the looting would never have happened if proper procedures

[cap]

were followed in the first place.

If the National Guard was deployed in full strength in NO BEFORE the hurricane hit, there would have been adequate security and adequate food and water for people.

If FEMA were funded and left in charge, relief would have been there by now. I was amazed at how fast Clinton got FEMA to respond. Maybe the levees wouldnt have been breeched.


They left poor blacks to die in NO. Shame. Shame. Rather than the story be about the looters, they arent running the articles on lack of food.

[The Magistrate]

1. Well Said, Ma'am!

You have put the thing in a nutshell....

[MSgt213]

2. They couldn't deploy the National Guard in full strength in New Orleans

before the hurricane. That wouldn't be a wise plan because you could have had National Guard troops become part of the problem depending on the destruction. Just because they are troops doesn't mean they are storm proof and you would have had to have some place for them to ride out the storm. New Orleans has no such place to house thousands of troops and stranded citizens too.

What you do is stage them just outside the storm area and even make plans to air drop them, bring them in by boat and rail if all the roads in were out. One other problem of course is the fact that we just don't have that many troops to deploy any way since the majority of them are in Iraq or preparing to go.

In order for FEMA, the National Guard, the Red Cross and other civilian support agencies too operate together there has to be a command structure and coordination between all of them. This would require planning and a leader willing to understand what each agencies strengths are and let them do their thing and not expect or allow them to stray into areas where they are doing task they are not good at.

As we can all see none of this was planned for. If they had a plan I sure haven't seen it yet.

[opihimoimoi]

3. BushCo got a Big Clue a couple years ago when BHAGDAD got sacked

They appear to have forgotten about the Looting Factor....

[NJCher]

4. where is the leadership?

Real leadership would have scoped out this situation and organized a plan for a mass evacuation. Yes, they may have been subject to criticism for overreacting or panicking. Regardless, this would be a mess without the degree of human tragedy we're seeing.




Cher

[booksenkatz]

5. That's been my question. Here's Gov. Blanco's plan, and I quote:

"We begged all of those people, the mayors begged those people, the parish presidents begged those people to get out," she said at a press briefing when questioned about the state's preparedness efforts.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html

There were no provisions made for those who have no money and/or no transportation; for the sick; for the elderly; for the children. Certainly not as far as I've been able to witness. It was just the old Amityville Horror Plan: GET OUT. That's the best we can do in the United States of America.
:cry: