The response to the FLOODING was the problem in NO, not the

[laureloak]

preparation for the hurricane.

I just felt that needed to be said.

[firefox]

1. I do not agree

There should have been many more evacuations before the storm, especially for those in hospitals and rest homes. Why wasn't there water and gasoline for the generators at the Superdome? There was failure before the hurricane ever crossed Florida.

[laureloak]

2. I live in NC and we prepare for hurricanes just like LA.

Hospitals and rest homes are not emptied - everyone just hunkers down and hopes for the best.
And there WAS gasoline for the generators and they worked fine until they went underwater. They talked about it continuously on the news. The generators should have been elevated when the building was constructed.

[sandnsea]

4. There was

You think you can get 100,000 people out of a city in 30 hours?


Evacuations began on Saturday. "The state has opened two medical needs shelters in the state, one in Alexandria (800-841-5778) and one in Monroe (866-280-7287)." The Superdome was announced as a shelter of last resort. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, in a joint afternoon news conference with Gov. Kathleen Blanco, warned residents to take Katrina seriously. Hoping for yet another near miss could be deadly, he said. “This is not a test. This is the real deal,” Nagin said. Mandatory evacuation is done 30 hours before expected landfall, Nagin started urging people to leave before that.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08_27.html

Sunday - more evacuations, mandatory evacuation "To help keep them fed and hydrated, the Louisiana National Guard delivered three truckloads of water and seven truckloads of MREs — short for "meals ready to eat." That's enough to supply 15,000 people for three days, according to Col. Jay Mayeaux, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Preparedness."

"Children’s Hospital on Sunday night started moving patients and departments off the first floor. “We’re moving all our patients up to the second through sixth floors,” said Medical Director Alan Robson. “The generators are on the second floor, and we’ve got enough fuel to last us two or three weeks ... I am told the hospital is five feet above sea level, and we’re calculating that if there’s a wall of water like they are predicting, that we can survive." Landrieu & Vitter "They also urged the president "respectfully but in the strongest possible terms to tour the devastated area as soon as practical," a visit they said would reassure residents that federal agencies are focused on helping the area recover." "The facilities, operated by the departments of Social Services and Health and Hospitals, are designed for people who are homebound, chronically ill or disabled; need medical or nursing care; and have no other place to receive treatment." Phone numbers & transportation to these shelters provided. "RTA buses will be picking up citizens for free and take them to these shelters."

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_08_28.html

[WritersBlock]

3. Please don't let them get away with separating the two.

Don't let them use the excuse of "two separate catastrophies."

The flooding was caused by the hurricane, and was foreseen.

[laureloak]

6. Why wouldn't you separate them?

I think that by separating them we see that preparations were made for the hurricane using the same methods as other states, thereby taking the blame off the Mayor and Governor.

[bloom]

5. The Response

(the non-rescue of flood victims in NOLA)

was so bad it was criminal.

[laureloak]

7. Agreed. I'm ready for an impeachment campaign.