Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine Hurricane Katrina: Political Fallout

Just remember to keep it civil please.

I read about Katrina and the after efects and I´m full of questions. (Excuse my english once again; i´m still a rokie) Did the US gomerment give enoght fonds to enviroment studies and urban developvent for limiting the damage of this kind of fenomena? Did the proper agencies act quicky enoght? How could it be that one of the most powerfull countries in the world need to ask for help? How could these country still have troops in foreigh lands? How could it be that the reaction after the 9-11 was so swift and for Katrina, knowing it was coming, so slow? What do you american people think/know about this?

Sorry KP..truly!
Big heart in that metal body of yours!

I live in FL. Last year we got hit by 4 hurricanes. None ofcourse as bad as Katrina. But on two of them I lost power for a WEEK each time.

But the people that lost their houses? Had shelter. They were forcibly evacuated. If you decided to stay in a evacuation zone you would be removed (if found). There was adequate shelter with food/drink, etc. The day after the hurricane(s) there were trucks and trucks off food/drink, etc. Jeb Bush was already there...the day after. Giving out food.

I voted for Kerry cause while I didn't like the guy I liked Bush less. But here in FL where we are used to hurricanes LOCAL officials and the governor have plans ready for all of this.

I have to wonder why the plan wasn't set? Why it took so long?

I also read last night on a european new outlet (BBC? i forgot) that GW Bush offerred Blanco (GOV) for assistance right away and she told him to hold it because they had a plan?

I think this was bad from the local level to the federal level but I start blaming from the bottom up personally cause here in Tampa the President didn't have to raise a finger...his brother had it well in hand.

FEMA chief Brown has been removed from Katrina relief efforts and replaced by Coast Guard chief of staff, Vice Admiral Thad Allen.

Not exactly politics, but a real good real-life (potentially) scary story:

Here's a great tip for all reporters looking for a completely new - and extremely important - angle on the situation in New Orleans. As far as I can tell, no one has yet mentioned the biological research labs located in and around NOLA. For example, in nearby Covington, Tulane University runs the Tulane National Primate Research Center, a cluster of Level-3 biological labs containing around 5,000 monkeys, most of which are housed in outdoor cages. According to an article in Tulane University Magazine, "The primary areas of focus today at the Tulane National Primate Research Center are infectious diseases, including biodefense related work, gene therapy, reproductive biology and neuroscience. The Tulane primate center is playing a key role in the federal strategic plan for biodefense research."

So what happened to these diseased monkeys living outside in cages? Granted, Covington didn't get hit nearly as hard as NOLA, but it still got hit.

According to the Sunshine Project, which digs up grant proposals and other primary documents from the US biowarfare effort, "Tulane scientists are working with anthrax, plague, and other biological weapons agents." [read more]

And how much of this kind of research was going on within New Orleans itself? Apparently quite a bit.
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And take a look at this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a “Select Agents Program” for any facility that handles highly dangerous germs, including Ebola, Marburg, ricin, avian flu, and anthrax. At the top of their website is the following notice:
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Announcement for Entities Impacted by Hurricane Katrina

Entities that are registered with the Select Agent Program who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina may contact the CDC Select Agent Program for guidance on actions that should be taken to transfer Select Agents to another registered entity or report the theft, loss, or release of select agents that might have occurred due to storm damage. The CDC Select Agent Program will expedite any special requests from registered entities as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Contact the Program via email at lrsat@cdc.gov, phone at 404-498-2255, fax at 404-498-2265, or call your designated CDC representative.


The full article, including links to supporting documents, at The Memory Blog . I haven't read this site before, but they appear to supply links to published and official documents, not just yak on with fear-mongering rumours.

I would have to disagree and say it's all politics from the top down. Florida is where camp Bush played with numbers to rig the election so of course it adventagous to help florida in similar situations. However the people effected most by Katrina were already pretty much living in poverty and the only advantage in a quick responce was it would have been the right thing to do and when has that ever motivated the Bush government.
People were going without food and water for a week after the event yet there seemed to be an endless supply of news copters swooping in to get shots of trapped people dieing on their rooftops. If the motivation was there pretty much every helicopter in neighboiuring states could have been at the least airlifting supplies in in a matter of hours. A few people at the lowest levels will be made scape goats and shuffled sideways and the American government will continue to let down her people.

First, Bush did offer to help, but couldn't because the governor wouldn't allow it. Yes, in matters of state in disasters the President is limited, as per the constitution. The president is of the Federal Government. All powers not ascribed in the constituition to the federal government are to be left to the states.

But, as i see it, first and foremost, the local governments absolutely failed, and then tried to pass the buck. The mayor had buses that he could have used, but didn't. The evac wasn't handled the way it should have been. And while i truly and honestly feel sorry for the people that were left behind because they didn't have the means to leave, i don't have much sympathy for those that could have left and didn't, knowing the magnitude of the storm bearing down on them. The evac was mandatory, but the local government failed miserably as members of the police force and other local officials became part of the problem, as well as those that turned in their badges and left. The mayor of New Orleans had studies that showed what a storm that size could and likely would do. He completely and utterly failed, and because of it, many, many many innocent people died.

Second, the governor should have had the human decency to realize that things were in the crapper two days in and allowed the federal government to move to help. FEMA had staged supplies in several places to be used. Because she was completely incompetent, many, many many innocents died.

Lastly, Bush should have, when he realized that the governor and mayor weren't getting the job done, asked congress to grant him the power to step in immediately. Even then that would have caused an uproar politically, but, he was trying to be decent to politicians. Always a mistake when innocent lives are on the line.

Now, thats how i see it. Maybe i am wrong, but saying that Bush didn't care when he was trying to do something is just messed up. You hate him, fine, but do something to help instead of falling into the blame trap. People need to be helped first.

It's not going away.... very interesting albeit brief article on the geological forces at play in New Orleans and surrounding areas, both natural and those caused by us "sentients". One thing I hadn't read about before this was the effect of hurricane wave action, which causes seismic activity. For Katrina, it was a 3.0 on the Richter scale - not horrendous, but, given the condition of the seabed due to offshore drilling, quite damaging.

I'll cut to the chase here & include the summary & recommendations. Full article at:

Rebuild Energy Systems not New Orleans

At this time the City of New Orleans is effectively a ringed, sinking island 10 feet or more below sea level, and something close to 20 miles off shore of the USA. In about 50 years, it will be nearly 60 miles off shore and will be at least 40 feet below sea level. To keep the city the dikes will have to be so high as to stagger the imagination and our national budget.

To summarize: The river is leaving the city. The city is sinking because of its weight, because no upbuilding by new muck for many decades, because of being cut off from the fresh water, because it is falling off a cliff (the Continental Shelf), and because the Oil and Gas Industry is sucking it down like a kid slurping a root beer float.

The Mississippi River should be with all deliberate speed aimed down the Atchafalaya, and an appropriate new port built in that river mouth, with other management issues taken into account.

A key challenge will be the seven percent gradient, which may require construction of locks like those in the Panama Canal to lift ships to the new level of the river. Another will be to keep silt buildup out of the shipping channel and direct it to build up the soil in areas where it is needed.

The City of New Orleans should be abandoned to the sea that is going to take it anyway. The dikes on the river and throughout the city should be deliberately and completely destroyed to allow buildup of whatever wetlands we can keep for as long as possible.

The persons displaced should be assimilated into the rest of the USA. This should be made as painless as possible for all concerned. Give the displaced people vouchers that are payable for building at any location at least 30 feet above sea level. Let them find their own locations. This will be far less complex than the current system of keeping them penned in large buildings, and much less expensive.

This all requires people to see the colossal problems coming and to confront them head on. For those who think that the USA has a problem with energy now, they have no imagination as to what the problem will be when there are 300,000,000 more people in just 35 years.

"they have no imagination as to what the problem will be when there are 300,000,000 more people in just 35 years."

One more thing that makes me wonder, WHY does NO ONE even want to broach the topic of population control anymore? It was a hot topic 35 years ago... but these days, everyone just seems to take it for granted-- AS IF nothing ever could or should put a stop to it. People don't have to keep knocking out kids... there's enough here already.