Compare and contrast

[alfredo]

the Chernobyl disaster and Katrina

Hint: we don't come off very well.

It's a graphic so posting snippets was impossible.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2005/09/23/GR2005092300689.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Couldn't you say that Chernobyl was a symptom

of a government so corrupt it couldn't keep on for very long? Could Katrina be a harbinger for us?

[alfredo]

3. There are so many more things we can point to

that shows our country is on its way out.

[XOKCowboy]

2. Wow...

Never thought of it in that respect. I'm still amazed that Bush all but ignored Katrina in the SOTU. I'm ashamed that the Republicans and the MSM are allowing him to ignore it. This used to be a great country.

[Coastie for Truth]

4. Katrina and Terror

I was a professional responder - and now I am an NGO, volunteer emergency responder.

Whether it's a terror attack or a dirty bomb or a general alarm fire or a hurricane or a tornado, or an earthquake or a major flood --

the skill set, the incident command system and structure, the communications, the mass housing and feeding -- very much the same.

Our dismal non-response to Katrina/Rita/Wilma - and the Bushco subsequent finger pointing tells me that we have no capability for response to a major terror strike or dirty bomb - beyond the local police, fire, medics, NGO (Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc.).

This is the Wikipedia article on the - and the GAO says that DHS and FEMA failed to implement it. :shrug:

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[alfredo]

5. A dirty bomb, or the rumors of a dirty bomb will crush local

emergency services. We are facing terrorist attacks and bush responds by spying on Quakers.

[Coastie for Truth]

6. New Mexico School of Mines and UNLV have courses to

train first responders in responding to dirty bombs. I took the New Mexico Course last year.

A dirty bomb uses a conventional explosive (not nuclear) to scatter rad waste over a limited area. A heavy duty, high pressure wash down can provide mitigation.

Most big city FD's have "Dirty Bomb" crews and capability. (The local "dirty bomb" company is about three blocks from my condo).

[alfredo]

7. The unknown is the reaction of the population.

I have faith in the local first responders, but if the locals residents panic, then all bets are off.

The long term effects will be a reluctance of people to move back into the immediate area of the attack.

[Coastie for Truth]

8. Red CRoss Community Courses

I teach these courses. To some extent they can be helpful.

[alfredo]

9. It's the general population I am concerned about. Will the people

trust the bush administration if they declare an area safe enough to enter? Remember the suppression of air quality tests after 9-11? How about the total bungling of Katrina?