A Failure of Government in These United States

For once we agree, Ken. Our Government continues to fail us, even on the Local and State levels. We are not prepared for the next major terrorist attack.

I find it incredible that with Rescue Operations going on, there are two hospitals sitting in 6 feet of water in New Orleans that have been without any power since Sunday night & this is Wednesday, and no rescue operation has thought to evacuate the hospital staffs and patients - there are 1000 in one hospital alone. One hospital has called in several times to MSNBC, but still no word on evacuation from authorities. I just find it beyond belief.

I find it incredible that the Navy ships weren't dispatched until today.

I find it incredible that no one really seems to know how to organize the evacuation process and plan for these things ahead of time, for the worst case scenario, with all the millions of tax dollars being thrown at different agencies.

The NOLA experience and heart break we are seeing now is the result of government failure, not heeding the possible scenario that was predicted by experts for a long time. Sadly, innocent lives are ruined because of the apathy of politicians.

One would think our leaders at all levels would have their ducks in a row in planning for catastrophic events of all types, but it is quite evident they do not.

 

I agree with both of you.

I thought Bill O'Reilly made a lot of sense tonight in his talking points about where we should go from here to handle this disaster which could have been prevented (but now that we are there, let's deal with it). Check out his talking points on the website on Fox News.

He also illustrated the truth of your point in his interview with a retired General from the Army corps of Engineers tonight when he asked him why, when they knew they could have got a cat. 5 hurricane, did they build the levies to only withstand a cat. 3 hurricane. The guy just sat there with a deer in the headlights look on his face.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Here's at least some explanation:

Source - Edited to fix link

[ August 31, 2005, 10:17 PM: Message edited by: LadyEagle ]

 

Makes you wonder what else we're dropping the ball on...

 

The natural role of a floodplain is to carry excess water during periods of heavy runoff, but when the floodplain is walled off behind levees, the artificially narrow river must rise higher to compensate.

Levees built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers guide the Mississippi River and its silt through a narrow shipping channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Now, when the wetlands are eroded by storms, there's no dirt to rebuild them. "We now have a levee system to nearly the edge of the continental shelf, so the sediment gets dumped off ... into the deep part of the Gulf, and it doesn't build land any more," says Stephen Nelson, a professor of geology at Tulane University, so the barrier wetlands are disappearing. "We're losing our protection from hurricanes, and the biggest worry about flooding around [New Orleans] comes from hurricanes."

Source: http://whyfiles.org/107flood/4.html

They were talking about this on the news the other night, and saying how by building the levees they have caused the city to "sink" below sea level which has made it more of a danger zone during hurricanes.

 

Apparently, Fox has not updated their videos for today, but when they do, be sure to check out Bill O'Reilly. He makes a lot of sense.

Joseph Botwinick

 

A reporter on MSNBC just said that there is "no one in charge" at the Super Dome and it is a very unsafe place.

Who is supposed to be in charge? The Mayor? The Governor?

This is NOT supposed to be happening in America, Folks! The military was deployed IMMEDIATELY to the tsunami victims.

 

True. But if he was told of the problem and chose to cut the funding for the solution to the problem, that's not Bush bashing. That's incompetence.

 

Here is the O'Reilly strategy:

1. Looters and other exploiters should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

2. All Americans should immediately limit gas and oil consumption.

3. The Energy Secretary should warn oil companies not to profiteer. Profits should be cut 20%. Any oil company which doesn't voluntarily comply with that should be exposed and publicly shamed.

4. President Bush should ask OPEC to drop the price of oil and stop gouging. According to Bill, it cost OPEC $4 a barrel to produce the crude, and they are charging $70 a barrell.

5. Americans should help the Red Cross and other legitimate charities.

6. Southern hotel owners should inform authorities of vacancies. And no price gouging!

7. Over the next few weeks, the Factor will watch the powerful. We'll tell you who's helping Katrina's victims and who's hurting them. That includes you oil company CEO's. You're on notice.

 

The retired commander of the Army COE said this:

We wish we would have invested the money into stronger levees.

That was his answer.

Joseph Botwinick

 

From what I understand, it's the levees that have caused the dangerzone by destroying the wetlands.

 

So why are they shipping the evacuees to Houston? Wouldn't it make more sense to put up temporary lodging, etc., in an abandoned military base?

 

LE,

Where would you suggest? It seems as if Houston and the Astrodome is prepared and set up to take care of these folks. What's the problem with that?

Joseph Botwinick

 

For how long? These 1 million who are now homeless and jobless will have to stay away for at least a month, are they going to live in the Astrodome for a month? I'm not complaining, I am glad to see that Houston is trying to help, I am just curious as to what a long-term solution for 1 million people will be, they are all in my prayers!