Another Lie Exposed

...with deadly consequences. Three days after Hurricane Katrina hit, Bush claimed that the government had no way to foresee the damage it would cause. "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Oh yeah? We were told months ago about "Hurricane Pam," a fictional Category 3 storm used in a series of FEMA disaster-preparedness exercises simulating the effects of a major hurricane striking New Orleans. "Pam" predicted almost everything that happened in New Orleans and Mississippi at least a year before it happened.

Now the Washington Post reports that

In the 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, the White House received detailed warnings about the storm's likely impact, including eerily prescient predictions of breached levees, massive flooding, and major losses of life and property...

The Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC) document predicted losses in the tens of billions of dollars.

In addition to the NISAC document, WaPo obtained a FEMA slide presentation that was prepared for a meeting two days before Katrina hit. They compared the potential damage to the simulated disaster of "Hurricane Pam", but said it could be even worse.

It's horrible that so many government employees, who were doing the job they were hired to do, tried in vain to warn those in charge about the impending disaster, and all their warnings were totally ignored. Then we had to endure the lies, the spin, the finger-pointing and shifting of blame to someone else. As the facts which contradicted the government's position began to emerge, and the horrors of the Superdome played out on television for the world to see, the truth became obvious, and Bush was forced to accept the blame. I don't even recall an apology. I really don't think there was one.

How much more incompetence do we have to endure? The only glimmer of hope I see is that the Bush administration will go down as the worst in the history of this country and will become a model of what to avoid in the future. If we don't go over the brink before that can happen.

Weather Update

It's looking good for us now. The storm has doubled back like a hairpin, and the path now takes it through the Camagüey area of Cuba and south of the Bahamas. If it continues that way, we might only get a few clouds and some wind, as we've been getting for the last couple of days.

Sunday update: Gamma is one strange little storm. Now it looks as though it may miss Cuba entirely or fall apart completely. Friday's track took it right across Palm Beach County. Two days later it's nowhere near Florida. Maybe it still has some tricks up its sleeve. When it comes to tropical systems, you DO need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. But, still, don't follow leaders, watch the parkin' meters.

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

Subterranean Homesick Blues

The Punching Bag

HA! Ahem.

Update: Gamma's track has moved to the south since yesterday, so if it continues with the track it's on, we should be spared the worst of it. It now looks as though Cuba, the Keys and the Bahamas will be in its path.

We've Done It!

We've broken the record set in 1933 for the most hurricanes in one season. Tropical Storm Alpha, the first system using a name from the Greek alphabet, has officially formed in the Atlantic. We ran out of names with Wilma, which will be the eighth storm to hit Florida in 14 months.

A scary possibility has emerged. This is from a weather blog:

The GFDL model is calling for an interesting development. It wants TD25 to strengthen into Category 3 Hurricane Alpha east of the Bahamas. Then once Wilma crosses Florida, it merges the two storms over the Gulf Stream, tracks them up the coast, and places a Cat 2 hurricane off Cape Cod. Food for thought!

And here I sit, grateful and sorry at the same time, for the disaster that has befallen the Yucatan Peninsula. Why do these horrible storms force us to prefer someone else's suffering to our own? Now we await the inevitable, winds even stronger than Hurricane Frances and Hurricane Jeanne from last year. The cars are gassed up, money withdrawn from the ATM, water, ice, batteries and cans of tuna stocked. Tomorrow the shutters go down, plants brought in, outdoor cats put in the laundry room (they're sprayers...can't come in the house). Now we wait for this thing to pass, like a huge gallstone. Thank God for beer.

I Don't Even Know What To Say

Bulletin: The Bush administration has decided to prove it's own insanity. Either that, or this is a big ol' lie.

CBS News correspondent Gloria Borger reports that Michael Brown, who recently resigned as the head of the FEMA, has been rehired by the agency as a consultant to evaluate it's response following Hurricane Katrina.

UPDATE: It appears that the wording on that report was deceptive. Brown is admitting his errors in the handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, while simultaneously continuing to blame state and local officials. Meanwhile, he is getting full pay from FEMA until his resignation takes effect in two weeks. In reality, he is being paid to tell FEMA what a miserable job he did.

WASHINGTON — Former FEMA director Michael Brown said Monday he should have sought faster help from the Pentagon after Hurricane Katrina hit, and blamed state and local officials for failing to order an immediate evacuation of New Orleans, congressional aides of both parties said.

Brown is continuing to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay, with his Sept. 12 resignation not taking effect for two more weeks, said Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke.

During that time, Brown will advise the department on "some of his views on his experience with Katrina," as he transitions out of his job, Knocke said.

Brown spoke to congressional aides from both parties a day before he is expected to testify in front of a special House committee investigating the government's response to the Aug. 29 disaster.

Brown came to symbolize the halting federal efforts to rescue victims of the storm and flooding that followed in which more than 1,000 people died in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff removed Brown from his on-site role overseeing the disaster response on Sept. 9. Brown announced his resignation from FEMA three days later.

Hurricane Katrina--The Aftermath

Kudos to CNN, for filing suit against FEMA over their statements barring the press from covering the search for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The Bush administration gave in on Saturday and dropped the media ban.

An article titled How Bush Blew It in the September 19, 2005 issue of Newsweek magazine will be read in homes, businesses and doctors' offices all over the country. Key phrase:

"President Bush knew the storm and its consequences had been bad; but he didn't quite realize how bad. The reality, say several aides who did not wish to be quoted because it might displease the president, did not really sink in until Thursday night."

And, 25 mind-numbingly Stupid Quotes about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Yesterday Bush told reporters that his decision to declare a State of Emergency before the storm hit was "extraordinary". Unfortunately, he got a few of his facts wrong. He claimed to have told us all that a big storm was going to hit on Monday. Monday? The day it hit? That was useful to all of us who already knew for days that it was going to hit? He did declare several counties in Louisiana to be national disaster areas before Katrina made landfall. Unfortunately, however, they are all NORTHERN counties. None of the actual coastal counties were included in his pre-hurricane disaster declaration.

So, Mr. President, you state that this storm was so ginormous that you took these extraordinary steps before it struck land. Can you please elaborate on all the extraordinary steps you took afterward?

Not only is George Dubya Bush detached from reality, and almost functionally illiterate and frighteningly stupid, but he seems to be insane. Maybe it's brain damage from alcohol abuse. Maybe it's a genetic predisposition to idiocy. Whatever it it, we can't take three more years of it. Even conservative Paul Craig Roberts agrees. Impeach Bush!

Today Bush declares that he takes responsibility for the federal government's failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina. Too little, too late, Dubya. Do we feel safer from the threats of terrorism now? Does the whole world feel safer with your finger on the button? That would be a NO.

Another Victim of Hurricane Katrina

AP photo

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, singer, guitarist and fiddle player, died Saturday in Orange, TX. He got out in time to escape the wrath of Katrina, but he was devastated to learn that his home in Slidell, LA, was destroyed. In ill health this past year, he probably died of a broken heart.

I saw him locally a couple of times at the old Back Room in Delray Beach, FL. He was a cranky old bird. He didn't like to be called a bluesman, because he didn't limit himself to blues, but he sure as heck could play them.

"Gatemouth" made a lot of feet dance in his long career. May he boogie in Heaven.

The First Four Days

A young Nicaraguan resident of New Orleans has produced the best visual documentation of the first four days of the disaster I've seen yet. It's a bit long, 197 captioned photographs, but well worth taking the time to view. It's a personal story too, and, consequently, a much more credible account. You can't help but shift your previous perspective on the situation while viewing these pictures.

They Can't Say They Didn't Know

Further proof that the federal government must carry the greatest blame for the lack of response to Hurricane Katrina. FEMA's own Hurricane Pam project, begun last year in Baton Rouge, LA, reveals:

"Federal support must be provided in a timely manner to save lives, prevent human suffering and mitigate severe damage," the report says. "This may require mobilizing and deploying assets before they are requested via normal (National Response Plan) protocols."

On the defensive, White House officials have said Louisiana and New Orleans officials did not give FEMA full control over disaster relief. The so-called Hurricane Pam plan, which was never put into effect, envisions giving the federal government authority to act without waiting for an SOS from local officials.

Katrina Timeline

Think Progress has the best one I've seen. Lots of backup links for proof.

A Little Bright-Eyed Hero

One of the most amazing stories to come out of the aftermath of Katrina is about Deamonte Love, a six-year-old boy who was seen walking down the road carrying a 5-month-old baby and followed by five toddlers, all holding hands. I can't even read about it without tearing up.

The Los Angeles Times reports.

So Many Questions

George W. Bush has been asked why it took the federal government so long to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now we're wondering why it's taking him so long to answer the question. The Washington Post asks a lot more questions. Spin as fast as you like, Dubyuh. You'll never spin your way out of this one.

How To Help

With so many pictures of the disaster in the Gulf swirling in my mind, and so many heartbreaking words on so many blogs and news reports, I can't put it all together to make a decent post. Focus for days has been on the rescue efforts (and lack thereof). Much help has been mustered, millions of dollars collected. More is needed. This is The American Institute of Philanthropy web site, listing twelve top-rated charities currently offering relief services to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Brendan Loy has probably the best Katrina blog, while Instapundit explains the Katrina relief Blogburst effort begun on Thursday.

Chavez Offers Aid

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offers aid to the communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Good move.

Goodbye, Mardi Gras

Hurricane Katrina is bearing down upon the City of New Orleans as a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of 175 mph. We dodged a bullet here, when Katrina dropped to the south and hit Ft. Lauderdale/Miami as a Category 1. Eleven people died because of the storm (and because of their own stupidity).

The hurricane then headed up the Gulf of Mexico, picking up speed over the warm water. We are now expecting the worst and costliest natural disaster in the history of this country. New Orleans is already six feet below sea level, with a series of levees keeping the water in check. No one expects them to hold. All highways leading out of New Orleans have been made one way only. Residents and tourists are flooding out of the city, causing major traffic jams. All hotels within 8 hours drive are filled.

Where Katrina makes landfall, coastal storm surge flooding of 18 to 22 feet above normal tide levels is anticipated. It may reach as high as 28 feet in some places, along with large and dangerous battering waves. Hurricane force winds will reach farther inland than anyone can recall any hurricane reaching along its path. Katrina also has the potential to cause flooding from the coast to the St. Lawrence Seaway.

God help them.

Update:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
10:11 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

.HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE!

For Those in Harm's Way...

I'm just sending a prayer for all of those in the path of Hurricane Dennis. I know too well what it means.

Florida Hurricane Season Notes

We're about to enter the peak of the hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points:

(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

For the rest of this hilarious Dave Barry article in the Miami Herald in 2001, click here.

Hurricane Season

I'm starting to freak out about hurricane season, which starts June 1. Everyone is. We still have blue tarps covering the roof, because the roofers are still too busy repairing last year's damage to keep up with the demand. The local newspaper reminds us that another storm will finish us off. They tell us to stock up now on plywood, candles, lanterns, generators and packets of mayonnaise. They print recipes for Ramen noodles and peanut butter. Some people already have their shutters up.

This is not bad advice, considering the fact that four hurricanes hit Florida in 2004. Two of them, three weeks apart, were direct hits for us. Note the paths of Frances and Jeanne. Oh, and Jeanne was the cruel one. Notice how she pretended to head off into the North Atlantic, then circled back around and slammed right into us as a Category 3.

The scorching heat is already here. The afternoon thunderstorms are already here. The 100% humidity is already here. Hurricane season is upon us. Am I ready? Hardly. I know that when a storm begins to make its way across the Atlantic I'll be glued to the weather reports. Fear will set in. Then panic. Then I'll rush around madly, filling the tub with water, making ice, bringing in loose objects, stocking up on beer, organizing all the screws in the garage...a total nervous wreck! Wait, the shutters! Make more ice! Scrounge for batteries, because by now you can't find any for sale within 200 miles. Did I make enough ice? Oh, God! Bottled water...do we have enough bottled water? Where are the cats? Make more ice.

It's even worse when you've been through one before, because you already know how awful it is. If you haven't been through one, you cannot relate. This year I might even try some weed for my nerves. Then again, that might make me paranoid, and I already have that wrapped.

Frances stalled off our coast and took 18 hours to pass through. The damage was unbelievable. We lost all of the tree canopy in our yard. Huge limbs were snapped off like matchsticks. The entire tops of two trees blocked both the front and back doors. We were without power for 9 days with Frances, only 4 with Jeanne. Cold showers didn't bother me too much, considering the overwhelming heat. Lines for gas bothered me. No traffic lights at the intersections bothered me. The neighbors' noisy generators bothered me (and made me envious). Having to venture out on roads full of debris, downed power lines and no traffic lights to scrounge for food bothered me.

Those were old mango trees, 40' high, which shaded the whole back yard. Now only the main trunks are left standing. Lying across the back is a 65' bamboo which was ripped right out of the ground. The root mass is 12' high!

No, I'm not ready at all.