impeachblanco.org
Impeach Kathleen Blanco
This is a sad time for all of us who live in Louisiana. While I'm personally thankful for the efforts of thousands of people from across America who have helped us in our state's greatest time of need, I'm enraged by the lack of responsibility displayed over the last few weeks by many of the officials we elected.
Kathleen Blanco, the Governor of Louisiana is completely responsible for our state's lack of preparedness and for mishandling the rescue and relief operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Governor Blanco's incompetence and disregard for the citizens of Louisiana before the hurricane struck and her inexplicable actions in the days afterward can only be considered dereliction of duty. Louisiana needs a new Governor, and I hope you'll join me in demanding a Recall Election.
Specifically Governor Kathleen Blanco:
Failed to execute the state's emergency plan to safeguard the citizens of Southern Louisiana by not ordering a mandatory evacuation of the affected parishes before Hurricane Katrina hit.
Purposefully withheld food, water and hygiene items from the tens of thousands of victims stranded at the Superdome and the New Orleans Convention Center in an effort to get them to leave the area.
Delayed sending the Louisiana National Guard to maintain order in the city of New Orleans for four days, allowing snipers to hamper rescue efforts and permitting looters to ransack homes and businesses.
Chose to spend the days after Hurricane Katrina engaged in partisan bickering and finger pointing rather than giving FEMA and the U.S. military the authority they needed to take over the rescue effort, relieve suffering, and save lives.
Governor Blanco is indecisive, more concerned with politics than duty, and has demonstrated a serious lack of judgment that clearly shows she is the wrong person to be the chief executive of Louisiana. I believe Governor Blanco should be removed from office immediately and replaced by a competent individual with the ability to take responsibility and make the decisions necessary to lead our state. Louisiana state law provides a remedy, and that remedy begins with a Petition to Recall.
Governor Blanco, you can point the finger at whomever you want. You can shift the blame, obfuscate the truth, and deny culpability in as many press conferences as you like. Until the day you stand before the citizens of Louisiana, admit your mistakes, and accept responsibility for your poor choices, I will not rest. Your actions cost lives, and you will be held accountable.
-- Chuck DeWitt, ImpeachBlanco.org
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Blanco Fails to Evacuate Sick and Elderly from New Orleans Area
Governor Disregards Personal Appeal for a Mandatory Evacuation by President Bush
On Sunday, August 28, after waiting until less than 20 hours before Hurricane Katrina hits the coastline, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin finally ordered a mandatory evacuation of the flood-prone city. Already aware that large numbers of people would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome. New Orleans had 364 RTA buses and more than 200 school buses to use in an evacuation, enough to carry more than 25,000 people to safety. Unfortunately, no provisions were made to have drivers in an emergency. Even worse they weren't moved to higher ground, so when the city's floodwalls were breached sometime the next day, all of the buses were flooded.
Governor Kathleen Blanco, also with the mayor at Sunday's news conference, said President Bush had just called her and asked "to please ensure that there would be a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." In the event of a mandatory evacuation the Louisiana State Emergency Operations Plan places responsibility with the state government for directing the evacuation of people from nursing homes and hospitals and sheltering them in neighboring parishes. That plan, however, was not followed. As a result, over 30 people drowned at St. Rita's Nursing Home in Chalmette, a suburb of New Orleans. Forty-five bodies were discovered at New Orleans Memorial Hospital. The number of dead at other local hospitals and adult care facilities has yet to be determined.
Resources
-- New Orleans Mayor, Louisiana Governor Hold Press Conference
-- Louisiana State Emergency Operations Plan
-- EOP Southeast Louisiana Supplement,
-- City of New Orleans Emergency Preparedness
"The city had no idea--the mayor couldn't do a mandatory evacuation from the get-go, because to do a mandatory evacuation you have to provide transportation for people who don't have it. For whatever reason, the city wasn't going to use RTA buses to get people out of town. So most of the RTA buses wound up stolen and wrecked around the city."
-- Dumas Carter, NOPD
"They could get the buses out here on election day to get us to vote for them, but they can't use those buses to save our lives?"
-- Anonymous
Louisiana Governor Denies Food, Water for Katrina Victims
Blanco's Blockade: State Refuses Red Cross Access to Superdome, Convention Center
"Access to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
"The (Louisiana) State Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request-- that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city."
-- American Red Cross
"The Red Cross was ready. I just got off the phone with one of their officials. They had a vanguard... of trucks with water, food, hygiene equipment, all sorts of things ready to go, where? To the Superdome and the convention center.
"Why weren’t they there? The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security told them they could not go.
"FEMA works with the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other organizations, but it has no direct control to order them to go one place or the other. The state’s own agency devoted to the state’s homeland security told them, 'You cannot go there.'
"Why? The Red Cross tells me that state agency in Louisiana said, 'Look, we do not want to create a magnet for more to come to the Superdome or the convention center. We want to get them out.'
So at the same time local officials were screaming, 'Where is the food? Where is the water?' The Red Cross was standing by ready. The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security said, 'You can’t go.'
"The governor... did use the Louisiana National Guard for some purposes, (but) did not deploy them in massive numbers initially. And they were not used to move any of these relief organizations in. And they could have been... The state decided they didn’t want the relief organizations where the people needed it most, because they wanted those people to get out."
-- Major Garrett, FOX News Correspondent
Governor Blanco Refused To Act
Indecision Cost Precious Time
"Tuesday, August 30, the federal relief effort began shipping food, water and medical supplies toward Louisiana for use in New Orleans. The same operation was underway in Mississippi and Alabama. The governors of those states had a already signed on to federal help and relief was pouring in. Governor Blanco was the lone holdout. She had still not made a decision. The Department of Defense sent search and rescue experts, doctors, nurses and support personnel. FEMA was there to help as much as they could but local and state officials would not allow them to participate because Governor Blanco still had not given her permission.
"On Thursday, September 1, amid a growing clamor of questions about the lack of action being taken in New Orleans, Blanco finally signed Executive Order KBB-2005-23, giving permission for the federal government to enter Louisiana with military assistance. FEMA began to move supplies into the stricken parishes along the path of Katrina. The Red Cross was finally given permission to deliver the food and water it had stockpiled in the area. Lt. General Russel Honore arrived and began to take command of the military assets which were already in place. As he barked orders, things began to happen, rapidly. Mayor Ray Nagin said, 'He came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving.' Nagin called Gen Honore a 'John Wayne kind of dude!'"
-- Northside Journal Pineville, Louisiana
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