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September 12, 2005
Thwarting rescues and vacations
While nothing can excuse the poor, even illegal performance of city and state officials in Louisiana (ignoring thousands of buses, preventing escapes, and blocking the Red Cross were especially egregious), it's pretty irritating to read (even in an unreliable source) that FEMA -- supposedly there to assist hurricane and flood victims -- actually served to thwart rescue efforts: • Coordination with private relief agencies broke down and led to maddening delays. Water, food, clothing and medical supplies backed up in distant warehouses.This comes from the LA Times, a paper I tend to distrust. But if the story is true, if this huge bureaucracy actually got in the way of rescue efforts, then it was a major part of the problem, because the problem was one of delay. What this means is that it would have been better for everyone had FEMA never been on the scene at all. Another complicating factor which many people tend to forget was a lurking danger called vacation. Nothing is supposed to happen in August. Especially late August. When Katrina was heading to the Gulf Coast, most of the top White House staff was on vacation, taking advantage of the president's five-week stay at his ranch near Crawford, Texas, to get time off from their normally hectic jobs.While this looks damning (and of course the LA Times naturally focuses on the White House), anyone familiar with government knows that the last week in August is simply when major decision takers are not there. It's a bad time for anyone, anywhere, to have a major problem requiring an executive level solution. Regrettable as it was for Washington to have been on vacation, in terms of sheer surrealism, nothing can possibly match going on vacation in the middle of the crisis. ("Mayor Ray Nagin has announced that, as bodies are still being found and as a public health catastrophe descends upon the city, he is sending 60 percent of his cops on city funds for a little R&R, mostly to Vegas hotels.") So far, the biggest hero seems to be General Honore, who has cut through bureaucratic and political bickering with the force of his personality: ...Blanco resisted an immediate federal takeover, according to officials in both the White House and the governor's office.Imagine that! Defeating the combined forces of bureaucracy and vacation! (All while refusing to violate the Constitution....) I think Honore deserves a promotion. For others, I think some permanent vacations are in order. MORE: Billy Beck likes FEMA vacations: I think everybody would have been better off if FEMA hadn't gotten out of bed for the duration.Reminds me of a bumpersticker I saw at a gun show years ago, which read, DEAR GOD, PLEASE DON'T LET THE GOVERNMENT HELP ME ANYMORE.But will God hear the prayers of an atheist? Hey, tough times demand tough questions! posted by Eric on 09.12.05 at 08:20 AM
Comments
But will God hear the prayers of an atheist? I'm a Christian. Give me a five-spot and I'll pass on the prayer. John · September 12, 2005 01:55 PM Re FEMA refusals to "allow" planes in. Something similar happened with land and water operations. John Anderson · September 13, 2005 12:51 AM |
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