FEMA and the States

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally Posted by piasabird

Mormons teach their member to store extra water and food for emergencies. Helps to have a propane stove also. Even a sterno stove will work. Hurrican lamps and candles are nice also. A flash light might last 1 or 2 nights if you conserve the batteries. They also make those wind up, hand-generated, LED LIGHTS. Even a couple boxes of cereal and some canned Spam can taste pretty good if you get hungry. Canned food lasts a long time like canned fruit, Tuna, Spaghetti and canned sauce, snack bars, crackers, peanut butter.

This points to what the problem is. A very large chunk of the population seems to expect that the gov will provide all of that in all circumstances. IMO, if you can't survive in your own home for a week then it is your own fault. Granted, there are circumstances where the home is lost, but that is actually pretty rare for all disasters.

[Darwin333]

Originally Posted by dawheat

I don't believe this is correct. FEMA and Homeland Security had authorization to enter LA and provide all available assistance once requested by the state and approved by the president. This happened prior to landfall and one specific step was FEMA selecting the Superdome as an evacuation center.

I vaguely recall some delays in allowing non-LA National Guard troops to deploy, but those are separate from the lackluster FEMA response.

FEMA did not select the Superdome as the shelter of last resort and Federal troops did not have the authority to perform law enforcement duties at the time because Blanco refused to sign off on it. Law enforcement was exactly the thing that needed to happen first at the time. Without the Feds providing law enforcement, trucks carrying food, water and supplies wouldn't even have made it to their destinations.

[ivwshane]

Originally Posted by Darwin333

FEMA did not select the Superdome as the shelter of last resort and Federal troops did not have the authority to perform law enforcement duties at the time because Blanco refused to sign off on it. Law enforcement was exactly the thing that needed to happen first at the time. Without the Feds providing law enforcement, trucks carrying food, water and supplies wouldn't even have made it to their destinations.

Disregarding your point, your facts on Katrina are wrong:

http://m.washingtonpost.com/opinions...d89_story.html

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/politics/blanco.asp