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FEMA knew of the risk a long time ago

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Psychlone
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04 Sep 2005, 10:56 am

http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/

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Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet. But the doomsday scenario is not far-fetched. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City. Even the Red Cross no longer opens hurricane shelters in the city, claiming the risk to its workers is too great.


This article is dated October 2004. FEMA knew and our government did absolutely nothing. :x



Serissa
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04 Sep 2005, 11:16 am

Psychlone wrote:
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/

Quote:
Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet. But the doomsday scenario is not far-fetched. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City. Even the Red Cross no longer opens hurricane shelters in the city, claiming the risk to its workers is too great.


This article is dated October 2004. FEMA knew and our government did absolutely nothing. :x


Oh god.

But how could they have stopped it from happening? There should have been a way but I don't know...



eamonn
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04 Sep 2005, 11:39 am

This whole sorry business has shown that people dont seem to matter anymore, particularly poor people. The American government never done anything to stop this happening. The governer never called in the national guards when it was her responsibility. Bush waited days before sending the little help he did.

This wouldnt have got so out of hand in New York, Washington, Florida or Texas. When a much less disasterous hurricane hit florida (where his brother is governor) Bush could'nt have been any quicker to send aid. The despicable people that have took advantage of the situation by commiting terrible crimes should be dealt with but instead the people are left to suffer them because the government response was so inadequate.



eamonn
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04 Sep 2005, 11:47 am

Serissa wrote:

Oh god.

But how could they have stopped it from happening? There should have been a way but I don't know...


There are suggestions there could have been a lot more money spent on protective water barriers but the money was redirected towards Iraq. Also public transport was halted as soon as the warnings came so anyone that did'nt have a car was screwed basically.



Psychlone
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04 Sep 2005, 12:32 pm

Serissa wrote:
Psychlone wrote:
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/

Quote:
Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet. But the doomsday scenario is not far-fetched. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City. Even the Red Cross no longer opens hurricane shelters in the city, claiming the risk to its workers is too great.


This article is dated October 2004. FEMA knew and our government did absolutely nothing. :x


Oh god.

But how could they have stopped it from happening? There should have been a way but I don't know...


They could have strengthened the levees since they knew at least a year in advance that this could happen. If the levees were strengthened and didn't break then there wouldn't have been the flooding there has been. Things wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad...



Sean
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04 Sep 2005, 1:02 pm

Psychlone wrote:
They could have strengthened the levees since they knew at least a year in advance that this could happen. If the levees were strengthened and didn't break then there wouldn't have been the flooding there has been. Things wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad...

You can't complete a task like that in a year. Also, the levees would have been weakened until the project was finished, which would take at least a couple years.



Sophist
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04 Sep 2005, 1:11 pm

Sean wrote:
Psychlone wrote:
They could have strengthened the levees since they knew at least a year in advance that this could happen. If the levees were strengthened and didn't break then there wouldn't have been the flooding there has been. Things wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad...

You can't complete a task like that in a year. Also, the levees would have been weakened until the project was finished, which would take at least a couple years.


Sean, New Orleans has been asking that the levees be strengthened for YEARS. But it was considered excess spending no doubt, just because the threat wasn't as imminent as it has been in the last year or so. Those main levees were originally built in the 1700s and have simply been reinforced since.

The flooding could have been avoided.

But you're right: starting only a year ago wouldn't have likely saved these people who died directly after the floods.

The National Guard could have been deployed sooner, however, so that fewer people died due to dehydration. That is a real crime.


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MishLuvsHer2Boys
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04 Sep 2005, 2:50 pm

Welcome to poor planning 101... where the government knows everything and the citizens don't need to know anything. Grr.



rpm2004
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05 Sep 2005, 1:49 am

If you care less you get dissappointed less...but you have to sacrafice that whole "happiness" thing


I dont care about anything


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nirrti_rachelle
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05 Sep 2005, 10:15 pm

And NTs say people with Asperger's lack common sense? Now it looks like NTs are the ones who have no sense at all much less "common" sense. So how can those without any sense say we have none? :x :x :x

Sorry, guys, just extremely P.Oed right now.


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pernicious_penguin
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05 Sep 2005, 10:41 pm

-a new levee system would cosy 20bln +
-bush started deploying national guard, search and rescue, and other assets two days BEFORE the hurricane made land fall
-one to two days after the hurrican had hit the state government declared they had everything under control
-only after this did they ask for extra assistance.
-the president cannot federalize troops and sends others in until the governor of that state agrees to it - which did not happen til well after the hurricane hit
-the mayor of NO forbade the use of school buses and other buses that could have saves thousands of lives. Today they sit in a watery graveyard

the screw up was far more local than federal. so stop the bush hating already, can't you just hate the color of his shoes this week or something while respecting the facts on the ground?



SpiderMonkey
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06 Sep 2005, 1:11 pm

Yes, FEMA was aware this could happen. But FEMA is run by a man who at his last job proved too incompetent to run horsey shows:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_D._Brown

Bush appointed this man, and has since praised him for his 'efforts'. Neither men deserve to survive this.