I'm just tired of the excuses from everyone for the entire Fiasco along the gulf coast. Despite all of the hoopla of Homeland Security for the last few years it failed miserably. I was up all night as the hurricane approached New Orleans. I monitored amateur bands and just about anything else I could pick up. The sad thing is that there were volunteers on the ground ready with reports and the ability to relay messages and information. However the operators quickly found out that virtually none of their government contacts were in place, on the air, or even monitoring radio traffic. It's odd that many of the "nets" were set up by various incarnations of homeland security, yet they seemed to be just for show as they simply didn't perform. It was disappointing that the folks competing to be in a photo op to take/give praise for their positions didn't do their jobs. If they had done as promised much suffering and loss would have been avoided. An amateur operator on one net at around 2 a.m. said that he didn't mind taking damage/storm reports or relaying messages, but since the government contact he was supposed to report to was nowhere to be found, what was the point? While the position of Homeland Security was lamenting poor communications, amateur operators had set up with generators at some commercial broadcast stations to relay information to the public. Thankfully they did that without any help from Homeland Security or much needed information would have been delayed even more.
The levee failures weren't just a possibility. They were just a matter of time. Perhaps if more effort or money had been put into the construction, maintenance, or status of the levees a lot of problems could have been avoided. But let's face it, a lot of information was already there that was simply ignored. It's easier to issue some press releases, take some posed photos, and tell everyone that everything is fine rather than to take positive preventative action.
So yes, I could be critical of Bush and blame him. It was nice that he called the mayor and governor three days before the storm hit. We'll overlook the fact that he didn't let it interupt his vacation or that the storm track was well predicted for days before that or that the federal government sent some advance aid semi-trucks from our area to Georgia. The problem is and was much bigger than the president. Homeland Security is a farce. It was no secret that a major storm would devastate New Orleans. The preparations were woefully inadequate. No matter how you feel about the people there and whether they worked or lived in public housing, thousands suffered needlessly. When a disaster hits as the hurricanes last year and you lose everything...your home, possessions, possibly the lives of family members, everyone is automatically brought down to the same level. No food. No water. No shelter.
It's not reassuring when the lead official of FEMA takes four days to ask "What convention center?" Apparently no one at FEMA or Homeland Security thought to monitor broadcast, internet or emergency frequencies. Many charities had scores of trucks loaded with bottled water, ice and food rolling toward New Orleans and the Gulf coast before the storm even hit. They were denied turned away. Why?
Now we can either take pot shots about the politicians on both sides that fail to represent us or we can work together to point out what went wrong and work to make sure that our country is ready for any future disasters. Of course that means criticism of those who were supposed to be doing their jobs last year. If you brush aside the criticism as purely partisan you may have won an argument, but lost the opportunity to make our country better. No person is above critism and the folks elected to office certainly don't deserve any special consideration.
The levee failures weren't just a possibility. They were just a matter of time. Perhaps if more effort or money had been put into the construction, maintenance, or status of the levees a lot of problems could have been avoided. But let's face it, a lot of information was already there that was simply ignored. It's easier to issue some press releases, take some posed photos, and tell everyone that everything is fine rather than to take positive preventative action.
So yes, I could be critical of Bush and blame him. It was nice that he called the mayor and governor three days before the storm hit. We'll overlook the fact that he didn't let it interupt his vacation or that the storm track was well predicted for days before that or that the federal government sent some advance aid semi-trucks from our area to Georgia. The problem is and was much bigger than the president. Homeland Security is a farce. It was no secret that a major storm would devastate New Orleans. The preparations were woefully inadequate. No matter how you feel about the people there and whether they worked or lived in public housing, thousands suffered needlessly. When a disaster hits as the hurricanes last year and you lose everything...your home, possessions, possibly the lives of family members, everyone is automatically brought down to the same level. No food. No water. No shelter.
It's not reassuring when the lead official of FEMA takes four days to ask "What convention center?" Apparently no one at FEMA or Homeland Security thought to monitor broadcast, internet or emergency frequencies. Many charities had scores of trucks loaded with bottled water, ice and food rolling toward New Orleans and the Gulf coast before the storm even hit. They were denied turned away. Why?
Now we can either take pot shots about the politicians on both sides that fail to represent us or we can work together to point out what went wrong and work to make sure that our country is ready for any future disasters. Of course that means criticism of those who were supposed to be doing their jobs last year. If you brush aside the criticism as purely partisan you may have won an argument, but lost the opportunity to make our country better. No person is above critism and the folks elected to office certainly don't deserve any special consideration.
