A thought exercise (and an experiment on my part). How do we fix the situation in New Orleans? How would you make it happen?

9/2/2005 1:33:31 PM

You know those little capsules you drop in water and they grow and turn into dinosaurs?

9/2/2005 1:36:40 PM

How did they recover after Camille? This isn't the first nor the most pwerful hurricane to ever hit that area. We just make too much hype about it nowadays because of media coverage.

9/2/2005 1:37:30 PM

Your right, were making way to big of a deal of a catagory 5 hurricane and a city under water. Oh wait, possible thousands of dead people. Damn that media(note sarcasm).

9/2/2005 1:42:40 PM

From my experience in the flooding in Eastern NC in 1999 following Dennis and Floyd, it took a long time to get any federal help there too. The Feds were hugely important in the rebuilding effort, but did little to nothing to help with initial response.

The difference was, the people with the "where-with-all" didn't evacuate, so as soon the the storm ended, they were rescuing people on their jet skis, canoes, etc. Eastern NC saved Eastern NC. Otherwise, it would have been in some ways as ugly a situation as NO.

Also, the National Guard was at home (as was their equipment) and provided the equipment necessary to reach people in hard to reach areas.

These people in NO were wards of the state before the storm and have always lived hand to mouth. If they had no means of providing for themselves before, it's no surprise that they are completely helpless now without the infrastructure that took care of them.

The resources for an outside force to immediately come in and save a city in a disaster have never existed.

So, how would I help them. After the fact, all we can do is wait for outsiders to get in. The obviously aren't going to help themselves. The real answer though, is they should have done more ahead of time. It was clear to anyone who watch's history channel that this was going to happen. They could have helped more people to evacuate and they should have created the command structure for the disaster recovery before the storm.

Instead, the city closed up shop and left their most helpless citizens behind. What ensued was completely predictable.

I don't blame the federal gov't. While there are some things that sound damning (and are) now like cutting the Corp or Engineers funding, the overwhelming responsibility falls on Louisiana and NO. I've always heard Louisiana's gov't was incompetent and corrupt, and I'm believing it these days. It was their failure to act in the days leading up to the Hurricane that is to blame.

9/2/2005 2:03:52 PM

You didn't answer the man's question.

9/2/2005 2:03:59 PM

I came closer than you

9/2/2005 2:06:47 PM

ha the media coverage.
new orleans is gizzzone.

9/2/2005 2:32:50 PM

^^
I don't know what they did following Camille other than rebuild, but I would guess that is what they will need to do here. One way to help them is to tell them to get off of their ass and stop sponging off of the government so when this happens again they will know how to fend for themselves until help can arrive.

9/2/2005 2:43:40 PM

Evacuate everybody who wants to be evacuated.
Seal the city.
Fill it with water.
Let sit two months.
Tear down the remaining levees.
Push all of the crap into the Gulf.
Enjoy!

9/2/2005 4:16:33 PM

*wherewithal

9/2/2005 4:25:41 PM

Quote :

"The resources for an outside force to immediately come in and save a city in a disaster have never existed."

Never heard of FEMA, eh...

9/2/2005 4:42:17 PM

i would say..
"we'll build/buy you a new house, but you have to move away from the coast. if you want to return to NO, you are on your own."

9/2/2005 5:04:24 PM

Quote :

"Never heard of FEMA, eh..."

I was talking about FEMA + Red Cross + Salvation Army + a bunch of church and civic groups. From my experience with FEMA, they are more adept at rebuilding and long term recovery than emergency intervention. I know in eastern nc they eventually set up housing for people that were displaced and paid out money to help people get back on their feet.

You can't count on outside sources of help the first few days of the disaster.

9/2/2005 9:39:58 PM