National Geographic "Katrina" retrospective

[Okla-homey]

Try to catch the NGS special on Katrina. Fascinating retrospective. Pretty even handed treatment and objective analysis IMHO.

Blanco is made to look feckless and primarily concerned with the political ramifications of abrogating her authority to the Feds early when it still could have made a difference.

Nagin is made to look, well, in over his head. He does get points for trying to get Blanco and Bush on the same page. He is criticized for not making evacuation mandatory and turning down Amtrak and private carriers' offers to get people out of town for free before the storm hit.

The press is soundly trounced for making things seem worse than they were at times, and better at times than they were. IOW, inaccurate reporting which negatively affected the scope and size of the national response.

They also spent time on the fact that no one could claim surprise the levees didn't hold based on models and NWS forecasts at least 30 hours before landfall of levee overtopping and probable breaching.

The Fed response is painted as too little, too late.

Leaves you feeling that if NO ever gets rebuilt, it won't be the same. Also, there appears no national will to do much to get poor evacuees into new homes in the destroyed poor areas. That means it won't happen because there simply isn't enough state/local money to get it done.

Finally, there was discussion of the influx of billions for municipal disaster preparedness nationwide in the wake of 9/11 which apparently most cities and locales have blown on unrelated bogosity. E.g. LA still doesn't have an evac plan for when the eventual big quake hits. Nothing. Not even some stuff scribbled on a cocktail napkin.

[picasso]

did they even try to delve into Bush's master plan of blowing up the dikes? and I'm not talking about Rosie and Ellen.

[Okla-homey]

did they even try to delve into Bush's master plan of blowing up the dikes? and I'm not talking about Rosie and Ellen.

Never mentioned. There were scenes of mostly poor people trying to get out on foot afterwards being penned up for days on highway overpasses who were denied access to suburban communities because those folks were afraid they'd loot and stuff.

Also, approximate chemical composition of flood water people were wading: water, poop, gasoline, diesel, various noxious chemicals, human and animal corpses.

[GottaHavePride]

Leaves you feeling that if NO ever gets rebuilt, it won't be the same. Also, there appears no national will to do much to get poor evacuees into new homes in the destroyed poor areas. That means it won't happen because there simply isn't enough state/local money to get it done.

I was watching a special on the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 a couple of weeks ago. One of the things they mentioned was how people in Europe have been there for over 1,000 years and have had time to get their cities in the right places. Noted that all the major European cities (London, Paris, etc.) are in incredibly stable geographical areas. But over here we just built cities wherever the hell we felt like and so far haven't had to pay the price.

They also noted that when the next one hits San Fran (I think they said at this point there's about 150 inches of continental drift that's backed up out there and whenever it decides to unload that it's going to be messy) it will be even worse, because for 50 years after the 1906 quake there were no building codes at all in San Fran. So most of the buildings out there are set to fall over, crush anyone inside, and light on fire.

[slickdawg]

Thanks for the heads up Homey!

[JohnnyMack]

Tuba posts the buses underwater picture in 5......4......3......2......1......

[picasso]

Tuba's busy following around the Tulsa Icy Hot Cops.

[LSUdeek]

of course nobody wants the housing project neighborhood residents in the suburban areas. the rap music, dope slingin, gang and murder capital of the world? you gotta be kidding me.

what nobody is saying is that new orleans is happy to have the poor people out. that means far fewer panhandlers, street musicians, and beggars for your french quarter visits.

the biggest problem imo was twofold: the new orleans levee board's historical misappropriation of funds (divertion of over 2 mill for pet projects) and nagin's failure to either get private transportation or school buses mobilized to get people out. the cane hit on 8/28 and reports from BR area students were that the interstate was completely bare on the night of friday the 26th between NO and BR.

[JohnnyMack]

Tuba's busy following around the Tulsa Icy Hot Cops.

I had Daylight Donuts this morning. I think they pwn Merritt's. However mebbe we should have a blind taste off in order to decide for sure. :D

[picasso]

I had Daylight Donuts this morning. I think they pwn Merritt's. However mebbe we should have a blind taste off in order to decide for sure. :D
I've never seen a Copper in Merritt's before. Maybe Tubaer's right, they are big time after all.

[Okla-homey]

of course nobody wants the housing project neighborhood residents in the suburban areas. the rap music, dope slingin, gang and murder capital of the world? you gotta be kidding me.

what nobody is saying is that new orleans is happy to have the poor people out. that means far fewer panhandlers, street musicians, and beggars for your french quarter visits.

the biggest problem imo was twofold: the new orleans levee board's historical misappropriation of funds (divertion of over 2 mill for pet projects) and nagin's failure to either get private transportation or school buses mobilized to get people out. the cane hit on 8/28 and reports from BR area students were that the interstate was completely bare on the night of friday the 26th between NO and BR.

The NGS program cited deeply held local disfavor of mandatory evacuations which affected Nagin's judgement, hence, he begged instead of ordered. I guess that's what happens when leaders won't make tough calls fearing political repercussions.

Seems to me, far too many folks felt they could ride it out. The folks poor who wanted to split had no way to get out of town except shoeleather thanks to "analysis paralysis" in city hall.

[slickdawg]

The NGS program cited deeply held local disfavor of mandatory evacuations which affected Nagin's judgement, hence, he begged instead of ordered. I guess that's what happens when leaders won't make tough calls fearing political repercussions.

Seems to me, far too many folks felt they could ride it out. The folks poor who wanted to split had no way to get out of town except shoeleather thanks to "analysis paralysis" in city hall.


Nagin's biggest problem was Blanco and his current opponet for re-election, Lt. Gov Mitch Landrieu.

He looked to them for help about the unprecedented evacuation order
for the city. They screwed around for 24+ hours before getting back with him.

[Okla-homey]

Nagin's biggest problem was Blanco and his current opponet for re-election, Lt. Gov Mitch Landrieu.

He looked to them for help about the unprecedented evacuation order
for the city. They screwed around for 24+ hours before getting back with him.

So, are you saying he was looking for CYA? If so, that was cowardly. If he'd have ordered it, would the state have sued to enjoin his order? I bet not. If they had, and the evac. order had been stayed by a federal judge pending trial, Nagin would have come out smelling like roses. Anyhoo, that's what I would have advised hizzoner if he had called me at the time.;)

[slickdawg]

So, are you saying he was looking for CYA? If so, that was cowardly. If he'd have ordered it, would the state have sued to enjoin his order? I bet not. If they had, and the evac. order had been stayed by a federal judge pending trial, Nagin would have come out smelling like roses. Anyhoo, that's what I would have advised hizzoner if he had called me at the time.;)

I wouldn't say a CYA, he was relatively ignorant for the authority part
of the job as Mayor. I clearly remember him on the radio and TV saying
that "I do not know if I have the authority to order people to evacuate, it's
never been done in New Orleans before. My legal staffis working with the
governer's office to find out if we do".

I will say this for Nagin, he's a breath of fresh air from the corrupt
good ol boy politicians down here.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

The only thing that will bring widespread support to the rebuilding and repopulation of the NOLA area is committment to build the levees to withstand cat. 5 storms, IMO.

[Jerk]

I heard through the grapevine that the Feds could have taken control of LA before the 'cane hit, but the Bush Admin got all touch feely and worried how it would be perceived in the media with the big bad Republican man taking a democrat woman's feifdom away from her.

Regardless, I don't think anything would have made much of a difference. I mean, when you have a Cat 4 Hurricane hit a triple-layered welfare state, you're going to have some major problems.

[OklahomaTuba]

Tuba posts the buses underwater picture in 5......4......3......2......1......

Well, since you asked for it...:D

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b323/patfish/Katrina/katrinabusmontage.jpg

[OklahomaTuba]

Tuba's busy following around the Tulsa Icy Hot Cops.
Hell, all they do these days in hang at QT for gas and donuts. I got to much **** to do than watch them do that all day. ;)

[Okla-homey]

Tuba-man,

I think the thing is, as I think I understand it now, Nagin asked the gov if he could order mandatory evac. He was skeered to try it just based on his mayoral authority. I have no idea how the law is wired-up down there...it is Louisiana and all. Maybe he couldn't w/out state say-so. That said, I think he prolly should have sacked-up and ordered it anyway and dared 'em to take it to a judge. If he had found that sort of courage, he could also justify use of the school busses to haul folks out...to where I do not know.

Anyway, Baton Rouge didn't give him an answer, therefore he stopped short of ordering evac. Since he didn't order mandatory evac, and given his situation with the storm barrelling in, he prolly could'nt justify firing up the school busses to take people out of town simply because they wanted to leave. Who would have driven them anyway? For all I know the busses belong to the state and not the local school district. I know that's how it is in some southern states. Maybe LA too.

Just my opinion on how it went down. The only guy who knows for sure is Nagin.

[OklahomaTuba]

Well, of the things I have read about it, using the buses was part of the evac plan that was totally ignored while the good mayor of chocolate city was in a fetal position wetting himself.

One would hope that the largest hurricane to hit the US in history might cause someone to crack open the evac plan they probably spent a million dollars to make.

But then again, thats what you get for expecting the government to do everything for you, and for living in a city that should be a lake.

[Okla-homey]

Well, of the things I have read about it, using the buses was part of the evac plan that was totally ignored while the good mayor of chocolate city was in a fetal position wetting himself.

One would hope that the largest hurricane to hit the US in history might cause someone to crack open the evac plan they probably spent a million dollars to make.

Isn't it just possible that the triggering event for execution of the evac plan was a mandatory evac? That's the way it worked when I lived in Alabama.

[OklahomaTuba]

Oh, I am sure thats it, but again you are right, Nagin should have just done it.

If the mayor of a town doesn't have the right to order mandatory evac, then thats messed up.

[Okla-homey]

Oh, I am sure thats it, but again you are right, Nagin should have just done it.

If the mayor of a town doesn't have the right to order mandatory evac, then thats messed up.

I bet he does now.;)

[TUSooner]

One thing not mentioned - the history of "close calls" I still don't belive anybody thought it would really happen like it did. So they rather passively gambled on another near miss.
As for rebuilding. I see some relatively rich neighborhoods with few if any signs of a comeback so far; I guess that bodes worse for the poor neighborhoods. I hope i get to see the show.

[JohnnyMack]

Tuba,

You should use the head up your *** guy as your avatar.

[OklahomaTuba]

I dunno, I thought it fit the mayor of chocolate city rather well. Keeping a close eye during rush hour on the hershey highway.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Tuba,

You should use the head up your *** guy as your avatar.Shocking and whimsical words coming from the keyboard of an admitted lib!