HT to Schroeder at People Get Ready for this one.
Go here to see an excellent animation of the flooding that Katrina brought to New Orleans.
I’m reading the new book by Douglas Brinkley, The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Despite the subtitle, I’m already at page 72 and it’s all about NOLA. The rest of the coast has not been mentioned except a passing reference to Pass Christian, MS being hammered by a big storm in the past.
Based on what I’ve read so far in Brinkley’s book, I’m astounded that Ray Nagin is being sworn in today for his second term as Mayor of NOLA. His dithering and incompetence in not ordering – and organizing – evacuation of his City as Katrina approached would, in a just world, not have been rewarded with another term in office.
Mr. “Chocolate City” Nagin’s inaction guaranteed abandonment, suffering, terror and death for unknown numbers of NOLA’s old, disabled and poor residents. When he could have rounded up buses and drivers and gotten them out of town. For God’s sake, the SPCA understood what was coming and evacuated nearly 300 animals from its shelter. The critters were safely in Houston well before the storm made landfall.
But while the SPCA was moving cats and dogs, and surrounding parishes’ governments issued mandatory evacuation orders, Mr. “Chocolate City” was asking his lawyers for legal advice because he worried that if he ordered an evacuation, the big hotels might sue for their loss of business.
Let me repeat that: he worried that if he ordered an evacuation, the big hotels might sue for their loss of business.
FINALLY, when it was too late, he said he asked his city attorney if it would be OK to order evacuation. I’m still getting my head around that one.
He asked the city attorney.
I can only conclude that a clear majority of NOLA voters are nuts.
Actually this book, and its election week release date played to the voters as an unfair, politically motivated attack.. and as such contributed slightly to Nagin’s vote total.–>