and if it had been a terrorist attack with a atomic
bomb we'd all be incensed that not more went to
homeland security. ten years ago it was known that a
cat 4+ storm would put new orleans under water. this
was not a suprise. the planning and the response at
all levels is/was pitiful.

--- Kathy <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> At first, I was inclined to give the feds some slack
> but when I learned they'd
> diverted funds from disaster preparedness to
> Homeland Security, I was
> incensed.  It's all very well to prepare for
> invasions, etc., but when the
> richest country in the world can't take care of its
> own citizens after a
> natural disaster, there's something very wrong.
>
> And the head of FEMA saying it was their own fault,
> in a way, was quite
> tactless to say the least.  Of course they made the
> wrong choice, no  one
> disputes that, but to say that in face of such
> misery and suffering shows an
> arrogance and disregard for the suffering of others
> that seems all too
> evident in this administration.  It's as if they
> can't believe we can have
> our own poor people who can't fend for themselves in
> times like these.
>
> I have broken down in tears several times this week
> when watching the news.
> This is *America* dammit - I can't believe we could
> respond more quickly to
> the tsunami victims last year than our own victims.
>
> Kat
>
> On Saturday 03 September 2005 11:21 am, Mike Collis
> wrote:
> > Was FEMA ready for a disaster like Katrina?
> > Critics cite shift in priorities following the
> 9/11 attacks
> > By Lisa Myers
> > Senior investigative correspondent
> > NBC News
> > Updated: 6:46 p.m. ET Sept. 2, 2005
> >
> > WASHINGTON - The terrorist attacks of 2001 changed
> the priorities and focus
> > of federal emergency planners. Former officials
> say 9/11 diverted attention
> > from natural disasters such as Katrina, which had
> been the  primary focus
> > of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
> > A government document obtained by NBC News shows
> just how radically the
> > focus shifted to terrorism. It is dated July 2004
> and lists 222 upcoming
> > FEMA and homeland security exercises scheduled to
> prepare for national
> > emergencies. Only two involve hurricanes.
> > "And even in both of those cases, they're dealing
> with what would happen if
> > there were a terrorist attack associated with a
> hurricane event," says NBC
> > News analyst William Arkin.
> > What's more, it appears that the federal
> government did not follow up on an
> > exercise last year that mostly predicted what
> happened in New Orleans —
> > devastating flooding and hundreds of thousands
> stranded.
> > The scenario was dubbed Hurricane Pam: 120 mph
> winds, a massive storm
> > surge, 20 feet of water in the city, 80 percent of
> buildings damaged,
> > refugees on rooftops, possibly gun violence that
> would slow the rescue.
> > "What bothers me the most is all the people who've
> died unnecessarily,"
> > says Ivor Van Heerden, a hurricane researcher from
> Louisiana State
> > University who ran the exercise.
> > Van Heerden says the federal government didn't
> take it seriously.
> > "Those FEMA officials wouldn't listen to me," he
> says. "Those Corps of
> > Engineers people giggled in the back of the room
> when we tried to present
> > information."
> > One recommendation from the exercise: Tent cities
> should be prepared for
> > the homeless.
> > "Their response to me was: 'Americans don't live
> in tents,' and that was
> > about it," recalls Van Heerden.
> > However, others say it's unfair to blame the
> federal government, that no
> > amount of planning could have prepared for this.
> > "We have trained against similar scenarios, but
> it's not the same as a
> > crisis unfolding before your eyes," says Frank
> Cilluffo, a former Bush
> > administration aide for homeland security.
> > Homeland security officials also argue that no one
> predicted that flooding
> > and devastation would encompass not just New
> Orleans but the entire Gulf
> > Coast.
>





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