Who decided to not use public transportation to help evacuate the poor?

[jsamuel]

Who made the decision to not evacuate people who could not get out via their own cars?

I feel like while people have prepared well for 4/5 of the population, the last 1/5 who cannot get out on their own are being "left out to dry". While the dome is a good last resort, it seems to me that if the worst case senario happens, it would cause an unbelievable loss of life. Why wouldn't they plan for these people?

[NVMojo]

1. look at the state leadership...

[JimmyJazz]

2. The "dome" is a horrible last resort!

There is no a/c. It's expected to flood, so people can't stay below the first level. And, what happens when the plumbing backs up or the water supply is cut off? This is just horrible.

[tx_dem41]

4. The Superdome has AC. n/t

[stevedeshazer]

5. Until the electricity goes out.

[gatorboy]

9. Not to mention it has a friggin roof.

You can't air rescue any of these people. If the flooding lasts, what will they do? Send scuba divers in? There's no way out if the exits are deeply flooded. It could be a death box.

[JimmyJazz]

10. I am terrified that these people have walked into their own grave,

but what choice did they have? I mean it's not like the government knew about this storm in advance and could have evacuated them by bus or something. Damn. I don't even have to post the "sarcasm" smilie - it's too fuggin' obvious. :(

[punpirate]

7. It may have it now...

... but it won't have it with the electrical feeders under fifteen feet of water....

[JimmyJazz]

8. Which, from what I understand, isn't working and, if it is now, certainly

won't be if the electricity goes out.

[tx_dem41]

12. If you look at the analysis of the flooding available at nola.com.....

The Superdome is not going to be in the part of NO that gets extensive flooding.

[JimmyJazz]

14. I love your optimism, but if what you say is true, why don't they have

people staying below the second level?

[tx_dem41]

16. Ummm....they're putting cots on the field.

According to another post.

[JimmyJazz]

22. Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I know I read that the initial

onslaught of people were not going to be put below the second level due to the potential for flooding. So, you can be snide all you want and act as if it's no big deal for the homeless to be denied the opportunity to leave the city when there is a mandatory evacuation in progress, but you are being callous toward the homeless. They have just as much right to be safe as the person who has a million dollars in the bank. So take your snarkiness someplace else.

[tx_dem41]

24. Wow.....you like to read a lot into a simple statement.

I'm from New Orleans. Live in Dallas now, but my family is still there. I am quite familiar with the flooding scenario that could be expected from such a threat, because I have heard about it my whole life. There isn't going to be a 20 foot surge of water inundating the Superdome with no warning at all. The worst flooding is going to happen in two areas: In western NO Metro area (Kenner) from Lake Pontchartrain, and in Eastern New Orleans from a surge from Lake Borgne. That part of the flooding could reach the lower 9th ward (a long way from the Superdome).

[JimmyJazz]

27. Yeah. Kinda like you know the dome has a/c.

I'm sorry, but I'm not buying any of it. I'm not convinced that these people haven't wandered into their own grave and I'm not convinced that you have a clue about you are talking about. Your "poo-pooing" of these people's plight is beyond my comprehension. I am afraid this is yet another example of how the poor are expendible in our society.

BTW - I really hope that I am wrong and that you are right.

[tx_dem41]

28. Wow, you're hyperbolic this evening.

Please, tell me about the topography of New Orleans and surrounding communities. Tell me what are the major bodies of water we should be worried about. Tell me about the layout of the Superdome. Tell me at what height the main entrances into the Dome are at. You seem to be an expert. I'm waiting. I'm spellbound.

[JimmyJazz]

29. OH SHADDUP! Just because I happen to give a shit doesn't mean

you have a right to minimalize how I fuggin' feel.

[tx_dem41]

32. I actually have loved ones in New Orleans, that didn't evacuate.

Thanks for telling me to "shaddup" and implying that I don't "give a shit" about those loved ones.

[JimmyJazz]

33. this is going nowhere. I'm sorry, but I'm going to pray that your

loved ones are going to come out of this safely and just say g'night. This is the most completely ridiculous flame war in the history of DU and I refuse to engage in it any longer.

G'night and Godspeed.

JJ

[southlandshari]

30. Ok, friends - that's enough of that!!!

You two - seperate corners, now!!!

This is serious shit, and I know both of you are concerned about folks in New Orleans and the surrounding area. So let's focus on that, ok?

I'm not usually such a grouch, you know - I'm very worried about friends and family in Louisiana and Mississippi. And besides, Referee Smurf here has been begging to be let out of his cartoon cage forever!

[JimmyJazz]

31. Question: Will the red carding by an imaginary cartoon character

go on my permanent record? :silly:

[dogman]

3. The media won't be interested in asking that until or unless they have

a huge pile of corpses.

[Lori Price CLG]

6. Good question. Kick. n/t

[punpirate]

11. The other aspect of this is that if...

... the public transportation system isn't used for that purpose, it gets flooded, too, and is virtually useless afterwards. Drive the people out with the buses available, the buses are saved, as well.

[BayCityProgressive]

13. That's what i thought

Shouldnt Senator Landriue (sp?) have been screaming to have as many of the poor evacuated as possible. i mean geez these people should not be left behind because of economics. Of course they are mostly poor minorities so I doubt the state leadership cares. It reminds me of the Titanic where the people w/ money get away and the poor are left in a death trap.

[DoYouEverWonder]

18. It is the Governor and the President

who are supposed to take charge in a state of emergency. Senators don't have much power in these situations.

[dogman]

15. But then you don't get fed funds for new buses.

Incompetence seems to be rewarded. That's the way Bushco operates.

[punpirate]

25. The schedule for the feds paying for public transit...

... doesn't really cover this sort of thing. If they suffer losses, the transit system will have to depend upon its insurance, first. FTA funds wouldn't normally even enter into any consideration of replacing fleets suffering flood damage.

That's not to say that the transit system wouldn't try to get a special federal appropriation.

Nevertheless, that's not the way that FTA funds are normally disbursed. They're pretty much tied to normal usage. The transit operator has to make the buses run for twelve years or 500,000 miles, whichever comes first. It's at that point that they can apply for more FTA money.

[dogman]

34. I think their new GOP Senator can swing it.

Just like Thune keeping his state bases open. Bushco has no problem finding money for things like this. It will be just another huge obstacle that his brilliant economic plan has had to overcome at the expense of some other project for the poor.

[gatorboy]

17. That's what I had mentioned in another thread.

They'd rather ground the busing system than put it to good use. And they do have the means. Comfortably they could bus out 20,000 people with the public busing system in N.O., not including school buses, (another transportaion method that will be underwater).

[journalist3072]

19. Are we doing all we can for the least among us?

I have been thinking all evening: is the leadership in New Orleans doing all it can for the least among them? I find it downright shameful that people have been told to bring their own food and water.

If people can't afford to evacuate, what makes the leadership in New Orleans think they can afford to bring their own food and water?

It just seems to me that in America today, we aren't heeding Christ's admonishment that we will be judged by how we do for the least among us.

[markus]

20. Calm down folks

First, as extensive as the RTA is, there's wouldn't be a seat for everyone out of town. Which poor people would you pick?

Using the buses to move people out of their homes to shelters is probably the best solution.

The superdome will ride out this storm. It was build post Hurricane Betsy, and my father was the No. 2 guy at the architectural firm that built it. He was confidence that it would even survivle Camille, and he saw that devestation up close when he went it to help his family (brother and siste) there in the dead-on track of that phenomenal (200+ mph wind) storm.

Read my posts elsewhere about what will flood when. The suburbs of New Orleans East and St. Bernard are most likely to flood first. And the water thaa does get into the core city will flood other areas before it really rises in the Central Business District.

Many entrances to the Dome are above the 18 foot level, which is about as high as the impoundment of water could get (that's how high the levees are, and what we're talking about is filling that impoundment with water).

Yes it will be a miserable place to spend five days or five weeks (and in a worse case scenario, the latter is more likely). It's much better than being dead in your own home.

So, unless you're from New Orleans (I am) and have lived through a major hurricane (I have) and, possibly, have written about it professional (I have, as a reporter), please calm down.

The people who wrote the plan for what to do this this case have been working on it for 30 years, since Hurricane Betsy. They've considered what to do from every angle.

Is evacuating peopel to the Superdome ideal? No.

Hell, at least N'wawlins has a public transit system so extensive that poor people can get to work and the doctor and school, etc., without the expense of a car.

[progressivebydesign]

21. Thanks for the calming words...

I wonder if the Dome will fare better because it does not have sharp angles in the roof (am I right that it is dome-shaped?). I like your confidence, and I hope you're right.

[Cleita]

23. Apparently because they aren't blond young women.

:shrug:

[Javaman]

26. Like Scrooge once said...

"it's a way to decrease the surplus population.".

No doubt scrooge was a republican before he got the bejeezus scared out of him.