State and local officals were victims of Katrina too.

[The Postmaster General]

Lots of people ask why state and local officials didn't do their jobs in New Orleans.

Most ot them were victims of the hurricane too - unlike in Florida where not all areas are effected (You can send police from Ft. Lauderdale to deal with Miami, for instance....)

So who exactly were the state and local officials who would have been responsible for evacuating these people? That would have been the police and emergency services. Right?

Did anyone hear about the police who were committing suicide? The ones who were turning in badges so they could go and help their own family?

A lot of people don't know what actually happened down there, and this is one of those things I'm hearing a lack of understanding about.

POLICE OFFICERS FALL VICTIM TO DISASTER (http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050905/NEWS07/509050335/1090)

Sure, it's the state and locals job to handle emergencies, but once that level becomes overwelmed, it is the duty of the federal government to step in (See September 11, 2001)

[someguy]

BubbaStrangelove more like Professor Obvious ;)


I've never really seen people complaining about the police/firefighter/paramedic response though in NO. I've just seen people talk about the bad job that the governor and mayor did, I mean I understood that the police force and others couldn't do much for the reasons you mentioned above.

I just don't see this attack on the officials of the town anywhere, people are complaining about the local and state's government.

[The Postmaster General]

I haven't heard you do this...

But when people say Bush fucked up, his supporters go "What was he supposed to do? Go down there and rescue everyone single handedly?"

So I propose that question in regards to the mayor - he can't stop the water himself.

No one is saying Bush should go down there, he would send the equivilent of his police (military) and so on --- That was what the mayor had to work with, his police and emergency forces. I think the criticisms of the mayor trickle down to his forces for this reason.

Sure things could have been done as prevenative, and it sounds to me like there may have even been some corruption.

It's all pretty obvious - no doubt. That's why I can't figure out why more people aren't thinking, "Yeah, the feds should have stepped in."

The only defense I can think of is the speed in which everything went to hell.

I don't know if this is so obvious to everyone though, someguy. Maybe I'm selling short here, but there seems to be a misunderstanding or maybe confusion as to what normally happens in these situations. It's not entirely fair to compare Katrina to 9/11, but I think everyone agrees the latter was far more successful. It's not entirely out of touch to suggest where things went wrong - No one seems to think that it should have been obvious from day one that it was beyond the state and local governments abilities: hence this thread.

[someguy]

The only criticisms I've seen towards the mayor are that he prepared badly, same with the governor.

I still can't relate to this though, because I haven't seen anyone asking why the mayor didn't send in any forces after the hurricane struck. I thought that mostly everybody would use common sense on that one, you know with the city being mostly underwater so the local forces would be effected. I think the only complaints about this would go to the state officials for not sending in any people from around the state.

People are complaining about the lower levels of government, just not about this. That's how I have been seeing it.

[The Postmaster General]

I hope your right. People haven't, in general, seemed that precise with their attacks to me though.

The shit hit the fan and everyone has poo on their face is how it seems to me.

Probably in the next few weeks, we will start getting more detailed as to who was supposed to do what and when.

I'm not sure of the severity of it, but I would think that because of how it lays, all of Louisianna was affected by it - more so than Florida. I know that FEMA was right there boo-yah when all those storms went through last year, and I still question why law enforcement help wasn't sent. National Guard - Rumsfeld said (in defense of it not being the war that short changed them) that they had 100,000 National Guard standing by, and I ask why a portion of them weren't sent in -- We still needed a bunch in case of an attack, but I bet 20,000 would have helped more.

Do you think there is a responsibility for the Federal Government, when they see something like that, to step in and say "Enoughs enough, we're getting this done" --- Normally I wouldn't, but to me this was a national crisis. I can't image how many diseases sprung to life after all of this.