[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Tyvar [/i]
[B] And my final thing is, the Feds showed up mid day friday the second, 4 days after the hurricane, and they showed up with more then 15,000 personel. 24 hours later, NO is secured, and pretty much cleared. Meaning once they got there, they did their job. [/B][/QUOTE]
Oh fucking bullshit. Disasters in third world countries have been handled faster and with more competance than this.
The government has fucked up, on all levels.
[i]It took less time to get help to the city during the 1920's disaster[/i] for chrissake.
It's a first-world country, you should be better than this. THAT is what's making me angry.
The fact that all levels are fucked up is exactly my point. The mayor and the governer failed as much as anybody else.
In fact the more Ive been reaserching the laws and how disaster relief in the US is connducted is very enlightning.
The primary entity responsible for creating and executing disaster relief plans is the state government, albet the plans are drawn up with the input of a variety of agencies. When the disaster occurs the ultimate manager in each state is the governer. FEMA exists to supplement state plans, and to coordinate across state lines, also to help coordinate feeding federal assests into the State goverments plan.
If Blanco wanted 40,000 troops in louisiana the day after the storm she should have started making her requests saturday.
By comparison, the rescue efforts in Missisipi and Alabama have been alot smoother, and I believe that is due to the much more efficient plans and procedures implemented by those state governments.
This cascade of disruption... looks very sad. I hope that rescue efforts... as well as efforts to restore justice... will move along at quickest possible pace (given the situation)... and that rebuilding will eventually follow (perhaps after tempers have cooled, and considerations have been made on *where* rebuilding is safe).
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However, on two points argued before, I would like to say a few things:
[b]1. Regarding what happens when evacuation occurs[/b]
-- Most well-equipped people leave.
-- The most vulnerable and poorly informed... stay.
-- The greediest and most indecent... stay too.
With the first portion (generally a majority) of population gone, the second two are left in grievous unbalance. Result: instant increase in crime. Very sad. Can't be fully prevented (but the time window can be reduced if better-equipped people return sooner -- if however that is impossible, a major deployment of police and military forces from other regions seems unavoidable, and should occur at soonest opportunity).
[b]2. Regarding what can be done to block breaches[/b]
Given enough transport helicopters, breaches in dams can be closed (or reduced) by sheer volume of air-droppable items (concrete panels, rocks mixed with heavy gravel, sandbags, cement bags, bricks, generally harbour and building materials).
However, this cannot be done before helicopters can fly (sometimes not within a full day of a big storm), enough aerial transport is available (transport copters cannot be expected to be located instantly, nor fly in faster than 200 km/h) and a suitable supply of blocking material has been found (in an unlucky place, none may exist nearby).
In general... it seems the only way to respond faster... is to assume the worst beforehand and start putting together resources in the nearest reliably safe staging area (that's going to be expensive if disaster misses, but will help majorly when it hits).
Comments
[B] And my final thing is, the Feds showed up mid day friday the second, 4 days after the hurricane, and they showed up with more then 15,000 personel. 24 hours later, NO is secured, and pretty much cleared. Meaning once they got there, they did their job. [/B][/QUOTE]
Oh fucking bullshit. Disasters in third world countries have been handled faster and with more competance than this.
The government has fucked up, on all levels.
[i]It took less time to get help to the city during the 1920's disaster[/i] for chrissake.
It's a first-world country, you should be better than this. THAT is what's making me angry.
In fact the more Ive been reaserching the laws and how disaster relief in the US is connducted is very enlightning.
The primary entity responsible for creating and executing disaster relief plans is the state government, albet the plans are drawn up with the input of a variety of agencies. When the disaster occurs the ultimate manager in each state is the governer. FEMA exists to supplement state plans, and to coordinate across state lines, also to help coordinate feeding federal assests into the State goverments plan.
If Blanco wanted 40,000 troops in louisiana the day after the storm she should have started making her requests saturday.
By comparison, the rescue efforts in Missisipi and Alabama have been alot smoother, and I believe that is due to the much more efficient plans and procedures implemented by those state governments.
my god...
------------
However, on two points argued before, I would like to say a few things:
[b]1. Regarding what happens when evacuation occurs[/b]
-- Most well-equipped people leave.
-- The most vulnerable and poorly informed... stay.
-- The greediest and most indecent... stay too.
With the first portion (generally a majority) of population gone, the second two are left in grievous unbalance. Result: instant increase in crime. Very sad. Can't be fully prevented (but the time window can be reduced if better-equipped people return sooner -- if however that is impossible, a major deployment of police and military forces from other regions seems unavoidable, and should occur at soonest opportunity).
[b]2. Regarding what can be done to block breaches[/b]
Given enough transport helicopters, breaches in dams can be closed (or reduced) by sheer volume of air-droppable items (concrete panels, rocks mixed with heavy gravel, sandbags, cement bags, bricks, generally harbour and building materials).
However, this cannot be done before helicopters can fly (sometimes not within a full day of a big storm), enough aerial transport is available (transport copters cannot be expected to be located instantly, nor fly in faster than 200 km/h) and a suitable supply of blocking material has been found (in an unlucky place, none may exist nearby).
In general... it seems the only way to respond faster... is to assume the worst beforehand and start putting together resources in the nearest reliably safe staging area (that's going to be expensive if disaster misses, but will help majorly when it hits).