Flashback to August 28: Did Bush save tens of thousands of lives?
The federal response has been slow to reach those who need it the most, but it increasingly seems clear that the reason is largely the almost instant and virtually complete collapse of city and state authority after the levee broke. Certainly President George W. Bush didn’t ignore the hurricane threat as it was building off the Gulf Cost, as this AP story from Sunday, August 28 shows:
In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.
Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.
The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.
…
[Nagin] told those who had to move to the Superdome to come with enough food for several days and with blankets. He said it will be a very uncomfortable place and encouraged everybody who could to get out.
Even in the face of imminent disaster, some New Orleansians simply couldn’t bother to be bothered:
In a neighborhood in central city, a group of residents sat on a porch. It was almost a party atmosphere.
“We’re not evacuating,” said Julie Paul, 57. “None of us have any place to go. We’re counting on the Superdome. That’s our lifesaver.”
(HT: The Corner at National Review Online)
September 8th, 2005 at 11:33 am
The fact is we are dealing with mother nature, the most powerful aspect in our world. She is unpredictable at times and can cause more destruction than a nuclear bomb. Exactly what could President Bush have done? The National Weather Service issued mass messages for the people of New Orleans and low lying areas to evacuate their homes and seek higher ground. The result was absolute chaos, but would you rather sit in traffic for twelve hours, or spend the night hanging for you life on a street sign a few blocks down from your house? President Bush issued a state of emergency and honestly that’s all he could do. The president does not control the will of God or any higher power for that matter, he is just a human being like the rest of us trying to make the world a safer, and more just place to live-he gave a fair enough warning. The people of New Orleans knew the power Katrina had under her belt. Now after the fact, we are dealing with the devastation Katrina has left on the Big Easy and the low South, and it is the civic duty of our entire country to help out. The government can not do it all alone! Instead of bickering and causing a break in humanity as many liberals have decided to do, just help out!! Do whatever you feel you can do in your spare time to lend a hand for the sake of what this country stands for. Rise up and be brothers- do not fall or falter. It is time to show the entire world what it means to be an American and how we can rise up when an event such as this brings us to our knees!