Another hurricane?

[Sasquatch]

Bush could have, perhaps, staffed FEMA with competent experts in disaster management, rather than stuffing it with political hacks as thanks for campaign work. Or, he could take the role of the federal government seriously rather than intentionally undermining the ability of government agencies to operate successfully. You say the state and local governments sucked it up, and they did, but large scale natural disasters are generally beyond the scope of even the best state and local governments.

Is there anything you DON'T blame on Bush, no matter how far out of the bounds of rationality and logic you have to go to do it? Bush didn't staff FEMA much, and when he did, it wasn't any differently than anybody in the past has. And how has he "intentionally [undermined] the ability of government agencies to operate successfully"? Tell me, which government agencies has he "intentionally" screwed with, just so that they can't operate successfully? And how so?

There was an extraordinarily large amount of preperations the government of New Orleans and Louisiana could have taken control of before and after Katrina hit that would have greatly lessened the loss of human life and degredation of the city. Much more than the federal government could have done. These governments happen to be run by Democrats ... just thought I'd put that out there. But of course, it's still all Bush's fault.

[Del Murder]

The weather is always the weatherman's fault. Everyone knows this.

Has there ever been two big hurricanes back to back like this?

[Shlup]

Not since the last apocolypse.

[eestlinc]

Bush didn't staff FEMA much, and when he did, it wasn't any differently than anybody in the past has.

Bill Clinton specifically assigned James Lee Witt as FEMA chief because he had much notable experience, and he was roundly praised on both sides of the aisle for his handling of emergencies like the Northridge quake in 1994.

And how has he "intentionally [undermined] the ability of government agencies to operate successfully"? Tell me, which government agencies has he "intentionally" screwed with, just so that they can't operate successfully? And how so?

The dismantling of government is a central tenet of Norquistian conservatism. Do you really want me to list all the federal agencies the Bush administration has staffed with hacks, or driven out all the knowledgeable policy heads. Try the treasury, or HUD for example. Actually look into it. Conservatism claims that government is the problem rather than the solution, and therefore the solution involves removing government. It's very clear if not overtly stated.

There was an extraordinarily large amount of preperations the government of New Orleans and Louisiana could have taken control of before and after Katrina hit that would have greatly lessened the loss of human life and degredation of the city. Much more than the federal government could have done. These governments happen to be run by Democrats ... just thought I'd put that out there. But of course, it's still all Bush's fault.

I said the local governments have plenty of fault as well, but you imagine Bush could do nothing to fix anything, and when he was able he suddenly performed perfectly. I use Bush to represent his administration since he is the leader and all actions of his administration are his responsibility. It's not a Republican or Democrat thing. It's a good management vs bad management thing.

Has there ever been two big hurricanes back to back like this?

Last year when Florence and Ivan both hit central florida. or whichever ones they were. last year had too many big hurricanes.

[The Man]

I'd just like to point out the vastly different treatment Bush gave Barbour and Blanco.

Blanco declared a state of emergency Aug. 26 three days before the storm and followed the steps in her disaster playbook. On Aug. 31, she asked Bush for "everything you've got." But some commentators and officials have blamed her for problems such as flawed communication and blocked aid....

She says that two days after Katrina, desperate for help, she couldn't get through to Bush and didn't get a callback; hours later, she tried again, and they talked....

Barbour hasn't had to wait hours to talk to Bush. In fact, Barbour said in an interview with USA TODAY, the president called him three to four times in the wake of Katrina. "I never called him. He always called me," he said.

lol librul media

[SeeDRankLou]

I live in Houston. I was going to leave for Austin, but I10 was so backed up that I would have run out of gas on the road, which I would have rather not done. I thought that I was planning early enough, but apparently I wasn't. I'm currently staying at my friend's place which has two foot concrete walls, so I'm pretty safe, and my car should be alright. It's on the street, but this place didn't flood during tropical storm Allison, so no flooding should happen. Besides, the hurricane is hitting very east of us, unfortunate for Beaumont, but fortunate for us. Power is going out in several places, but I'm currently fine. So everyone, don't worry that much, the damage and stuff seems to be bareable. The news reports of people dieing while waiting in traffic was extraordinarily disheartening though.

[Shoden]

has it hit yet?

[SeeDRankLou]

Yes. The winds are fierce, but not extraordinarily destructive or anything. My car is still alright.

[Shoden]

looks l,ike the wing area is on land.

If a third hurricane shows up like this one the coast is pretty much screwed.

[Shlup]

Craziness. Let us know how things keep on, Lou. If you don't post for awhile we're all gonna be like "O.O" and/or "D:".

[Shoden]

exactly.

Let us know how bad it is.

[SeeDRankLou]

Well, they are saying bad things about Beaumont, as they got the brunt force of Rita. The winds are gusting very badly where I am, but the rain is not much of an issue. I will be alright, so don't worry about me or anything, but thanks for the concern. I will try to keep you posted, if I don't it's probably because the power went out.

[Shoden]

Thats where a laptop on wireless comes in handy.

[SammieBabe]

As a lifelong Florida resident, I can offer this tidbit of wisdom... Hurricanes suck. For six months we are on edge. Last year was the worst. While they might not have all been huge hurricanes, 4 in six weeks in already low-lying areas took its toll. Until last year, we hadn't had many major storms in recent history. We got spoiled, we got cocky. Same with the entire Gulf Coast. People just have to remember that Mother Nature was here first and she has PMS like every other woman. Just be prepared and heed warnings. That's all we can hope for.

[SeeDRankLou]

The hurricane is almost gone, there are only a few clouds left to deal with. The wind ended up being not so bad. The only thing we have to worry about now is if the hurricane stalls or turns around and comes back here, which is a slight possibility. Hopefully it won't happen, but it's a possibility.