New Book on Katrina to be released

[Pearl River]

I don't hate Nagin. I like him. The way he handled things pre-Katrina (just days before Katrina) and then after, along with the stinging statement's made afterwards, and we all know what those were. Those are the issue's I have problems with. Do I believe he is corrupt? NO. Do I believe Landrieu is better? Probably not. But maybe a change is necessary to prove to the rest of the country that the citizens of New Orleans really want the city to come back.

I'm going to read the book to see what he has to say. Honestly, I'm not a big Doug Brinkley fan. I heard him speak on WWL the other morning and it just got me interested. The main thing in my mind is this, no matter what, the world has never seen a disaster of this magnitude and hopefully never will again.

[Stratosphere747]

I'll reserve judgment on the book....

But how representative can a 700 page book really be with respect to an event that happened less than 8 months ago?

[MSRobi911]

Sorry, but feel I must put my two cents worth in here. I have yet to see, other than the local newspaper books that have been published to include very much of Mississippi in their coverage. Even the special I watched on National Geographic the other day was "mostly" New Orleans even though the title was Mississippi, Alabama and New Orleans post Katrina, or something to that effect. When it went to MS it went to Gulfport/Biloxi then jumped to Mobile...hello!!!!!! there are other towns that were devastated by Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, several of those being Waveland and Bay St. Louis that were virtually wiped off the Map. South Pascagoula was all underwater all the way to Highway 90 and in some places over to the other side. The only thing that saved the businesses on the north side of Highway 90 is the railroad track that acted like a levee when it ran right along the highway, where it didn't, the water crossed over. It just angers me that Gulfport/Biloxi are the mainly the two places that are mentioned on TV and in books when the coast line of Mississippi has other cities that were hit harder than they were.

Don't get me wrong, I know Gulfport/Biloxi area was hit hard, but not like Waveland and Bay St. Louis and they hardly get mentioned.

As for Nagin...you gotta be kiddin me...he showed his true colors when he went on National TV and was cursing like a heathen! Excuse me, but Mississippi people were just as bad off and worse and you didn't hear any of our Mayors cursing and "losing it" on National TV. We had no clothes, no water, no food, no place to live but we all rallied together and picked ourselves up and dusted our behinds off and came together and started working to get things done instead of standing around yelling that the government should be here and taking care of things.....hello if he had "taken care of things" prior to Katrina.....some of the deaths and a lot of the pandemonium could have been avoided. We were hardly in the cone of possible paths and we were under mandatory evacuation orders early on Saturday morning and had been on low lying areas evacuation since Friday.........but when did New Orleans do this? I think the special on TV the other night said like 20 hours before it was to hit and then Nagin set a 6:00 pm curfew! I blame Nagin and the Governor of LA for the problems and nightmares in New Orleans. There will always be some people that are hardheaded and won't leave, but that is their choice. Most of the people that were still in New Orleans had no transportation and I still get sick when I think about seeing all those buses that went underwater that could have been used to bus people out if they had started soon enough to get them out at least out of the city. Oh I could go on and on...but I won't!!! your welcome

Anyway, those are just my feelings and just wanted to post those as I know a lot of people feel the same way that I do.

I would also like to add a Thank You to all that have come to our area and helped everyone with tearing out and cleaning up our towns. We had a group of teenagers that came about two weeks ago from California on their spring break to just go around and cut people's grass and try to make our town look better. We came home to our trailer on our slab and low and behold someone had cut the little bit of grass that we have...we put out a bag of seed in the front yard and it has grown in little patches here and there and the neighbors put a lot of seed out and after the little rains we had prior to the last week when it rained it washed all the seed down to our yard....lol...poor folks! Anyway we had no mower, no weed eater and of course no where to put them if we had gone and bought them...so it was wonderful to have these kids do this for us.

Ok, I will shut up and step down off my soap box till the next time!

Mary

[HollynLA]

Mary, WOW, that was an excellent post and I totally agree.

The only thing that I do disagree with is the people at the superdome having no transportation. Yes, there were *some* that really didn't have a vehicle, but a large portion of them actually drove their vehicles to the superdome, which the vehicles were later flooded.

About 1 miles from where I live is where they have piled all of the cars taken out of the affected areas in Louisiana. Cars, trucks, RV's, etc. as far as the eye can see, literally thousands and more coming in every day (and it's 8 months later now). It's quite a site to see, then there's the insurance adjusters with their little travel trailers next to this massive pile of cars.

[TSmith274]

While people in Mississippi were "dusting off their behinds and getting to work", New Orleans was 80% underwater due to a faulty FEDERAL levee system. Nobody could "rally" together in New Orleans because moving around was impossible. It's amazing that we still need to remind people of that little detail. It was a disaster caused by federal ineptitude, requiring a federal response. New Orleans does not have its own military. Having the storm surge come in and then drain away is a BLESSING. We in New Orleans were not afforded that blessing, and it was NOT our fault. Could the mayor have prepared better? Yes, definitely. But as I watched thousands of people file into the Superdome on TV... I did not hear one reporter, one article, one federal official... nobody voiced concerns that these people weren't being bussed out... not one. That's all I'll say on the matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Thankfully, next time we'll know what we're dealing with.

[Audrey2Katrina]

Look, I feel for the most impacted victims whether they be in New Orleans, Diamondhead, Slidell, Pass Christian, Mobile, Pascagoula, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, or Metairie (Yes some areas of Metairie/Jefferson had over 6' of standing water!) Now I didn't see the NG special, although I've seen many others; and if there's a section right SMACK-dab in the middle of all this that the eyewall actually passed over, and has been all but completely overlooked, it has been the residents of St. Bernard Parish. Nearly 70,000 people and less than 10% have come back to live in/on their property--utter devastation of almost 100% of the houses in the entire parish. It gets a cursory mention hither and yon; but nothing near the attention other places get.

I like a lot of the things you say in the post, Mary, and agree with some; but take issue with others. FWIW, back in the days of Camille I was one of those "teen volunteers" who rode into Mississippi to help work cleanup. I will NEVER forget the sights I saw as we drove past countless MILES of trees snapped over like toothpicks, the obliteration of Pass Christian--my heart went out to those people, and I can only imagine it since Katrina. I have many friends who've told me of their horrifying accounts stretching from Bay St. Louis, where one of my principals lived, to Pascagoula, to Mobile (where a student had evacuated). This was NOT your typical storm story and I don't believe any 60 minute special can approach doing it justice.

HollynLA is absolutely correct inasmuch as many, if not MOST of the folks who chose to stay after the evac order (discounting the unfortunates who had absolutely no say in the hospitals) were there of their own volition. When I lived in the Ninth Ward as Camille approached, my father having just passed away, my Mom and I would have been among those who truly didn't have a way to evacuate; but we did find a way for a contingency plan using our own resources to literally walk and/or hitchike west if we had to when it became apparent the storm was going to hit further east of us--so we stayed. It was our choice. TSmith also makes a very valid statement inasmuch as it's a lot easier (though NOTHING about Katrina was "easy") to go in and begin recovery after the water is gone, than it is while your city is 80% under water and literally tens of thousands are waiting to be removed from a horrible situation. Should there have been a better plan put into effect? Beyond a shadow of a doubt! But had those levees held as they were supposed to, and the ACOE had assured us they would withstand a Cat 3 hit, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. They didn't.

I agree with you on some colossal bungling by the state and local officials, I believe a friend of mine told me about a NG special something called "Inside Katrina" that covered a LOT of that bungling. Haven't seen it since b/c I sure wanted to tape it. But while everyone is using Nagin as a pinata, they are forgetting that his opponent who IS a New Orleans native, was 2nd in command--Lt. Governor, and from everything I see and all "spin" aside was just as much a deer caught in the headlights as any other official involved in the mess--beyond a few photo-op visits to the area. Without getting too much into the verbotten political arena, the magnitude of leadership ineptitude was beyond comprehension at every level, and in virtually every parish, at least south of Pontchartrain, that I could see. Hindsight is indeed 20/20, and now we are faced with a situation (admittedly largely of our own construction inasmuch as La. politics goes), where the city must choose between two of those who were right there when it happened. One has captured a LOT more of the scorn through the media than the other; but neither IMHO is much of a "change" and in that regard I feel sorry for New Orleans.

Okay, I'll stand down from the soap box, myself before I do get too far into the "no-man's-land", and reiterate that I sincerely hope the Gulf Coast comes back, as I've always loved my trips there, and I truly feel for those who've endured the ravages of nature that have wrought such destruction--wherever they live. Equally, I hope that despite the choice of "six, one way, half-a-dozen the other" that New Orleans faces--somehow or other the Crescent City also can rise from her ashes--or perhaps more accurately--debris-riddled bogs.

A2K

[timNms]

While people in Mississippi were "dusting off their behinds and getting to work", New Orleans was 80% underwater due to a faulty FEDERAL levee system. Nobody could "rally" together in New Orleans because moving around was impossible. It's amazing that we still need to remind people of that little detail. It was a disaster caused by federal ineptitude, requiring a federal response. New Orleans does not have its own military. Having the storm surge come in and then drain away is a BLESSING. We in New Orleans were not afforded that blessing, and it was NOT our fault. Could the mayor have prepared better? Yes, definitely. But as I watched thousands of people file into the Superdome on TV... I did not hear one reporter, one article, one federal official... nobody voiced concerns that these people weren't being bussed out... not one. That's all I'll say on the matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Thankfully, next time we'll know what we're dealing with.

Without sounding too political, and correct me if i'm wrong, but were there funds funneled into the city for maintainance of the levees and didn't some corruption in the city government mishandle the funding? At least that's what I've heard or read somewhere.

Either way, I think Katrina taught a lot of us some very valuable lessons.

I do see your point that the city was flooded, but I wonder if there was absolutely no way that they could not have helped themselves? I tend to agree with MSRobi911's assessment of the situation.

[TSmith274]

timNms, I understand your point of view on this matter... I really do. Throughout the investigation of the levee situation, poor maintenance has not been cited as a cause for failure. It was faulty design and construction... partially due to the fact that soil samples were either ignored or tested innapropriately.

Yes, rumor has it that our levee board was corrupt, but it hasn't been determined that this caused the problems here. That board has since been disbanded, and a new system of two superboards appointed with levee experts and engineers has been created.

The question of wether or not we could have helped ourselves... I just don't understand that question. You'll have to clarify it for me. Are you talking about rescues out of floodwaters? Building our own levees? I sincerely don't understand your question. If you are referring to the rebuild of the city, then yes we already are helping ourselves. I can't tell you how many houses I've gutted. A trip through any neighborhood in this city will reveal that people are hard at work trying to fix their houses and get their lives back together. I just don't understand the premise of your question. Clarify it for me.

[timNms]

timNms, I understand your point of view on this matter... I really do. Throughout the investigation of the levee situation, poor maintenance has not been cited as a cause for failure. It was faulty design and construction... partially due to the fact that soil samples were either ignored or tested innapropriately.

Yes, rumor has it that our levee board was corrupt, but it hasn't been determined that this caused the problems here. That board has since been disbanded, and a new system of two superboards appointed with levee experts and engineers has been created.

The question of wether or not we could have helped ourselves... I just don't understand that question. You'll have to clarify it for me. Are you talking about rescues out of floodwaters? Building our own levees? I sincerely don't understand your question. If you are referring to the rebuild of the city, then yes we already are helping ourselves. I can't tell you how many houses I've gutted. A trip through any neighborhood in this city will reveal that people are hard at work trying to fix their houses and get their lives back together. I just don't understand the premise of your question. Clarify it for me.

Thanks for clarifying that for me. I was under the impression that the levee failure was the fault of mismanagement of funds which led to shoddy maintainance. I learned something new today

[TSmith274]

Well, I'd be lying if I told you that I am happy with the inspections that supposedly took place over the last 15 years or so. There's no telling what those clowns on the levee boards did.

Personally, I believe that hurricane Georges probably stressed the system more than anyone realized. Georges filled the lake with water, flooding Lakefront Airport and filling the 17th St. canal with water as well. I'd like to know the extent of the inspections after that storm.

[MSRobi911]

While people in Mississippi were "dusting off their behinds and getting to work", New Orleans was 80% underwater due to a faulty FEDERAL levee system. Nobody could "rally" together in New Orleans because moving around was impossible. It's amazing that we still need to remind people of that little detail. It was a disaster caused by federal ineptitude, requiring a federal response. New Orleans does not have its own military. Having the storm surge come in and then drain away is a BLESSING. We in New Orleans were not afforded that blessing, and it was NOT our fault. Could the mayor have prepared better? Yes, definitely. But as I watched thousands of people file into the Superdome on TV... I did not hear one reporter, one article, one federal official... nobody voiced concerns that these people weren't being bussed out... not one. That's all I'll say on the matter. Hindsight is 20/20. Thankfully, next time we'll know what we're dealing with.

TSmith,

I don't need to be reminded of the fact that NO was still under water as many of my husbands relatives in Slidell and surronding areas had to canoe in to their homes to see if there was anything left. Some of these being 70 years old and more....while NO was under water....we had no transportation as all the cars here went underwater. Shoot they were scrounging for patrol cars and ended up using personal SUV's that actually started after going under, but eventually caught on fire after running for a day or so. My husband had to take his Mom and Dad home cause By Golly she was GOING HOME!!!! She said she knew the way, it was straight up that street and to the right....she is 74 years old and was gonna walk home....Robi finally found a deputy and said, I'm taking your car, will be back in a few.....

I remember in mid morning when the water was going down, two Pascagoula PD officers came slugging thru the water wanting to make sure that we were all still alive...there were no phones, no radios, no links, nothing.....the police department is about 4 blocks from the Sheriffs Office and had been flooded, so they knew that the Courthouse had to have been flooded. They ended up patroling in what ever they found on whatever they found, from ATV, 4 wheelers and 2 wheelers .....the last is just a joke...no bicycles for this huge county.

I understand completely about the politics and won't get into that, that is not what we are here for It was a horrible time for all the Gulf Coasts of LA, MS and AL.....it was a trip!

Mary

PS...see Zoloft does wonders roflmao

[BigO]

Well, I have read the book (had a hard time putting it down, actually) and it does have a good bit of info on Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Biloxi, Gulport, etc. He apologizes in the foreward for not devoting more space to them, in fact.

As a victim of the storm who has decided not to return, it validated my decision to leave before the evacuations were begun and not having returned. He doesn't just blast Nagin, but Blanco, Brown, Chertoff and Bush. He seems to go easy on Blanco (thinks she was just over her head and not good on TV) and goes remarkably easy on Landrieu (who, as Lt. Gov. had little to no role in the process).

Overall, it is a well-written book. I wouldn't call it even-handed by any length. I think it goes unnecessarily hard on Bush at the onset, but as a chief executive, you hire people who you think are up to the task and then get reports from them. Brown wasn't anywhere to be found and Chertoff was blithely indifferent to the unfolding crisis and they led Bush to believe that they had it under control. How any of these people could have felt that way given the horrific pictures on TV is beyond my understanding. Clearly, there was a disconnect and plenty of blame to go around. Truly, this was a perfect storm.

I loved NOLA dearly and it breaks my heart to leave it behind for Atlanta (which comparatively has all the culture and excitement of a Happy Meal). However, the city is badly broken and even if they manage to repair the property, the underlying damage to the community is continuing to occur nine months after the storm.

[TSmith274]

BigO, I bought the book online at Barnes and Noble but haven't recieved it yet. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's all about. Although if it is validating people's reasons for not returning, I may burn it. Sorry you have to move. Hopefully you get back someday. Bayou St John is an AWESOME area, and I hope it makes a strong comeback. I think it will.

[BigO]

I pre-ordered it at amazon and it arrived day after release. I don't get a lot of time to read anymore (since leaving NOLA, we've also had to undergo aortic valve replacement surgey in the midst of a surprise pregnancy...needless to say with two other children and an invalid wife, I've been a bit 'busy'), but I was up unto the wee hours of the night until it was completed.

I loved Bayou St. John and we were fortunate enough to not have catastrophic flooding on the bayou levee (mostly floors and under-house electrical). NOLA isn't a really great place to raise kids right now and we accomplished our #1 goal of minimizing the trauma to the children. Plus, had we not have left and made it to Atlanta because of the storm, we'd have neither the world-class heart facilities at Emory, but we certainly wouldn't have had the money to sit unemployed while she recovers. Sometimes the man upstairs has plans that you could never guess.

If we can get repairs made and get a tenant in there for a year while the market comes back (barring another major storm this summer to do it all again), I think we'll come out of it OK financially.

[TSmith274]

BigO, sorry to hear about that. Can't imagine what you're going through. Coincidentally, the book came in the mail today. I'm on pg 27 right now, and the Nagin basing has commenced in full force. I'll report back when I'm done. 700 pages could take a while. Good luck with everything.

[simplykristi]

I just got this book from Amazon last week and am in the process of reading it. It is my personal belief that all government officials failed the citizens of the gulf coast.

Kristi

[AdvAutoBob]

Well, I have read the book (had a hard time putting it down, actually) and it does have a good bit of info on Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Biloxi, Gulport, etc. He apologizes in the foreward for not devoting more space to them, in fact.

As a victim of the storm who has decided not to return, it validated my decision to leave before the evacuations were begun and not having returned. He doesn't just blast Nagin, but Blanco, Brown, Chertoff and Bush. He seems to go easy on Blanco (thinks she was just over her head and not good on TV) and goes remarkably easy on Landrieu (who, as Lt. Gov. had little to no role in the process).

Overall, it is a well-written book. I wouldn't call it even-handed by any length. I think it goes unnecessarily hard on Bush at the onset, but as a chief executive, you hire people who you think are up to the task and then get reports from them. Brown wasn't anywhere to be found and Chertoff was blithely indifferent to the unfolding crisis and they led Bush to believe that they had it under control. How any of these people could have felt that way given the horrific pictures on TV is beyond my understanding. Clearly, there was a disconnect and plenty of blame to go around. Truly, this was a perfect storm.

I loved NOLA dearly and it breaks my heart to leave it behind for Atlanta (which comparatively has all the culture and excitement of a Happy Meal). However, the city is badly broken and even if they manage to repair the property, the underlying damage to the community is continuing to occur nine months after the storm.

I'm 4/5ths through this book, and agree with you with regard to the "blame game". Clearly evident was how Nagin was unable to deal with the situation and consequently his breakdown/meltdown. The mere fact that NO re-elected this man is incredible, but that's for another thread/discussion. The stories contained in this book are both inspirational and heartbreaking, even though there are numerous factual/technical errors (one glaring example is Florida's previous season hits - Charley a Cat3?), but I chalk that up to a lack of proper research.

Overall a great read...hard to put down.

[Audrey2Katrina]

He seems to go easy on Blanco (thinks she was just over her head and not good on TV) and goes remarkably easy on Landrieu (who, as Lt. Gov. had little to no role in the process).

In my opinion he went "easy" on Blank-Oh, and Landrieu because, as I saw it, this was an effort to impact an election and I consider him little more than a shill for the Democratic party... glad I saved the money and that's as far into any politics as I care to go. There was plenty of blame to spread in plenty areas... It just seems he chose to spread it more thickly using the "poison pen" to spread his own personal biases as a guideline. That said, I'm glad to hear he gave something of an equal opportunity to exhibit the horros on the MGC. For my part, I just never did like the guy.

A2K

[BreinLa]

I am currently reading the book and think alot of people in this area should read it. Of course I am just about 1/4 into it and have quite alot left to read. And your right A2K lots of blame to spread around, but what I have read so far is alot of facts too and those facts scare the heck outa me. All I want is for everyone to be safe and have a way out. This should never happen again.....

[BigO]

There are certainly a lot of errors in the book...they stuck out at me too.