You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Home Front: Politix
City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
2005-09-05
A very comprehensive plan, but it leaves one wondering if anyone other than the author(s) ever read it let along conduct the required training. Blanco's copy was found behind a filing cabinet and Nagin's copy was being used to level his cradenza. /sacarasm/ It's rather lengthy so you may wish to scan down to ANNEX I: HURRICANES RESPONSE (PHASE II: WARNING, EVACUATION, AND SHELTERING)
The authority to call for evacuation is quite clear:The authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane is conferred to the Governor by Louisiana Statute. The Governor is granted the power to direct and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from a stricken or threatened area within the State, if he deems this action necessary for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response or recovery. The same power to order an evacuation conferred upon the Governor is also delegated to each political subdivision of the State by Executive Order. This authority empowers the chief elected official of New Orleans, the Mayor of New Orleans, to order the evacuation of the parish residents threatened by an approaching hurricane. Note: There is no mention of the POTUS in this plan.
The money quote:< In determining the proper time to issue evacuation orders, there is no substitute for human judgement based upon all known circumstances surrounding local conditions and storm characteristics.
Too bad the lamestream media doesn't compare this plan to what really happened or what didn't happen and should have.

Posted by:GK

#18  What she DID do is a) set up a fund for moneies outside of the Stafford Act mechanisms and b) hire the Clinton FEMA director to come work for her. All after the storm hit.

Interesting. Almost like she was trying to start her own little disaster-money slush fund, and called in one of the masters to help.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-09-05 18:26  

#17  If we wouldn't rebuild Iraq with the same crooks and kleptocracy in charge why would we want to rebuild NO with the same patronage corruption based political machine that is responsible for sucking billions of dollars and the life out of a city to leave it nothing more than just a third world city with first world trimmings? Its not like we have any experienced personnel, like say those having served in Iraq, who know anything about putting cities back together again while cleaning out the physical and political trash.
Posted by: Omitle Sluse2961   2005-09-05 17:05  

#16  Federal Inditements for the Mayor and Gov after a inverstigation of them that goes all the way back to kindergarden.
Posted by: Sock Puppet O´ Doom   2005-09-05 15:31  

#15  IT does also appear that FEMA wasn't as organized as they could be once they were sort of invited in.

BUT ... apart from the horse breeding guy at the top, there is still some blame for that to go onto the state and locals. They are required, as part of the National Response mechanisms, to know what they need, how much and where.

The locals and the state hadn't any clue about that because they didn't really have an emergency mechanism in place. For instance, every city I know has a designated emergency control center with backup generators for this sort of event. The mayor of NO finally commandeered the Hyatt to be his - but because there wasn't a real ops plan in place and practiced, they didn't have backup power for the police radio base station. Result = within 30 minutes, no police radios, no ability to call in status info or request backup. That's one reason Nagin told them to ignore looting.

The basic gig is that after the 93 attacks on the Twin Towers, cities began setting up integrated emergency centers/ plans. Federal $$ were available for this and it didn't require the sophisticated computers etc. that NYC ended up with. Smaller cities could copy plans that got proofed out and just adopt them locally.

What you DO have to do is a) put them into effect, b) practice them and keep equipment in working order and c) have the balls to use them when needed.

A, B, C ... 3 strikes and New Orleans is OUT!!!

Add to this: Hurrican Ivan, which ended up not doing a lot of damage in 2004 but showed decisively that an evacuation needed to start earlier and that the Superdome would not suffice as emergency shelter unless it was pre-stocked with cots, food, water, medicines. In fact, evacuating using the school and transit buses was explicitly recommended after Ivan. They chose not to do so because they didn't want the tourist trade to come after them if the storm didn't actually damage the city.

Tough call ... but that's what you get paid for in office. More to the point, they didn't have a CHANCE of coming through a storm hit without having an ops plan in place and worked out.

I will never, and I mean NEVER forgive that son of a bitch for going on TV on Monday and telling the feds to "get your asses down here with 500 buses right now". That piece of puke does not deserve and will not get my sympathy for that disgusting grandstanding for his constituents - whom he failed in criminal ways.

Blanco is even worse.
Posted by: lotp   2005-09-05 14:43  

#14  And there are those that fly around like runaway ballons until they run out of air.

lol! I'll have to remember that one.
Posted by: 2b   2005-09-05 14:03  

#13  I'm reminded of the song by Joe Walsh,
(with the party obviously over)
"Hard to leave when you can't find the door..."
Posted by: Jan   2005-09-05 12:04  

#12  Has anyone noticed the arrival at Fox of Bill Hummer Hemmer, formerly of CNN? The spew he issued there is obviously his personal brand - he's doing it on the Katrina coverage. He just introduced a segment with some blather about the poor Mayor of NO, under the most astonishing burden imaginable - then immediately brought up some shit about a clamor from LA elected officials that Bush must fire all of FEMA's Mgmt - supporting the notion that locals are martyrs and the Feds are to blame.

I believe I'll give up on Fox, too - after emailing them that Hummer sucks, atonally.
Posted by: .com   2005-09-05 11:58  

#11  2b----saw that one last night on cable at a freiend's house. We in the seat cushion audience looked at each other, and said nothing but our looks said WTFO? That is sommmmmmmme leadership. He got his 15 minutes of fame and he be done now. There are those that lead. There are those that follow. And there are those that fly around like runaway ballons until they run out of air.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-09-05 11:18  

#10  Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard? Incredible!

I saw that and I can't remember when a room of people laughed so hard. Of course the media won't go and see if there actually is a "mamma" who drowned. I'll feel bad if the story was actually true, but I give it a .01% chance.

It went like this - after allowing Broussard (?) to rant on Bush for everything - the talking air head (can't remember which one), asked him a good question, do you think the mayor or governor deserves any blame? Apparently unable to respond, Broussard launched into the world's biggest wopper - about poor ol grandma stuck on the rooftop ...and on Monday he told her...don't worry momma - they are on their way...and then on Tuesday she called and he said.."don't worry, mamma, they are on their way...and then on Wednesday...she called and he said, don't worry Mamma, they are on their way ...

now each day his voice is rising and begins to quiver and by thursday he's in a downright academy award winning performance, sobbing and barely able to get through this same conversation on Thursday...on Friday Broussard is in a total sobbing meltdown when mamma drowns right before the rescuer's get there.

Poor ol' sick mamma..her cell phone was working so well, you think they could have got to her!

It was a hoot!
Posted by: 2b   2005-09-05 10:54  

#9  #4. but did the State govmint agree to this? What you cited is from Louisiana state law enacted by the legislature and signed by a governor. It's da law.
Posted by: GK   2005-09-05 10:10  

#8  IMO a lot of blame can be handed out to state, local and federal officials. But the primary planning and co-ordination of emergency planning is on the local and state levels. FEMA declared the area a disastar area before the storm made land fall. Some of the problems FEMA would of had in prepositioning supplies is
1) Just where is the storm going to make land fall?
2) If one prepositions supplies there is the possibility that they could get wiped out in storm itself.
3) Road/rail access to the affected areas. Given the number of downed trees and power lines you can't just send relief convoys charging down the highways. And in this case was FEMA planning on using the Causeway?
Posted by: Cheaderhead   2005-09-05 09:56  

#7  I'm looking forward to the Congressional Hearings.
Posted by: canaveraldan   2005-09-05 09:47  

#6  The Dems are failing nationally and the last redoubt of power is at the state and local governments. The more they scream about this, the easier it will be to establish 'Katrina' legislation which will trump state and local authority and permit the federal executive to issue direct action for 'pending' major disasters. They just can't see beyond their BDS to understand the damage they're going to continue to do to their own power base.
Posted by: Omitle Sluse2961   2005-09-05 09:11  

#5  Has anyone been watching interviews of Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard? Incredible! I have so far seen him flat out cry during an interview. So much so, the network had to end the interview. In another interview he demanded everyone at the federal level, anonymous bureaucrats up to the president, be jailed, accusing them of murder. Curious that he did not include himself when he, as president of Jefferson Parish, is responsible for the piss poor emergency planning and execution those first few days until state and fed resources could be marshalled to New Orleans area. Each day, I am getting more disgusted with the calibre of Lousiana elected officials.
Posted by: ed   2005-09-05 09:10  

#4  Its time for the stupid question of the day. It states "The Governor is granted the power to direct and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from a stricken or threatened area within the State" but did the State govmint agree to this? Somewhere in the state law or plan there should be verbage accepting the responsibility. If it aint there then the Mayor/city govmint is still responsible.
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2005-09-05 08:38  

#3  Yes, Gentlemen...a careful read of this plan CLEARLY indicates the totally criminal incompetence of both the air-head Mayor and the Cowardly Governor. Just as Lawton Childs in FL, after Andrew, refused to declare a State of Emergency so he could blame Bush I, these turkeys are so hot to blame "W" that they let thousands die. This will never be reported honestly by the LSM/MSM. Were it not for other good Americans, many thousands more would be dead. Wonder why this crap didn't happen in MS or AL? Easy, it's called LEADERSHIP!
Posted by: Old Marine   2005-09-05 05:04  

#2  City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan

Its called blame Bush and FEMA. I'm waiting for part two, blame the Jews.
Posted by: Glolurong Chailet2972   2005-09-05 04:23  

#1  Even though lamestream Media is reporting Texas is over loaded and struggling, Governor Rick Perry said they are doing well because, get this "we have been planning and drilling for a disaster like this for years."
Posted by: RG   2005-09-05 03:19  

00:00