Gov't Failing Katrina Victims

[Bodie]

Katrina has proven just how poorly prepared this country is for a natural disaster. A warning that a hurricane was descending on a community that is 20 feet below sea level brought not near eneough efforts to evcuate those that could not get out on their own.
People tried to hold on and could not.

Now we have a federal gov't that has shown just how ill prepared they are to respond and feed and shelter and provide needed medical care immediately to the scene.

Almost all of our solid military resources are devoted to a war in Iraq we are not even trying to win and we are relying on reserves and national guard & officers & firefighters to volunteer to respond.

Every state shoudl have a pool of police and fire and medical personnel listed that are prepared to go to a disaster in this country on a few hours notice.
They should be released from duties and paid their reg pay while assisting with crime prevention, fire fighting & medical needs.

I hope the federal gov't has learned from this.

[pkagel]

Hmm 9/11 was almost 4 years ago and they didn't learn then.....

[Catman]

Hmm 9/11 was almost 4 years ago and they didn't learn then.....

I think we learned how to repond to an attack and I believe a smiliar situation today would be responded to in a more efficient manner. However, it seems that we've been focused so much on terrorism that we've been lax on simple emergency preparedness involving natural disasters.

[HPD17]

I think we learned how to repond to an attack and I believe a smiliar situation today would be responded to in a more efficient manner. However, it seems that we've been focused so much on terrorism that we've been lax on simple emergency preparedness involving natural disasters.

But, the same infrastructure that would be used to deal with an attack can easily be adapted to deal with a natural disaster. That is what's so messed up about this Katrina situation...it shows we're not as prepared for anything on a large scale be it terrorist attack, natural disaster, or whatever.

[pkagel]

Exactly what difference would their be if the terrorist decided to blow up the levies instead of Katrina blowing them out? I'll tell you, we'd have about 800k more people in the area trying to get out. We should have been prepared for this. We have been wasting money on stuff that is not likley instead of worrying about stuff that is. This has been predicted in the area since the 1700's, you'd think that they might have put some thought into it and forced the residents out. Seems that they could have carpooled, bussed them, ect before the storm hit.

[gotthblues]

well, it is obvious that getting the gov together to help has been a cluster, BUT, it's not like they didnt give what 2 or 3 days noticed to evacuate. and still, several where partying and having a good ol time the night before it hit, i think they tought that people would have been smarter and left with the couple days notice they had, they didnt think that many would have stayed.
i do think that LOUISIANA should have done more about getting people out that didnt have a way, i mean, they know that their state is very poor and that NO is full of very poor, wellfare people, criminal terds, whatever you want to call them. but they knew a storm was coming and they let their citizens fend for themselves. more blame should go to louisiana then the fed gov. how many of you people in here were in the military, how long does it take to mobilize, more than 6 to 12 hrs, right.

[gotthblues]

i also just read that the terds that were saved and sent to houston are already being arrested, muggings, rapes, guys going into the females showers,,yea, some victims they were.
im sure as most of you have read or watched, its not just that the gov. cant help them, they wont let the gov. help them, send officers and troops in to rescue and feed people and they try and murder the troops, hell, i wouldnt send them in there either. then you are just going to have more dead.

[xray12]

Gotth blues i agree with you. These people are not victims they are using this disaster to commit their crimes without consequence. Everyone is blaming the goverment, when are we going to look at the people that are commiting these crimes and blame them. Society has gotten good at blaming everyone else but the people who are going against society.

[gotthblues]

well, also i know that there are a butt load that want out, however i have seen numerous videos of numerous people saying no to a boat to get them out. i would assume that they are absolutly the minority of the people, but there seems to be a butt load that dont want help, waving it off, shooting at troops, coast guard, so on. its not just that help isnt there, it is, and they have to leave before they get added to the body count.

[AkhilleusWeeps]

I hate to say this but the people from NO's and area seem to be of a bad breed. I don't recall reading or hearing anything this horrible coming from the Galvaston disaster. Not only this but alot of the people from the area who are of color are not really doing anything to go against the grinding stereotype. Yet, I know some people there are good citizens like the gentleman who got children on a boat and paddled to whatever safety he could find, heard he saved a half dozen or so?

PS. Don't kill me for the remark on the color issue, I'm a minority too and the reality of stereotypes are all too real.

[gotthblues]

wasnt N O one of the deadliest cities to be in even before all this??

if the gov. has done anything wrong, it is with wellfare, whether they are black, white, indian, whatever. here in okla the indians are so caitered to, that a huge majority of them only sit at home and get drunk, nothing else, so how do we expect people to act when their whole life has been about sitting back and waiting for their handout.
i know some people need help from the gov. on a daily baisis, but it has gone over board, where i was an officer, we had people on social security that "couldnt work" but they could sure as hell burglarize businesses and give you a hell of a fight when you finally run them down on foot.

[Chief Wiggum]

Exactly what difference would their be if the terrorist decided to blow up the levies instead of Katrina blowing them out? I'll tell you, we'd have about 800k more people in the area trying to get out. We should have been prepared for this. We have been wasting money on stuff that is not likley instead of worrying about stuff that is. This has been predicted in the area since the 1700's, you'd think that they might have put some thought into it and forced the residents out. Seems that they could have carpooled, bussed them, ect before the storm hit.

Well with GWB cutting funding to LE by 90% don't expect to be prepared any time soon.

[CBPSDJohn]

wasnt N O one of the deadliest cities to be in even before all this??

Yes it was, I think everybody wants a quick immediate fix. I don't think a day or two is to long. It takes awhile to get people called up, equipment loaded and then travel. In my opinion I think the Govt is doing a pretty good job.

[gotthblues]

Yes it was, I think everybody wants a quick immediate fix. I don't think a day or two is to long. It takes awhile to get people called up, equipment loaded and then travel. In my opinion I think the Govt is doing a pretty good job.

i thought so,

that s what i was thinking, i asked it earlier but no one answered. how long does it take to mobilize 2k troops or more, im sure it takes more than a couple of hours.

plus from what i understand, the roads that are passable are few and fare between, plus there are others hurt,trapped, and so on, not just the people in N O, its the "all about me" mentality that is hurting things,

[CBPSDJohn]

you'd think that they might have put some thought into it and forced the residents out.

Even if the Government(and I) believe it would have been the smart thing to do, there is no way to force people out of their homes on that large of a scale, (ie. the coast of several states) if they choose to stay.