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09/01/2005 Archived Entry: "Government comandeers buses from New Orleans hotels"

TWO NEW ORLEANS HOTELS ARRANGED BUSES to evacuate their guests. The government comandeered the buses for their own evacuations (See the 12:27 p.m. entry in this constantly updated article.)

Another question: What's the point of encouraging -- and eventually even forcing -- people to enter a "shelter" that has no emergency supplies in it? Then locking them inside? Sure, ideally everybody should have brought in 3-to-5 days supply of their own food and water (not necessarily an easy thing to do). But if the government is going to "comandeer" responsibility for flood refugees, and then not even allow people to leave when conditions in the "shelter" become unendurable, shouldn't government have been prepared to carry out that responsibility?

Horrible as Katrina's aftermath is, and as much as one can only imagine the horrors the rescue workers must be going through, city and state officials always knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Why such scanty preparations -- from unsheltering shelters to levees that can be repaired only by missing helicopters?

BTW, several news sources have now reported that Fats Domino is among the missing -- possibly along with other New Orleans musical monuments.

Posted by Claire @ 01:55 PM CST
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