescue teams.
3. On the Gulf Coast and elsewhere throughout the storm area, local law enforcement personelle stayed to assist in the post storm rescue. 200 New Orleans police officers turned in their badges. They left at a time that they were most needed to curb the lawlessness that already prevades the town (For those of you who don't know, New Orleans was already a town with terrible violence and criminal activity before the storm. I don't see the people stealing food and medicine as looters. It's the assholes stealing TV's and stereos that are fucking looters.) Gulf Coast officials also worked with FEMA by telling them what has already been done, what is being done, and what needs to be done. New Orleans officials just wanted FEMA to step in and do it all. That's why the Coast Guard was able to rescue more people in 48 hours in Mississippi than they usually do in a week.
Of course, that's all just partisan BS. We know that the real reason rescue work went better on the Gulf Coast than New Orleans is because there are no black people in Mississippi.
4. As I said earlier, I grew up close the Mississippi river and have some first hand knowledge about levees. One of the things that comes directly to mind is that levees don't just break. They have to be worn away. So, were the levees weakened in previous storms and floods and not built back up properly; or were the city officials not paying attention to what was going on? Seems to me that New Orleans didn't know about the levee's weakening until the city was flooded.
5. I have to marvel at how people criticize a federal agency that will hand out $2000 in a heat beat to damn near anyone. People who didn't insure their houses at all are getting a big fat check from Uncle Sam to cover their irresponsiblity. There would be more money and assistance to go around if people weren't preying upon this system and taking what they don't need or deserve. I could easily take my hotel and gas receipts from my trek to Atlanta to FEMA and get a check to cover it all, giving myself a free vacation. But that was already planned. I had already earmarked money for that trip. I don't need the government's assistance, so I'm not going asking for it. Save it for those who really need it. And those who need it have to be patient. They weren't the only ones affected by the hurricane. Others need help too. That's always going to slow the process.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
