New Orleans Ordered Evacuated Again

New Orleans Ordered Evacuated Again

It doesn't seem the Mayor knows what he's doing. He reacts impulsively - too quickly or too slowly - and shoots off his foul mouth too much.

First he doesn't help people in his city leave that wanted to leave. Then he forces people in his city to leave who didn't want to and were doing just fine. Then he "invites" selected people to return to get things going again. Then he tells them all to leave again because there's a potential hurricane entering the Gulf of Mexico. All along the way he blames the federal government for being wrong and condemns their agents for speaking their mind.

I wonder if he thinks it's time to confiscate some more weapons from residents.

Tropical Storm Rita


Take a look at the National Weather Service's prediction and ask yourself if you believe New Orleans is is grave danger relative to the area between Houston and Corpus Christi. If this merits the evacuation of New Orleans then people there best get ready for numerous evacuations every hurricane season.

The best thing for the government to do is to furnish accurate information about what it knows - such as is presented by the National Weather Service - and let people make their own decisions about what's best for themselves.

If seems some of us Texans have some choices to make in the next day or two based upon the best information we can get. We can't know for certain so we'll have to make some judgments and take some risks.

 

It frequently rains hard all along the Gulf Coast.

No one told the pioneers whether or not they could venture out across the plains.

No one tells the crab fisherman they can't pursue their livelihood because it's dangerous.

The government doesn't make overweight people stop eating when we all know it's not good to be in that condition.

No one told the original settlers of New Orleans whether or not they could build in the swamps or live near the coast.

People have known for generations that the New Orleans is below river and lake level. People have known that levees can and do fail causing terrible flooding.

No one is telling the residents of San Francisco or Los Angeles they can or can't live in an earthquake fault zone. Everyone knows they're in a high risk area.

No one is making a big deal about not letting people from St. Louis to Memphis stay put when we know there's the possibility of a major earthquake in that area.

People continue to rebuild homes and businesses all along the Atlantic and Gulf coast line. No one makes them do it or stops them from doing it. Everyone knows there's a risk.

People know there are sharks in the ocean but they still want to go swimming in it.

People know that parachutes sometimes fail but they still jump out of airplanes counting on them to work. The government doesn't need to decide for them if it's okay or not.

The Mayor doesn't need to decide for the people when it's "safe" for them.

The government should provide facts - if it truly has any - and let the people decide whether or not they want to take the risks.

 

Right now the projected center is focused in an area between Houston and Corpus Christi. New Orleans isn't any where near the targeted area. Of course, that could change at any time. It could also turn south into Mexico. It could also turn far north into Alabama. Next week there could be another one right into New Orleans. It will never be 100% safe to be in New Orleans. It never has been. Living and working there - including cleaning up and repairing the damage - involves taking risks. Let the people decide based upon factual information about the risks. Let's not let the government decide what's best for us. Most of the elected officials don't have the expertise, the vested interest, nor even the moral strength to make those decisions.

[ September 20, 2005, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Dragoon68 ]

 

I don't disagree about New Orleans being a dangerous place even outside of hurricane season!

As for weather forecasts ... well if I don't water the grass it won't rain but if I do it will rain.

Right now, I'm checking the NWS web site every so often to help me decide whether or not to board up the windows on my little temporal residence.