Kevin and I have been watching the events in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The blogs and MSM are full of descriptions of heroic acts. What is becoming increasingly clear is the complete incompetence of authorities in dealing with this tragedy.
Since 9/11 millions of taxpayers dollars have been distributed to states to prepare for terrorist attacks. This involves setting up emergency plans that take into account terrorist attacks. These plans include evacuations of cities, resumption and protection of basic services, search and rescue missions. Disasters such as hurricanes and terrorist attacks are similar- issues of search and rescue are similar, evacuation = similar, law and order = all similar. So why has there been such a colossal fuck up in New Orleans? Surely New Orleans has benefited from this money? So where is the planning? Questions like these will be answered in the coming months.
Blame can fall on many deserving bureaucrats – at FEMA, at state and local level in the affected states, and of course on the commander-in-chief, GWB – the only person who could legitmately order things to happen. Perhaps one of the weaknesses of a multi-layered representative democracy is the decision paralysis that occurs because of the inherent built in checks and balances of our system. However in warfare (and disaster management is the equivalent of warfare) the niceties of group consensus need to be forgotten by the urgency to make quick decisions to save peoples lives.
As for President Bush I am disgusted with the way he is handling this. Disasters such as these bring out the best and the worst in people. Unfortunately it has also brought to light this country’s leader’s biggest failing as a leader in a time of crisis.
One response to “Oh Katrina!”
You are so right – millions of tax dollars have been spent on homeland security & improving emegency services & evacuation plans – so how come they floundered abotu like a 3rd world country on this one? I think more help was available more quickly after the tsunami (in countries that ARE 3rd world!!) than in the richest 1st world nation on the planet. Clearly something does not add up. I can picture GWB taking a 4-day long brain-rest, an extended version of the one he took when an aide told him the first news about 9/11. Rememebr the blank look?? Only this little trance lasted fatal days. I hope this haunts the rest of his term.