NPR Interview with Chertoff: U.S. Aid Effort Criticized in New Orleans

[Roland99]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4828771

All Things Considered, September 1, 2005

· Days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall east of New Orleans, thousands remain stranded in the city, many without food or fresh water. The city's mayor has issued what he called an "Urgent SOS" for help.

Heavily armed National Guard troops evacuated people from the squalid conditions of the damaged Superdome; the evacuees are being bused to the Astrodome in Houston.

But it has now emerged that people stranded at the New Orleans Convetion Center -- about eight blocks away from the Superdome -- are in dire straights, lacking basic essentials and avoiding corpses and waste on the streets.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is overseeing the biggest recovery operation in U.S. history. President Bush is proposing $10 billion in relief for the area.

In this interview Chertoff kept avoiding Robert Seigel's reports of NPR reporter at the Convention Center. Chertoff kept saying people should go to where there is food and water that has already been delivered (HOW THE FUCK ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO KNOW? THERE'S NO POWER!)

[aquart]

1. Yes. Why not deliver it to where the people are?

I find I keep confusing the Dome and the convention center. But then, I'm not in charge of this fiasco.

How many were in the convention center?

[LisaL]

2. I heard 15 thousand, haven't any food or water for 4 days now.

They were all screaming for help.

[Roland99]

4. The MSNBC reporter said they were all organized, weren't rioting, etc.

Maybe they should have been.


:scared:

[Roland99]

3. The NPR Reporter was saying 2,000 but I've read reports of 15,200

Perhaps it was 2,000 outside and many more inside.

The Conv. Ctr. is right on the river. They could float barges of water/food down to them.

The Superdome is 8-10 blocks away...they could boat them over.