The Lessons of Katrina.

[erynthered]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/specials/f...html?page=1&c=y

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/specials/f...html?page=1&c=y

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I don't have time to read it now, so just tell me: are any of those lessons along the lines of "When a mandatory evacuation is declared, move your ass, idiots!"

[VABills]

I don't have time to read it now, so just tell me: are any of those lessons along the lines of "When a mandatory evacuation is declared, move your ass, idiots!"

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I hear that some went speedboating in West Virginia.

[erynthered]

I don't have time to read it now, so just tell me: are any of those lessons along the lines of "When a mandatory evacuation is declared, move your ass, idiots!"

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Yeah, and dont forget your cats, plus those sick little kids.

[SilverNRed]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/specials/f...html?page=1&c=y

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The article gets off to a good start.

 

GOVERNMENT RESPONDED RAPIDLY

 

MYTH: "The aftermath of Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history."--Aaron Broussard, president, Jefferson Parish, La., Meet the Press, NBC, Sept. 4, 2005

 

REALITY: Bumbling by top disaster-management officials fueled a perception of general inaction, one that was compounded by impassioned news anchors. In fact, the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest--and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history, with nearly 100,000 emergency personnel arriving on the scene within three days of the storm's landfall.

 

Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day--some just 2 hours after Katrina hit the coast. Hoistless Army helicopters improvised rescues, carefully hovering on rooftops to pick up survivors. On the ground, "guardsmen had to chop their way through, moving trees and recreating roadways," says Jack Harrison of the National Guard. By the end of the week, 50,000 National Guard troops in the Gulf Coast region had saved 17,000 people; 4000 Coast Guard personnel saved more than 33,000.

 

These units had help from local, state and national responders, including five helicopters from the Navy ship Bataan and choppers from the Air Force and police. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dispatched 250 agents in boats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state police and sheriffs' departments launched rescue flotillas. By Wednesday morning, volunteers and national teams joined the effort, including eight units from California's Swift Water Rescue. By Sept. 8, the waterborne operation had rescued 20,000.

 

While the press focused on FEMA's shortcomings, this broad array of local, state and national responders pulled off an extraordinary success--especially given the huge area devastated by the storm. Computer simulations of a Katrina-strength hurricane had estimated a worst-case-scenario death toll of more than 60,000 people in Louisiana. The actual number was 1077 in that state.

It'd be nice if anyone in the media could have mentioned this, like, I don't know, even once or twice.

[Alaska Darin]

The article gets off to a good start.

 

It'd be nice if anyone in the media could have mentioned this, like, I don't know, even once or twice.

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Wait until there's a Dummycrat in the WH. They'll be stumbling all over themselves to give the Fed undue credit while ignoring the tremendous shortcomings.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day--some just 2 hours after Katrina hit the coast.

 

That in itself is pretty amazing. Most people probably couldn't even get their cars started two hours after the storm...the NG and CG are already up in helos.

[Ghost of BiB]

That in itself is pretty amazing.  Most people probably couldn't even get their cars started two hours after the storm...the NG and CG are already up in helos.

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A friend of mine flew search and rescue there as an Army medevac pilot. She probably put in more hours in one month than she did over the previous year.

 

Gee, all those people doing stuff. How did they accomplish any of that with no one in government having any idea of what they were doing? Sort of like a beehive or something? All these individuals just instinctively know what to do on their own?

 

Amazing.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

A friend of mine flew search and rescue there as an Army medevac pilot. She probably put in more hours in one month than she did over the previous year.

 

Gee, all those people doing stuff. How did they accomplish any of that with no one in government having any idea of what they were doing? Sort of like a beehive or something? All these individuals just instinctively know what to do on their own?

 

Amazing.

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There's a reason I give more credence to the statements of the worker bees than I do our elected officials.

 

Several, actually. That's just one of them.

[Bob Lamb]

There's a reason I give more credence to the statements of the worker bees than I do our elected officials.

 

Several, actually.  That's just one of them.

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A scenario from the devestating October, 2002 fires that blew through some trendy neighborhoods in San Diego.

 

One of the ignition sources was spotted before 5:00 PM local time and one helicopter crew was ready to attack - while the fire was in its' infancy.

 

CDF quidelines prevented a take-off - 1/2 hour before sunset and the willing crew was grounded.

 

What might have happened ?

 

Butt covering still hasn't stopped in SD County - politicos rely on memory loss

[manateefan]

As someone who lives in Florida and whose job is to enforce regulations set forth by FEMA in the Code of Federal Regulations, I would like to vent. I'm not saying that FEMA responded quite as they should have during Katrina (because of M. Brown and the Dept. of Homeland Security), but the local and state government failed their citizens by not being prepared. Here in Florida, anyone connected with some sort of emergency management or FEMA regulations, we are taught that the local government, then state, then federal is how response will proceed. We have training exercises and classes. I'm not saying FEMA was perfect but why is no one getting on the mayor of New Orlean's case or the governor of Louisiana's case like they are on FEMA. They are the first line, they should have been better prepared and better responsive. I once lived on a barrier island and Hurricane George was heading our way. At six a.m. the morning before (24 hours) issued an evacutation order and the police and fire departments went up and down the island with loud speakers telling people to evacuate You are talking an island with only about 15,000 permanent residents and maybe 15,000 vacationers. New Orleans had ample warning, and for those with no transportation why didn't Nagle commander the buses? I personally have met and worked with several people from Region IV of FEMA. They are hard working and caring, and responsive, and have at times, spent months away from their families helping people in need. I think FEMA should be a separate entitiy away from Homeland Security. FEMA was its own entity before 9/11, and they need a director with emergency response and preparedness experience, not a "appointee" like Mr. Brown who had no experience in emergemcy management. As someone who wrote in the local paper here, Florida in 2004 had 4 hurricanes and one tropical storm and yes there was a lot of damage but hundreds less the death count of New Orleans. Why? Because we have local governments and a state government that doesn't hedge when it comes to these storms. It's better to evacuate and if the storm doesn't hit, thank God, than not respond at all.