Hurricane Katrina Disaster Updates

[DEPUTYDAWG]

I wish that was what it was about. But our leadership did screw up. Big time.

I have a question on the role of Mayor of NO, and I don't know if you know the answer...

In many cities, the position of Mayor is basically a figure-head, and don't have a whole lot of power, per se. (Here in our city of 115K people, the Mayor is a part-time position, for example.) Oftentimes in city government, it's the City Manager that REALLY runs the show. Do you know if that's the case in NO? And, second question - how long has the Mayor been Mayor? Was he elected last November or a few years ago?

Thanks!

 

[mysteriew]

3rd: I think FEMA is having some problems with leadership right now because they've been tucked into the Homeland Security Program. Things are new and there are different ways of running things, and it hasn't been all smooth.

I agree with this. They have been spending a lot of money making sure that local LE and emergency services have up to date equipment, they have done some training. So they are not doing all bad.
But from what I have been seeing in the news, there are problems with communication throughout the agency. Not just in the FBI. And I think we will find that is part of the problem here. Communication problems. One hand thought the other hand was doing it. The other hand wasn't sure what they were supposed to be doing. Both hands thought that someone else should be doing it.

 

[less0305]

I have a question on the role of Mayor of NO, and I don't know if you know the answer...

In many cities, the position of Mayor is basically a figure-head, and don't have a whole lot of power, per se. (Here in our city of 115K people, the Mayor is a part-time position, for example.) Oftentimes in city government, it's the City Manager that REALLY runs the show. Do you know if that's the case in NO? And, second question - how long has the Mayor been Mayor? Was he elected last November or a few years ago?

Thanks!

Our Mayor is part-time also. He doesn't even vote during council meetings, except to break a tie. But the manager works under the direction of the Mayor and City Council. She carries out their wishes. She does run day-to-day operations. But when we had a tornado the Mayor and Manager worked hand in hand to get FEMA assistance through our state legislature/governor. They worked together in setting the priorities and carrying out the rescue, relief, and clean up.

I think the Mayor of N.O. was elected in 2003 - but I'm not certain.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Our Mayor is part-time also. He doesn't even vote during council meetings, except to break a tie. But the manager works under the direction of the Mayor and City Council. She carries out their wishes. She does run day-to-day operations. But when we had a tornado the Mayor and Manager worked hand in hand to get FEMA assistance through our state legislature/governor. They worked together in setting the priorities and carrying out the rescue, relief, and clean up.

I think the Mayor of N.O. was elected in 2003 - but I'm not certain.

Mayor C Ray Nagin has defied the conventional wisdom from the beginning of his political life. His surprise victory in the New Orleans mayoral election in May 2002, proved that New Orleanians were looking for the city’s leadership to take bold new steps to protect their future. He became the first New Orleans Mayor to rise to the post in nearly 60 years without holding a previous elected office. Ray Nagin put his career in business on hold to lead the city where he was born.

 

[less0305]

Mayor C Ray Nagin has defied the conventional wisdom from the beginning of his political life. His surprise victory in the New Orleans mayoral election in May 2002, proved that New Orleanians were looking for the city’s leadership to take bold new steps to protect their future. He became the first New Orleans Mayor to rise to the post in nearly 60 years without holding a previous elected office. Ray Nagin put his career in business on hold to lead the city where he was born.

Well, I'm glad New Orleans has him and not me.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

I agree with this. They have been spending a lot of money making sure that local LE and emergency services have up to date equipment, they have done some training. So they are not doing all bad.
But from what I have been seeing in the news, there are problems with communication throughout the agency. Not just in the FBI. And I think we will find that is part of the problem here. Communication problems. One hand thought the other hand was doing it. The other hand wasn't sure what they were supposed to be doing. Both hands thought that someone else should be doing it.

Yes!

I'm not an expert at this, as it doesn't totally pertain to my day-to-day job, but from paperwork I see at work...yes, our agency has been working over the last 2 years on updating radio communications, internally and radio frequency communications with other agencies. They finished a radio frequency template about 6 months ago. And around El Paso (I've never been there) there have been huge Communications improvements completed.

Point being - whether we like it or not, improvements have been made, but there's still a lot to be done. After 9/11, much has improved. But, it's all work in progress. Sadly, communications problems (tactical and leadership) appear to be to blame for much of the problems in this situation.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

Mayor C Ray Nagin has defied the conventional wisdom from the beginning of his political life. His surprise victory in the New Orleans mayoral election in May 2002, proved that New Orleanians were looking for the city’s leadership to take bold new steps to protect their future. He became the first New Orleans Mayor to rise to the post in nearly 60 years without holding a previous elected office. Ray Nagin put his career in business on hold to lead the city where he was born.

Thanks for that info. I just decided to bold an eerie statement....

He didn't do so well.

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Thanks for that info. I just decided to bold an eerie statement....

He didn't do so well.

I also found this while researching New Orleans..........

Before his election, Nagin was a member of the Republican Party and had little political experience; he was a vice president and general manager at Cox Communications, a cable communications company and subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Nagin did give donations periodically to candidates, namely President George W. Bush and former Republican U.S. Representative Billy Tauzin in 1999 and 2000, as well as to Democratic U.S. Senators John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston earlier in the decade.

Days before filing for the New Orleans Mayoral race in February 2002, Nagin switched his party registration to the Democratic Party, presumably in order to improve his chances of winning the race in heavily Democratic New Orleans. Shortly before the primary election, an endorsement praising Nagin as a reformer by Gambit Magazine gave him crucial momentum that would carry through for the primary election and runoff. In the first round of the crowded mayoral election in February 2002, Nagin received first place with 29% of the vote, against such opponents as Police Chief Richard Pennington, State Senator Paulette Irons, City Councilman Troy Carter and others. In the runoff with Pennington in May 2002, Nagin won with 59% of the vote. His campaign was largely self-financed.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Nagin

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

I also found this while researching New Orleans..........

Before his election, Nagin was a member of the Republican Party and had little political experience; he was a vice president and general manager at Cox Communications, a cable communications company and subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Nagin did give donations periodically to candidates, namely President George W. Bush and former Republican U.S. Representative Billy Tauzin in 1999 and 2000, as well as to Democratic U.S. Senators John Breaux and J. Bennett Johnston earlier in the decade.

Days before filing for the New Orleans Mayoral race in February 2002, Nagin switched his party registration to the Democratic Party, presumably in order to improve his chances of winning the race in heavily Democratic New Orleans. Shortly before the primary election, an endorsement praising Nagin as a reformer by Gambit Magazine gave him crucial momentum that would carry through for the primary election and runoff. In the first round of the crowded mayoral election in February 2002, Nagin received first place with 29% of the vote, against such opponents as Police Chief Richard Pennington, State Senator Paulette Irons, City Councilman Troy Carter and others. In the runoff with Pennington in May 2002, Nagin won with 59% of the vote. His campaign was largely self-financed.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Nagin

So "presumably" he flip-flopped his political party to gain an edge...not one to stand on his own strengths and convictions?

 

[Tom'sGirl]

So "presumably" he flip-flopped his political party to gain an edge...not one to stand on his own strengths and convictions?

Just posted what I read as I thought it was interesting as I know nothing of the man, his politics or "whatever" and never even heard his name until Katrina came into the picture.

ETA: I also found this to be interesting:

Nagin also made a controversial endorsement of current Republican U.S. Representative Bobby Jindal in the 2003 Louisiana Gubernatorial Runoff over current Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

Just posted what I read as I thought it was interesting as I know nothing of the man, his politics or "whatever" and never even heard his name until Katrina came into the picture.

Oh, my "presumably" was in quotes because that word was used in the article. I wasn't doubting you at all! Sorry if there was confusion, LOL

 

[Tom'sGirl]

Oh, my "presumably" was in quotes because that word was used in the article. I wasn't doubting you at all! Sorry if there was confusion, LOL

Whew, thanks for that Deputy, I feel better now :dance:

I shouldn't post anything I guess unless I can back it up with a link UNLESS it's just my opinion.

 

[Dark Knight]

(AP) In addition to the lawlessness, civilian deaths and uncertainty about their families, New Orleans' police have had to deal with suicides in their ranks. Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said.

"I've got some firefighters and police officers that have been pretty much traumatized," Mayor Ray Nagin said. "And we've already had a couple of suicides, so I am cycling them out as we speak. ... They need physical and psychological evaluations."

 

[MrsMush99]

(AP) In addition to the lawlessness, civilian deaths and uncertainty about their families, New Orleans' police have had to deal with suicides in their ranks. Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said.

"I've got some firefighters and police officers that have been pretty much traumatized," Mayor Ray Nagin said. "And we've already had a couple of suicides, so I am cycling them out as we speak. ... They need physical and psychological evaluations."

So sad. I'm afraid it's probably only going to get worse. :sick:

 

[mysteriew]

"Mississippi needs more coverage," Sabato said. "Until people see it on TV, they don't think it's real."

Along the battered Mississippi Gulf Coast, crews started searching boats for corpses on Saturday. Several shrimpers are believed to have died as they tried to ride out the storm aboard their boats on the Intracoastal Waterway.

"I'm going to tell you, Mississippi got hit much harder than they did, but what happened in the aftermath - it makes your stomach hurt to go miles and miles and miles and the houses are all under water up to the roof," Barbour said.

Keisha Moran has been living in a tent in a department store parking lot in Bay St. Louis with her boyfriend and three young children since the hurricane struck. She said National Guardsmen have brought her water but no other aid so far, and she was furious that it took Bush several days before he came to see the damage in Mississippi.

"It's how many days later? How many people are dead?" Moran said.

Mississippi's death toll from Hurricane Katrina stood at 144 on Saturday, according to confirmed reports from coroners and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Barbour had said Friday the total was 147, but he didn't provide a county-by-county breakdown.

In a strongly worded editorial, The Sun Herald of Biloxi-Gulfport pleaded for help and questioned why a massive National Guard presence wasn't already visible.

"We understand that New Orleans also was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but surely this nation has the resources to rescue both that metropolitan (area) and ours," the newspaper editorialized, saying survival basics like ice, gasoline and medicine have been too slow to arrive.

"We are not calling on the nation and the state to make life more comfortable in South Mississippi, we are calling on the nation and the state to make life here possible," the paper wrote.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/12555987.htm

 

[mysteriew]

Farmers near the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina are dumping their milk because they've run out of room to store it, even as thousands of people go hungry in the New Orleans area.

Many storage tanks are just big enough to hold two milkings, and co-ops have not been able to pick up the excess milk, said Dee Simpson, who has been dumping milk at her family's 250-acre dairy farm since Thursday.
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/12556496.htm

 

[mysteriew]

A forecast released Friday by meteorologists at Colorado State University calls for six more hurricanes by the time the hurricane season ends on Nov. 30, three of them Category 3 or above. On average, about one major hurricane in three makes landfall in the United States.

"We expect that by the time the 2005 hurricane season is over, we will witness tropical cyclone activity at near record levels," the Colorado State meteorologists wrote.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/sep/03/090301595.html

 

[concernedperson]

A swat team commander from La. was talking with Kyra Phillips earlier and mentioned he was on his way to Jefferson Parish to see about his home etc. They had been rerouted to Hwy. 61 vs. I-10 because of emergency vehicles using that expressway, lots of traffic on a 2 lane spread of highway. Anyway, they were near Lake Maurepas and thousands of fish were in the road and shoulders. Apparently the storm pushed them right out of the lake....he said the smell was absolutely the worst thing he had ever smelled. Dead fish rotting in the sun.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

A forecast released Friday by meteorologists at Colorado State University calls for six more hurricanes by the time the hurricane season ends on Nov. 30, three of them Category 3 or above. On average, about one major hurricane in three makes landfall in the United States.

"We expect that by the time the 2005 hurricane season is over, we will witness tropical cyclone activity at near record levels," the Colorado State meteorologists wrote.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/sep/03/090301595.html

On Fox this morning, they were showing the potential storm tracks of two - one that would be of concern to the Atlantic coast, I think they said for mid-week (?), and the other a possible threat to the Gulf of Mexico, showing a track possibly hitting landfall near Houston and up through Central TX. Of course I had two thoughts: 1) oh my, since I'm in Central Tx, and the other was 2) HOUSTON with all the evaucation shelters does NOT need to be hit by a bad storm (or worse)!! And, then a third thought: since it's so far out, we all know that track could veer left or right, and if it veered to the right, back to LA, oh my goodness.

 

[Ntegrity]

(AP) Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said.

I just spoke to my friend Penni whose son is a police officer in NO. He was friends with the officers who shot themselves and said it's just a nightmare there. He's seen so many bodies and it's getting to him -- especially all the children!! We don't pay these guys nearly enough. I can't imagine doing their job.