FEMA Closes Office in New Orleans

[Rose Siding]

NEW ORLEANS -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency is closing its long-term recovery office in New Orleans, claiming local officials failed to meet their planning obligations after Hurricane Katrina.

The office is responsible for helping the city devise a blueprint to rebuild destroyed houses, schools and neighborhoods.
...
Of the 35 employees who initially worked in the long-term recovery office, only five remained Tuesday, and they were waiting to be reassigned. Those five may continue to work on long-term recovery in a different office, Walker said.

City officials were angered by the move, saying New Orleans is again being abandoned by the federal government. Deputy Mayor Greg Meffert said the FEMA office and the city worked in tandem initially, but had a falling out over funding earlier this spring.

"We have a city that has an enormous planning need and you need planners. To date, we haven't gotten any monetary support to bring in planners," Meffert said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/02/AR2006050201172.html

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

1. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

I was there this past weekend, and it's still a disaster. Like a 3rd world country right here in the USA. Bruce Springsteen said as much during his performance at JazzFest, and also referred to george as "president Bystander."

[DrDebug]

2. So New Orleans has been rebuild. New leeves have been installed

Why didn't the liberal media tell us?

[uppityperson]

3. Don't fix FEMA, just leave.

oh dear. I shouldn't be laughing, but I am. In a OMG ironic way of course. What next?

[Tempest]

4. They're blaming local officials

Once again no one in this administration is willing to take responsibility for their own actions.

Shameful.

[rodeodance]

5. what a mess.

[nickyt]

6. Think anybody down there noticed, or cared? Doubtful.

I despise that pack of ghouls.

[Behind the Aegis]

7. They weren't doing shit anyway!

There is NO reason that the city should still be finding bodies! NONE! There is NO reason that street lights are STILL NOT working! NONE! There is NO reason that debris is UNCOLLECTED! NONE!

No. It was not the locals, not even the local governments at fault! The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the federal government! JMHO.

[KamaAina]

8. They're also pulling the rug out from under RTA transit on June 30

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-101/1146034769198660.xml?nola

The authority began bracing for the worst after it was notified recently that after June 30 the Federal Emergency Management Agency would stop paying for an "emergency plan" supporting mass transit operations in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which has grown rapidly since displaced residents fled there....

The result could be a huge reduction in services if RTA cannot get more money from another federal source or the state, Cook said....

"To make sure that there is a smooth transition on June 30, I thought I might give a few reminders," he wrote. "The three bus missions will end at midnight, June 30, 2006. There will be no extensions for any reason. No extension for time. No amendments for additional funding and no new mission assignments. Per FEMA regulations, no new mission assignments will be authorized beyond June. 30." ...

"Without a cash infusion from the state or the federal government, the RTA must prepare for the worst-case scenario, which means operating transit only in those areas where there is substantial repopulation, an area that could be largely limited to 'the sliver by the river,' " Reiss said. "If your revenue is severely limited, that's where you run service."

Remember, pre-K, about 100,000 New Orleanians had no car. Fifteen years ago, when I was there, it was 100,001 :-) , and I have even considered returning to help in the very planning effort that FEMA has declared nonexistent!, but this could be a dealbreaker. A reduction in services? Some of the routes are already running at less than hourly frequency! And if the "sliver by the river", or "Isle of Denial" :-) , is the only place "where you run service", that creates another barrier to resttling the rest of the city, not to mention that institutions such as the University of New Orleans are located far from the "sliver". Then again, judging by some of Reiss' post-storm comments about not wanting certain residents (his own riders!) back, this might not upset him much. :puke:

http://www.norta.com/routes.php

Why has FEMA chosen - or been directed :tinfoilhat: - to pull out now, just when that nonexistent planing process :sarcasm: is kicking into high gear in neighborhoods all over the city? In Broadmoor, our very own funkybutt is involved with her association, which brought in a team from Harvard to help out (I offered them a sweet deal on a Yalie -- me -- but...)

http://www.broadmoorimprovement.com

Meanwhile in Gentilly, 500 people turned out for a presentation by noted New Urbanist architect Andres Duany:

http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-101/114603170979070.xml?nola

Determined to influence planning efforts across New Orleans, Miami-based architect Andres Duany and other advisers presented recovery ideas to Gentilly residents Tuesday night, calling for revamped business districts, ongoing technical help for homeowners and conversion of part of the St. Bernard public housing development to mixed-income housing.

Speaking to about 500 people who packed St. Leo the Great Church on Paris Avenue, Duany said residents should insist that a multimillion-dollar citywide planning effort now gearing up furnish a planner for each of 19 neighborhoods his team studied, to ensure that concerns peculiar to each area aren't ignored.

"You deserve a great deal of individual attention," he said, noting that the "tyranny of the majority" is a threat in broad planning exercises.

Earth to FEMA: A multimillion-dollar citywide planning effort is now gearing up. It said so in the region's dominant, and now Pulitzer Prize-winning, daily newspaper. How could even you asshats possibly have missed that?! :eyes:

Move along, no planning process to see here. :sarcasm: Heckuvajob, FEMA! :grr: :banghead:

edit: added rant on service area

re-edit: added "smoking gun" on planning process

[One_Life_To_Give]

9. Put Thad Allen in Charge

Declare the whole place a Federal Disaster zone and put Adm. Thad Allen back in charge. One boss to run the entire show period.

[intheflow]

10. The Commander in Chimp was just there last week!

Obviously, he saw that everything was just hunky-dory, so he retracted his FEMA troops. What's the uproar about? :sarcasm:

[splat@14]

11. What, is there a hurricane coming? n/t

[Bridget Burke]

19. Hurrican Season starts June 1st.

Last year, the first storm formed on June 4th. And we know about the rest of the season.

[ConcernedCanuk]

12. Now, now, y'all - Junior is a WAR president. Remember?

.
.
.

NO is just "collateral damage"

Can't expect the warrior to take a few Billion dollars out of his mega billion dollar budget for war just to help his taxpayers can ya?

jeez

some of you are SO unreasonable

Give the absentee pretzeldent a break

[applegrove]

13. Et tu Halliburton in Iraq?

[CatholicEdHead]

14. 9 months is "long term"?

BushCo is such a joke.

[ClintonTyree]

24. Yes, but the war in Iraq was going to be won "in a matter.......

of weeks, not years". Remember that? Over three years later and we're still no closer to a peaceful solution over there. So the backasswards administration strikes again! Long term projects are over in months and short term projects are still ongoing. Meanwhile, commander cuckoo-bananas is "deciding" his great decisions, because that what "deciders" do, they decide. They're all the WRONG decisions, mind you, but he's deciding nonetheless.

Meanwhile, hurricane season is a few weeks away, New Orleans is still a disaster area (I know, I've been there twice since last September, heading there again next week too) so........let's pack FEMA up and leave! :wtf: Bush just HAD to gut FEMA because Bill Clinton had it working correctly (gotta' hate everything Clinton) and appoint cronies to positions they had no business being in............... what's the use? Talking about bush administration fuck-ups is like talking about the weather......it's pointless.

Worst President, worst administration. EVER! :grr:

[OneBlueSky]

15. headline should read "Bush Abandons New Orleans!" . . . n/t

.

[Major Hogwash]

16. This wasn't on the news where I live. Thanks for posting it, Rose Siding.

I can't believe this.

[Festivito]

17. Republican plans "cut and run." Unsurprising. /nt

[amandabeech]

18. If only they had tried this tactic in Iraq.

But of course, that's exactly what they're doing with fixing the damage that we did to the Iraqi infrastructure.

Combine short attention span theatre with poor impulse control and a penchant for blowing things up and you have the * administration.

[paparush]

20. Its clearly the Liberal Media's fault..and Bill Clinton's...and posturing

Democrats.. and Norway's fault since they don't support the WAR.

[nosmokes]

21. if we can 'cut & run' in NOLA then why not iraq too?

hell, they ain't even shooting at FEMA in new orleans, though i bet some cajuns are gettin itchy...
seriously, this should be a prime opportunity for the democrats to pick-up some ground in the south, if they'd just show some leadership, take a damn stand and present some ideas and stop trying to please every bit of their constituency at the same time. it can't be done and it results in no movement at all. but this is the time to make a move and really grab some voters. it's gonna take more than just pointing out how effed up dubya is though, that's just too obvious, and folks wanna know how you're gonna fix it and they want some specifics, not BS like we're gonna streamline and cut waste and reorganize. that sorta really might getcha shot at.

[Jim__]

22. This is pathetic!

An American city is largely destroyed by a natural disaster and the federal government does nothing.

How can people vote for these total incompetents?

[pitohui]

23. where do you even begin?

they have abandoned us, same song, different verse

[sarcasmo]

25. The Federal Government blaming local officials. Why am I not

surprised.

[midnight]

26. Stop building in Iraq and

start building in N.O.

[bdamomma]

29. an embassy for what in Iraq

all that money when it should be used here in states, this regime is disgusting.

[skip fox]

27. Actually they're getting out three weeks before hurricane season because

they don't want to appeared rushed.

[bdamomma]

28. this is sick just like this government

again, more evidence to show us that this government just does give a shit about their citizens.