FEMA knew storm's potential, Mayfield says
“It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped."
Sunday, 4:44 p.m.By Mark Schleifstein
Staff writer
Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, said
Sunday that officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, including FEMA Director Mike Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, listened in on electronic briefings given by his staff in advance of Hurricane Katrina slamming Louisiana and Mississippi and were advised of the storm’s potential deadly effects.
Mayfield said the strength of the storm and the potential disaster it could bring were made clear during both the briefings and in formal advisories, which warned of a storm surge capable of overtopping levees in New Orleans and winds strong enough to blow out windows of high-rise buildings. He said the briefings included information on expected wind speed, storm surge, rainfall and the potential for tornados to accompany the storm as it came ashore.
“We were briefing them way before landfall,” Mayfield said. “It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped.
“I keep looking back to see if there was anything else we could have done, and I just don’t know what it would be,” he said.
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3 comments:
Look at the big picture: California energy crisis was really really good for Bush and Texas and energy industry.
New Orleans: yeah, really sucks for Louisianna, and they're by far not the only ones, but hey: building industry, redesign a city, Bechtel...
These are NOT accidents that happen: there is a teriffic upside to disaster and that is factored in. That's part of why they happen.
Of course, the other part, is the shit that "nobody" wants anyway, urban renewal, black removal, that sort of thing.
"Violence is as natural as apple pie" said Stokely Carmichael.
"So are disasters," concluded Jerry Berke.
Broken Window Fallacy"
It's not the broken window fallacy in that, as in the story, there are some that DO make out well when something bad happens. The glazier does well when the window is broken; there is no doubt about that. But does it help the economy? Not at all. Since that money that went to reglazing the window could have been spent on capital goods.
In addition the rule as learned in the story
"It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another."
Does not apply since the government is presently printing money by fiat. How long can they do that? Ask the Chinese who presently fund our way of life.
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