BLAME WHO? MUST READ ON NEW ORLEAN'S HURRICANE EVACUATION PLAN FROM JULY 2005

HatTip to Dan Drezner and Brad DeLong. This is really messed up. Read this article that Brad found:

In storm, N.O. wants no one left behind; Number of people without cars makes evacuation difficult

By Bruce Nolan, Staff writer
New Orleans Times-Picayne
July 24, 2005

City, state and federal emergency officials are preparing to give the poorest of New Orleans' poor a historically blunt message: In the event of a major hurricane, you're on your own. In scripted appearances being recorded now, officials such as Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation.

In the video, made by the anti-poverty agency Total Community Action, they urge those people to make arrangements now by finding their own ways to leave the city in the event of an evacuation. "You're responsible for your safety, and you should be responsible for the person next to you," Wilkins said in an interview. "If you have some room to get that person out of town, the Red Cross will have a space for that person outside the area. We can help you. "But we don't have the transportation." (full post)


No wonder horror and suffering is going on down in New Orleans. The city officials and local agencies are run by a bunch of incompetent fools.

Side story: Blogger warned Mayor of New Orleans.

UPDATE: Just came across Anil's post. He's "absolutely infuriated" at Mayor Ray Nagin after listening to a recent interview. After listening to this, the above article makes more sense.

UPDATE II: Great op-ed by Bob Williams in The Wall Street Journal.

Blame Amid the Tragedy

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By BOB WILLIAMS

September 6, 2005

As the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues to shock and sadden the nation, the question on many lips is, Who is to blame for the inadequate response?

As a former state legislator who represented the legislative district most impacted by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, I can fully understand and empathize with the people and public officials over the loss of life and property.

Many in the media are turning their eyes toward the federal government, rather than considering the culpability of city and state officials. I am fully aware of the challenges of having a quick and responsive emergency response to a major disaster. And there is definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible -- local and state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders. The plain fact is, lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin.

The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his/her emergency operations center.

The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved. (full article)