I can't imagine how New Orleans will recover but recover she will, bringing back Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras and (hopefully NOT) but likely, the corruption that it's famous for. Still, the magnitude of the devastation, including the human devestation, is enormous.
Three months have now past since the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. This season has brought not only a record number of hurricanes, but devastation and meaningless death. They are still finding bodies in New Orleans and all I can ask is, "Why?"
The total estimated cost of damages has exceeded $100 billion dollars, double that of the previous record after Hurricane Andrew. The number of displaced is estimated at over 1 million people, a human tragedy not seen since the Great Depression. America is already feeling the pain paying for a misplaced war and now must contend with paying for the human condition brought to full attention by this years hurricane season.
The timeline of events prior to the landfall (and some afterward) of Hurricane Katrina near New Orleans is what I find most interesting regarding the failure of the local and state government and of the people to evacuate New Orleans and the subsequent death toll afterward. I've "compressed" it here so you don't have to look it all up and my acerbic commentary is hilighted. It's not like the citizens of the Big Easy (and elsewhere) had no warning.
August 25, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina makes it's first landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Hallandale Beach, Florida along the Dade-Broward County line. Despite the change in direction, (the storm tracked south at first, instead of directly west as had been forecast) forecasters warned of the impending track across the Gulf of Mexico and a turn in direction to hit the coastal beaches of the South. (Okay, so here we have the first warning of impending doom to the South four days before Katrina hit near New Orleans. Although at this point it's a guess as to where it will exactly make landfall, it is known it will hit the coastal beaches of the South.)
August 26, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina drops in strength to a tropical storm and then picks back up becoming a hurricane again as it travels into the Gulf of Mexico. During the day, the governor declares a state of emergency for Louisiana and federal troops are deployed to co-ordinate a plan of operations with FEMA. By 11pm EDT, it is predicted that Hurricane Katrina will make landfall near Buras, Louisiana, east of New Orleans. (So let me get this straight, three days before landfall and now it's known where Katrina is going to hit as well as it being known it will gain strength, a state of emergency is called, troops asked to make a plan of operations with FEMA...anyone else confused by what happened to that?)
August 27, 2005 - Katrina reaches Category 3 strength. Five parishes call for it's citizens to at least voluntarily evacuate in some capacity. Some do not call for mandatory evacuation because they will not be setting up shelters. By evening, most have called for mandatory evacuation. It is important to note that at this time, during a press conference also attended by the Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin calls for the immediate evacuation of the low lying areas first, and for later evacuation of New Orleans proper, thus giving time for the low lying residents to leave and lessen the arterial congestion on the escape routes of the city. He also states he will be sticking to the city's evacuation plan. (Uh, what evacuation plan? The one discussed hundreds of years ago? Additionally, what wasn't understood about his next two comments? It seems to me they were easily understandable.)
"We want you to take this a little more seriously and start moving - right now as a matter of fact."
Later that evening, the mayor calls for voluntary evacuation of the city. Another note; he first brings up evacuation to the Superdome as a last resort for evacuees with special needs.
"No weapons, no large items, and bring small quantities of food for three or fours days, to be safe."
The potential for looting is commented on by Police Chief Eddie Compass and he states that he and Mayor Nagin will call a curfew at some point. He also states that officers will be posted at shopping centers to prevent looting. (Really? I imagine that there will be some kind of change in expected duties during disasters now. I don't fault officers for wanting to save their families. However, you would think that law enforcement personnel knowing the potential of this storm, would have planned ahead to ensure their families were evacuated earlier in order for them to concentrate on their duties, which is what they were hired to do and CHOSE to do by becoming a police officer.)
Governor Blanco also forwards a letter to President Bush in Crawford, TX requesting the immediate declaration of emergency for the state of Loisiana. The president declares the state of emergency.
Forcasters notify emergency officials in Louisiana that the storm is expected to intensify to Category 4 and possibly to Category 5. Scientists at Louisiana State University Hurricane Center state that even with only 114 mile an hour winds, the levees surrounding New Orleans will be overtopped by a 10-12 foot storm surge. (Okay, here we have the first notification that this is going to be an enormous storm. We also know that the levees were designed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. I'm certain even at this point, that I am not the only one thinking of Led Zepplin's "When The Levee Breaks".)
"This is really scary, this is not a test as your governor said. This is the real thing." National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield
"The bottom line is this is a worst-case scenario and everybody needs to recognize it. You can always rebuild your house, but you can never regain a life. And there's no point in risking your life and the lives of your children." Ivor Van Heerden, Scientist at the LSU Hurricane Center (I can't think of anything more important than ensuring the safety of children, housebound people and the infirm. There was still at least 30 hours before the storm and yet, how many people that were unable to move by their own means died? I don't care who said or did what! It was at this point that mandatory evacuations should have been ordered and buses at the ready!. Sure, you can't find and make everyone move out, but there would have been much less death had they truly had an evacuation plan at the ready. Everyone living in these areas knew that power would be lost, they knew that there would be flooding and theres no excuse for it, they knew the levees could fail! There is not one single person on this planet that can be blamed for this disaster. It was a collective failure of millions of people going back many decades who is to blame.)
August 28, 2005 - At 12:40am EDT, Hurricane Katrina reaches Category 4 and then just over 9 hours later, Category 5 strength. President Bush calls Governor Blanco stating he is very concerned and urges her (and Mayor Nagin) to call a mandatory evacuation. (Note: most all mandatory evacuations are called 30 hours before landfall. At the time of this telephone call, it was only 21 hours before estimated landfall This could not be a more blunt failure on the part of the governor and the mayor. Even a guy that many people think is an idiot could figure it out, or at least someone told him he should be concerned.).
At 10:00am EDT, the National Weather Service issues a bulletin predicting "devastating damage" and immediatley afterward, Mayor Nagin issues a mandatory evacuation for New Orleans. It comes only 18 hours before estimated landfall. Two hours later, the Superdome is opened as a "refuge of last resort".
President Bush declares states of emergency for Alabama and Mississippi, and major disaster in Florida.
Governor Blanco makes arrangements with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson for National Guard reinforcements, however, the federal authorities do not push through the required authorization until September 1st. (WTF?)
August 29, 2005 - At 7:10am EDT, Katrina makes landfall near Buras, Louisiana with 145 mph winds. By 9:00am EDT, the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans most impoverished and lowest area is flooded with 6-8 feet of storm surge waters. By 10:00am EDT, Katrina makes it's third landfall near Pearlington, MS.
At 10:00am MST (12:00pm EDT) President Bush makes a statement from the Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort and Country Club in El Mirage, Arizona where he is making an appearance at a Medicare event,
"I want to thank the governors of the affected regions for mobilizing assets prior to the arrival of the storm to help citizens avoid this devastating storm."
He also briefly mentions a conversation with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, during his talk about illegal immigrants:
"I spoke to Michael Chertoff today, he's the head of the Department of Homeland Security. I knew people would want me to discuss this issue, so we got us an airplane on - a telephone on Air Force One, so I called him. I said, are you working with the governor? He said, you bet we are. That's the most effective way to do things, is to work with the state and local authorities. There are more rescources that will be available, we'll have more folks on the border, there will be more detention space to make sure that those who are stopped trying to illegally enter our country are able to be detained." (Okay, so what happened to the prior mobilization? What happened to that concern? And what a way to switch topics! ADDers like me don't even have it down that stellar! Again, WTF?)
At 3:00pm EDT, New Orleans officials confirm the first breach at the 17th Street Canal. At 4:00pm EDT, at statement by New Orleans Homeland Security Director Terry Ebbertt;
"Everybody who had a way or wanted to get out of the way from this storm was able to." (Indeed! By whose standards, yours? Do you have nightmares of dead people in wheelchairs and hospital beds? Do the dead children talk in your sleep?)
Governor Blanco orders 68 school buses from surrounding, unflooded parishes to evacuate those left in the city. (Rather late considering that there were plenty of buses in the city that could have been used days before they were flooded and unusable. How many new school buses will America have to buy governor? And will that teenager that "stole" a school bus and drove, uh actually saved people's lives and got them to Houston, is it still being considered that he be charged? You know, since he was capable of doing everyone elses job, which they get paid for and he doesn't!)
From the AP wire;
"FEMA director Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississpi to to not send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments." Brown sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff five hours after landfall to activate 1,000 Homeland Security workers into the region. Brown acknowledges that this process will take two days. Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our repsonsibilities." (I can't even begin to comment on this without the possibility of defamation charges. He did the right thing in stepping down. I hope Bush realizes now that doing favors for your buddies is a costly move, but I doubt it seeing as he didn't learn anything from the Reagan years.)
At 5:40pm EDT, President Bush talks about Medicare at a visit in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. (Nothing like a national disaster to keep things on track! YES! I do mean "national" because we are all going to end up paying for this debacle!)
August 30, 2005 - President Bush visits a Naval Medical Center in San Diego and also makes a speech elsewhere on base commemorating the September 2 Japanese surrender during World War II. (Yep, I find it almost completely disgusting in the sickest sort of way, how the President can still be focused on Medicare and the end of WWII while thousands of people are dying right near his own backyard.)
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff becomes aware that the three breeches in the levees around New Orleans cannot be plugged. (And hundreds of years of history, and prior requests for additional monies to repair and shore up the levees told him this when?)
Senator David Vitter (R-LA) briefs the press;
" I don't want to alarm everybody that, you know, New Orleans is filling up like a bowl. That's just not happening." (Mind you, he later took exception to Senator Barbara Boxer "scaring" his constituents with her comments during hearings on repairing New Orleans. She had accurately described the flood waters in the Big Easy as a "toxic soup" with a "layer of sludge" that had caused illness and death. Way to go Vitter! Nothing like a positive attitude to snake-charm money and aid out of your freinds while many of the people who may have voted you into office [and who you represent regardless of how they voted] don't even live in the state anymore!)
80 percent of New Orleans is under water. Many instances of looting, including by police officers, was being reported in New Orleans. FEMA refuses to allow volunteer firefighters into New Orleans. (Yeah! Nevermind that there were firefighters trapped in New Orleans while attending a convention and couldn't get out ahead of Katrina. They approached law enforcement and military to volunteer, only to have weapons brandished at them and told to leave, had to resort to stealing food to survive and ended up on the same buses as the refugees. Go figure! While all this is going on, a number of police officers deserted their posts and were involved in the looting. A super power country at it's finest hour!)
August 31, 2005 - Governor Blanco orders all of New Orleans, including the Superdome evacuated because of continuing federal delays in authorizing the arrival of National Guard troops from other states and flooding reaching the Superdome. Using her Executive Powers, she commandeers buses numbering in the hundreds to eventually evacuate more than 15,000 people. (What happened to the federal troops who were supposed to work with FEMA prior to the storm? And this comes two days after Katrina?)
President Bush flys over the devastation on his way back to Washington after vacationing in Crawford, TX. (Nothing like some R&R to work out the kinks of stumping for Medicare. Of course, he had to stop in and assess what would be needed at the ranch to take care of the refugees he put up. Nothing like a caring president. What's that you say Kanye?)
The first supplies arrive at the Superdome. In an interview with ABC, President Bush states,
"I don't think anybody anticipated the breech of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm...."
(There has been much speculation regarding the breeching of the levees after Katrina. Although officials did cite the seriousness of storm surge coming over the levees, not much was mentioned regarding the potential for them to be breeched even right before landfall. I'm not defending Bush, I'm simply stating fact. In other words, through hundreds of years of history and speculation, right before the most devastating hurricane in America's history [which was Category 4 on second landfall and remember, prior to landfall and while still gaining strength over the Gulf of Mexico it was stated that it could reach Category 5 and did], everyone forgot that the levees that were designed to withstand a Category 3 hurricane, could fail. Oops.)
September 1, 2005 - The Houston Astrodome is full to capacity and could no longer accept refugees.
I want to end this timeline on a very disturbing point. Although I am grateful to these people, I want to point out the complete failure on the part of the U.S. to address the seriousness of the pre-planning needed for relief efforts prior to this storm;
According to Louisiana State Senator Walter Boasso, a Canadian Search and Rescue Team from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (that's on the west coast just north of Washington State) arrived 5 days before the U.S. Army to help with the relief efforts.
Let me state this again, the Canadians, who are approximately 2,200 miles away from New Orleans, can't land in New Orleans because the airports are closed and still arrived five days before the U.S. Army did. These people were attached to the Louisiana State Patrol and the National Guard, and went to and worked in St. Bernard's Parish, one of the the most devastated areas in the entire disaster zone because they took a direct hit.
A comment from their website, Vancouver Search and Rescue from Team Leader Tim Armstrong:
"People have expressed how they can't believe that a Canadian team is here to rally to their needs."
Thank you Canada!
I want readers here to understand something. I'm not bashing in any way, the valiant and honorable efforts by those Americans who worked endless days and nights in the relief efforts. All of these people deserve the highest regard and honor for working in incredible heat and humidity with little food or water, little to no sanitation and healthcare, let alone mental health and did so without regard to their own health and safety.
NO
What I'm completely aghast about is the blame game that occured after the tragedy began to unfold before us and how easy it was to forget how fragile New Orleans and the surrounding areas were. Again, this tragedy was hundreds of years in the making and these people, from the federal administration on down to those who lived there knew this could happen and did virtually little to nothing to prepare.
Continued.....
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