"Where the **** is the cavalry on this one?"

[tallywx]

That was the headline in the "Miami Herald" a couple of days after Andrew. I think the question is even more appropriate for the current situation:

*New Orleans is more or less completely flooded and the water is on the rise, with no means to reverse the trend

*gas fires are erupting at random from underwater, consuming homes...and the fire could spread

*scores of individuals are trapped

*all infrasturcture is in disrepair

*looting is on the rampage

yet where are the forces, the corps of engineers, the military to gather all the resources to tackle this problem IMMEDIATELY...by air, by pontoon bridge? we have enough personnel still in this nation to do so. so why aren't we?

new orleans is dying, and with each passing hour, the probability increases that the city will be beyond salvation.

if Congress can call a special session to send our troops to military action overseas, they should be doing so right now: a special session to conduct a major military operation could get the ball rolling within HOURS.

[blueeyes_austin]

Calm down. It takes time to put the logisitics in place to support the operations you are talking about.

[gtalum]

It takes time to mobilize a large enough force to attack a problem of this size. It's absolutely heartrending to watch people suffering in the meantime, but the cavalry will arrive as soon as it can.

I doubt it will take as long as it did after Andrew.

[wxcrazytwo]

I agree 1000%. Even if you pump the water out you are left with sludge and you cannot build on sludge. NO is in a coma and there is no way to wake it up. DSutherland posted something on the resiliency of NO, but there has to be a point where, if all things fail, then it was meant to be. Don't get me wrong, I want to help and salvage NO, but I believe with every passing hour it gets dire and dire...

[tallywx]

I've not seen from any official sources even the discussion of putting together a logistical plan to tackle the situation.

The latest I've heard is that the president has cancelled his vacation to "monitor the situation" from Washington. All politicians of all political ideologies need to be doing much more than "monitoring" at this juncture.

The situation should be treated as war, as if our nation has been attacked. It has...by Katrina.

[Stephanie]

I agree, but we're only in the "day after". I can't imagine that there won't be swift action taken.

[blueeyes_austin]

Don't be absurd. Of course they are pulling together a plan. Just had a rep from Jefferson Parish discussing the interactions they are having with FEMA to use public works folks to clear streets for their supply lines.

Frankly, the folks planning the support have a heck of a lot better things to do right now then describe the details of their logisitical planning.

[tallywx]

Don't be absurd. Of course they are pulling together a plan. Just had a rep from Jefferson Parish discussing the interactions they are having with FEMA to use public works folks to clear streets for their supply lines.

Frankly, the folks planning the support have a heck of a lot better things to do right now then describe the details of their logisitical planning.

alright, I'll take your word for it...

EDIT: of course, one could question that a plan should have been pulled together before the event actually occurred, since this was the hallmark "disaster waiting to happen."

[x-y-no]

It has only been one day ...

IIRC, it was four days or so before National Guard got into our neighborhood in any significant numbers after Andrew. Much as we would like the response to be instant, it takes time to deploy resources.

I think I saw some story about relief efforts being staged somewhere in Alabama. I expect they'll be in action by tomorrow, which would be substantially faster than the response after Andrew.

[soonertwister]

We are well under one day since hurricane force winds subsided to tropical storm force winds.

Some people seem to expect a D-Day invasion of rescuers, with vast flotillas of ships and parachutes filling the sky.

Please wake up and think about it before you make angry statements about how slow help is coming in.

Please.

[tallywx]

It has only been one day ...

IIRC, it was four days or so before National Guard got into our neighborhood in any significant numbers after Andrew. Much as we would like the response to be instant, it takes time to deploy resources.

I think I saw some story about relief efforts being staged somewhere in Alabama. I expect they'll be in action by tomorrow, which would be substantially faster than the response after Andrew.

The National Guard was in Punta Gorda after Charley that same evening...three hours after the eye went through.

[InimanaChoogamaga]

A lot of the National Guard troops are in Iraq.

[x-y-no]

Here are the latest FEMA news releases:

http://www.fema.gov/news/recentnews.fema

[HurriCat]

Not all of us are "in the loop". The president and government agencies just aren't going to call us all up with the nuts and bolts of what is going on. I am sure, though, that they are on the case.

Amidst all of this tragedy and now cries of "where's all the help", well, the darn place is BELOW SEA-LEVEL. This has been known for a "while" I'm thinking. It sucks, but the odds finally caught up to these poor people. And I'm still curious - WHO are all of these people? Are these the areas in which people were told well in advance to EVACUATE from? No, I'm not heartless - seeing this is devastating - but dang it - they live in a dangerous place and then for whatever reasons did not leave.

[Hfcomms]

Keep in mind that the government is not "GOD". There are limits to what even government can do with a multi-state disaster. Unfortunately even in the days of "homeland security" more money has been allocated into prevention than it has to "response" and that's the ugly picture. Also with most of our forces overseas they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to respond with this one.

[NFLnut]

I've not seen from any official sources even the discussion of putting together a logistical plan to tackle the situation.

The latest I've heard is that the president has cancelled his vacation to "monitor the situation" from Washington. All politicians of all political ideologies need to be doing much more than "monitoring" at this juncture.

The situation should be treated as war, as if our nation has been attacked. It has...by Katrina.

The plan has been in place for days, but it takes time to mobilize. Remember that both airports are flooded. According to the mayor, the main bridge(s) are "gone." You can't send the "troops" in until AFTER the storm, otherwise you risk losing the equipment and personnel to the storm itself. The storm has not even been out of the area for 24 hours, and yet a major rescue effort is underway. The city is flooding, and the situation is getting worse. You can't "put your finger in the dike" and hold back Lake Ponch!! I don't know what else you are expecting!!

It's easy to accuse the President and the Feds for "not doing enough" when indeed there is PLENTY going on that you obviously are not aware of!

[wwicko]

11:54 A.M. - Kenner mayor asking for more National Guard. Asks anyone with the guard to call 468-7200.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html

[gtalum]

The National Guard was in Punta Gorda after Charley that same evening...three hours after the eye went through.

And the National Guard is in New Olreans now too. However, unlike New Orleans, Punta Gorda wasn't under water after Charley passed through.

[Talon402]

The Feds and Louisana state government have had "mass casualty" and "catatrosphic disaster" plans for NOLA for a loooong time. Especially for something like this. You can activate the plan overnight, but you can't implement it overnight. It takes time. FEMA's director said "this was something we've been planning for for years"

[Talon402]

//double post