Thursday, September 01, 2005
Where the hell's the cavalry?
The slow response to Katrina and poor federal leadership is a replay of 1992's mishandling of Hurricane Andrew, said former FEMA chief of staff Jane Bullock, a 22-year veteran of the agency. Bullock blamed inexperienced federal leadership. She noted that Chertoff and FEMA Director Michael Brown had no disaster experience before they were appointed to their jobs.
The slowness is all too familiar to Kate Hale. As Miami's disaster chief during Hurricane Andrew, Hale asked: "Where the hell's the cavalry?" "I'm looking at people who are begging for ice and water and (a) presence," Hale said Wednesday. "I'm seeing the same sort of thing that horrified us after Hurricane Andrew. ... I realize they've got a huge job. Nobody understands better than I do what they're trying to respond to, but ..." http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12528233.htm
good question... i'm about ready to commandeer a school bus and drive it down to new orleans myself. how can our government be so asleep at the wheel? and why do we need to rely on the "grumpy old men" team of clinton and bush senior to convince us that the solution is our giving more charity? isn't that what our tax dollars are supposed to do?
let's have some more government of the people, by the people, and especially right now, for the people.
in the meanwhile, the third world is closer than it seems...
