Mayor Nagin, Would You Care To Explain This?
I feel for the people hurt, killed , and displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We at the Asylum have encouraged people to donate, and we continue to do so. However, the gloves are now coming off. I am tired of twiddling my thumbs waiting for the appropriate time to lay into the state government for their incompetence in this disaster. Mayor Nagin erupted in a profanity-laced tirade against the federal government for their "inaction" and "poor response" to Katrina. Well, a bit of digging and a bit of research—some by us, and some by others—has dug up a few nuggets that are not being addressed by the MSM. Typical that as they could care less who is properly to blame for this fiasco. (Hat-Tips: Captain’s Quarters and Mark Tapscott)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005372.php
http://tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com/2005/09/new-orleans-heres-mayor-nagins-pre.html
http://www.redstate.org/story/2005/9/3/122625/9410
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26
The link above takes our readers to the Office of Emergency Planning area of the New Orleans city website. The link is a comprehensive plan for any sort of natural disaster—hurricanes included—for the city, and how they would deal with it. It includes everything in it from keeping the public informed and keeping them educated on what is to be expected in such a disaster. But what appears to be an extremely damning piece of the plan is a specified timeline.
Evacuation notices or orders will be issued during three stages prior to gale force winds making landfall.
Precautionary Evacuation Notice: 72 hours or less.
Special Needs Evacuation Order: 8-12 hours after Precautionary Evacuation Notice issued.
General Evacuation Notice: 48 hours or less.
So, where were the notices. Everyone remembers the evacuation order given by the governor on Saturday, just a mere 12 hours before Katrina’s landfall. According to the timeline they created, and were supposed to be implementing, there should have been three notices. None of these were given by the governor or Mayor Nagin.
Further, as the plan specifically states:
The safe evacuation of threatened populations when endangered by a major catastrophic event is one of the principle reasons for developing a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The thorough identification of at-risk populations, transportation and sheltering resources, evacuation routes and potential bottlenecks and choke points, and the establishment of the management team that will coordinate not only the evacuation but which will monitor and direct the sheltering and return of affected populations, are the primary tasks of evacuation planning. Due to the geography of New Orleans and the varying scales of potential disasters and their resulting emergency evacuations, different plans are in place for small-scale evacuations and for citywide relocations of whole populations.
Authority to issue evacuations of elements of the population is vested in the Mayor. By Executive Order, the chief elected official, the Mayor of the City of New Orleans, has the authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane.
Evacuation procedures for special needs persons with either physical or mental handicaps, including registration of disabled persons, is covered in the SOP for Evacuation of Special Needs Persons.
Major population relocations resulting from an approaching hurricane or similar anticipated disaster, caused the City of New Orleans Office of Emergency Preparedness to develop a specific Hurricane Emergency Evacuation Standard Operating Procedures, which are appended to the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
The SOP is developed to provide for an orderly and coordinated evacuation intended to minimize the hazardous effects of flooding, wind, and rain on the residents and visitors in New Orleans. The SOP provides for the evacuation of the public from danger areas and the designations of shelters for evacuees.
This rests on the head of Mayor Nagin. He did not follow the SOP for such a disaster. The plans were tossed aside, and thousands were abandoned to deal with the fury of a hurricane bearing down on a city that is already below sea level, with levees that the Army Corps of Engineers warned the city they could only withstand a Category Three hurricane. Katrina was a Category Four when she hit Louisiana. The levees were destined to fail under such conditions.
It was the mayor’s responsibility to do whatever he could to get out whoever could not get out on their own. It was his, and his alone. That is why these sort of plans are put together. But, for some odd reason, Mayor Nagin opted to disregard the plan altogether. He has no one to blame but himself. But that is not his idea right now.
"Right now we are out of resources at the convention center and don't anticipate enough buses. We need buses."
That was from Mayor Nagin on CNN just a couple days after Katrina hit. Here is the problem with his griping. He had the buses. Click on the link below to take a look at a school bus yard that has, at last count, about 200 buses in the picture. They are all under water, and positively useless. They could have been used had Mayor Nagin followed the evacuation plans. No, he chooses to point the fingers at the federal government.
http://www.radioblogger.com/#000955 (Duane's picture is the best I have seen in terms of size, which lends to the ability to count the buses themselves.)
Here is the problem with that stupid allegation: Pres. Bush declared a state of emergency for the Gulf coast forty-eight hours in advance of the storm’s arrival, and ordered FEMA personnel into position to help with the recovery efforts. He contacted surrounding states and asked the governors to possibly have their national guard troops ready should Louisiana or Alabama call for assistance. The president did everything he could, at the time, to make sure relief efforts would more forward at an expeditious pace.
Further, in Section III-B-V, it states that the mayor has three specific tasks: to initiate the evacuation, to retain overall control of the emergency operation, and then to authorize a return to the evacuated areas. The city's Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) reports to the mayor and must coordinate with the NOPD, the state OEP, and the regional transit authorities to:
--Supply transportation as needed in accordance with the current Standard Operating Procedures.
--Place special vehicles on alert to be utilized if needed.
--Position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses.
--If warranted by scope of evacuation, implement additional service.
The buses in the lot in the picture should have been ordered out of that lot when the mandatory evacuation was given on Saturday, if not before—as per the guidelines that were ignored. Because the OEP (Office of Emergency Preparedness) failed in this duty, thousands of infirmed, poor, or stubborn people were left to the storm. Reprehensible in my opinion, and borderline criminal.
Further, shelters were designated for this sort of an evacuation. These shelters would be for those that were accidentally left behind or were too stubborn and bull-headed to leave. At least these people would have had a better chance than they did in the Superdome. However, the list below, oddly, does not mention the Superdome.
Shelter demand is currently under review by the Shelter Coordinator. Approximately 100,000 Citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation. Shelter assessment is an ongoing project of the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Shelter Coordinator.
The following schools have been inspected and approved as Hurricane Evacuation Shelters for the City of New Orleans:
Laurel Elementary School
Walter S. Cohen High School
Medard Nelson Elementary School
Sarah T. Reed High School
Southern University Multi Purpose Center
Southern University New Science Building
O. Perry Walker High School
Albert Wicker Elementary School
So, if the Superdome was not on the list, why were the people told to head there? What was their thinking? The Superdome was breached during the hurricane, so how could it have been the safest place in New Orleans. Especially with the above list; a list that would have housed the 100,000 people estimated in their plan. There is no evidence, as yet, to show that any of the above sites were full, or even open. If they were not open to the people that they were set aside for, then there is another failure, and it is not one that can be hung around the head of the president, FEMA, or Homeland Security.
The question still remains as to why Mayor Nagin did not follow the SOP for this sort of disaster. Had he done so—had he begun the evacuation of New Orleans when the plan called for it—many more people would have gotten out, and he would not have been dealing with a big fat mess like he is today, or should I say was, until today. Mayor Nagin got his little wish as Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has declared that New Orleans is now under federal control, and all relief efforts are now being coordinated completely through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.
The people of New Orleans should have a few questions for Mayor Nagin, who acted as though he did not know what to do. Though there is no date on the emergency plan to show when it was assembled, the detail involved in it shows that this was not a new plan, and that it has been updated. So, Mayor Nagin has no excuse for his failure to follow the plan. He had to have known about this plan, and this man is looking for someone else to blame for his own ineptitude. The utter stupidity of this man cost the city possibly thousands of lives. The death toll cannot be hung over the head of the president. It was not his job to coordinate the evacuation of the city. That falls to the mayor, who left in his helicopter shortly after the mandatory evacuation order was given on Saturday. He abandoned his city, and its citizens. If I were Mayor Nagin, I would resign before an investigation is launched on him, and his inability to properly execute the duties of his office.
The Bunny ;)
I feel for the people hurt, killed , and displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We at the Asylum have encouraged people to donate, and we continue to do so. However, the gloves are now coming off. I am tired of twiddling my thumbs waiting for the appropriate time to lay into the state government for their incompetence in this disaster. Mayor Nagin erupted in a profanity-laced tirade against the federal government for their "inaction" and "poor response" to Katrina. Well, a bit of digging and a bit of research—some by us, and some by others—has dug up a few nuggets that are not being addressed by the MSM. Typical that as they could care less who is properly to blame for this fiasco. (Hat-Tips: Captain’s Quarters and Mark Tapscott)
http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/005372.php
http://tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com/2005/09/new-orleans-heres-mayor-nagins-pre.html
http://www.redstate.org/story/2005/9/3/122625/9410
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26
The link above takes our readers to the Office of Emergency Planning area of the New Orleans city website. The link is a comprehensive plan for any sort of natural disaster—hurricanes included—for the city, and how they would deal with it. It includes everything in it from keeping the public informed and keeping them educated on what is to be expected in such a disaster. But what appears to be an extremely damning piece of the plan is a specified timeline.
Evacuation notices or orders will be issued during three stages prior to gale force winds making landfall.
Precautionary Evacuation Notice: 72 hours or less.
Special Needs Evacuation Order: 8-12 hours after Precautionary Evacuation Notice issued.
General Evacuation Notice: 48 hours or less.
So, where were the notices. Everyone remembers the evacuation order given by the governor on Saturday, just a mere 12 hours before Katrina’s landfall. According to the timeline they created, and were supposed to be implementing, there should have been three notices. None of these were given by the governor or Mayor Nagin.
Further, as the plan specifically states:
The safe evacuation of threatened populations when endangered by a major catastrophic event is one of the principle reasons for developing a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The thorough identification of at-risk populations, transportation and sheltering resources, evacuation routes and potential bottlenecks and choke points, and the establishment of the management team that will coordinate not only the evacuation but which will monitor and direct the sheltering and return of affected populations, are the primary tasks of evacuation planning. Due to the geography of New Orleans and the varying scales of potential disasters and their resulting emergency evacuations, different plans are in place for small-scale evacuations and for citywide relocations of whole populations.
Authority to issue evacuations of elements of the population is vested in the Mayor. By Executive Order, the chief elected official, the Mayor of the City of New Orleans, has the authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane.
Evacuation procedures for special needs persons with either physical or mental handicaps, including registration of disabled persons, is covered in the SOP for Evacuation of Special Needs Persons.
Major population relocations resulting from an approaching hurricane or similar anticipated disaster, caused the City of New Orleans Office of Emergency Preparedness to develop a specific Hurricane Emergency Evacuation Standard Operating Procedures, which are appended to the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
The SOP is developed to provide for an orderly and coordinated evacuation intended to minimize the hazardous effects of flooding, wind, and rain on the residents and visitors in New Orleans. The SOP provides for the evacuation of the public from danger areas and the designations of shelters for evacuees.
This rests on the head of Mayor Nagin. He did not follow the SOP for such a disaster. The plans were tossed aside, and thousands were abandoned to deal with the fury of a hurricane bearing down on a city that is already below sea level, with levees that the Army Corps of Engineers warned the city they could only withstand a Category Three hurricane. Katrina was a Category Four when she hit Louisiana. The levees were destined to fail under such conditions.
It was the mayor’s responsibility to do whatever he could to get out whoever could not get out on their own. It was his, and his alone. That is why these sort of plans are put together. But, for some odd reason, Mayor Nagin opted to disregard the plan altogether. He has no one to blame but himself. But that is not his idea right now.
"Right now we are out of resources at the convention center and don't anticipate enough buses. We need buses."
That was from Mayor Nagin on CNN just a couple days after Katrina hit. Here is the problem with his griping. He had the buses. Click on the link below to take a look at a school bus yard that has, at last count, about 200 buses in the picture. They are all under water, and positively useless. They could have been used had Mayor Nagin followed the evacuation plans. No, he chooses to point the fingers at the federal government.
http://www.radioblogger.com/#000955 (Duane's picture is the best I have seen in terms of size, which lends to the ability to count the buses themselves.)
Here is the problem with that stupid allegation: Pres. Bush declared a state of emergency for the Gulf coast forty-eight hours in advance of the storm’s arrival, and ordered FEMA personnel into position to help with the recovery efforts. He contacted surrounding states and asked the governors to possibly have their national guard troops ready should Louisiana or Alabama call for assistance. The president did everything he could, at the time, to make sure relief efforts would more forward at an expeditious pace.
Further, in Section III-B-V, it states that the mayor has three specific tasks: to initiate the evacuation, to retain overall control of the emergency operation, and then to authorize a return to the evacuated areas. The city's Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP) reports to the mayor and must coordinate with the NOPD, the state OEP, and the regional transit authorities to:
--Supply transportation as needed in accordance with the current Standard Operating Procedures.
--Place special vehicles on alert to be utilized if needed.
--Position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses.
--If warranted by scope of evacuation, implement additional service.
The buses in the lot in the picture should have been ordered out of that lot when the mandatory evacuation was given on Saturday, if not before—as per the guidelines that were ignored. Because the OEP (Office of Emergency Preparedness) failed in this duty, thousands of infirmed, poor, or stubborn people were left to the storm. Reprehensible in my opinion, and borderline criminal.
Further, shelters were designated for this sort of an evacuation. These shelters would be for those that were accidentally left behind or were too stubborn and bull-headed to leave. At least these people would have had a better chance than they did in the Superdome. However, the list below, oddly, does not mention the Superdome.
Shelter demand is currently under review by the Shelter Coordinator. Approximately 100,000 Citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation. Shelter assessment is an ongoing project of the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Shelter Coordinator.
The following schools have been inspected and approved as Hurricane Evacuation Shelters for the City of New Orleans:
Laurel Elementary School
Walter S. Cohen High School
Medard Nelson Elementary School
Sarah T. Reed High School
Southern University Multi Purpose Center
Southern University New Science Building
O. Perry Walker High School
Albert Wicker Elementary School
So, if the Superdome was not on the list, why were the people told to head there? What was their thinking? The Superdome was breached during the hurricane, so how could it have been the safest place in New Orleans. Especially with the above list; a list that would have housed the 100,000 people estimated in their plan. There is no evidence, as yet, to show that any of the above sites were full, or even open. If they were not open to the people that they were set aside for, then there is another failure, and it is not one that can be hung around the head of the president, FEMA, or Homeland Security.
The question still remains as to why Mayor Nagin did not follow the SOP for this sort of disaster. Had he done so—had he begun the evacuation of New Orleans when the plan called for it—many more people would have gotten out, and he would not have been dealing with a big fat mess like he is today, or should I say was, until today. Mayor Nagin got his little wish as Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has declared that New Orleans is now under federal control, and all relief efforts are now being coordinated completely through FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.
The people of New Orleans should have a few questions for Mayor Nagin, who acted as though he did not know what to do. Though there is no date on the emergency plan to show when it was assembled, the detail involved in it shows that this was not a new plan, and that it has been updated. So, Mayor Nagin has no excuse for his failure to follow the plan. He had to have known about this plan, and this man is looking for someone else to blame for his own ineptitude. The utter stupidity of this man cost the city possibly thousands of lives. The death toll cannot be hung over the head of the president. It was not his job to coordinate the evacuation of the city. That falls to the mayor, who left in his helicopter shortly after the mandatory evacuation order was given on Saturday. He abandoned his city, and its citizens. If I were Mayor Nagin, I would resign before an investigation is launched on him, and his inability to properly execute the duties of his office.
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 2:39 PM
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