Hurricane Katrina Comments and Questions 2277

Gunner

Here's a "plan" from June of last year:

Here was a test of it just a couple of months later when Hurricane Ivan threatened:

Sound familiar?

And also using the Superdome as a hurricane shelter was done during Ivan and the wisdom of that was discussed:

To quote

"More than one thousand people sought refuge in the Superdome during Hurricane Ivan. On Wednesday, Mayor Ray Nagin said the Superdome likely has the best chance of surviving hurricanes, making it a good choice for shelter in the future. Those working at the Dome are not so sure.

"On the surface, the Superdome seems like the most logical choice for an emergency shelter, and city officials are leaning in the Dome's direction for future shelter needs instead of schools.

"'Anything above a category two makes them pretty much ineligible because they're not wind resistant enough and they're in flood prone areas it looks as though we're pointing to the Superdome in being reinforced with the proper back up system as shelter of last resort,' said Nagin.

"It appears a facility as large as the Dome could hold up in hurricane conditions but Bill Curl, spokesman for the Superdome, says that is yet to be tested and if there is no other choice then maybe the Dome could serve as a shelter.

"'Only in dire emergencies. The Superdome is not a shelter,' said Curl.

"According to Curl, the buttumption that the Superdome can withstand hurricane force winds is just that: an buttumption. He says more analysis is needed to determine what the Dome can actually withstand because previous wind studies have become somewhat irrelevant since they did not factor in the new high-rise buildings around the Dome.

"'They create a wind tunnel effect and that needs to be tested. There were initial studies that indicated 130 miles per hour, but we don't know,' said Curl. He adds that the Dome is not impervious to the same elements other areas would be exposed to.

"'If we were to lose power, if we were to lose plumbing facilities, if a storm were to hit and create flooding in the area; the Superdome would not be a desirable place to be,' he said.

"The American Red Cross admits it would not stay in town for a severe hurricane. Workers would offer supplies and training to the Dome but would then leave to ensure aid for the hurricane's aftermath.

"Kay Wilkins, spokesperson for the American Red Cross, said, 'While we're saying we're going to move our volunteers and staff out of the risk area into areas where its safer for them to be it doesn't mean we're not going to be here ahead of time for others.'

"Mayor Nagin said the city has more than 80,000 people without transportation access, and when the next hurricane evacuation there will be thousands of people who will not, or cannot, leave, highlighting the city's urgency of finding the most suitable place for shelter.'"

So in other words, they were well aware of the potential risks of using the Superdome for a hurricane shelter just last summer, but evidently not a single damn study was finished prior to the current hurricane to buttess those risks.

For the current situation, the Superdome has been constantly called the "shelter of last resort" or being "last ditch," including by the major of New Orleans. That terminology, implies, though, that there were other better solutions in place, but that they had all failed.

However, that wasn't exactly the case, was it? The Superdome was always intended to be a primary shelter in the event of a major hurricane, even though its suitability for that task was unknown.

You tell me, Mr. Survivalist -- does any of this strike you as good planning?

And how many people could you get out of town with just better planning & end on just the railroad system? That actually ran a special train out for Ivan last year:

They got 700 people out on a single 21-car train then. Hmmm....gee, you have to wonder what would have happened if they kept some high-capacity cars parked and handy as part of a, um, oh say, as a disaster plan?

Incompetent morons.

Hey, if you think you can do better, you go take a turn at using all of the white space you want.

-BC