National Guards “played cards” amid New Orleans chaos: police official

National Guards “played cards” amid New Orleans chaos: police official
(AFP)

4 September 2005

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana - A top New Orleans police officer said Saturday that National Guard troops sat around playing cards while people died in the stricken city after Hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans deputy police commander W.S. Riley launched a bitter attack on the federal response to the disaster though he praised the way the evacuation was eventually handled.

His remarks added to controversy over the government handling of the crisis as New Orleans descended into anarchic chaos after Katrina swamped the city’s flood defences. Thousands are feared dead in the disaster.

National Guard commander, Lieutenant General Steven Blum, defended his force saying it had been slow to move into New Orleans because it did not anticipate the collapse of the city police force.
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