First, the unacceptable:
The Crescent City Connection is the tall bridge over the Mississippi River. The bridge and the access ramps to the bridge have remained accessible from downtown New Orleans. That is how the rescue vehicles accessed New Orleans once they arrived.
This overhead shot shows buses that were NOT underwater, yet were not used to evacuate people in the Superdome or in the Convention Center.
The magic question: why!?
And now, the inexcusable:
HH: You just broke a pretty big story. I was watching up on the corner television in my studio, and it’s headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found out.
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They’re not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center, needing most acutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuees. But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck nearby. Why don’t I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state’s homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross, immediately after the storm passed.
The Red Cross has confirmed the above.
I’m now wondering when Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will call for the arrests of Kathleen Blanco and Ray Nagin for gross negligence and involuntary manslaughter.
Oops! I just remembered. Kathleen and Ray are both Democrats. It wouldn’t be right for Harry and Nancy to hold the guilty people in their own party accountable. It’s easier (and much more fun) to blame Emperor Chimpy McHitlerburton for the deliberate screw-ups at the local and state levels.
(links via Ramblings’ Journal and Flopping Aces)
This one party blaming the other garbage has got to stop. There could not be a less appropriate time for partisan bickering.
Besides, they all failed. Every one of them.
Agreed, it shouldn’t be a partisan issue. The bottom line is that in a disaster, the feds are not first-responders. State and local authorities initiate the first response (including giving relief groups access to disaster areas and shelters). The feds get involved when the state asks them to — which Blanco hemmed and hawed about even after federal assistance was offered and being staged.
I’m not excusing the failures made by DHS and FEMA (yes, I said it), but the State of Louisiana and the City of New Orleans failed their residents big-time by not implementing their respective emergency plans and denying first-responders initial access. The left is quick to attack the right for screwing up; yet they are hesitant to hold two leaders on their own side accountable for screwing up as well.
I’ll be happy to stop pointing this stuff out when the left starts demanding the heads of Kathleen Blanco and Ray Nagin along with those of Michael Chertoff and Michael Brown.
I’ve discovered that the left are a bunch of idealistic saps who can’t even point out what direction their traveling in, much less direct the dismissal of faulty politicians. I think the government failed at all levels. That’s my opinion based on what I know. It does make perfect sense, though, that those CLOSEST to the disaster be the FIRST on the scene doing what needs to be done. Fact is, this is such a gagglef*ck that I think every politician from bottom to top should have to answer for it.