I didn't think my post would be particularly controversial given that several newspapers, electronic media and the mayor have slammed the response. Even President Bush says "The results are not acceptable".Originally Posted by ober
I never claimed the government isn't doing everything it can. However, I do believe poor decisions have been made.
Minimal rations (water and food) for a person is about 2kg a day. The payload for a Chinook helicopter is about 12,000kg. The 10-20,000 people at the convention center could have been fed with half a dozen Chinook flights a day. This would have saved several lives. Beyond the capacity of authorities?
The 1000 people on the slip could have been given emergency rations with one or two flights a day. Beyond the capacity of authorities?
It appears that most of the helicopters were tied up doing rooftop evacuations while elsewhere many more people were dying from lack of supplies. This often happens, in disaster situations, the most visible (people waving flags on rooftops) get help, while a greater number, but less visible (thirsty, starving) do not receive the help they need.
And yes I'm afraid I do expect the military to endure dangerous situations if it is a matter of saving thousands of lives. I don't expect them to "give up". If you were at the convention center, severely hungry, desperate and thirsty, would you think it acceptable for your government to abandon you due to the actions of a few individuals?
As quasi-official shelter points, why were there not security personnel at the convention center and dome throughout?
Today, the authorities are bussing people out, supplying food and water, pooring security people in and evacuating hospitals. If some of this (as far as possible) had been done three days ago, many people may not have died.
I think many others have pointed out the inadequacy of the original evacuation. A more comprehensive pre-hurricane evacuation could have greatly lessened the loss of life.
This isn't a political attack (although politicians must ultimately bear responsibility), and I hope this thread won't become political, but a criticism of the response in itself.