Today’s headline thriller from the AP:
“Tape: Bush, Chertoff Warned Before Katrina”
Who knew?? My goodness gracious! George W. Bush heard it was going to be a big hurricane!! Can you imagine?
Here is some news for the AP…
The whole world was warned before Katrina!!!
* The AP itself wrote on the Sunday August 28th, 2005, before the hurricane that
“Katrina’s storm surge would likely top the levees.”
* Mayor Nagin told people going to the Superdome should come with enough food and supplies to last three to five days!
* Bush declared a national emergency.
* FEMA teams were in place to move in.
* Emergency assistance was being deployed and national guard troops were being prepared.
* President Bush personally warned the citizens on the coast.
* And leftist bloggers were screaming disaster!
If the AP wanted to unveil some unreported news they could try this, “the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest–and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history.” (via Powerline)
Now, that would be some bold reporting!
Here is what the media and bloggers were saying the Sunday before Katrina hit the Gulf Coast:
August 28, 2005
Katrina Packing Wind of Nearly 175 Mph
Associated Press
Mayor Ray Nagin ordered an immediate evacuation Sunday for all of New Orleans, a city of 485,000 people, as Hurricane Katrina bore down with wind revved up to nearly 175 mph and a threat of a massive storm surge.
The mayor called the order unprecedented, but said Katrina’s storm surge would likely top the levees that protect the city from the surrounding water of Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River and marshes. The bowl-shaped city must pump water out even during normal times, and the hurricane threatened pump power.
…The mayor said people who opted to go to the Superdome should come with enough food and supplies to last three to five days.
New Orleans braces for monster hurricane
CNN
Between 20,000 and 25,000 others who remained in the city lined up to take shelter in the Louisiana Superdome, lining up for what authorities warned would be an unpleasant day and a half at minimum…
…Forecasters predicted the storm surge could reach 28 feet; the highest levees around New Orleans are 18 feet high.
Federal Emergency Management Agency teams and other emergency teams were in place to move in as soon as the storm was over, FEMA Undersecretary Michael Brown said.
President Bush announced Sunday that he had issued disaster declarations for Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of southern Florida. The declaration for Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida will allow residents there to apply for federal disaster aid.
Mandatory Evacuation Ordered for New Orleans as Storm Nears
New York Times
“That’s why we are taking this unprecedented move,” Mayor Ray Nagin said at a news conference that was broadcast live. “The storm surge most likely will topple our levee system.”
With a state of emergency declared, federal emergency assistance was being deployed and national guard troops were being prepared.
In televised remarks today, President Bush urged people in threatened areas to evacuate to safe ground. “We cannot stress enough the danger this hurricane poses to Gulf Coast communities,” Mr. Bush said…
Hurricane
Matthew Yglesias
There are probably better places to go for coverage of the apparently imminent destruction of New Orleans, but there seem to be a few salient points to make in the neighborhood of my traditional issues.
The Big Uneasy
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
if you’re anywhere close to new orleans, leave!
katrina, now a category five hurricane, is headed right towards the big easy, with potential for devestation up into untold thousands of lives and billions of dollars (not to mention the possible impact on the country’s oil supply).
Urgent Warning Thread: Hurricane Katrina Strength Unprecedented
Daily Kos
11:00 AM UPDATE: KATRINA STRENGTHENS** & NOW TRACKING SLIGHTLY EAST OF NEW ORLEANS. LANDFALL PREDICTED MONDAY 10-12 AM [CDT] AT HIGH TIDE. SURGE COULD TOP 25 FEET W/WINDs > 190 MPH. MANDATORY EVAC!!! LEAVE ALL NEARBY COASTAL AREAS NOW! LEAVE NEW ORLEANS IMMEDIATELY OR SEEK HIGH SHELTER!
The BBC is Running Reader Reports on Katrina
Glenn Reynolds
Watching the TV footage of backed-up traffic trying to escape New Orleans, I’m surprised that they haven’t switched the inbound lanes over to outbound as well. And listening to interviews of people stuck in New Orleans I’m struck by how many people don’t understand that if you wait for orders to evacuate, by then everyone else will be trying to evacuate too and it will be much harder. I suspect, however, that part of people’s slowness to respond stems from the overhyping of previous hurricanes.
Crescent City Update
Polipundit-Jayson
It’s going to be really bad, folks. Much worse than Florida’s experience with Hurricane Andrew.
Here’s a link to the American Red Cross.
Katrina Blogging: Dire Outlook
Michelle Malkin
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. MANY 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 POSSIBLY TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. MANY WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.
AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD…
Not “Walking on Sunshine.”
Ann Althouse
I guess we’ll never think of Katrina and the Waves the same way again. Say a prayer for New Orleans.
The sad thing is, everyone knew what Katrina was packing. And, officials at all levels did react. The re
sponse was not perfect at any level but the disaster spread out over an area the size of Great Britain. Sadly, the democrats politicized this historic tragedy for personal gain.
By the way… They found Fats!
Here are the other Major News Stories on August 27, 2005:
Iraq on brink of meltdown
Despite Media Blackout, Fallujah Rebuilds
Sheehan Vows Her Cause Is Just Beginning
Charter Talks in Iraq Reach Breaking Point
John at Powerline does a great job explaining this new leaked non-story.
NewsBusters catches the LA Times with a reading comprehension gap.
Glenn Reynolds has a roundup of truth and reaction.
Coalition of the Swilling has a smoker!
Wizbang has more on the Rathergate connextion behind the bogus video.
Captain’s Quarters explains the difference between topped verses breached.
Patterico’s Pontifications was first to notice the media’s dihonesty with this Bush bashing story.
