Flood waters in Louisiana may look like Katrina, but the FEMA response does not

[babylonsister]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/8/19/1561774/-Flood-waters-in-Louisiana-may-look-like-Katrina-but-the-FEMA-response-does-not

Flood waters in Louisiana may look like Katrina, but the FEMA response does not
By Mark Sumner
Friday Aug 19, 2016 · 9:06 AM EST


BATON ROUGE, LA - AUGUST 15: Ann Chapman from the Louisiana State Animal Response Team carries a dog she helped rescue from flood waters on August 15, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Record-breaking rains pelted Louisiana over the weekend leaving the city with historic levels of flooding that have caused at least seven deaths and damaged thousands of homes. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)


It’s only as the waters slowly start to pull back, that the full scope of what’s happened in Louisiana is becoming clear.

As the receding floodwaters continued to expose the magnitude of the disaster the state has been enduring, Louisiana officials said Tuesday that at least 11 people had died, and that about 30,000 people had been rescued. Gov. John Bel Edwards acknowledged that the state did not know how many people were missing, but he said that nearly 8,100 people had slept in shelters on Monday night and that some 40,000 homes had been “impacted to varying degrees.”

The scale of the disaster is hard to comprehend. And while the incredible deluge in Louisiana came without the punishing winds of a hurricane, the flooded streets and submerged houses look all too similar to the levee failures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. However, there's a big difference in the FEMA response.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says he's not concerned that President Barack Obama has not yet visited Louisiana to see the flood crisis first-hand.

"I'm not complaining in any way about our federal partnership," Edwards said during a news conference on Thursday.

President Obama is not there, causing the kind of traffic jams and security requirements a presidential visit brings. Those requirements could ground helicopters and block roads still urgently needed in search and rescue activity. Instead, the head of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency head Craig Fugate are on the ground.

"This is not your 2005 FEMA,” said Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne. “They have been much more responsive.”

Senate President John Alario, a Westwego Republican who traveled with Edwards and FEMA leaders earlier this week to flood-struck areas, agreed.

“FEMA has been around since the first drop of rain hit the ground,” he said. “Whether the president is here or not, we’re getting a lot more help from the federal government."

FEMA plans to have hundreds of inspectors on the ground within the next few days, working to help people return to their homes as quickly as possible.

[underpants]

1. I think it was the Lt. Gov I heard yesterday praising FEMA teams

Amazing how well things work when you have competence at the top.

[lewebley3]

14. Thanks Obama

[suffragette]

2. Also, National Guard deployed right away as contrasted with Bush withholding them

Last edited Fri Aug 19, 2016, 01:46 PM - Edit history (1)

To try to gain federal control of them in a political move.


NOW

http://www.ktbs.com/story/32794142/louisiana-national-guard-continues-rescue-operations

BATON ROUGE, La. – More than 3,880 Louisiana National Guardsmen are still engaged in flood response efforts, to include rescues, evacuations, security patrols, engineering missions, and commodities distribution.

To date, the Louisiana National Guard has rescued over 19,040 citizens and 2,660 pets. The LANG has issued more than 76,930 MREs; 389,015 bottles of water; 465 tarps; and 961,500 sandbags. The LANG also issued over 2,200 cots and 1,700 blankets for shelter support.

Over the course of these operations, Louisiana Guardsmen have supported local, state, and federal agencies with more than 280 high-water vehicles, 55 boats, 11 Bridge Erection Boats, and nine helicopters.

And remember when Bush finally went, he did a photo OP and not only diverted needed equipment, but then left one area with one sad crane as the additional resources promised.

THEN

https://www.facingsouth.org/2005/12/how-the-white-house-delayed-the-militarys-response-to-katrina.html



https://en.m.wikinews.org/wiki/Allegations_President_Bush_staged_photo-ops_in_aftermath_of_Hurricane_Katrina_tragedy

In a press release issued Saturday, September 3rd, 2005, Democratic Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana claims that President Bush staged a photo opportunity, at the breached 17th Street levee, by having equipment quickly moved into the background during the event. Senator Landrieu says the equipment was dispersed elsewhere the next day, but did not provide details.

Landrieu says in her press release, " ... we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast -- black and white, rich and poor, young and old -- deserve far better from their national government ..."

The President and Senator Landrieu toured the 17th Street levee on Friday, and held the photo-op. Senator Landrieu said she believed the repair effort was legitimate, at that time. Less than 24 hours later, she discovered only "one lonely crane" working on the site, while giving an aerial tour for ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. A video of her tearful comments, during that tour, has been circulating around the internet (WMV).

This is the difference in having a President who actually cares about people and works with the local government to provide them the resources they so desparately need.

All appreciation to President Obama for this.

[niyad]

3. thank you for this excellent information.

[suffragette]

11. Thanks. I still remember the frustration and anger at seeing Bush and Rove's political

machinations in their response to Katrina. It went far beyond incompetence to vile intent.

They cared nothing for the people there and the contrast in response then and now is tremendous.

[niyad]

4. amazing what happens when intelligent people are in charge.

[MichMan]

8. Ray Nagin is fortunately no longer in charge in NO. n/t

[niyad]

10. nor is "heckuva job brownie"

[Jim Beard]

16. I was just thinking about ole Brownie

[Cryptoad]

5. Here is real Brain Fart of an idea,,

lets quit encouraging people to build homes in Flood plains!

[Jim Beard]

17. What you said needs a whole new thread about where the population should reside

Junk land is the best place and one that would have to share water with water rich areas. Leave good farmland alone, have many areas of plant and animal conservation.

It can be done.

[nolabear]

6. I am eternally impressed with how Pres. Obama quietly, competently does the job.

Not a lot of flash, not a lot of finger pointing, not a lot of photo opping. He just gets things done. Hillary is much the same and she catches endless crap for it. God forbid that someone should concentrate on the work and not the media.

[PatSeg]

7. What a contrast

How quickly people forget the gross incompetence of the Bush administration.

[Lucky Luciano]

9. Let's get those FEMA camps built! No time to waste! nt

[turbinetree]

12. And not looking for some photo op like the right bigot is doing

just imagine who the herr drumpsfter would have as the Head of FEMA------------Manafort
That would be scary


Good on Obama and his team, better than the good job Brownie dude and his team leader

[MrScorpio]

13. Boots on the ground are way more helpful than a presidential photo-op

The Prez's critics need to shut the fuck up.

[TygrBright]

15. When your goal is "do your job well" vs. "make gov't look awful" n/t