LA has 75% of their National Guard shit right here. Why didn't the governor call them out? Also the feds were gearing up before Mississippi on Monday because it was the worst hit area. It wasn't until Tuesday that things got really bad in New Orleans.

The feds declared a disaster area in LA on 8/26, that made it a federal matter. The Gov requested help on the 27th and 28th, nothing happened till Thursday.

 

Hell, Bush, Clinton, and Bush Sr have all said the federal response was lacking. I don't even know why anyone's trying to defend them other than pure political spin of a party trying to save its own ass.

The feds declared a disaster area in LA on 8/26, that made it a federal matter. The Gov requested help on the 27th and 28th, nothing happened till Thursday.

 

Just to get the timeline straight:

 

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18447

 

"WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response, today announced that Federal resources are being allocated to support emergency protective response efforts response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina.

 

Brown said President Bush authorized the aid under an emergency disaster declaration issued following a review of FEMA's analysis of the state's request for federal assistance. FEMA will mobilize equipment and resources necessary to protect public health and safety by assisting law enforcement with evacuations, establishing shelters, supporting emergency medical needs, meeting immediate lifesaving and life-sustaining human needs and protecting property, in addition to other emergency protective measures."

 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/28/hurr...ricane.katrina/

 

"New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared a state of emergency Sunday and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city."

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167243,00.html

 

"NEW ORLEANS ? The mayor ordered an immediate evacuation Sunday for all of New Orleans (search), a city sitting below sea level with 485,000 inhabitants, as Hurricane Katrina (search) bore down with wind revving up to nearly 175 mph and threats of a massive storm surge"

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,167240,00.html

 

"Texas ? President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana (search) on Saturday because of the approach of Hurricane Katrina (search) and his spokesman urged residents along the coast to heed authorities' advice to evacuate."

 

"The president's emergency declaration authorizes the FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts and to provide appropriate assistance in a number of Louisiana parishes, or counties."

 

http://www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema

 

8/29 Alabama Hurricane Katrina

8/29 Mississippi Hurricane Katrina

8/29 Louisiana Hurricane Katrina

 

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470

 

"WASHINGTON D.C. -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response and head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), today urged all fire and emergency services departments not to respond to counties and states affected by Hurricane Katrina without being requested and lawfully dispatched by state and local authorities under mutual aid agreements and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact."

 

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...20421/1025/NEWS

 

"Congress rushed to provide a $10.5 billion down payment in relief aid for Gulf Coast victims of Hurricane Katrina last night as President Bush ordered new action to minimize disruptions in the nation's energy supplies. The Senate approved the measure last night, and the House will convene at noon today to speed the measure to Bush's desk.

 

The rapid action was in part a measure of the pace at which the Federal Emergency Management Agency is spending money ? $500 million a day ? on relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. FEMA would run out of money before the long weekend if Congress did not act."

 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/02/kat...trina.congress/

 

"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After touring Gulf Coast states affected by Hurricane Katrina, President Bush on Friday night signed a $10.5 billion relief package passed by Congress to help victims of the massive storm.

 

The amount includes $10 billion in supplemental funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and $500 million for the Pentagon for its hurricane relief work.

 

Some members of Congress returned early from their five-week recess to vote on the bill. The House passed the bill Friday after the Senate approved it Thursday night."

 

"The disaster relief bill was "hot-lined" in the Senate. All members were contacted to ask if they had any objections to the measure. When no lawmakers objected, the bill was brought up and passed by leaders with only a few senators present."

______________________________________________

 

So, day-by-day, from these articles:

 

Sat, 08/27 - Bush declares "state of emergency" for Louisiana, which authorizes FEMA to coordinate disaster relief/protective efforts and makes LA eligible for federal aid

 

Sun, 08/28 - Nagin orders a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans

 

Mon, 08/29 - The federal government declares Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana a disaster area. Also, Michael D. Brown urges departments to wait for orders from state and local authorities for deployment, to better coordinate relief efforts.

 

Thu, 09/01 - Senate approves bill to bolster FEMA funding for New Orleans with $10.5 billion relief package. The bill is "hot-lined" to hasten congressional action.

 

Fri, 09/02 - House approves $10.5 billion relief package.

Compare that with how quick the response was to the series of hurricanes that hit Florida last summer and you'll see where the classism and racism arguments came from.

Bush has family in Florida. No surprise he had aid there ASAP as a result. The guy has a personal interest.

 

Shit, he referred to Saddam Hussein as "the guy that tried to kill my dad" weeks before he bombed the shit out of Iraq, only a few weeks after this:

 

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

 

Six months after he said this:

 

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."

- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01

 

It's clear he acts on his personal interests first, which is why he went to party and strum some country rather than rush to NO to raise morale.

 

3 Duke students tell of 'disgraceful' scene

By Ray Gronberg : The Herald-Sun

[email protected]

Sep 4, 2005 : 9:36 pm ET

 

 

 

 

DURHAM -- A trio of Duke University sophomores say they drove to New Orleans late last week, posed as journalists to slip inside the hurricane-soaked city twice, and evacuated seven people who weren't receiving help from authorities.

 

The group, led by South Carolina native Sonny Byrd, say they also managed to drive all the way to the New Orleans Convention Center, where they encountered scenes early Saturday evening that they say were disgraceful.

 

"We found it absolutely incredible that the authorities had no way to get there for four or five days, that they didn't go in and help these people, and we made it in a two-wheel-drive Hyundai," said Hans Buder, who made the trip with his roommate Byrd and another student, David Hankla.

 

Buder's account -- told by cell phone Sunday evening as the trio neared Montgomery, Ala., on their way home -- chronicled a three-day odyssey that began when the students, angered by the news reports they were seeing on CNN, loaded up their car with bottled water and headed for the Gulf coast to see if they could lend a hand.

 

The trio say they left Durham about 6 p.m. Thursday and reached Montgomery about 12 hours later. After catching 1? hours of sleep, they reached the coast at Mobile. From there, they traveled through the Mississippi cities of Biloxi and Gulfport.

 

They say they elected to keep going because it seemed like Mississippi authorities had things well in hand.

 

Pushing on, they passed through Slidell, La., and tried to get into New Orleans by a couple of routes. Each time, police and National Guard troops turned them away. By 2 p.m. they'd wound up in Baton Rouge.

 

Stopping first at a Red Cross shelter and then at offices of a Baton Rouge TV station, WAFB, they eventually made their way to the campus of Louisiana State University. By 8 p.m. Friday they were working as volunteers in an emergency assistance area set up inside LSU's indoor track arena.

 

The students worked until about 2 a.m. Saturday, then slept on the floor of a dorm room. When they awoke, they went back to the TV station, which was hosting what Buder termed "a distribution center" for supplies.

 

At 2 p.m., the trio decided to head for New Orleans, Buder said. After looking around, they swiped an Associated Press identification and one of the TV station's crew shirts, and found a Kinko's where they could make copies of the ID.

 

They were stopped again by authorities at the edge of New Orleans, but this time were able to make it through.

 

"We waved the press pass, and they looked at each other, the two guards, and waved us on in," Buder said.

 

Inside the city, they found a surreal environment.

 

"It was wild," Buder said. "It really felt like it was 'Independence Day,' the movie."

 

The trio dodged downed trees and power lines until they happened upon Magazine Street, which runs in a semi-circle around the city parallel to and about four blocks north of the Mississippi River.

 

They stopped to give water to a 15-year-old boy sitting beside the road holding a sign that said "Need Water/Food," then went to the convention center.

 

The evacuation was basically complete by the time they arrived, at about 6:30 or 6:45 p.m. What the trio saw there horrified them.

 

"The only way I can describe this, it was the epicenter," Buder said. "Inside there were National Guard running around, there was feces, people had urinated, soiled the carpet. There were dead bodies. The smell will never leave me."

 

Buder said the students saw four or five bodies. National Guard troopers seemed to be checking the second and third floors of the building to try to secure the site.

 

"Anyone who knows that area, if you had a bus, it would take you no more than 20 minutes to drive in with a bus and get these people out," Buder said. "They sat there for four or five days with no food, no water, babies getting raped in the bathrooms, there were murders, nobody was doing anything for these people. And we just drove right in, really disgraceful. I don't want to get too fired up with the rhetoric, but some blame needs to be placed somewhere."

 

By about 7 p.m., the students made their way back to the boy on Magazine Street. He directed them to some people "who really needed to get out." The resulting evacuation began at a house at the corner of Magazine and Peniston streets.

 

The first group included three women and a man. The students climbed into the front seats of the four-door Hyundai, and the evacuees filled the back seat. They left the city and headed back to Baton Rouge. There they deposited the man at the LSU medical center and took the women to dinner. The women later found shelter with relatives, and the students got about four hours' sleep inside the LSU chapel.

 

At 6:30 a.m. Sunday, they made their second run into New Orleans, returning to the house at Magazine and Peniston streets. This time they picked up three men and headed back to Baton Rouge. Two of the men were the husbands of two of the women evacuated the night before. The students reunited them with their wives and put the two families on a bus for Texas.

 

Buder is from Martha's Vineyard, Mass.; Byrd is from Rock Hill, S.C.; and Hankla is from Washington, D.C.

 

 

So 3 kids with forged press passes made at Kinkos can get where no one else apparently could.

Compare that with how quick the response was to the series of hurricanes that hit Florida last summer and you'll see where the classism and racism arguments came from.

Well, don't just imply - feel free to post the timeline for the Hurricane Charley efforts - I just mentioned this just to get the timeline straight, since you incorrectly listed dates earlier in the thread.

 

Otherwise, FEMA was authorized to mobilize aid for the efforts the second that Bush declared a state of emergency back on the 27th. The $10.5 billion dollar package was meant to restock the relief efforts for FEMA, rather than initiate them, from my understanding (and the understanding of one of the articles above). Aid was already being coordinated before Thursday - whether said aid was administered with any level of competence is what really should be up for debate when the dust settles. (Given that FEMA was spending $500 million a day, which is what brought the bill to action, I'm a little skeptical.)

 

Of course, that incompetency could be at the hands of the local/state governments, if you'll believe what FEMA tells you. It looks like both entities have starting countering each other with some CYA, while people are dying on the streets. Tremendous.

 

Here's the CNN link detailing the disconnect regarding the status on New Orleans:

 

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/

 

EDIT: Also, I'm a little skeptical of the legitimacy of the Duke student evacuation story, but if it turns out to be true, then that's very disappointing...and a much more effective way to show up the national government than Sean Penn's intrepid voyage.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=46160

 

This is fucking disgusting. No boobs? No help!

 

Department of Homeland Security Responds to Hurricane Charley

 

FEMA Public Affairs

Contact: 202-646-4600

August 16, 2004

Washington, DC

 

With Hurricane Charley's 145 mile-per-hour winds impacting the Florida coast last Friday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is leading a massive emergency response and recovery effort to assist those communities in need of emergency assistance as a result of the devastation from the storm.

 

As part of the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to coordinate emergency response activities along with other federal departments and respective state agencies.? Prior to Hurricane Charley's arrival, FEMA pre-positioned emergency response teams and disaster relief supplies throughout the southeast region in preparation for anticipated response operations with additional equipment and resources being deployed throughout the weekend from stockpiles nationwide.

 

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and FEMA Director Michael Brown continue to maximize readiness and response efforts as a result of Hurricane Charley and are working in close contact with Florida Governor Jeb Bush and other governors in southeast states that were impacted by this dangerous storm.?

 

 

FEMA's Mobile Emergency Response Services' communication units from as far away as Denver, Colorado, were mobilized to help provide telephone, radio and video links in support of response and recovery efforts.

 

 

 

In addition to activating and deploying Medical Management Support Teams and Veterinary Medical Teams, FEMA sent six Urban Search and Rescue teams from Florida and Tennessee to find and assist residents as well as check the safety of damaged buildings.? Eight Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) comprising of doctors, nurses and medical technicians trained to handle trauma, pediatrics, surgery and mental health concerns are providing emergency care at damaged hospitals in several Florida communities including Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte and Wauchula.? Each DMAT team also brought truckloads of medical equipment and supplies with it to support medical facilities that are not fully operational.

 

 

 

Sixty semi-trailers containing cots and blankets, emergency meals, portable toilets, personal wash kits, sleeping bags, 6-8 person tents, plastic sheeting and roofing, bottled water and mid-range generators have arrived in central Florida.? FEMA also shipped large containers with building materials to assist residents with immediate home repairs.

 

 

 

In cooperation with state officials, FEMA is helping to coordinate the delivery of 14 trucks totaling 560,000 pounds of ice and 20 trucks bringing 94,000 gallons of water to affected Florida communities. Additional water supplies continue to be brought into the state.

 

 

 

FEMA, in coordination with Florida's Office of Emergency Management, is working to identify utility companies outside the affected area to provide mutual aid to Florida power companies in their efforts to restore power as a result of massive power infrastructure damage and outages that could take weeks to repair.

 

 

 

The Department of Homeland Security also lent support to FEMA's efforts by assessing vulnerabilities and potential impact to critical infrastructure located in the storm's projected path.? Based upon these assessments, Homeland Security is better prepared to work with private sector partners and state and local government officials during this recovery phase.

 

 

 

The Department of Defense (DoD) is supporting FEMA's response effort with four military bases being used for mobilization and staging sites for response teams and supplies. DoD has also analyzing national aircraft assets from military and civilian agencies to transport additional response and recovery supplies if needed.

 

 

 

FEMA continues to coordinate and support the American Red Cross and the 18 public shelters and 10 special needs shelters still in operation. The American Red Cross is also standing by with mobile kitchens and other response vehicles.

 

 

 

Homeland Security Department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement aircraft, at the request of FEMA and the State of Florida, flew post-storm analysis flights as part of FEMA's Rapid Needs Assessment over the storm's path and collected images for damage assessment. Information developed during the flight was delivered directly to the Florida State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee to assist FEMA and better target areas in need of immediate disaster assistance.? 

 

 

###

 

I want a Bush apologist to explain why there was planning ahead of time for Charley, and a year later there wasn't jack shit done till after the fact.

 

 

on edit: link to original story http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3944

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article....RTICLE_ID=46160

 

This is fucking disgusting. No boobs? No help!

Once again, we've got another second hand story but, if it's true, then that's infuriating. The only bad part about the article is that it seems to veer from saying it's "government authorities" and "policemen" - if it was the police, then we're talking about the NOPD, which has already been denounced as one of the most corrupt PDs in the country. If it's FEMA or any other government aid doing that...then who the hell knows.

 

I want a Bush apologist to explain why there was planning ahead of time for Charley, and a year later there wasn't jack shit done till after the fact.

This isn't exactly the Pro-Bush argument you're waiting for, but there's a good deal of speculation that FEMA's superior response in 2004 to Charley was driven by the fact that it was an election year and perhaps the head honchos at FEMA put a little more pressure on their forces. That seems a bit more plausible to me than "Bush hates blacks and poor people" because - once again - it harkens back to organization-wide incompetence.

 

In fact, what's funny about all of this is that FEMA actually did have a plan for dealing with a hurricane in New Orleans:

 

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politi...cs/12549282.htm

 

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Government disaster officials had an action plan if a major hurricane hit New Orleans. They simply didn't execute it when Hurricane Katrina struck.

 

Thirteen months before Katrina hit New Orleans, local, state and federal officials held a simulated hurricane drill that Ronald Castleman, then the regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, called "a very good exercise."

 

More than a million residents were "evacuated" in the tabletop scenario as 120-mile-an-hour winds and 20 inches of rain caused widespread flooding that supposedly trapped 300,000 people in the city.

 

"It was very much an eye-opener," said Castleman, a Republican appointee of President Bush who left FEMA in December for the private sector. "A number of things were identified that we had to deal with, not all of them were solved."

Sure, it's a tabletop scenario (did they use a Risk board and some d20's lying around?), but it goes to show that they at least tried to establish some sort of contingency plan. How that plan got lost between then and Katrina looks to be a mystery.

The pictures that pissed Kanye off are here:

 

 

 

As you can see, same thing, different colours, one is looting, one isn't.

 

And the authorities are just as bad:

 

http://media.skoopy.com/vids/vid_00748.wmv

 

Even the cops are looting. Why aren't the cops being put on the shoot to kill policy?

 

Edit: Now Japan has been hit by a typhoon. Thailand gets hit with a tsunami, American gets hit with a hurricane, Japan gets hit with a typhoon... if there is a God, I think he's trying to tell us something. Either that, or global warming is going to wipe us all out.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4220246.stm

 

Anyway else think this is fucking stupid? They might as well ask a monkey to solve the question of "why?". The guy is largely responsible for the delay in aid and now he wants to investigate where it all went wrong... for some reason I doubt he'll go "it's mah fault cus I went to rock out rather than help save ma nation's people" but who knows, he admitted the reason he didn't sign the Kyoto treaty was because of financial interests to Trevor McDonald and has said plenty of other stupid things before, here's to hoping he slips like Freud and finally people wake up and realise if the guy had an intelligent thought it would die of loneliness.

CNN.com just had a "breaking news" thing quoting a state offical saying the Superdome will probably need to be torn down due to the damage it sustained and the unsanitary condititions during its use as a shelter.

I wouldn't be surprised. You know how disgusting it must be in there with all the plumbing backed up, no air conditioner, and thousands upon thousands of refugees.

They could doubtlessly clean it up and repair it, but as a sporting arena it likely carries too many bad memories for the citizens of New Orleans at this point.

 

And if the New Orleans Superdome is no more, let's remember that the dome hosted more than Saints football. The venue was also the site of Muhammad Ali's last victory against Leon Spinks, Thomas Hearns defeat of Wilredo Benitez, and where Roberto Duran cried "no mas" against Sugar Ray Leonard.

And for us wrestling fans, it was also the heart and soul of Mid South Wrestling.

And for us wrestling fans, it was also the heart and soul of Mid South Wrestling.

As well as Flair/Steamboat on 4/2/89, arguably the most popular match the two have had.