I don’t think it is just the haze of time that has me looking at the Katrina madness and wondering how everyone from Charleston to Charlotte dealt with Hugo without flinging rounds at rescue choppers. I think the inescapable conclusions are:
A) New Orleans officials did a horrible job of getting people out of the city and executing what disaster plan they had. I mean, the Superdome was supposed to be a “refuge of last resort” for “special needs” residents. But very early on, long before Katrina hit, thousands showed up looking for a party. Bad, bad sign. A nascent plan to use city and school buses to get people out of the danger zone seems to have never put into effect due to fear it would not get enough people out. Well, that is a perfect example of the perfect crowding out the good. If nothing else, New Orleans might’ve been able to save rolling stock it is now trying to beg from Baton Rouge and other communities.
B) Those crucial first few hours after a disaster were a complete disaster in New Orleans. FOX News’ Shep Smith may have been the first to point out that the usual first sound after a big storm is chain saws, dozens of chain saws. I know it sure was after Hugo. But the flooding in New Orleans prevented that crucial signal that help was on the way from being transmitted to the city’s residents. With that fear and anger had a much greater chance of gaining a foothold. There needed to be some mechanism for transmitting a sign of continued civil order, be barges or skiffs or something. Not very specific I know, but clearly a need of some importance.
Bonus observation: Officials knew the road grid was in bad shape, but did nothing to upgrade it.
