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N.O. Mayor: We need Bush to focus on New Orleans now!
Ex-mayor begs President for resources to save New Orleans
Guest blogged by David Edwards

New Orleans ex-mayor, Sydney Barethemly, pleads with President Bush
to allocate the resources to save New Orleans and make it a safe
place once again. He says that the president must focus and make
saving the city and the 80,000 trapped people a priority. He believes
that if we do this on the President's schedule then it may be too
late.

SOLEDAT: Why was there no plan in place? New Orleans has been in the
path of Hurricanes forever so why no plan.

BARETHEMLY: ...We really need the President of the United States to
make this a priority. We have to stop the breeches in the levy. We
have to or we're going to lose New Orleans and lose thousands of
people there. I believe that there are about 80,000 people trapped in
the city right now and if we don't solve this problem, we will lose
those people.

SOLEDAT: But the Army Corp. of Engineers, they're working on it. We
spoke to them this morning. It seems that they are doing everything
that they can do. What more should they be doing? What else can the
President do?

BARETHEMLY: He can send the Army to help and resolve this. 3000 new
troops are coming in. That's not enough. We did everything possible
to help the people who were suffering from the tsunami. We have to
make this a priority. We have to send the Army to stop this or we
will lose New Orleans and we will lose 80,000 people, I believe.

SOLEDAT: [New Orleans] ...It sounds like a lot of elected officials
are frustrated at and a lot of lack of coordination. There are no
cell phones. It, also, seems like on that front there was no plan
either. Who is in charge?

BARETHEMLY: Soledat, I think it's just overwhelming. I have to
believe that the official are doing now all that they can do. They
are using as many resources as they have. That's not enough. The
President of the United States is the only person who has the
resources to coordinate to bring in the troops to make this city a
safe place, to solve the breeches in the levy. They're losing hope.
Everything they're doing, the problem is not getting better; it's
getting worse.

SOLEDAT: The President would say, listen, "We declared a disaster
area before the storm even hit. I'm coming on Friday to take a look
at the devastation in the region. What else do you want?"

BARETHEMLY: Friday may be too late, Soledat, we don't have that time
to wait. We need him now. To send the troops now. If we can spend the
monies we are spending to help the people in Iraq then we can do the
same thing for New Orleans. This is a great country, we have
tremendous resources. We have to make this a resolve because if New
Orleans goes, it's going to have a devastation impact, not just on
the people that live there, but on the rest of this nation.

SOLEDAT: Can we take a few minutes and talk about the Superdome.
We've got about 20,000 angry, hot, tired, underfed people in
disgusting conditions, I think it's fair to say. What should be done
with them? The governor says we need to get them out now but the plan
seems to be busses. I don't know how the busses will get out of the
city. What do you do with them?

BARETHEMLY: Again, Soledat, that you have to send the resources in.
The governor wants to do the right thing. She wants to evacuate. The
mayor wants to evacuate. They do not have the resources. I don't know
how you say that to the federal government: "This is a national
disaster. We must save those people and save that city. That means
sending the military in right now! We can't wait. We got to send the
military in now who have the resources to save this city and save
those people down there who are trapped!"

Video from CNN American Morning (Windows Media)

To find more information about the organizations that are
coordinating efforts for New Orleans, Democratic Underground has
provided an excellent list of Hurricane Disaster Relief Resources.

Blogged by David Edwards~~~

Where is the Louisiana National Guard and all of their equipment?
George Bush should be impeached for leaving the Gulf Coast
defenseless against the aftermath of a major hurricane.

eh in Iraq? Apparently Natl Guard is short handed only 4000 in LA
on hand
~~~~

Where is our President?

Today, President Bush was in California discussing his pre-emptive
war in Iraq while thousands upon thousands of our citizens in LA, AL,
and MI are without homes and many of them are dead. This is a
national emergency and our President should be at the forefront
helping these people... yesterday, today and tomorrow!

I just saw on television that many people in New Orleans are sleeping
on bridges on underpasses just to stay dry as their homes are under
water. This is here in America. I'm sorry, but to hell with Iraq and
rebuilding their buildings time after time so they can blow them up
again! It's high time that we had some leadership that looked after
us here in America and our tax money be spent helping Americans.
Every resource within our power should be sent to these states NOW.
Send in busses and pick up these people camped out on the
underpasses, on roof tops, in the super dome and other shelters. Give
them shelter, food and clothing... NOW.

As the president stated earlier that these people are in his
prayers... we need to ACT. Having lived through the flood during
Isabel I know first hand what these people are feeling;
hopelessness.... time goes by as if every hour is a year... living in
a tiny old camper (with 4 dogs) waiting, waiting, waiting...
September turns into October, October turns into November, then
November turns into December... it feels like years instead of months
since we were thrown out of our home. These people need action along
with prayers. We need to pick them up, tend to their injuries, give
them food and take them to the inn as the "good samaritan" did, not
offer a prayer and pass them by as did the Pharisee.

~~~~There is an article in the WaPo today about how Bush has
dismantled FEMA. Words fail me. I need to step away for awhile.

~~~8:07 pm CDT -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has given a remarkable
interview to WWL TV, broadcast on wwltv.com. Nagin said that the
National Guard's Blackhawk helicopter carrying the sandbags to plug
the hole in the levee on 17th St. Canal was diverted to rescue
misssions.

Nagin said he called the governor, and that he and other state and
local officials are unsuccesfully trying to get through to the White
House to ask if the people in Washington know what they're doing.

The White House switchboard is 202-456-1414.

To ask the La. Air National Guard to ignore Bush's treasonous orders
and plug the hole, call (504) 271-6262 .

~Bush CUT FUNDING to stengthen the levees. SEVERE cuts. YEARS of
under-funding. This is a fact. There is no way that they can spin
their way out of this one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
La. Mayor Ray Nagin said helicopters to plug hole "NEVER SHOWED UP"

Nagin: Entire City Will Soon Be Underwater

--Problems Escalate to 'Another Level' 30 Aug 2005 New Orleans Mayor
Ray Nagin is "very upset" that an attempt to fix the breach in the
levee at the 17th Street canal has failed, and he said the challenges
that the city is facing have "escalated to another level." ...Nagin
said he's been advised by the head technician at the sewage and water
board that water in the east bank area of Orleans and Jefferson
parishes will rise to levels equal to Lake Pontchartrain. He said
the "bowl is now filling up" and the entire city will soon be
underwater.

Nagin said the sandbagging was scheduled for midday, but the
Blackhawk helicopters needed to help did not show up. He said the
sandbags were ready and all the helicopter had to do was "show up."

He said after his afternoon helicopter tour of the city, he was
assured that officials had a plan and a timeline to drop the sandbags
on the levee breach.

wdsu.com

Bush is responsible. REPEAT Bush is responsible.

~~~

Guy on CNN just now: Mississippi "borrowing" 800 Natl Guard from
Alabama
LA governor also said her state was "borrowing" Guardsmen.

How many will die while the "borrowed" Guardsmen make their way to
the ravaged states?
~~~~~~~~

SOS! Anyone got the phone number for Mission Control in Iraq?

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! I`m taking over for the Commander in Chief
since he`s busy lounging in California, all tanned and buff. Got to
hand it to him....he`s got this wake-me-when-it`s-over thing down
pat. Just like during the Vietnam War. What a guy.

I want to reach the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard units
stranded in Iraq. Thought I could test this new Iraq "democracy" by
asking each of them to vote either "yes" or "no" on coming home to
help their family and friends. Katrina wrecked their states.

After a nine-month boycott of cable news, I bypassed Tucker Carlson
and turned on CNN tonight, knowing full well Daryn Kagan would be
getting her beauty sleep so I wouldn`t have to deal with her. Aaron
Brown was taking a heart-wrenching report from Jeanne Meserve that
reduced me to tears. People drowning in their attics, animals caught
in electric lines, horrible situations, devastating report. They
could use a few extra National Guard units.

I started thinking about George W. Bush. Bar-B-Q-er. Bike rider. Cake
eater. Jogger. Brush cutter. Mr. Fun in the Sun. Mr. Fake Cowboy. All
of a sudden this thought almost blew my head off my shoulders: This
craven, AWOL demon has two wars going on, a couple of states are
under water and he`s frolicking in California. He`s not even fit to
be a meter maid, let alone our president.

~~~~~
Plans to allow New Orleans to be damaged by storms and floods may
date back at least several years, judging by the massive cuts or
blocks in project/grant funds to protect the city or provide disaster
relief. In addition to the other threads I and others have posted on
how the Bush Administration cut funding for disaster protection and
relief, here's a new one. So far it only has 3 votes, and it's buried
in the Editorial Forum - it deserves a wider audience:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...
Thread title: 9/28/04

La (Louisiana) should have received FEMA disaster mitigation grants,
but got 0

Even just the excerpt given in the OP shows that this is a long-term
policy of the Bush Administration. No explanation for denial of the
funds was given. The money still went to places like Texas and
California, but despite all evidence suggesting that they should be
first in line, NOTHING for New Orleans.

Here are additional threads relating to the consistent Bush
Administration policy of starving funds for protection and disaster
relief.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

Thread title: Bush has slashed Clinton's Disaster Mitigation Program.
(unbelievable)