NYT: Louisiana Sees Faded Urgency in Relief Effort

[DeepModem Mom]

Louisiana Sees Faded Urgency in Relief Effort
By JAMES DAO
Published: November 22, 2005


BATON ROUGE, La., Nov. 18 - Less than three months after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, relief legislation remains dormant in Washington and despair is growing among officials here who fear that Congress and the Bush administration are losing interest in their plight.

As evidence, the state and local officials cite an array of stalled bills and policy changes they say are crucial to rebuilding the city and persuading some of its hundreds of thousands of evacuated residents to return, including measures to finance long-term hurricane protection, revive small businesses and compensate the uninsured.

"There is a real concern that we will lose the nation's attention the longer this takes," said Representative Bobby Jindal, a Republican from Metairie, just west of New Orleans. "People are making decisions now about whether to come back. And every day that passes, it will be a little harder to get things done."

Officials from both parties say the bottlenecks have occurred in large part because of a leadership vacuum in Washington, where President Bush and Congress have been preoccupied for weeks with Iraq, deficit reduction, the C.I.A. leak investigation and the Supreme Court.

Congressional leaders have been scrambling to rein in spending, and many in Washington have grumbled that Louisiana's leaders have asked for too much, while failing to guarantee that the money will be spent efficiently and honestly....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/national/nationalspecial/22louisiana.html?hp&ex=1132635600&en=6684741ed2bb879c&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[David Dunham]

1. Sadly, the US does not have $200 billion to spend to rebuild NOLA

[EFerrari]

3. Rebuild?! How much can we spare to bury the dead?

[uppityperson]

5. Firestation news. How about just maintaining what is still workable?

More than half of the New Orleans Fire Department's stations were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Of the department's 33 stations, only 10 are operational.

But 751 New Orleans firefighters remain at work, spread citywide and housed in places such as the Audubon Park Clubhouse and the St. Pius X Elementary School in Lake Vista.

Twenty-three engines, nine ladder trucks, five squirts and 27 water tankers, along with the dozens of firefighters who use them, have been redeployed to the remaining stations and the six makeshift locations.

To get a jump on fires in the Lower 9th Ward, at least one engine sits across from Holy Cross High School, manned in four-hour shifts.

"Everything is different; nothing is the same," Chief Norman Woodridge said...
much more at link

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1132558476240640.xml

[EFerrari]

9. Those amazing people. Thanks, will check this link.

:)

[uppityperson]

22. nola.com is a good place to start

they have lots of pictures by themselves, Times Picayune, AP and ones people sent in. Lots of stories about NewOrleans and the coast. Thanks for keeping interest up. People are moving on. I have a couple boxes of stuff to send to the coast this next wk (had some almost ready to go and whonked my head into a concussion, who needs drugs, just whack the back really good and you get the same result), not sure if flypaper is still needed, but maybe. How to keep the public's interest when there is more happening elsewhere in the world, time has passed, it's "holiday" time? Give thanks for what you have and onward.

[EFerrari]

24. I'd forgotten about the site although we checked it all day and night

during the storm. Bet a lot of people have "forgotten" in the way your brain filters out what makes you feel too helpless.

[KamaAina]

26. No, not as long as it goes to tax cuts and Operation Iraqi Quagmire

we don't. :grr: :banghead:

[EFerrari]

2. What is the MATTER with this country.

[area51]

8. "What is the MATTER with this country."

Nazis are running this country. Nothing is as important to them as tax cuts for the über-wealthy. The rest of us can go fsck ourselves as far as they're concerned. This is a third-world country now, Uronyourownistan. :mad:

[Digit]

4. We need a renewed groundswell of outrage

Where did the money go?
What about the people who are still missing?
There are people being kicked out of their temporary housing who have yet to receive any help from FEMA.
I don't know the half of it because the media doesn't cover it anymore!

[DeltaLady]

27. Even those with flood insurance haven't been paid.

I can't even get a copy of my flood appraiser's report, although it has been written up. Apparently it first has to go to the insurance carrier so they can attempt to negotiate desperate people to accept less than they're entitled to.

The whole process is sickening, including some on DU who don't want to pay "their tax dollars" to rebuild New Orleans. They are suggesting things like railroads for replacing freight movement on the Mississippi. (the cost is roughly five times as much to move cargo by rail) For their edification and for your own, please read my entry under "facts and figures." It will help put the cost of this in its proper perspective. Some boggle at the cost to rebuild, but considering what Louisiana has sent and will continue to send to DC, we're paying our own freight.

To those who support us, a heartfelt and sincere thank you. We are hanging on by our fingernails.

By the way, as far as the actual number of dead goes, I've heard stories of bodies washed out to the gulf, being eaten by animals before they could be retrieved, things that sicken the heart. I haven't stopped crying for months now. Not a day goes by without my heart breaking anew. Please help us.

[Porcupine]

6. Yer' on your own. Get used to it. Thank the GOP

In case you haven't noticed the Republican pResident and congress congratulated the lap dog that bungled the Katrina evacuation and rescue. The Democrats in congress (mythical) who should have spent the last several months screaming for the head of king George due to this incompetance seemed to have just noticed the Iraq debacle.

Iraq war promoted Fall '02 executed Spring '03; congress notes problems Fall '05.

Hurricane Katrina Summer of '05....expected realistic action by congress possibly Fall '07.

Not to put things in a bad light but the current elected officials of the federal government could not succesfully run a scout camp.

Hey sorry. I'm with you. I think people should be handed plans, building materials and living expenses. Elderly and disabled folks should have their places built for them of course.

[Thom Little]

7. Screwing regular people so they can score another tax cut for the rich.

[tanyev]

10. I just saw a story on my local Dallas station about how

the apartment complexes that took in a lot of evacuees have not been paid by FEMA and they may start evicting very soon. Homeless for Christmas. Thanks, George.

[truthisfreedom]

11. bushco is busy campaigning for support that will never come, and

meanwhile people are homeless and helpless and the government is doing nothing to help them.

schmucks in office are TOO BUSY EMPTYING THE US TREASURY COFFERS INTO THEIR BUDDIES' POCKETS.

[Al-CIAda]

12. I have BEEN yelling about this for weeks. We ARE being abandoned.

Written off while 100's of BILLIONS sink down a rat hole half a world away. I say yet again, the social contract is being broken. Why the fuck to we pay taxes down here? The country STEALS our resources, ruins our coast in the process, then gives us the big 'Fuck you' when we need to call in some chips/favors. "America" is a lie.

[DeepModem Mom]

13. I see that the NYT front-paged this article today. nt

[Al-CIAda]

14. BTW, with only 3 recommends, it appears fading in interest here as well.

Damn, I'm pissed.

[ninkasi]

15. This is an outrage...

Bush goes dragging his hundreds of Secret Service agents all over the world, preaching to other leaders about democracy, freedom, and other subjects he knows nothing about, while one of our great cities is left to die. Remember the phony speech he made, using a generator to spotlight himself, while he promised to do everything necessary to save NO?

That was a lie, another of his many lies. Meanwhile, as others on this thread have pointed out, one of his priorities is more tax cuts for his wealthy cronies. The plight of the poor in NO was televised for us all, during those terrible days after Katrina hit, but the people are still poor, and still in need of aid.

We, the people, need to demand of our government that the tax cuts be rolled back, and that we leave Iraq, and start repairing the damage done on our on shores. If we can't help New Orleans, then we have completely failed as a country.

This is one of the biggest hypocritical statements of all...
"Congressional leaders have been scrambling to rein in spending, and many in Washington have grumbled that Louisiana's leaders have asked for too much, while failing to guarantee that the money will be spent efficiently and honestly...."

The same government which lets Halliburton back up trucks next to the treasury and haul money away, for all practical purposes, is now demanding "efficiency and honesty"? We should all be outraged over the lost brothers and sisters of New Orleans.

[Moosepoop]

16. Here's a K & R for ya!!

Makes 5 recommendations, so far.

[Al-CIAda]

18. Much obliged, kind sir/madame. n/t

[Patiod]

17. You think this would have happend in Jebbie's Florida?

Or in Utah? or Idaho?

But screw Democratic Louisiana and Democratic New Orleans.

More important to preserve tax cuts for the very wealthy.

[Boxerfan]

19. AND.... There will never bee a real body count. 6,647 are MISSING

Over 1000 of those are children.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-21-katrina-missing_x.htm?csp=24

They intentionally kept the count low. Get ready for the biggest land grab ever....

[BJW]

20. HEY ALL--ANIMAL RESCUERS NEED PEOPLE RIGHT NOW!

It's extremely serious. The situation for animals left behind is critical.

If you can get to NOLA to help with animal rescue they're taking all comers.

I had a post up about this yesterday where you can find more info. It may still be on the "greatest" pages.

[Al-CIAda]

21. .

[applegrove]

23. Remember how often the Repukes & Bush WH have called up

the image on 9/11 to get what they wanted. Seems odd that nobody will talk about Katrina - but we know why.. because they didn't do their jobs so they have to not talk about it.

[DeltaLady]

25. Facts and figures on Louisiana's contribution to the nation

"One revenue source in particular that I have focused on to address our coastal land loss are revenues from oil and gas development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). States that have mineral production on federal lands within their boundaries receive 50% of the revenues generated from that production annually. These funds are distributed annually as an entitlement and are not subject to appropriation. However, there is no similar provision in law for coastal producing states for the federal oil and gas revenues generated on the OCS. The justification for sharing with producing coastal states is the same as the justification for sharing with onshore states: they serve as a platform for these offshore resources and should be compensated for the onshore impacts. States like Louisiana provide the onshore support for this offshore oil and gas production and have suffered significant infrastructure and environmental impacts as a result of this federal activity. Also, Louisiana is the state through which pass scores of pipelines that bring federal oil and gas to shore and to other states in the union.

In addition, coastal producing states should be compensated for their contribution to the federal treasury, as well as the nation's oil and gas supply. With annual returns to the federal government averaging more than $5 billion annually, no single area has contributed as much to the federal treasury as the OCS. In fact, since 1953, the OCS has contributed $140 billion to the U.S. Treasury. Since between 80 and 90% of that amount has come from offshore Louisiana, Louisiana is in a particularly unique position to claim a portion of these revenues. In 2002, $7.5 billion in offshore revenues went into the Federal treasury and more than $5 billion, or 2/3 of that amount came from offshore Louisiana. Among states, Louisiana ranks 1st in crude oil production and 2nd in natural gas production. Today the OCS supplies more than 25% of our nation’s natural gas production and more than 30% of our domestic oil production (with the promise of more– expected to reach 40% by 2008). The OCS supplies more oil to our nation than any other country including Saudi Arabia."

This quote is directly from Senator Mary Landrieu's website.

[KamaAina]

28. That $$$ alone would allow La. to recover, maybe even to thrive!

Way'at DeltaLady! :hi: 15-year N.O. exile here, presently being sucked in to the rebuilding process to the point where it is cutting into my DU time! Look for "Ignatius J. Reilly" or the equivalent in places like

http://nola.us
http://www.nola.com/forums/rebuilding/index.ssf
http://www.nolarises.com (not much traffic on this one)

Good point, and one of which even my generally well-informed self was blissfully unaware. Get the delegations from the other coastal producing states, notably Texas, behind this, and La. has a source of revenue it produces on its own, without any of those doggone commie gummint handouts. :sarcasm:

[uppityperson]

30. Thanks for the other links.

[booksenkatz]

29. K&R, even though it's late. This is vitally important. nt

[Al-CIAda]

31. .