Did Mayor Ray Nagin not know that his city was below sea level?
New Orleans had years to fix their problems. I remember watching a program in the 80's and it addressed the concerns of a big hurricane hitting N.O. They knew, even back then, they just chose not to do anything about it.
What went WRONG in NEW ORLEANS?
Each and every level of government failed New Orleans. How anyone could reelect the mayor of New Orleans, the governor of Louisiana, or still support the Bush administration after the lack of preparedness and organization after Katrina, I will never know. That being said, this should be a great signal to all Americans, especially the poor. No one is going to hold your hand anymore. Prepare yourself as best as you can for future disasters. They will come, whether it's a hurricane or a terrorist attack...you must be responsible for yourself. There is no guarantee the government will protect you.
What were the short term effects of hurricane Katrina on New Orleans?
Short term:The economy came to an immediate stopLocal government ceased to function with the mayor fear frozen in placeThe local police fled in record numbersMany police that remained were involved in lootingThe crime rate went down a great deal due to so many criminals unable to move aroundAs soon as helicopters were in the air they were fired upon by local gangsDrug addicts broke into every pharmacy in the New Orleans area, used the available supply of narcotics up and within two to three days went into withdrawal.No hospital had a reasonable supply of fuel to run their generators and any child or adult needing electrically driven care died (I personally spoke to a neonatal nurse who told me about losing every child in her care at a local hospital when their generator stopped working).Do not believe the blame the Federal Government people. The blame for the failures of the levees is a combination of The Army Corp Of Engineers and the FAILURE of city officials to attend to the numerous levee leaks reported for many years prior to the storm. The failure after the storm was due to the city of New Orleans and its gang of fools in leadership and by failures to police and control illegal activity:The failure of the city to utilize its own systems to get residents out while buses were allowed to sit and floodFailure of the city to have food and water stored for any emergency and even if it had such supplies had lost control over its city workers and police.Failure of the population of New Orleans(mostly poor) to maintain a reasonable supply of fresh water, food, and other materials necessary for survival for more than a week of being without in the homes of those who could not or chose to not leave.With flood waters flooding most of the city, ingress roads filled with water, no planes in or out, no way to distribute food or water, power lines down, no working pumps with no auxiliary systems to supply electricity, the Federal government had its hands filled just keeping the detoxing drug addicts from looting the local Federal Reserve and FBI/DEA headquarters and that was by SEAL Teams and other specialized forces. It took many many days just to get the power lines out of the streets in adjacent areas to be able to get trucks into the city, much less the water that was in some areas 18 feet in depth.
How did the government fail in helping with hurricane katrina?
Actually, they didn't. Before the storm even hit shore, the President declared the area in a state of emergency and called the Governor of the State of Louisiana and offered to send in Federal assistance. She said no. Posse Comitatus was law at the time that states the Federal government cannot enter a state without permission of the Governor of the State. Every state in the union has what is called an MED (Emergency Management Division) that is controlled by the state and the Governor has the final say. The MED are the ones that come up with contingency plans in case of man-made or natural disasters. They are funded by the federal government and given money each fiscal year in order to enact these plans. The state of Louisiana had a plan for hurricanes, but spent the money on other projects that had nothing to do with the MED. They also waited until the last minute to enact certain plans for evacuation but by that time, the drivers for the buses had already themselves fled. As for the levies, the Army Corps of Engineers had informed the local and state government that the levies needed repair and how much it would cost. They never made the necessary repairs. Once the levies broke after the storm, there was no way to get FE MA or the military into the hardest hit areas until the water began to recede. As for what happened in the Arena that was used as a shelter, that is on the people, not the government. They chose to act like monsters, they chose to rape and murder and take advantage of people. As a shelter the city government should have ensured that there was plenty of food,water, facilities for restrooms, security, and generators for power. They did not, so in some respects they, not the federal government are to blame.
Which level of government should have the greatest responsibility for Katrins's preparedness and response? why
Individuals should take responsibility for themselves, first of all...if you are going to live in a hurricane and flood-prone area, maybe you should plan for problems, and not look for people who choose NOT to live there to bail you out.
Questions about hurricane katrina?
1. According to Frontline, what problems were caused by the following groups: * The Local and state officials? * The U.S. military? * FEMA? * The Government? 2. Why was the Louisiana National Guard unable to help? 3. Why were rescue efforts hampered in the first 24 hours? 4. What were the Mayor's responsibilities prior to the hurricane? 5. Where were state and local officials during the aftermath of Katrina? Why was this a problem? 6. What were the critics pointing out as trouble with the governor of Louisiana? 7. According to then-FEMA director Michael Brown, when does FEMA take over for state and local governments? 8. What were the complaints of local and state officials against FEMA? 9. How many days did it take for Washington, President Bush, to acknowledge they were late and inadequate in its response?