This is dated September 1st (THURSDAY!!). The idiot governor of Louisiana announces an Executive Order to utilize public school buses for evacuation. Where was this order last Saturday or Sunday?! Incompetence of the highest order. Governor Blanco Issues Executive Order Baton Rouge, LA— Governor Blanco today announced the following Executive Order: Executive Order NO. KBB 2005- 31- provides that pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., grants emergency powers to the governor, where, she has in consultation with school superintendents, utilized public school buses for transportation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. As you are aware most public school districts will not begin school until Tuesday, September 6th 2005.
I don't doubt that she's incompetent, but I'm also certain the Bush Administration will go to great lengths to pass the blame on to local officials.
This has nothing to do with the Bush Administration. The link I cited goes directly to the governor's website.
I'd be pretty surprised if the Gov. of Louisiana has any authority over school buses. But keep trying Ian. You might actually make a point, one day.
Sad thing is that all of those buses could have been used to get the poor carless people out before the hurricane. If they can pick up tens of thousand of children ever morning they could have picked up evacuees also. Local govement failed miserable in getting people out of the city. Christ they should have had plans in place and done drills since that near miss with Camille decades ago. All levels of government have failed misarable dealing with the aftermath.
Huh? The governor of Louisiana has no authority over school buses? I thought you were smarter than that. Oh wait, no I didn't.
Technically, local authorities probably have direct control over the schoolbuses...generally they do here in the States, at least. Just another 'incompetence point' to chalk up on this sad episode.
In times of distress, the governor (and mayor, for that matter) has the absolute authority to use municipal resources at their fingertips. That you would cite bureaucratic issues as the basis for leaving people stranded is disconcerting.
Dave no doubt will rail/has railed against FEDERAL bureacracy, but bows down to LOCAL bureacracy. You see, because Dave, and those who think like Dave, want to blame George Bush for EVERYTHING that is going wrong. Because while they are consistent there, on THIS matter, as on so many others, they epitomize hypocrisy.
This deserves its own thread, but in deference to Democratic incompetence it is not practical to open a new thread for every cited mistake. MAYOR CRITICIZED EVEN BEFORE LEVY BREAK National Hurricane Center Director had to call Nagin at home Saturday night to plead: "Get people out of New Orleans." "The criticisms of Nagin came from above as well. Numerous officials urged him to evacuate the city, but he worried about the legality of ordering people out when New Orleans has few safe hurricane shelters. Also, National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield in Miami called Nagin at home Saturday night and told him: Get people out of New Orleans. ''I could never sleep if I felt like I didn't do everything that I could to impress upon people the gravity of the situation,'' Mayfield said. "New Orleans is never going to be the same.''
The situation is FUBAR on all levels, but the local government deserves more scrutiny than it's getting. It's not as if they shouldn't have seen it coming, hell Nagin and Blanco through the drill just a year before with Hurricane Ivan and ran into the exact problems that turned Katrina from a catastrophe into an even bigger disaster. The Big Easy was spared then only because the levees didn't break. Apparently The Governor and Mayor learned nothing from that dry run. Why aren't we hearing more about Nagin's incompetence?
I bet the other 49 governors and hundreds of mayors are pissed off about the behavior of Nagin and Blanco because the upshot of this hurricane is that the federal government will end up with more power and will be mandating emergency plans to the nth detail with no scope for local control.
Well it has to be said, he's got a point. I mean, anyone would think twice about moving people out if you're then making yourself responsible for looking after them and your State or City needs all the funds it can keep it's hands on to clear up the mess afterwards. Surely, though, it can be argued that this implies that the national government should take responsibility because nobody else is in a position to.
As they should. The first (city) & second (county/parish) lines of defense failed miserably here, then tried to dump it on the third (state) & fourth (federal) levels. While the 3rd & 4th levels should have jumped in earlier & faster, that doesn't relieve the 1st or 2nd levels of responsibility for their mis-, mal- & nonfeasance.
You're not seriously saying that local government officials should have taken the responsibility to send hundreds of thousands of people trawling across the countryside with no food, water, place to stay or anything else when the federal government wasn't prepared to??? Surely!
Yes, Andy, they are. They all are. This may be new to you, the way the right wing comes up with some meme in an attempt to insulate the president from any taint of failure, and spreads it, and people of this ilk just lap it up and spread it. But their reactions regarding Katrina are alot shriller and incoherent than usual.
This from the same guy who advocated sending people over the bridge out into the darkness, alone, into flooded and crime-infested areas.
Why not? Upwards of one million people did this on their own. Why couldn't the city or parish (county) handle another 50 thousand? If the people were delivered to Houston, Baton Rouge, etc & the state or feds weren't there waiting, then the latter should be blamed, not before. New Orleans City & Orleans Parish should have done what they were supposed to do. Read this: http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=1&load=~/PortalModules/ViewPressRelease.ascx&itemid=3139 http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=3 Where were the local transport, buses & staging areas? And this is only for level 2, not even level 3! Don't blame the state or fed for this failure. Why weren't the buses moved to higher ground? Where were the back-up buses? 2. RECOMMENDED This phase is enacted when a storm has a high probability of causing a significant threat to people living in the areas at risk. Government authorities will recommend that persons at risk evacuate. Staging areas will be designated for persons needing transportation. YOU ARE AT RISK: 1. If you live outside of levee protection. 2. If you live in a mobile home or recreational vehicle. 3. If you live in a low-lying inland area or on the coast. During the Recommended Phase of Evacuation: 1. The City of New Orleans Emergency Operating Center (EOC) is staffed for 24-hour operation. 2. Local transportation will be mobilized to assist persons who lack transportation. 3. Bus routes and locations of staging areas for those needing transportation to shelters in or out of the Parish, will be announced via radio and television. 4. Relatives and neighbors should help family and friends who need transportation and other assistance. Never take any hurricane lightly; everyone is especially at risk if a hurricane is category 3 (slow moving storm) or 4 and 5 (slow or fast moving storm).
More drivel. There is enough failure & blame for all 4 levels of government to each have a fair share. The first level of defense/rescue failed first, but you'd rather blame the President & the federal government becuase of your own political leanings. Read this: http://www.neworleanscert.org/ "We coordinate all city departments and allied state and federal agencies which respond to city-wide disasters and emergencies through the development and constant updating of an integrated multi-hazard plan."
On a couple of occasions, I've said pretty explicitly why I'm blaming the feds. I'm sure you've read them.
This was the first episode of emergency response since 9-11. Bush formed the Dept of Homeland Security and folded FEMA into it. This was the first test and the failed, miserably. F-. Ya know, if the mayor of some city is incompetent, and the Governer aint top notch, I can live with that. I would hope that the feds are better.
Because people around the country aren't that familiar with him. I guarantee you that people with LA politics are sharing stories with each other.