Blame Amid the Tragedy
>
> By BOB WILLIAMS
> September 6, 2005; Page A28
>
> As the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues to shock and sadden
> the nation, the question on many lips is, Who is to blame for the
> inadequate response?
>
> As a former state legislator who represented the legislative district
> most impacted by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, I can fully
> understand and empathize with the people and public officials over the
> loss of life and property.
>
> Many in the media are turning their eyes toward the federal
> government, rather than considering the culpability of city and state
> officials. I am fully aware of the challenges of having a quick and
> responsive emergency response to a major disaster. And there is
> definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump
> on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible -- local and
> state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders.
> The plain fact is, lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to
> the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin.
>
> The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not
> belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state
> officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial
> first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by
> local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state
> governor and his/her emergency operations center.
>
> The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a
> national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously
> established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and
> Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the
> damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans
> were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The
> plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the
> event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented,
> thousands of lives would likely have been saved.
>
> In addition to the plans, local, state and federal officials held a
> simulated hurricane drill 13 months ago, in which widespread flooding
> supposedly trapped 300,000 people inside New Orleans. The exercise
> simulated the evacuation of more than a million residents. The
> problems identified in the simulation apparently were not solved.
>
> A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an
> evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate.
> As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate.
> Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans,
> but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a
> better evacuation plan. Again, they did not take corrective actions.
> In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent
> to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to
> inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected.
>
> The New Orleans contingency plan is still, as of this writing, on the
> city's Web site, and states: "The safe evacuation of threatened
> populations is one of the principle [sic] reasons for developing a
> Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan." But the plan was apparently
> ignored.
>
> Mayor Nagin was responsible for giving the order for mandatory
> evacuation and supervising the actual evacuation: His office of
> Emergency Preparedness (not the federal government) must coordinate
> with the state on elements of evacuation and assist in directing the
> transportation of evacuees to staging areas. Mayor Nagin had to be
> encouraged by the governor to contact the National Hurricane Center
> before he finally, belatedly, issued the order for mandatory evacuation.
> And sadly, it apparently took a personal call from the president to
> urge the governor to order the mandatory evacuation.
>
> The city's evacuation plan states: "The city of New Orleans will
> utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate
> threatened areas." But even though the city has enough school and
> transit buses to evacuate 12,000 citizens per fleet run, the mayor did
> not use them. To compound the problem, the buses were not moved to
> high ground and were flooded. The plan also states that "special
> arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport
> themselves or who require specific lifesaving assistance. Additional
> personnel will be recruited to assist in evacuation procedures as needed." This was not done.
>
> The evacuation plan warned that "if an evacuation order is issued
> without the mechanisms needed to disseminate the information to the
> affected persons, then we face the possibility of having large numbers
> of people either stranded and left to the mercy of a storm, or left in
> an area impacted by toxic materials." That is precisely what happened
> because of the mayor's failure.
>
> Instead of evacuating the people, the mayor ordered the refugees to
> the Superdome and Convention Center without adequate security and no
> provisions for food, water and sanitary conditions. As a result people
> died, and there was even rape committed, in these facilities. Mayor
> Nagin failed in his responsibility to provide public safety and to
> manage the orderly evacuation of the citizens of New Orleans. Now he
> wants to blame Gov. Blanco and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
> In an emergency the first requirement is for the city's emergency
> center to be linked to the state emergency operations center. This was not done.
>
> The federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a
> state emergency without the request of a governor. President Bush
> declared an emergency prior to Katrina hitting New Orleans, so the
> only action needed for federal assistance was for Gov. Blanco to
> request the specific type of assistance she needed. She failed to send
> a timely request for specific aid.
>
> In addition, unlike the governors of New York, Oklahoma and California
> in past disasters, Gov. Blanco failed to take charge of the situation
> and ensure that the state emergency operation facility was in constant
> contact with Mayor Nagin and FEMA. It is likely that thousands of
> people died because of the failure of Gov. Blanco to implement the
> state plan, which mentions the possible need to evacuate up to one million people.
> The plan clearly gives the governor the authority for declaring an
> emergency, sending in state resources to the disaster area and
> requesting necessary federal assistance.
>
> State legislators and governors nationwide need to update their
> contingency plans and the operation procedures for state emergency
> centers. Hurricane Katrina had been forecast for days, but that will
> not always be the case with a disaster (think of terrorist attacks).
> It must be made clear that the governor and locally elected officials
> are in charge of the "first response."
>
> I am not attempting to excuse some of the delays in FEMA's response.
> Congress and the president need to take corrective action there, also.
> However, if citizens expect FEMA to be a first responder to terrorist
> attacks or other local emergencies (earthquakes, forest fires,
> volcanoes), they will be disappointed. The federal government's role
> is to offer aid upon request.
>
> The Louisiana Legislature should conduct an immediate investigation
> into the failures of state and local officials to implement the
> written emergency plans. The tragedy is not over, and real leadership
> in the state and local government are essential in the months to come.
> More importantly, the hurricane season is still upon us, and local and
> state officials must stay focused on the jobs for which they were
> elected -- and not on the deadly game of passing the emergency buck.
>
> Mr. Williams is president of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a free
> market public policy research organization in Olympia, Wash.
>
>
> By BOB WILLIAMS
> September 6, 2005; Page A28
>
> As the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues to shock and sadden
> the nation, the question on many lips is, Who is to blame for the
> inadequate response?
>
> As a former state legislator who represented the legislative district
> most impacted by the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, I can fully
> understand and empathize with the people and public officials over the
> loss of life and property.
>
> Many in the media are turning their eyes toward the federal
> government, rather than considering the culpability of city and state
> officials. I am fully aware of the challenges of having a quick and
> responsive emergency response to a major disaster. And there is
> definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump
> on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible -- local and
> state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders.
> The plain fact is, lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to
> the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin.
>
> The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not
> belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state
> officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial
> first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by
> local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state
> governor and his/her emergency operations center.
>
> The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a
> national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously
> established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and
> Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the
> damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans
> were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The
> plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the
> event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented,
> thousands of lives would likely have been saved.
>
> In addition to the plans, local, state and federal officials held a
> simulated hurricane drill 13 months ago, in which widespread flooding
> supposedly trapped 300,000 people inside New Orleans. The exercise
> simulated the evacuation of more than a million residents. The
> problems identified in the simulation apparently were not solved.
>
> A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an
> evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate.
> As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate.
> Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans,
> but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a
> better evacuation plan. Again, they did not take corrective actions.
> In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent
> to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to
> inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected.
>
> The New Orleans contingency plan is still, as of this writing, on the
> city's Web site, and states: "The safe evacuation of threatened
> populations is one of the principle [sic] reasons for developing a
> Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan." But the plan was apparently
> ignored.
>
> Mayor Nagin was responsible for giving the order for mandatory
> evacuation and supervising the actual evacuation: His office of
> Emergency Preparedness (not the federal government) must coordinate
> with the state on elements of evacuation and assist in directing the
> transportation of evacuees to staging areas. Mayor Nagin had to be
> encouraged by the governor to contact the National Hurricane Center
> before he finally, belatedly, issued the order for mandatory evacuation.
> And sadly, it apparently took a personal call from the president to
> urge the governor to order the mandatory evacuation.
>
> The city's evacuation plan states: "The city of New Orleans will
> utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate
> threatened areas." But even though the city has enough school and
> transit buses to evacuate 12,000 citizens per fleet run, the mayor did
> not use them. To compound the problem, the buses were not moved to
> high ground and were flooded. The plan also states that "special
> arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport
> themselves or who require specific lifesaving assistance. Additional
> personnel will be recruited to assist in evacuation procedures as needed." This was not done.
>
> The evacuation plan warned that "if an evacuation order is issued
> without the mechanisms needed to disseminate the information to the
> affected persons, then we face the possibility of having large numbers
> of people either stranded and left to the mercy of a storm, or left in
> an area impacted by toxic materials." That is precisely what happened
> because of the mayor's failure.
>
> Instead of evacuating the people, the mayor ordered the refugees to
> the Superdome and Convention Center without adequate security and no
> provisions for food, water and sanitary conditions. As a result people
> died, and there was even rape committed, in these facilities. Mayor
> Nagin failed in his responsibility to provide public safety and to
> manage the orderly evacuation of the citizens of New Orleans. Now he
> wants to blame Gov. Blanco and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
> In an emergency the first requirement is for the city's emergency
> center to be linked to the state emergency operations center. This was not done.
>
> The federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a
> state emergency without the request of a governor. President Bush
> declared an emergency prior to Katrina hitting New Orleans, so the
> only action needed for federal assistance was for Gov. Blanco to
> request the specific type of assistance she needed. She failed to send
> a timely request for specific aid.
>
> In addition, unlike the governors of New York, Oklahoma and California
> in past disasters, Gov. Blanco failed to take charge of the situation
> and ensure that the state emergency operation facility was in constant
> contact with Mayor Nagin and FEMA. It is likely that thousands of
> people died because of the failure of Gov. Blanco to implement the
> state plan, which mentions the possible need to evacuate up to one million people.
> The plan clearly gives the governor the authority for declaring an
> emergency, sending in state resources to the disaster area and
> requesting necessary federal assistance.
>
> State legislators and governors nationwide need to update their
> contingency plans and the operation procedures for state emergency
> centers. Hurricane Katrina had been forecast for days, but that will
> not always be the case with a disaster (think of terrorist attacks).
> It must be made clear that the governor and locally elected officials
> are in charge of the "first response."
>
> I am not attempting to excuse some of the delays in FEMA's response.
> Congress and the president need to take corrective action there, also.
> However, if citizens expect FEMA to be a first responder to terrorist
> attacks or other local emergencies (earthquakes, forest fires,
> volcanoes), they will be disappointed. The federal government's role
> is to offer aid upon request.
>
> The Louisiana Legislature should conduct an immediate investigation
> into the failures of state and local officials to implement the
> written emergency plans. The tragedy is not over, and real leadership
> in the state and local government are essential in the months to come.
> More importantly, the hurricane season is still upon us, and local and
> state officials must stay focused on the jobs for which they were
> elected -- and not on the deadly game of passing the emergency buck.
>
> Mr. Williams is president of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a free
> market public policy research organization in Olympia, Wash.
>
