Did the government really botch the New Orleans flood victims relieve efforts?
91896
the biggest botch was the people that were told to evacuate and did not.  Most had vehicles and were able to but just didnt do it. The second biggest botch was by Mayor Nagin.  Had he used the buses to eveacute the people like he was supposed to, it would of saved manyh lives.  The 3rd botch was that the stadium was supposed to be stocked with water and wasnt.  They were not prepared.  The last botch was FEMA moved too slowly.  Lots of blame to go around.
165407
yep, it makes sence.\n1)  Katrina was a fluke.  It is something that engineers expect to see once every 100-200 years.  No reason to waste time & resources planning for such a rare occasion.  It would cost more to plan for that event than to rebuild.\n2)  New Orleans is a very important port city because of its access to the Mississippi river.  Lots of shipping to midwestern states.\n3)  There is too much pride in our government to ignore one of our own cities when billions of our tax money goes to helping other countries deal with similar tragedies.\n4)  There is a lot of money to be made in the new New Orleans.  This is a chance to adjust zoning laws to attract new businesses.\n5)  The failure to respond exposed massive city corruption that will be corrected so that the city will have a second chance to prosper instead of being dragged down by red tape.  This will also attract more businesses to the city.\n\nIf America was to abandon every city that was struck by tragedy these cities would not exist today:\nWashington, D.C. - War of 1812\nSan Francisco - Earthquake\nChicago - Fire\nAtlanta - Civil War
1117923
It has been almost a year since Katrina hit.  There is no reason you shouldn't be working to get these things that you need.  The American people were VERY sympathetic when Katrina struck,  donating MILLIONS and MILLIONS worth of dollars and goods.  That time is up.  It's time for you "victims" to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and stop expecting the rest of the US to make it all better for you.  While I am sorry for the devistation that you and so many others suffered,  I am also very tired of working my a$$ into the ground to make ends meet just so my tax dollars can continue being spent to keep you guys up.  Get a job,  put money back and go from there.
386917
The people of new orleans were ignored by their local and state governments. President Bush declared it a disaster before the huricane hit, allowing the local government to use anything it could think of to evacuate at the federal governments expence. The city and the state left busses that could be used for evacuations below sea level, told an Amtrac Train executive that they did not need an empty train to use for evacuations two days before Katrina hit. The people were treated badly, but it was by their local elected officials who did not want to use the help they were given, and did not specify afterward what kind of help they needed. It is actually against the law for the federal government to step in and take over, the Constitution of the United States" does not let them do it.
1135379
It messed up Saint barnard parish, and orleans parish....  It turned new orleans into a lake.  We had bukue people become homeless.  alot of people lost homes, it took out one bridge that connects over lake pontchatrain....  And traffic sucked for months....  Give me your email, and Ill send you a few pics  Oh and we got every lazy bumb that didnt want to work....  Beleive me now there is no excuse for "I cant find work"  Oh yea Minwage, went up from 5.15 to 8.50- 9 an hour  (cause nobody wanted to work, since they had fema money)
107225
There are alot of questions here so I'll try to answer them all.\n\n"When New Orleans was hit with the hurricane and wiped off the map, in my heart I felt I should give money to help the people. That was just common nature for a U. S. citizen to naturally do for our country or other country's around the world no mater what type of government they have in place." \n\nI feel two ways about this matter.  One is this Country gives to much monney to other Countrys and not enoth to this one.  But at the same time the people in Orleans where asked to leve and did not they had two weeks to pack up and leve but they did not.  What could we have done when so many people picked not to leve?\n\n"What I am concerned with is if the money I gave, got to a PERSON from that specific state or other country I sent the money to?"\n\nQuestion?  Who did you give you're money to?\nJust waching MSNBC and they said that there was alot of "fraud and abuse" that people where doing over there.  (check out url for more info.)  Makes you feel just a tad less sorry for these people.\n\n"Why is it that our government can't take responsibility and pay up, for there mistake in the first place. From what I have read, it was known that those levies could not hold a category 4 or 5 hurricane years or decades ago, but failed to strengthen them back when it was first discovered? \n\nI don't think any mistakes where made.  The truth is that  New Orleans is sinking as it stands now New Orleans is lower then sea level.  The reasons that thoes levies have not been fixed are one the cost is to grate for a city that is sinking and two they don't even know if it's posablem to fix them.  Even if they are fixed and we get another "Katrina" it's posable for this to happen again and again.  "IF" we do fix these levies we are putting peoples lives at risk.\n\n"Do you think it was rude of the two presidents to ask us to give more money when it is our nature to give, even until it hurts?"\n\nDo I think it's rude?  No, I don't.  \n\n"Did you help when 911 happened ?"\nYes, but I feel as if it was not enoth\n\n"or Live Aid?\nor Live8?"\n\nLive Aid, No.  Or Live8 don't know what that is.
1165717
They closed their eyes and voted for the party, not the man.  He delayed evacuating the city until it was too late, he denied there was a chance that the levees would collapse, until they did, he refused offers of used fire trucks, police cars and ambulances because he expected FEMA to buy new ones.  \n\nHe imperilled the city and the lives of his citizens and blamed the federal government.  FEMA has always said they require up tp 72 hours to get into recovery mode.  Prior to 2005 FEMAs main role in a hurricane had been to act as an insurance broker and arrange for housing and financial aid... he (with the help of the media) made it seem FEMA could divert the rain and wind then rebuild the collapsing levees with super-powers.  Amazing!!!\n\nAlso in the "funny-but-true" category.  There are levee commissions set up to handle the taxes that should go towards maintenance of the levees.  They can't account for any money being spend on repairs or upgrades to the levee system, but they did donate to his campaign and to the dem state committee.  He gave them a reach around by not assigning blame on the levee commissions but rather on the Army Corps of Engineers.\n\nThe citizens of New Orleans voted him back in so they deserve him!  Good luck to them, the 2006 hurricane season just started and he spent the spring campaigning instead of preparing the city for more storms.  (They still don't have a viable shelter system in place!)
230829
If I lived in New Orleans, absolutely not. He and the Governor Kathleen Babineaux are the biggest contributors to the inability of getting proper warning and aid to the victims of hurricane Katrina. Their continued incompetence is causing unnecessary suffering among Louisiana residents.
376568
I agree with you, and I live in New Orleans. The chickens have finally come home to roost. Politicians have pushed their luck too far. Instead of doing the job right, they cut corners in the 1950's-the 1960's when the levees were built in order to fatten their own wallets, and now everyone who lives here is going to suffer for it.There will never be anyone prosecuted for this reprehensible act, because all those responsible are probably all dead by now.
156749
No.  They were given $40,000, but not from FEMA.  It came from the NFL.
1082893
Now why would you complain about the Govt? You should be depending on yourself, maybe your friends/family, and no one else. The govt isn't there to save you when you're in trouble. Just because the Red Cross charitablly helps people in a disaster doesn't mean you can sue them if they don't help you as much as your neighbor. It's freakin charity. The Govt is going above & beyond it's responsibility to help people in a disaster - those organizations were designed for civil defense & recovery after a nuclear attack, NOT a hurricane. Congress has decided, out of sheer charity & not responsibility, to use its existing resources in a limited way to help states help people after disasters. Again, you shouldn't be taking that for granted or blaming them for not doing something that isn't their job good enough for you. Try not depending on them, being prepared, & getting teh hell out when you're told - they don't tell you to evacuate for your own health, they tell you to evacuate because if you don't they probably won't be able to help you for at least 72 hours after an average storm.
1052108
Because too many of them have taken advantage of the system.  I've been to New Orleans there are so many jobs now it is crazy.  Construction and restaurant jobs are bountiful.  My question to you is, what percentage of those "victims" ever took care of themselves before?  How many relied on the government before the storm.  Why is it that other areas devastated by the storm have begun their recovery.\nWhy should the federal government have to endow these people with never ending aid?   I have many friends who have lost everything from Katrina.  They took the feds help to get restarted and now are rebuilding their lives.  \nAt some point in time you must take care of yourself.
1058142
There are a lot of reasons, but let me try to list some:\n1) the city is below sea level, so it is a huge challenge to get it dry.  The soil is saturated and that makes every effort a hundred times harder.\n2) The money involved is staggering.\n3) Government inefficiency, though perhaps no organization could deal effectively with such a huge task.\n4) Corruption and fraud, as some people use the situation to their personal advantage.\n5) The war in Iraq splits attention and resources.\n\nI do not think it is a government conspiracy to keep New Orleans down, due to race or politics.  The above reasons are enough to explain the troubles without adding conspiracy theory.
193085
These people aren't rich because they are homeowners, ESPECIALLY since they still have to pay their mortgages!  Their houses were destroyed and insurance will not cover the cost, regardless if the house was destroyed by the wind (many roofs were ripped off) or the eventual flood.  The insurance companies have been fighting this from the moment it began...they would be out millions and they aren't willing to do that.  So these people are homeless, jobless, pennyless, and still forced to pay the mortgage to the bank.  I think a little government assistance is expected, espicially since the AP has now provided those wonderful tapes in which the president WAS warned of the devastation and damage that the storm would cause.  "No one expected the levees to breach."  Give me a break.  He knew DAYS before he made that comment.
808042
most recieved a small sum but the rest was put toward other services such as providing funeral costs and replacing personal belongings of those victims. Other amounts were used to set up organizations in order to help them such as psychological groups and others. If the money had all been given directly to them it would have turned out like katrina with the porer of them spending on stuff for themselves which I dont believe is right. I dont think that if someones family members had died then they should get money to go out and buy a new car or other unneeded device. It was used for the police departments and fire department to replace the equipment they lost and to buy food and water for those volunteering to help the cleanup and rescue operations.
828968
God didn't.  Mother Earth is trying to restore balance to the ecosystem in New Orleans.  I have nothing against New Orleans or the people that live there, but the measures we've taken to make a swampland habitable has left the area with basically no natural protection against the elements.  What happened with Hurricane Katrina is entirely mankind's fault.\n\nBright blessings!\n)O(
939631
You have a good point. I just returned from a trip to the Mississippi coast. There is still a lot of storm damage yet to be fixed. Insurance companies have refused to pay settlements claiming the storm surge flooding caused all the damage. People are still living in campers in the driveways of their destroyed homes. More than half of the businesses haven't reopened, and lots of people are without jobs.\nIt was hard for me to believe I was still in America.