Fema Camps

[Beegod Santana]

The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act: An Assault on Civil Liberties in the Name of Homeland Security | The Heritage Foundation

What we saw during Katrina was a miniaturized version of this. Why was it that huge numbers of people with relief supplies such as food and water were turned away by the National Guard at the city border while, inside the Superdome, people went for days without food and water? Because this is what happens when you let a hugely centralized bureaucracy take control of a public emergency.

During Katrina relief we where under a MUCH different operating plan than MSHEPA. The Louisiana state government, state national gaurd, army, marines and FEMA where far from being in cooperation immediately after the storm. A mess of liability, logistics and power grabbing is what lead to the particular situation you've described above. FEMA has the power to tell the local, state and federal governments to fuck off, but it almost never happens. Some higher ups in Louisiana politics didn't want FEMA taking over immediately after the storm and this lead to a large amount of confusion, thus the four days after the storm when nothing was getting done. A LOT of the shit that went down was a result of a LOCAL government refusing to let the huge centralized bureaucracy take over.

Interesting fact, the EPA concluded that nola wasn't safe for human habitation in dec. 2005, before most of the major reconstruction contracts where signed. However, the Louisiana state government had the final call whether or not to let the rebuilding process start, and they didn't bat an eye. Thanks to my time working there I now have an extremely scarred throat and was told that if I smoked cigarettes I'd already have lung cancer and probably will in the next 15 yrs regardless, I'm currently 25. I wish I could just get mad at FEMA and blame them for all my woes, but sadly its a lot more complicated than that.

 

[AnarchistRon]

Oh yes, I cannot possibly deny that venusinpisces. Contemporary capitalist society has effectively turned every facet of human life into a profit drive enterprise-- it's sickening, literally. And to add further insult to this blatant moral insult, numerous hindrances are placed upon the path of socio-economic progression in the form of taxation and increased financial and material obligations as one climbs the social ladder, while at the same time propaganda is distributed to maintain hope in the destitute that one day they too shall be rich and prosperous.

 

[Beegod Santana]

I'm not trying to defend any part of the government though. FEMA fucked up by not exercising their full power immediately after the storm. By not taking complete control of the relief effort immediately and instead playing politics, they allowed a massive cluster fuck to happen. The resources where there, but the logistics and communication networks weren't. I just think its important not to confuse intentional oppression with occupational incompetence.