Local Authority, First Responders, New Orleans I

by Bruce H, Scroggins

9/10/05


The Questions are coming to the surface now, and Washington is firing back at local authority, Right talk Radio is castigating, the Mayor of New Orleans, Ray J, Nagin, they say everything is his fault, but lets examine the local Authority, and the first Responders.

The Mayor has residents of a City of just under a half Million people, (498,820, ESTM, total) and many of these evacuated before Katrina hit, those who could leave, packed up there loved ones from Nursing homes, and private homes, and businesses, and got out. Now approximately 120,000 people, made an average yearly wages of $8,000.00 dollars per year well under poverty level in the USA, and over 100,000 people had no cars to get out in. even though Ray J, Nagin had issued the proper declarations on time, Joseph R, Matthew, the city’s director of emergency operations, said the city went on alert the afternoon of Friday 8/26/2005, even though a full evacuation was not ordered until Sunday 8/29/2005, and lets remember “Talk Radio Right,” Katrina did not run on anyone’s schedule.

Katrina quickly OVERWHELMED, and at the overwhelmed point, everything Ray J, Nagin did was futile, and every place, that was used as a fallback was overwhelmed as well, (the Super Dome, the Convention Center,) now why? Were these fallbacks used?

The Superdome was a “shelter of last resort,” and the Convention Center was the “overflow,” from the Superdome. Why send people there, (Superdome, Convention Center,) if you don’t have security, and food, and water.

They had minimal Police to send to the “FALLBACK,” and none for the “OVERFLOW,”
Where were the all the Police, some where DEAD, and DYING, some where looking after there families, some were trapped in parts of the city, some were on the job and got trapped, and some, have, to this day not reported, and there whereabouts is unknown. Now this happen to the Fire department just as it did to the Police, and remember Katrina did not care, and was making there jobs of security, and protection, and serving, Impossible, by any stretch of any ones imagination, except, (Talk Right Radio, and the Administrations surrogates,) now the overflow into the Convention Center was a new dilemma for Police, (an on rushing, developing nightmare, worst than the understaffed Superdome, and city proper,) now the out of control in the Super Dome, was crushing the spirits of many who stayed on the job, and had no idea, where there loved ones were.

Where were the buses, good, a very excellent question, who? Drives the city’s buses… men and women who live where? In the city of New Orleans, so many who stayed, they became like the people of New Orleans, when the first order of Alert came on 8/26/05, many drivers were sent home to look after there families, as was management, and many left, as did management, and some stayed and got trapped, and some died, and some were swept up, and couldn’t operate the buses, and were trapped. So where were the Private buses, good question, the city has no power to federalize private property, and even if they could all the Buses were neatly parked, and the drivers, many of them got themselves and there families out of New Orleans, and some came back to help, and got trapped, and some died, and some are now refugee’s like the many others.

Now how is this Ray J, Nagins fault, the Mayor, at a early point, was swept over by Katrina, and his power to do anything, except become homeless, and scream for help, He was reduced to a man with a title, and no power to get anything done, even for himself, except to stay close to the Media, and SCREAM, for HELP.

Ray J, Nagin praised his Police and Fire departments for working long hours under horrific conditions, and two of his officers committed suicide since the hurricane hit. Katrina’s wrath since it came ashore was overpowering for the Mayor, the City, the Police, the Firepersons, and the few National Guard Troops, who were just as swept up, and just as trapped as others, all over the city, remember 80% of the city went under water. How fast was this overflowing water? They say, (and I’ am not sure, of the numbers) but the storm surge was 30 feet in total, and it came in at 10 feet per hour, and in 3 hours, the city was under water, (don’t hold me to these numbers, but close) and hundreds of thousands were trapped, and killed, and Katrina did not care if you were a Policeperson, or a Fireperson, or Young, or Old, or Sick, or a Child, or a Baby, or Black, or White, it just did what a hurricane do… bulldoze everything in it’s path, and it doesn’t, and did not care about your title, as mayor, or Journalist, or Doctor, or Talk Right Radio, or Democrat, or Republican, or even the Governor, or FEMA.

Next I’ll examine the States responsibility.