No

FEMA are there as a reserve once all State disaster plans and resources have been used. It's a weird situation because of the separation of powers between State & Federal Govt. Individual states are responsible for primary planning & relief, Fed Govt usually just releases a heck of a lot of money (which it is doing).

At the end of the day Louisiana's emergency plans were piss poor, and this is the result.

With NO surrounded by water, road & rail routes washed away, it's not that easy to get immediate relief to the area. As a whole, across all States, you're looking at a disaster area the size of the UK. It takes time to mobilise assets and get people in place to actually make a difference. It's a logistical nightmare, even if you are the richest nation in the world. It's now tht FEMA really kicks in, but it does all take time.

But I do agree that planning at all levels seems to have been amateurish, but that at the local level verges on the criminal. They all knew it would happen sooner or later.

(someone with more direct knowledge of US disaster policy can correct me if I'm wrong with this, but I this is how I understand it to work)

Personally, i think it's rather callous to take the view 'they voted for it, let them suffer', but to each his own.

Posted By: LEagle, Sep 3, 00:19:28