Mark Schleifstein, who wrote several of the articles I linked to in this piece was on NPR explaining the limitations on New Orleans in evacuating individuals.
Call It A Comeback
Mark Schleifstein, who wrote several of the articles I linked to in this piece was on NPR explaining the limitations on New Orleans in evacuating individuals.
Archpundit,
There was a report on Fox News that state officials in Louisiana ordered Red Cross officials not to go into New Orleans for fear it would deter people from evacuating. Granted, it was Fox News, but the claim of blocked access is confirmed on the Red Cross website.
My question is this: If state officials knew that people would remain in New Orleans after the evacuation, what sense does it make to block relief supplies from reaching those people left behind?
It doesn’t and as far as I know, Fox is accurate. I think the state screwed up royally in many ways–this being one of them.
The original plan for Red Cross was to set up shelters outside of New Orleans on high ground so they were to stay out because of the danger of flooding and to make sure people didn’t stay–once the plan started to fall apart and you couldn’t get people out, they should have been given access to at least the Convention Center and the Superdome.
The original idea made sense, but then no one used common sense–given people weren’t being allowed to leave from the Crescent City Connector,I have no idea how the reasoning was continued.