I am so Angry

[Details]

I expect that we will hear all about it in due time. I hope that the focus will be on safety and preparedness failures and not degenerate into political fodder.

I agree - this is not a political matter, it is an incompetence matter. It shouldn't be made political, and if that was part of the problem, it's still incompetence.

I think in a few weeks or a month, we'll start hearing about it - getting the facts, the documents, the people who know what was and was not done.

 

[JBean]

How long is too long?

At what point is FEMA responsible?

When they say they are? Five days? Six days? A week? In a federal emergency, why does the federal government get a pass not to save lives?

At what point is the president responsible? Is he ever? When?

What about if it becomes evident that the state and local government can't handle things? Is it ok for the federal government not to do all they can just because someone else is supposed to exhaust their resources first and it is supposed to take 3 days, and if it happens sooner, tough?

I spoke to my sister this evening. If she can, she is going to join here so she can answer some of the questions that she has firsthand experience with. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding of how things are supposd to work at state and federal levels.Arming ourselves with as much information as possible is a good idea right now.

 

[Ntegrity]

That would be great, JBean. :dance:

 

[Tom'sGirl]

I spoke to my sister this evening. If she can, she is going to join here so she can answer some of the questions that she has firsthand experience with. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding of how things are supposd to work at state and federal levels.Arming ourselves with as much information as possible is a good idea right now.

JBean, I can't for the life of me remember where the heck I used to post but you and your sister posted there. I know you live out here, not far from me, but didn't she live in WA as I remember?

I remember your siggy had a big picture of a Jelly Bean.....LOL

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

I spoke to my sister this evening. If she can, she is going to join here so she can answer some of the questions that she has firsthand experience with. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding of how things are supposd to work at state and federal levels.Arming ourselves with as much information as possible is a good idea right now.

Jelly,

Great idea! It'd be great to hear from someone who lives the life, and knows what other agencies do... :dance:

 

[JBean]

JBean, I can't for the life of me remember where the heck I used to post but you and your sister posted there. I know you live out here, not far from me, but didn't she live in WA as I remember?

I remember your siggy had a big picture of a Jelly Bean.....LOL

I have 3 sisters and 4 brothers. Surely you ran into some of us somewhere!
I think you are thinking of my sister lakante who used to post here with me. We posted a lot on the Avila thread together..didn't you particpipate over there?

Lakante lives here, but the disaster sister that I want to join lives in DC.

 

[JBean]

Jelly,

Great idea! It'd be great to hear from someone who lives the life, and knows what other agencies do... :dance:

hey, she's been trying to get me to listen for 25 years! So finally I 'm ready! :crazy:

 

[Tom'sGirl]

I have 3 sisters and 4 brothers. Surely you ran into some of us somewhere!
I think you are thinking of my sister lakante who used to post here with me. We posted a lot on the Avila thread together..didn't you particpipate over there?

Lakante lives here, but the disaster sister that I want to join lives in DC.

Thanks for jogging my memory, it was Lakante and it wasn't here at WS, it was somewhere else as I just joined in a couple of months ago.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

hey, she's been trying to get me to listen for 25 years! So finally I 'm ready! :crazy:

Well, I can hardly wait to "meet" her! She's gotta be a kick-butt kinda gal, just like you and lakante!!! But you can say you almost made it into People Mag!

 

[JBean]

Well, I can hardly wait to "meet" her! She's gotta be a kick-butt kinda gal, just like you and lakante!!! But you can say you almost made it into People Mag!

ROFLMAO:crazy:

 

[kgeaux]

I have 3 sisters and 4 brothers. Surely you ran into some of us somewhere!
I think you are thinking of my sister lakante who used to post here with me. We posted a lot on the Avila thread together..didn't you particpipate over there?

Lakante lives here, but the disaster sister that I want to join lives in DC.

OK, I know you didn't mean it the way I read it, but I've got a disaster sister too! You have got me giggling.

 

[JBean]

OK, I know you didn't mean it the way I read it, but I've got a disaster sister too! You have got me giggling.

:angel: I did notice it when I wrote it and was giggling a bit too!

 

[Beyond Belief]

I'll be glad when we have some concrete information on the ladder of resposibility. I am still stuck you may call it "stuck on stupid" because the words used during hurricanes "MANDATORY EVACUATION". We deal with that word mandatory in every aspect of our lives. You can't get the kids in school without the mandatory shots, you can't vote without the mandatory registration, you can't work without the mandatory paperwork (social securitiy cards, i.d., etc). If you are under a mandatory evacuation, then those who make that order are obligated, mandatory, to supply the ways and means to aid and assist those citizens to comply with that order. If those who gave that order supply a shelter for your use, it is mandatory that they provide you with the essentials while your there. The person/authority that states their shelter is safe for you is responsible for your welfare.

Just my opinion for the first step in responsibility.

 

[DEPUTYDAWG]

:angel: I did notice it when I wrote it and was giggling a bit too!

Oh, she's gonna love reading all this once she gets here! Tell her to hurry up, would ya? We NEED her :crazy:

 

[Dara]

I spoke to my sister this evening. If she can, she is going to join here so she can answer some of the questions that she has firsthand experience with. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding of how things are supposd to work at state and federal levels.Arming ourselves with as much information as possible is a good idea right now.

Great! Thanks!

A few things to add to the mix:

Hurricane Center Director Tells Paper He Briefed Brown and Chertoff on Danger of Severe Flooding

Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, told the Times-Picayune Sunday afternoon that officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, including FEMA Director Mike Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, listened in on electronic briefings given by his staff in advance of Hurricane Katrina slamming Louisiana and Mississippi--and were advised of the storm’s potential deadly effects.

"Mayfield said the strength of the storm and the potential disaster it could bring were made clear during both the briefings and in formal advisories, which warned of a storm surge capable of overtopping levees in New Orleans and winds strong enough to blow out windows of high-rise buildings," the paper reported. "He said the briefings included information on expected wind speed, storm surge, rainfall and the potential for tornados to accompany the storm as it came ashore.

There are also records, Mayfield said, of earlier briefings.

What Papers Does Michael Chertoff Read?

NEW YORK On Sunday's "Meet the Press," Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff told Tim Russert that one reason for the delay in rushing federal aid to the Gulf Coast was that "everyone" thought the crisis had passed when the storm left town: "I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged The Bullet.'"

The article questions if such a headline exists outside Chertoff's mind, but I can't say it didn't. I Googled that headline and don't find any headlines for that phrase. But I guess the media should feel good that Chertoff relies on them to make decisions about what to do in a federal emergency.

I thought Mayor Nagin talked about leaks in levees and flooding early on but I haven't looked it up yet. I will, though, as Chertoff continues to explain why the federal response was so abysmal. So far, it's because the newspaper reported that NO dodged a bullet, no one told him until Thursday night that conditions were "deteriorating" (I guess he had no access to a newspaper...or a TV or radio or anything else)...I know I'm forgetting something.

 

[concernedperson]

Great! Thanks!

A few things to add to the mix:

Hurricane Center Director Tells Paper He Briefed Brown and Chertoff on Danger of Severe Flooding


There are also records, Mayfield said, of earlier briefings.

What Papers Does Michael Chertoff Read?


The article questions if such a headline exists outside Chertoff's mind, but I can't say it didn't. I Googled that headline and don't find any headlines for that phrase. But I guess the media should feel good that Chertoff relies on them to make decisions about what to do in a federal emergency.

I thought Mayor Nagin talked about leaks in levees and flooding early on but I haven't looked it up yet. I will, though, as Chertoff continues to explain why the federal response was so abysmal. So far, it's because the newspaper reported that NO dodged a bullet, no one told him until Thursday night that conditions were "deteriorating" (I guess he had no access to a newspaper...or a TV or radio or anything else)...I know I'm forgetting something.

You aren't forgettin a thing. Do I sound like Honore?You bet I do. I am sick and tired and I am not forgetting one baby.Kill me , bash me I don't care.Apologise want cut it with me right now.

 

[Dara]

You aren't forgettin a thing. Do I sound like Honore?You bet I do. I am sick and tired and I am not forgetting one baby.Kill me , bash me I don't care.Apologise want cut it with me right now.

I can't believe what I'm hearing from Chertoff. I'm really hoping it comes out that he didn't really say that. I'm hoping it comes out that he was misquoted. Based on what I've heard him say so far, I shouldn't be surprised, but I really hope it's not true.

 

[Magnum PI]

Well, after a tragedy we can all look at our situation. After 9-11 I went out and bought huge bottles of water. Eventually, I drank them all. I would and have done a lot of the preparation when I was in hurricane alley.

I left New Orleans years ago because I always new this was a possibility and I knew no matter what attempts were made they were going to fall on deaf ears.If the Corps of Engineers made a recommendation it was squashed as soon as it hit the legislature. Politics always got in the way of people, period.

Nagin, for instance, is a young (IMO) executive way over his head and probably not schooled in the old ways. Just thought he could make a difference. If I am wrong later I will certainly admit it. But he tried and he wasn't apprised of all the facts. I heard his emotion and that goes a long way with me.

Kathleen Blanco, I have known for a long time as well as her husband, Ray. I think she was overcome which doesn't excuse her in the least but I think she was manipulated as well. That is another story that has to be told. She is holding some ground but if it is political I don't have a lot of sympathy. If it is heartfelt and trying to make the citizens rise above and get the needs that they deserve, then I will watch her backside.

So, in essence I am waiting for the big picture. But that FEMA guy is an idiot and I watched this unfold and there is not an excuse for not dropping bottles of water on the expressway which was not involved with looters. That was happening in the inner city not on I-10.

I don't see how Blanco can hold up to the smear machine whether she is right or wrong. She probably has to make the best deal she can under the circumstances. I agree, FEMA guy(Brown)is an idiot, and his claim to fame is promoting horse shows. (I love horses too) and Nagin is in over his head, but means well, I think. N.O. being the mob town that it is, never mind....I'm waiting, like you, for the big picture...mpi

 

[kgeaux]

I can't believe what I'm hearing from Chertoff. I'm really hoping it comes out that he didn't really say that. I'm hoping it comes out that he was misquoted. Based on what I've heard him say so far, I shouldn't be surprised, but I really hope it's not true.

His head needs to roll. I don't care WHY he didn't know that "conditions were deteriorating" it was his job to know. His head needs to roll. Today.

 

[kgeaux]

I don't see how Blanco can hold up to the smear machine whether she is right or wrong. She probably has to make the best deal she can under the circumstances. I agree, FEMA guy(Brown)is an idiot, and his claim to fame is promoting horse shows. (I love horses too) and Nagin is in over his head, but means well, I think. N.O. being the mob town that it is, never mind....I'm waiting, like you, for the big picture...mpi

There seems to still be some sort of disconnect between state and federal responses even today, a week from the flooding. Blanco has hired an ex-Clinton FEMA guy to help her, and it just seems as though state and federal are STILL engaged in some sort of a "my balls are bigger than yours" kind of power struggle. I am not understanding what in the hell is going on.