What are some responses to those blaming state and local NO officials?

I had a conversation with a friend of mine earlier, and she mentioned some things that essentially were putting the fault of Katrina's response at the feet of state and local officials of New Orleans.

What are the facts?

How was FEMA and the White House more responsible?

Where was their negligence specifically?

That would be helpful to know when responding to those who want to blame the state and local leaders of New Orleans.

Thanks.

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The declaration of emergency given BEFORE Katrina hit, authorizing FEMA as the lead agency in "saving lives" etc.

This was Bush's baby from the start...and he ate cake and played guitar....and his Sec. of State, after disaster went shoe-shopping and attended play in NYC...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

Interestingly, I tried to E-mail it to myself (to two different E-mail addresses at two different domains), and I still haven't received it 15 minutes later. Hmmmm......

so that tripe about Blanco and Nagin is just that, tripe. The feds should have stepped in--scratch that, BUSH should have stepped in.

It's all in there.

HS and FEMA blew it big time.

she works for city govt. and thinks it was state responsibility to evacuate people before the storm. i think a major argument to this point is that there was no place for people to be evacuated to. when i see criticism directed at the mayor of new orleans about all those buses i wonder where people think he was going to send the evacuees. he's only the mayor of new orleans, it's not like he could commandeer surrounding town's/state's resources.

anyone have some concrete info on why the state and city were unable to evacuate people without means?

my friend also had, what i think is misinformation, that after people (with means) evacuated the city, the police and fire dept also evacuated. i'm fairly certain that's not accurate but didn't have a source for her.

:kick: