Part of the problem, which is getting more comment as time goes on, is that NO is simply in the wrong place. As the guy in charge of such things pointed out on 60 Minutes, technically speaking the "levees" in the city didn't break, it was the "flood walls". They were built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. You are incorrect when you say "Nobody really knew how big a hurricane it would take to rupture the walls" because the walls were only built to a certain spec. Category 4 and higher hurricanes are expensive to guard against... if your city is below sea level.
The New York Times has a really nice graphic on The Impact of Hurricane Katrina. Especially instructive is the "Day By Day" tab. Scroll over the dates to see how the flood took over the city.
The hurricane was one problem. The rising floodwaters created another, larger, set of problems that were predicted in the general sense but not well planned for. New Orleans is an unliveable city (as Aaron Brown just said on CNN), and yet a third problem is the refugees.
Putting things back is yet another set of problems. Assuming they want to rebuild to the same boundaries (which I think is unlikely), they'll have to a) rebuild the flood walls to a higher spec and then b) pump out the water and then c) go house-to-house and clean up.
The General you liked so much, Honore, made most of these points on 60 Minutes.
So... how to coordinate for such a disaster? FEMA (now part of Homeland Security) would be the logical coordinating body. There's little difference, in terms of logistics, between a terrorist attack and a hurricane (or an earthquake), though all situations have their unique aspects. (How would Homeland Security have reacted if Al Queda had bombed the flood walls in several places?)
Still, this was a potential situation that had been anticipated for a long time. But little was done and less was planned for. Sorry the politics turn you off but this is why we have goverment: "to ensure domestic tranquility" and such. When our leaders fail us, we need to hold them accountable so it doesn't happen again.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2005-09-06 03:32 am (UTC)The New York Times has a really nice graphic on The Impact of Hurricane Katrina. Especially instructive is the "Day By Day" tab. Scroll over the dates to see how the flood took over the city.
The hurricane was one problem. The rising floodwaters created another, larger, set of problems that were predicted in the general sense but not well planned for. New Orleans is an unliveable city (as Aaron Brown just said on CNN), and yet a third problem is the refugees.
Putting things back is yet another set of problems. Assuming they want to rebuild to the same boundaries (which I think is unlikely), they'll have to a) rebuild the flood walls to a higher spec and then b) pump out the water and then c) go house-to-house and clean up.
The General you liked so much, Honore, made most of these points on 60 Minutes.
So... how to coordinate for such a disaster? FEMA (now part of Homeland Security) would be the logical coordinating body. There's little difference, in terms of logistics, between a terrorist attack and a hurricane (or an earthquake), though all situations have their unique aspects. (How would Homeland Security have reacted if Al Queda had bombed the flood walls in several places?)
Still, this was a potential situation that had been anticipated for a long time. But little was done and less was planned for. Sorry the politics turn you off but this is why we have goverment: "to ensure domestic tranquility" and such. When our leaders fail us, we need to hold them accountable so it doesn't happen again.