Another "Well...DUH!" Moment
Even the main stream media is beginning to get it. An editorial in The Washington Post points to the egregious lack of planning and basic common sense in disaster response to Hurricane Katrina.
THE LACK OF National Guard troops because of the war in Iraq; the Bush administration's failure to protect coastal wetlands; the reorganization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: All have been blamed, somewhat arbitrarily, for the stunning scenes of chaos at the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, for the unprecedented floodwaters in the city, and for the huge numbers of people without food or water. But if blame is to be laid and lessons are to be drawn, one point stands out as irrefutable: Emergency planners must focus much more on the fate of that part of the population that -- for reasons of poverty, infirmity, distrust of officialdom, lack of transportation or lack of information -- cannot be counted on to leave their homes after an evacuation order.
No one in the federal, state or city governments appears to have been prepared for the possibility that thousands would be forced to stay there nearly a week. With some forethought, the National Guard troops who arrived yesterday could have been en route before, or even immediately after, the storm. Five days was too long to tell people to wait without supplies.
Some thought must also be given to the fate of people who cannot or will not leave. The National Guard and FEMA should anticipate that some will remain behind, and food and water should be set aside for them. If fingers are to be pointed in the wake of this tragedy, this is one direction to point them. [Emphasis added]
Since it was known by officials in Louisiana just how many people would not evacuate because the could not, surely with federal assistance better execution of a plan to assist in getting those people out should have happened. When that failed, better execution of a plan to provide them with basic necessities should have happened. Neither happened. Neither.
It's not just a matter of finger pointing at this stage, it's a matter of accountability. And it's time for that accountability to be acknowledged.
THE LACK OF National Guard troops because of the war in Iraq; the Bush administration's failure to protect coastal wetlands; the reorganization of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: All have been blamed, somewhat arbitrarily, for the stunning scenes of chaos at the New Orleans Superdome and convention center, for the unprecedented floodwaters in the city, and for the huge numbers of people without food or water. But if blame is to be laid and lessons are to be drawn, one point stands out as irrefutable: Emergency planners must focus much more on the fate of that part of the population that -- for reasons of poverty, infirmity, distrust of officialdom, lack of transportation or lack of information -- cannot be counted on to leave their homes after an evacuation order.
No one in the federal, state or city governments appears to have been prepared for the possibility that thousands would be forced to stay there nearly a week. With some forethought, the National Guard troops who arrived yesterday could have been en route before, or even immediately after, the storm. Five days was too long to tell people to wait without supplies.
Some thought must also be given to the fate of people who cannot or will not leave. The National Guard and FEMA should anticipate that some will remain behind, and food and water should be set aside for them. If fingers are to be pointed in the wake of this tragedy, this is one direction to point them. [Emphasis added]
Since it was known by officials in Louisiana just how many people would not evacuate because the could not, surely with federal assistance better execution of a plan to assist in getting those people out should have happened. When that failed, better execution of a plan to provide them with basic necessities should have happened. Neither happened. Neither.
It's not just a matter of finger pointing at this stage, it's a matter of accountability. And it's time for that accountability to be acknowledged.
posted by Diane at 6:26 AM
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