The mayor of the city of New Orleans ordered an evacuation on Sunday. For 24 hours, the cable newsies talked of the possibility of a catastrophic storm surge leaving the city under twenty feet of water. Whether or not anyone could have anticipated the breach of the levees, plenty of people were aware that they might be overwhelmed, and that New Orleans could soon face major devastation and flooding as a result.
It’s not like we didn’t know that this might happen.
So why weren’t more emergency personnel and equipment in place and ready to go?
Why did it take the president two days to get back to DC? Why wasn’t he in the White House on Sunday night, overseeing emergency preparations?
And what the fuck is Condi Rice doing attending Broadway shows and shopping for expensive shoes at a time like this?
Sorry — does it “politicize” the issue to wonder whether we are quite literally being led by sociopaths and insane people?
Oh, by the way — as August points out — the Department of Homeland Security wants you to know that September is National Preparedness Month.