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Published on September 3, 2005 By ----- In Current Events
Rant:
While I was watching the television tonight they interviewed various “refugees” from the hurricane. More than a few of them shouted angrily about not getting out now, not getting this and that. Well people; don’t expect us to be able to pull it out of our arses(sp). I can sympathize with needing food and water, but people don’t realize that things take time. It takes planning; we (relief) can’t go in all gung ho. Some people do not realize that those who are going in and rescuing, etc… in New Orleans are doing so at their own risk. All of New Orleans is contaminated. I think that there was a sense of shock at first a; “How could it…?”
Now, can someone explain this to me clearly, so that I have proof (from another person besides me reading things) to back my statements up against my naïve niece. Are they (the people evacuating others) being racist by not “saving as many” blacks as possible. She thinks that they (gov’t, etc…) were being racist. Now, IMO some one has been telling her a bunch of BS. I told her that a large percentage of people in New Orleans couldn’t afford to evacuate, let alone live afterwards. That things take time. That they are rescuing people. Now was I wrong, or was she a bit bull headed/mislead?
Now back to the subject. Is it me or is it when a crisis happens, every one is impatient and logic fails many?
Now, another subject; the violence. Now I hear people complaining about the government not focusing on evacuating enough; and instead focusing on the looting. Now folks, I do think evacuating them is in the top five, but, would I want some one to shoot at me, rob me, rape me, etc…? No. If they can stop the violence, then no harm will befall to those being evacuated. Right? Perhaps. Crises bring out the worst in people.

Comments
on Sep 03, 2005
Not racism, just lack of a viable evacuation plan. Mayor Nagin basically ordered a "mandatory evacuation" and apparently that was the extent of the evacuation plan. A viable plan is the result of identifying avenues of egress, evalutating access to them by the population, writing protocols based on what has been learned, testing those protocols and ammending them accordingly.

The number of people with no privately owned transportation should have been calculated long ago and verified periodically. Part of the Emergency Management Protocols should have included a plan and required assets for evacuating them to the designated shelters.

Sorry Mayor Nagil... Ordering a "mandatory evacuation", declaring a meaningless "Martial Law" then complaining about how bad a job everyone else is doing is NOT a viable evacation plan... Unless those screaming Racism are saying that a Black Mayor is a racist.
on Sep 03, 2005
But it's still Bush's fault.
on Sep 04, 2005
If you did some research you would know that New Orleans Emergency Management Agencies have been doing just what you accuse them of not doing. One of the most visible and recent examples of this is the "Hurricane Pam" exercise. Studies were done to identify the number of immobile people, the percentage of population without transportation, as well as the percentage of the population that would decide to remain in their houses. There was a plan to evacuate those without transportation to shelters...The NORTF ran shuttles to the Superdome and other designated shelters for two days prior to Katrina's arrival. Obviously not the best plan and they knew it....hence they were in the midst of trying to modify it. A tough thing for a relatively poor city to do when the federal government denies the entire state pre disaster planning grants for the past three years, drastically cuts the New Orleans District ACOE's budget, and deploys more than 30% of the states NG troops and equipment to Iraq.

I'm not saying Nagil did a stellar job...He obviously hasn't. If you listen to his comments carefully you might hear a man pleading to get the help that others had promised and not someone throwing blame. After all Nagil was a lifelong registered republican who supported Bush and the Govenor's Republican opponent up until a few days prior to running for election himself.
on Sep 04, 2005
no me!