|Hundreds of buses sit damaged after the flood New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin is facing strong criticism over the evacuation of citizens before Hurricane Katrina struck. No charges of criminal negligence have yet been issued; but his lack of action did get people killed. In the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, 500+ buses were sitting in school district parking lots and municipal bus yards, some less than a mile from the Superdome. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco commented, "The buses could have evacuated an estimated 20,000 people if they had been used for emergency evacuations which President Bush had declared two days before Katrina hit.", President Bush, if he would have known how unprepared New Orleans really was, could have imposed marshal law and ordered much more complete evacuations; unfortunately he did not. A so called "mandatory" evacuation was ordered by Mayor Nagin Saturday 28 August 2005. One day before the hurricane hit. About 400, 000 successfully evacuated by personal vehicles. Thursdayand Friday Sept 1, 2 D+4 , 5 after the storm, Governor Blanco by executive order finally secured school buses from other parts of Louisiana. Houston sent 150 school buses and 500 buses were secured by FEMA for the two day evacuation. The 2000 edition of the southeast Louisiana evacuation plan on page 13, paragraph 5 states: 5. The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating. Mayor Nagin ignored this evacuation plan. Apparently ignoring, like the governor, the fact that his city was in considerable risk of flooding for a storm this large . The Superdome had been opened shortly before the storm as a shelter of "last resort " for those who had not evacuated. There were no supplies prepositioned at this location or the conference center. People were requested to bring their own water and food for up to three days--most apparently did not . At the last moment 90,000 bottles of water and 47,000 MRE's were secured by the Red Cross and delivered by the Louisiana National Guard which had initially about 150 members there preforming security duties. Both the supplies and the number of troops were grossly inadequate. Roughly 60,000-150 ,000  people did not evacuate from the city. Serious shooting and looting broke out before the wind had fully died down. According to WWLTV, during a news conference on Sunday before the hurricane struck, Mayor Nagin claimed he "could and would commandeer any property or vehicle it deemed necessary to provide safe shelter or transport for those in need". Obviously he did not; about 500 OPSB school and NORTA municipal busses are clearly shown drowned in flood waters in New Orleans. Mayor Nagin and  the Orleans Parish School Board had been negotiating, aparently unsuccessfully, at least since June to use OPSB buses and drivers in an emergency. After the huricane the communications were not available to contact the drivers of any of those buses to place them into service or save them from being drowned. They had not even been pre positioned on high ground in case of flooding. Indeed, there is no evidence this was ever planned for or even attempted. Ironically the Louisiana National Guard had prepositioned boats and high water trucks at its Jackson Barracks headquarters 6400 Saint Claude Ave New Orleans%DIFDELCMD < ] %%% in New Orleans for emergency use after the hurricane. When the Industrial Canal Levee broke Jackson Barracks was soon under fifteen feet of water and the National Guard Soldiers there had to scramble for their lives. FEMA is NOT a first responder and normally would have had very little do with evacuation arrangements depending upon the the city and state to have worked that out . Theoretically the declaration of a state of emergency on August 26 gave Nagin the right under Louisiana law to commandeer all these buses for the duration of the emergency. Whether he knew this or not is unclear. The failure to issue a timely evacuation order and use the buses in effect made it physically impossible to easily evacuate the disabled, the nursing homes, hospitals, and those without automobiles . After the fact this evacuation had to be preformed with helicopter, boat, truck and anything else that could get through the flood waters or fly over them. How many people died by this tragic lack of foresight and planning is unknown .
|Hundreds of buses sit damaged after the flood New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin is facing criticism over the evacuation of citizens before Hurricane Katrina struck. In the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of buses were sitting in bus yards, some less than a mile from the Superdome. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco commented, "The buses could have saved an estimated 20,000 people if they had been used for emergency evacuations which President Bush had declared two days before Katrina hit.", however the evacuation was ordered by Mayor Nagin , President Bush having no direct authority to order evacuations. Thursday, after the storm, Blanco by executive order used school buses for evacuation. The 2000 edition of the southeast Louisiana evacuation plan on page 13, paragraph 5 states: 5. The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating. There were however alternative emergency plans, including ones held by state Homeland Security offices, and it is unclear which one was being operated to . The Superdome had been opened shortly before the storm as a shelter of last resort for those who had not evacuated. As FEMA observed at that time: "Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs." Roughly 150 ,000 people were not evacuated from the city. During the Hurricane Ivan evacuation 600,000 people failed to evacute the city. According to WWLTV, during a news conference on Sunday before the hurricane struck, Mayor Nagin claimed he "could and would commandeer any property or vehicle it deemed necessary to provide safe shelter or transport for those in need". However photos circulated appear to show unused school and privately owned busses left stranded in flood waters . It is unclear whether Mayor Nagin knew these particular buses existed, since the Orleans Parish School Board is not under his jurisdiction and his office would not normally know the location of OPSB bus yards or be able to contact the drivers of those buses to place them into service %DIFDELCMD < ] %%% . Normally it is the job of FEMA to coordinate between the various local jurisdictions such as the OPSB and the City of New Orleans in this case. That is, under the rules of prior hurricane responses, FEMA would ask all local jurisdictions for a list of resources under their control. Then FEMA would have taken a request from Nagin for buses, relayed it to the Orleans Parish School Board or other local jurisdictions which had buses, and at that point the OPSB would have provided the buses to Nagin. That coordination did not happen here, but it is unclear whether Nagin ever made such a request prior to the hurricane and after the hurricane they were underwater and useless . However, if he had known about them, the declaration of a state of emergency on August 26 gave him the right under Louisiana law to commandeer them for the duration of the emergency. The failure to issue a timely evacuation order in effect made it physically impossible to evacuate the nursing homes, hospitals, and those without automobiles .
D
strong
D
No charges of criminal negligence have yet been issued; but his lack of action did get people killed.
R
500+
hundreds of
D
school district parking lots and municipal
R
evacuated
saved
R
President Bush, if he would have known how unprepared New Orleans really was, could have imposed marshal law and ordered much more complete evacuations; unfortunately he did not. A so called "mandatory"
however the
D
Saturday 28 August 2005. One day before the hurricane hit. About 400, 000 successfully evacuated by personal vehicles. Thursdayand Friday
D
Sept 1, 2 D+4
R
5
President Bush having no direct authority to order evacuations. Thursday,
D
Governor
R
finally secured school buses from other parts of Louisiana. Houston sent 150 school buses and 500 buses were secured by FEMA for the two day
used school buses for
R
Mayor Nagin ignored this evacuation plan. Apparently ignoring, like the governor, the fact that his city was in considerable risk of flooding for a storm this large
There were however alternative emergency plans, including ones held by state Homeland Security offices, and it is unclear which one was being operated to
R
"last resort "
last resort
R
There were no supplies prepositioned at this location or the conference center. People were requested to bring their own water and food for up to three days--most apparently did not . At the last moment 90,000 bottles of water and 47,000 MRE's were secured by the Red Cross and delivered by the Louisiana National Guard which had initially about
As FEMA observed at that time: "Most residents have evacuated the city and those left behind do not have transportation or have special needs." Roughly
D
members there preforming security duties. Both the supplies and the number of troops were grossly inadequate. Roughly 60,000-150
A
people were not evacuated from the city. During the Hurricane Ivan evacuation 600,000
R
did not evacuate from
failed to evacute
D
Serious shooting and looting broke out before the wind had fully died down.
R
Obviously he did not; about 500 OPSB school and NORTA municipal busses are clearly shown drowned
However photos circulated appear to show unused school and privately owned busses left stranded
R
in New Orleans. Mayor Nagin and
.
A
It is unclear whether Mayor Nagin knew these particular buses existed, since
R
had been negotiating, aparently unsuccessfully, at least since June to use OPSB buses and drivers in an emergency. After the huricane the communications were not available
is not under his jurisdiction and his office would not normally know the location of OPSB bus yards or be able
D
any of
D
or save them from being drowned. They had not even been pre positioned on high ground in case of flooding. Indeed, there is no evidence this was ever planned for or even attempted. Ironically the Louisiana National Guard had prepositioned boats and high water trucks at its Jackson Barracks headquarters
D
6400 Saint Claude Ave New Orleans
R
in New Orleans for emergency use after the hurricane. When the Industrial Canal Levee broke Jackson Barracks was soon under fifteen feet of water and the National Guard Soldiers there had to scramble for their lives. FEMA is NOT a first responder and normally would have had very little do with evacuation arrangements depending upon the
. Normally it is
R
city and state to have worked that out
job of FEMA to coordinate between the various local jurisdictions such as the OPSB and the City of New Orleans in this case. That is, under the rules of prior hurricane responses, FEMA would ask all local jurisdictions for a list of resources under their control. Then FEMA would have taken a request from Nagin for buses, relayed it to the Orleans Parish School Board or other local jurisdictions which had buses, and at that point the OPSB would have provided the buses to Nagin. That coordination did not happen here, but it is unclear whether Nagin ever made such a request prior to the hurricane and after the hurricane they were underwater and useless
R
Theoretically
However, if he had known about them,
R
Nagin
him
R
all these buses
them
D
Whether he knew this or not is unclear.
D
and use the buses
R
easily evacuate the disabled, the
evacuate the
D
. After the fact this evacuation had to be preformed with helicopter, boat, truck and anything else that could get through the flood waters or fly over them. How many people died by this tragic lack of foresight and planning is unknown