I have. But that is only because I have seen better response. I am very familiar with hurricanes. And how to respond to them.
The hurricane wasn't the problem; had it been merely a hurricane, FEMA could have been there the next day.
This was a flood. One which blocked all incoming and outgoing routes to the affected area. The ONLY workable response was to have gotten people out before it happened, or to have provided for adequate emergency facilities before the fact. Neither of which the local people did, and neither of which FEMA was responsible for.
I do believe that many, like you, have assumed this crisis was in some way similar to that encountered with hurricanes. And nothing could be further from the truth. With a hurricane you have the communications and housing issues; but no hurricane I can remember has literally blocked ALL ACCESS to a major metropolitan area.
>>> As I have pointed out, we responded more swiftly to the tsunami.
Once again, you conflate two totally unrelated, incomparable events. You seem to be good at that.
As to the response that WAS given, Ray Nagin was claiming there were 10,000 people stuck in their attics, and every available helicopter was being used to try and get these people to safety before they died. As it turned out, the numbers were much smaller. I think it would do you some good to visit the 9th ward and other areas, and just take a look around; I've been there at least 10 times since the storm. And just looking at the painted X's on the front of the homes, and the dates marked in them, I am always amazed at just how quickly they were able to get through these areas and deal with this problem.
Rita? it was a minor blip compared with Katrina, and FEMA obviously was focused on the problems of Katrina, as it should have been. Rita was nothing by comparison. I'm surprised you would even bring it up as being related in some way. That said, FEMA did provide an adequate response given the relatively inconsequential nature of Rita.
It is about time you and the rest of the liberals start to understand that your mommie, the federal government, cannot take care of every little problem for you. |
