Must read from Salon: "Warning, What Warning?" Unf*cking believable!

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html?blog=/politics/war_room/2005/08/31/warnings/index.html

Warning? What warning?

We made a little joke the other day. George W. Bush was in Crawford, Texas, in August 2001 when he got that presidential daily briefing that said, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." He went fishing. So we wondered the other day whether the president had gotten another PDB when he was down in Crawford this August -- one that said, "Hurricane Katrina Determined to Strike in U.S."

Metaphorically speaking, it turns out, Bush did get such a PDB -- and he got it years ago. Experts have warned for years that New Orleans is particularly vulnerable to hurricane damage. And as the folks at the Center for American Progress note, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report in early 2001 that identified the three catastrophes most likely to hit the United States: a terrorist attack on New York, an earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane in New Orleans.

As of this week, FEMA is now two-for-three. That leads us to think that the residents of the city by the Bay might think about scoring some flashlights and bottled water just about now. But it also leads us to wonder what the Bush administration and the Republican-controlled Congress did with the warning that FEMA provided.

Here's what: They cut funding for flood and hurricane projects planned by the New Orleans district of the Army Corps of Engineers. According to one published report, the New Orleans district had $147 million to spend on such projects in 2001. In fiscal year 2005, which ends next month, the district will have had about $82 million, a drop of about 44 percent. As we reported earlier this week, the Bush administration proposed further cuts for the district for fiscal year 2006.

[lumpy]

1. Kick

nt

[flpoljunkie]

37. Must read link to the article on FEMA 2001 report Salon mentioned.

http://www.hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/houston.htm

Houston Chronicle 12/01/01

KEEPING ITS HEAD ABOVE WATER
New Orleans faces doomsday scenario

By ERIC BERGER
Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Science Writer

New Orleans is sinking.

And its main buffer from a hurricane, the protective Mississippi River delta, is quickly eroding away, leaving the historic city perilously close to disaster.

So vulnerable, in fact, that earlier this year the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked the potential damage to New Orleans as among the three likeliest, most castastrophic disasters facing this country.

The other two? A massive earthquake in San Francisco, and, almost prophetically, a terrorist attack on New York City.

The New Orleans hurricane scenario may be the deadliest of all.

In the face of an approaching storm, scientists say, the city's less-than-adequate evacuation routes would strand 250,000 people or more, and probably kill one of 10 left behind as the city drowned under 20 feet of water. Thousands of refugees could land in Houston.

Economically, the toll would be shattering.

Southern Louisiana produces one-third of the country's seafood, one-fifth of its oil and one-quarter of its natural gas. The city's tourism, lifeblood of the French Quarter, would cease to exist. The Big Easy might never recover.

much more...really spells it all out

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. how the hell do you order an earthquake?

As rove and his ilk ponder falling poll numbers.

[Sydnie]

5. a strategically placed underwater "test" might do the trick quite well n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. actually, a geologist friend said that a Bond movie got it almost right

If you add enough lubricant (say, millions of gallons of water) the tectonic plates would shift more easily. And presto, I feel the earth move under my feet, I feel the - never mind.

[Tesha]

13. "A View to a Kill"

The movie suggested:

1. Flood a fault, creating hydraulic pressure to help force the fault
apart, and

2. Use a bunch of explosives to blast the highest-friction point on
the fault.

"AVtaK" suggested the Hayward fault. And maybe you need Grace Jones
and Christopher Walken to do it.

Tesha

[EVDebs]

9. Tesla's idea and the military's Project HAARP ?

[lateo]

3. Awww come on...

Don't you just want to go and have a beer with Bush? How can we blame such a straight-shooting, in command President?

*sarcasm*

[calimary]

28. Oh yeah, and he's keeping us safe!

Yeah, I love that one. Seems like the kinda guy you can go have a beer with. Yeah. A dry drunk. Excuse me, you're supposed to be okay with the idea of having a beer with a dry drunk?

As I said when I called my congressman's office this morning: I DEFY ANYONE in Hurricane country today to say they feel safer now.

[okieinpain]

39. yep. he just gives me the warm fuzzy's.

[cbear70]

4. exactly

Kick.

[peekaloo]

6. Recommended.

Bu$h, incompetence is thy middle name.

[carpediem]

7. the blood will never wash off his hands. n/t

.

[concord]

10. kick and recommended

ugh

[caligirl]

11. Actually we were just talking about getting our earthquake supplies

together for us and our son who will be in Santa Cruz. We are on the Hayward fault, expected to be the next big one.

And of course we are blue, so not counting on any good will from Rove Bush crime team.

[zann725]

12. DID they cut the funding? Since FEMA was merged into Homeland Security...

so I thought? If so, wouldn't that mean that funding from one could inadvertantly become 'available' to the other?

If that's true, then Natural Disasters could benefit Homeland Security coffers?

[ozymandius]

14. I believe the 2005-2006 budget forecast an overall cut in

Homeland Security funds. This almost became a campaign issue in November 2004. Almost...

[vickitulsa]

15. News just said W is returning to work in part due to "perception"

that he wasn't willing to interrupt his vacation for what is now being called "the worst disaster EVER to strike the United States."

Hmm ... "Perception"??? I can almost hear how he must have resisted advice to cut his time off in Crawford short, pouting at the idea and hollering at his family and advisors: "But I don't WANT to end my vacation early! Being president is HARD WORK and I'm TIRED of it! I want to get on with MY life, ride my bike, and play my guitar!"

I understand it's a fact that funding was indeed cut for engineering research and actual construction work (on levees?) needed to help protect New Orleans from catastrophe if a major hurricane made landfall close to that city. Wasn't that one issue W fell out with Christine Todd Whitman over and in part why she resigned? Not that she's a great hero, to be sure; but still, I seem to recall this issue of New Orleans hurricane/flood protection figuring in to her resignation as EPA head.

Even average American citizens who don't live in the region knew that New Orleans was extremely, dangerously vulnerable to a major hurricane!

I do believe that this president will be excoriated by many observers around the world and written up in history books as utterly irresponsible -- or should that be responsible? -- in relation to the ongoing catastrophe on the Gulf Coast. He could so easily have called in the active duty military (since so many National Guard troops in the affected states are in Iraq instead of in their home states) to assist in evacuation and preparation ahead of time and then assistance *immediately* after Katrina passed through.

FINALLY he is beginning to approve military aid, such as the USN ships beginning their slow trips to the area. But it will take them, and any hospital ships the Navy might also send, almost a WEEK just to get there! The President is the ONLY ONE who could have acted to get ahead of this situation in the preparation stage as Katrina neared the coast strengthening to a Category 5 storm and likewise immediately afterward with a quick and massive rescue and recovery response. Troops should have been moved to be in place should a martial law declaration be necessary, and those same troops could then have jumped into action for rescue efforts the minute the skies cleared.

But what is so obvious is that bringing in the military NOW and any other assistance this incompetent President may offer ARE ACTIONS TAKEN TOO LATE to avert what will inevitably become a horrendous and huge human disaster along the Gulf Coast. The degree to which this catastrophe has been exacerbated and intensified by the DELAY in the President's response will be noted by all who are affected -- and that means all Americans.

There WILL be blood on W's hands; and like with Lady MacBeth, all the oceans incarnadine cannot wash it off. My paraphrase, with apologies to Wm Shakespeare!

[txaslftist]

24. Excellent post, Vickitulsa.

It's easy to pass the NO damage off as an "act of God" and just forget about the fact that it is the government's job to try and anticipate these things and either prevent or mitigate the damage if possible.

I think George just sat and watched, when he had the power to do so much more.

[Orion The Hunter]

16. Nice work Salon

Good story - kicked

[Inland]

17. Bush is hoping for another trifecta. nt

[Orion The Hunter]

18. And if you needed more follow-up on Bush's bungling...

Take a look at this article from the Editor&Publisher, which highlights the timeline of the reduction of federal funding to New Orleans to counter hurricanes:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313

[flpoljunkie]

22. These two paragraphs say it all...

In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to a Feb. 16, 2004, article, in New Orleans CityBusiness.

On June 8, 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; told the Times-Picayune: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us."

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313

[txaslftist]

25. Oh, goddamn. The idiot. The blundering idiot.

[Usrename]

40. Better start polisihing up some new "Medals of Freedom"

:grr:

[slor]

19. Thanks for posting n/t

[RedEarth]

20. All the media should see this ....MSNBC, CNN, etc....

see if they have the balls to report it....

[Lisa]

21. emergency box ...

I'm in a quake zone too, and after the last significant one (a couple of years ago) I put together a box of supplies -- first aid stuff, water disinfectant, solar-powered radio, etc. -- I intend to leave it here for the next tenant when I move out. I think I might put in the new Bushisms book, as well -- if anything happens, people can either laugh scornfully, or use it for toilet paper.

[hatrack]

23. Kicking and nominating

nt

[calimary]

26. Kick!!!! It's in Salon now? Cool!

The more this spreads, especially to bigger, more well-read and more highly-regarded sites like Salon, the more people will see it. And, hopefully, get REALLY pissed. And then get ACTIVE.

Visualize IMPEACHMENT!!!!!!!!!
Pass it on...

[krkaufman]

36. "Visualize IMPEACHMENT!!!" -- I like that one. n/t

[Mr Rabble]

27. This needs to be pushed. Recommended. nt

[calimary]

30. No kidding!

Time to make a stink, guys!

Say! Let's see if we can make a stink that stinks even worse than george does, 'eh? :evilgrin:

[NinetySix]

29. Kick to make sure this article is read by all.

Bush never seems to consider unpleasant possibilities until after the fact, does he? Why worry about an ounce of prevention when a pound of cure will do the trick just as well?

[calimary]

31. He's running this country the way he ran his oil companies.

INTO A DITCH.

I guess that would make HIM the "bitch in a ditch," now, wouldn't it? :grr:

[Gloria]

32. KICK THIS SUCKER..let's see if CNN Present, now upped to

30 a year, I just read the other day, will investigate this!!

60 MINUTES....let's go!

[faithnotgreed]

33. kick for that

[sepia_steel]

34. Wow.

Just when you thought he couldn't be responsible for any MORE blunders...

[krkaufman]

35. I'd be getting DAMNED nervous if I were a San Franciscovite.

Bush is just one disaster away from hitting his second trifecta.

[Hazelrah]

38. kicking it

the truth hurts, and I hope it hurts them bad.

[flpoljunkie]

41. Thanks.

[Nimble_Idea]

42. that's because it's a black city

The repuke way of thinking is "who gives a crap about whether or not they have money. The white people can always get out of the storm's way. sheesh."
:mad: :grr:

[bagimin]

43. Kick

[Historic NY]

44. Sent it to my paper......

one of the liberal columnists.

[mzmolly]

45. Yet another failure to protect Americans on the part of this idiot.

I'm certain Repukes will be singing his praises soon b/c he cut his vacation short. "What a compassionate and resolute leader" ey?

[Nothing Without Hope]

46. And it's actually even worse than that. Read this opening post and

then work through this thread. So much of what has happened could have been avoided.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4523783
Thread title: CNN/New Orleans:"Mayor blasts failure to patch levee breeches" and that's {only the beginning}:

Did you know that the Bush Admin has REFUSED search/rescue aid from Canada??? What gives them the right to choose death for the people to cover their own asses and cling to their illusion of power?

[flpoljunkie]

47. Why on earth would he refuse help from Canada? What an incredible DH!

[Supersedeas]

48. No worries--the investigations will not be televised