SNAFU
Published by Warrior Tang September 4th, 2005 in US PoliticsAid is finally getting into the flooded city of New Orleans and
surrounding areas, but the past week’s response to Hurricane Katrina
has been a disaster in itself.
- The amphibious assault ship Bataan spent the week sitting around
the Gulf Coast waiting for permission to help - National
Guard Northern Command had 9 million MREs and the Bataan but had to wait
for Bush’s approval to move - British citizens caught in New Orleans report being left behind
by rescuers - blunt
interview with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin - webpost
from someone who was in New Orleans - Notes from inside New Orleans
- Jefferson Parish leader says “bureaucracy has committed murder here”
and cites FEMA rejecting aid and cutting emergency communication
lines - FEMA Deputy Director
Patrick Rhode says “this has been probably one of the most efficient and
effective responses in the country’s history” - White House blaming
state and local government for the mess - Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff claims no one could have
predicted the disaster - Angel Flight
evacuation planes sent back, according to “this entry on a aviation
mailing list” - FEMA
orders CA-based ’swift water’ rescue teams to stop rescuing people - Offer of 300 ambulances blocked by red tape
- “The police were in boats watching us. They were just laughing at us. Five of them to a boat, not trying to help nobody. Helicopters were riding by just
looking at us. They weren’t helping. We were pulling people on bits of wood, and the National Guard would come driving by in their empty military trucks.” - Bush brought much-needed equipment to Biloxi for a photo-op and wouldn’t
let it be used for rescuing people Bush staff[Correction: This is actually a repeat of the above story about Biloxi]
create food distribution center in New Orleans for him to be photographed
in front of, then tear it down and take away the food right after he leaves- Air relief efforts halted for Bush visit
- Bush brings repair team to broken New Orleans levee for newsmeet,
repair team disappears when he leaves - St. Bernard and Plaquemines (the hardest hit areas) were largely
abandoned by FEMA - Red
Cross barred from delivering aid to New Orleans - Mayor
of Slidell [northeast of Lake Pontch] complains about FEMA refusing to
deliver fuel and generators - New Mexico National Guard delayed five days by red tape
- Small aid group
of Loudon, VA police sent back by LA state police - Local flotilla of 500
boats barred from assisting - 500 Florida airboats barred from
assisting - Report: “I have spoken to relief efforts and understand that
there are plenty of supplies waiting for these people, BUT THEY ARE NOT BEING
ALLOWED INTO THE CITY. The National Guard has the city surrounded and is not
letting anyone in or out, except the buses being evacuated.” - Canadian search and rescue team was denied entry by Homeland Security
- Homeland Security disaster aid stockpiles untapped
- UN offering help, hearing no response
- FEMA had to
be told by the news networks that evacuees were being sent to the convention
center - Reuters report of police killing their own
citizens - Chicago offers aid, FEMA turns it down
- Many of National Guard’s high water vehicles in Iraq
- Former Army Corps of Engineers head Mike Parker was forced out of office
for complaining about budget cuts to levee repairs in general
Thankfully, many of these problems have since been fixed, only too late for some people. There has also been some good news during this time:
- Cindy Sheehan’s
protest group is donating supplies to the aid effort. I see this as an
obligation on their part because they were advertising a cross-country
road trip just before the storm struck. If they can go on a cross-country
road trip, they can go help out with the hurricane victims. - A general
who started getting things done in New Orleans - Teenager commandeers abandoned bus and rescues 100
people. Since he’s black, he’s a “looter” who may face criminal
charges. - News
reporters do their job. Even at Fox. - Al Gore charters
a plane to fly hospital patients to Tennessee. There were rumours that
FEMA had forbidden the flight.
Related reads:
- The BBC
has a roundup of quotes from worldwide news reports on the Katrina
aftermath - The
Moderate Voice has a round-up of the blogosphere - New Orleans Times-Picayune calls for FEMA Director Michael
Brown to be fired - Scalzi explains
why the flood victims couldn’t just load up their $60,000 SUVs and head off
to the Hamptons - Net.friends
error and
Cairsten
have their say. - “We’re naming it Lake George, ’cause it’s his frickin fault.”
- The breakdown of the federal response to Katrina looks like Ronald Reagan’s ideal government
- You can blame any of
the politicians involved, the main thing is that things need to get
done
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