Well, then let's look at the facts, not the BS. FEMA took control of the situation on Sunday at Gov. Blanco's request. When a Federal Agency takes charge, they are in charge, not the state, though the state must also simultaneously use its resources in conjunction with FEMA. FEMA and Pres. Bush acted ahead of time and outfitted the SuperDome and other shelters with food and water for two or so days in anticipation of tens of thousands being evacuated to them. They also planned to do house to house searches and rescue tens of thousands of evacuees. Finally, FEMA and the government of Louisiana have been planning for a higher than class 3 hurricane to hit NOLA for years and FEMA had an approved plan. So, clearly they knew this storm was going to be bad and on August 28, the Gov. of Louisiana specifically called on FEMA to execute that plan. Any talk to the contrary is not supported by the facts.
Then, FEMA is overwhelmed by the rescue effort, which it had planned for mind you. Also, FEMA refused what appears to be hundreds of private and public requests from to ship food, water, and manpower into NOLA and the other damaged areas. Yet, FEMA refused it. Why they did so is unexplainable to me. Then, it takes FEMA on its own and with the self-admitted constant observation of the Pres. five days to get food and supplies and manpower into NOLA and the other damaged areas. How is that possibly explained on any rationale level when, again, hundreds stood ready five days before but were refused.
Those are the facts. If you want to draw the conclusion that W and FEMA did nothing wrong and that five or more days is a reasonable amount of time. So be it. I think, however, if you were watching your infant die in your arms from starvation, dehydration, and heat - you might just be a little angry at the Fed. Govt., whose job it was to save you and your dead infant.
For the life of me, I will never understand why people do not get that and instead want to defend W and his glacier like second response to this.
On a related topic, I think the people that could have gotten out should have done so and that they did not makes me angey at them because they hindered the evacuation of the needy by comparison. But, I think no one is saying the really poor and handicapped should be faulted for not evacuating a town that has essentially two ways out in an evacuation and no public transportation to do so and a FEMA plan to put them in the dome
