New Orleans disaster predicted in 2001

[kat]

This is from one year ago:

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/091904ccktWWLIvanFlaws.132602486.html

 

[Skyhunter]

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/nagin.transcript/

That was the most real and moving speech I have ever witnessed from a politician.

Now that Bush has a fire lit under his a$$ I wish him the best.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Trent Lott is outraged over the criticism of the reponse. This is not the time, he complains. I say now more than ever is exactly the time to require an accounting. [edit] Perhaps he would prefer that we all just listen to him tell us what a wonderful job is being done.

Unless we're interrupting his debris removal efforts, I don't see the problem. It seems like he is more concerned about appearances than the outrage and suffering. And if he's not fending off criticism, he's busy congratulating everyone on what a great job they're doing.

Who does he think is listening? The rescue workers?

 

[pattylou]

Trent Lott is outraged over the criticism of the reponse. This is not the time, he complains. I say now more than ever is exactly the time to require an accounting. [edit] Perhaps he would prefer that we all just listen to him tell us what a wonderful job is being done.

I have to wonder, if we had the kind of reporting out of Baghdad that we have out of New Orleans, if we'd see more criticism of the government on that issue as well.

As I understand it, there have been no decent water purification facilities for over a year, bodies decomposing in the streets, rubble, regular violence, ... In short, the same sorts of conditions that we've seen in New Orleans over the past week.

I couldn't believe Bush referred to the destruction in New Orleans as similar to what a massive weapon might do. The 'man' has no shame.

Kicking off a day-long visit to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, President Bush expressed astonishment at the destruction, saying: "It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine."

http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=119671&region=4

Please do not respond to this post. It is straying off topic

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Bush just declared that the convention center is secure

Barbara Starr, a CNN reporter at the center says, uh, no, its not.

 

[1123581321]

I couldn't believe Bush referred to the destruction in New Orleans as similar to what a massive weapon might do. The 'man' has no shame.

Please do not respond to this post. It is straying off topic

Why is it so bad to say something like that?
What do you suggest he compare it to instead?

Fibonacci

sorry, i responded.

 

[Evo]

Oh, guess who got the big contract.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3335685

Now we know why Americans are dying of dehydration.

There's no-bid contracts to sign.

Did anyone actually read the article? It says Haliburton, as a result of a 2004 contract, will be working on Naval Bases.

What has that got to do with anything?

"KBR was assigned the work under a "construction capabilities" contract awarded in 2004 after a competitive bidding process."

 

[Rabid]

Here's another gem.

President Bush flew over the ravaged city and parts of Mississippi's hurricane-blasted coastline in Air Force One. Turning to his aides, he said: "It's totally wiped out. ... It's devastating, it's got to be doubly devastating on the ground."

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/08/31/D8CB3CF81.html

 

[loseyourname]

I have to wonder, if we had the kind of reporting out of Baghdad that we have out of New Orleans, if we'd see more criticism of the government on that issue as well.

As I understand it, there have been no decent water purification facilities for over a year, bodies decomposing in the streets, rubble, regular violence, ... In short, the same sorts of conditions that we've seen in New Orleans over the past week.

Sorry to respond as well, but when a thread is this long, it will go off-topic. As Vanesch points out, as long as this is part of the natural evolution of a discussion, let it be.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that it is the duty of the cities themselves to provide for their own cleanliness. Trash removal, sewer maintenance, water purification, peacefulness - these are all municipal responsibities, not federal ones. So unless you meant to imply that seeing more coverage would incite increased criticism of the New Orleans municipal government, I don't see how these things apply.

 

[Astronuc]

Trash removal, sewer maintenance, water purification, peacefulness - these are all municipal responsibities, not federal ones.

Under normal circumstances, yes. The devastation from Katrina and the subsequent flood is not normal. Most cities require assistance from beyond their borders, especially when people have evacutated.

Cities (and counties), states, and the federal government need to sit down at some point and decide all the issues regarding emergency response and management. The kind of disaster that just happened will happen again, possibly even this year, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

 

[pattylou]

Why is it so bad to say something like that?
What do you suggest he compare it to instead?

Fibonacci

sorry, i responded.

It's a minor point. It *either* illustrates his mentality, *or* is a calculated comment meant to remind people that we are in a "war on terrah." Which of those two choices seems like a good thing, in a leader? Neither, to my point of view.

I would describe the devastation as unbelieveable, horrific, Mother Nature at her fiercest, complete. I would not anthropomorphize it. What purpose does this serve? What mindset does it illustrate?

 

[pattylou]

So unless you meant to imply that seeing more coverage would incite increased criticism of the New Orleans municipal government, I don't see how these things apply.

No, I meant to imply that we are outraged because of what we are learning about the state of things in a swath of the southern US.

I then meant to imply that we might be equally outraged to learn that similar conditions exist because of our willful actions in another large city, and we aren't told about it, not at all.

I meant to imply some hypocrisy. Should there be anyone who thinks the conditions in New Orleans are unfit for human habitation, they should consider having their awareness raised about other parts of the globe where we have created similar conditions. They should consider whether they support that, or whether they *have* supported that.

Apologies to the initial poster for diverting the thread.

 

[Evo]

I'm watching the Katrina update on "Dateline" and it is just heartbreaking. People waiting to be moved out to shelter, but they aren't moving people out because there is no where to move them. People are setting out on foot along the highways. There were three nurses, wounded, that had been treating people, having lost everything themselves. So sad.

 

[TRCSF]

LOL. Kanye West telling it like it is on live TV to an audience of millions.

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family and they say we are looting, you see a white family and they say they are looking for food. And, you know, its been five days because most of the people ARE black. And even for me to complain, I would be a hypocrite because I would turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right to see what is the biggest amount I can give. And just to imagine, if I was down there and those are my people down there. If there is anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help about the way America is set up the help the poor, the black people, the less well off as slow as possible. Red cross is doing as much as they can. We already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way. And now they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us.”

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

 

[Evo]

LOL. Kanye West telling it like it is on live TV to an audience of millions.

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family and they say we are looting, you see a white family and they say they are looking for food. And, you know, its been five days because most of the people ARE black. And even for me to complain, I would be a hypocrite because I would turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right to see what is the biggest amount I can give. And just to imagine, if I was down there and those are my people down there. If there is anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help about the way America is set up the help the poor, the black people, the less well off as slow as possible. Red cross is doing as much as they can. We already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way. And now they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us.”

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

What on Earth are you watching?

 

[TRCSF]

What on Earth are you watching?

It's from the celebrity telethon on network TV.

 

[Lisa!]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050903/ap_on_go_pr_wh/katrina_bush

 

[TRCSF]

Looks like those rumors about "those people" shooting at helicopters were unfounded.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1087205

Spokesperson for the FAA says that no such report was every filed with them. If a helicopter had been fired at, the pilots would have reported it.

Looks like the rumor about the shooting is every bit as false, silly, and malicious as the one about "those people" resorting to cannabilism.

 

[ray b]

yes they told people to get out
but they should have TAKEN THEM OUT
city buses school buses all city cars and trucks
most of that equipment is now junk thanks to being under water NOW
the city would have save a lot of money by moving their stuff out of the flood BEFORE THE HURRICANE
and rented more cars trucks and buses to move the people out
THEY DIDNOT DO IT

the city officals knew the places was a trap if the levies broke

they also should have had a plan to repair the breaks QUICKLY
a tug barge and crane could have stop the breaks BEFORE THEY GOT BAD
if you live underwater [below sea level] you should have a plan and equipment in place ready to fix breaks

FEMA is always slow to react they do a desent job but always late and slow to get going

after ANDREW here in MIAMI it to a week to begin to get the troops and releaf efforts going
sad to see the same slow start 12 years later

 

[Rabid]

Here is a video of Geraldo and Shepard Smith reporting from NO.
They have been replaying this on FOX, in case anyone missed it or doesn't have access.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/02.html#a4763

 

[BobG]

yes they told people to get out
but they should have TAKEN THEM OUT
city buses school buses all city cars and trucks
most of that equipment is now junk thanks to being under water NOW
the city would have save a lot of money by moving their stuff out of the flood BEFORE THE HURRICANE
and rented more cars trucks and buses to move the people out
THEY DIDNOT DO IT

the city officals knew the places was a trap if the levies broke

they also should have had a plan to repair the breaks QUICKLY
a tug barge and crane could have stop the breaks BEFORE THEY GOT BAD
if you live underwater [below sea level] you should have a plan and equipment in place ready to fix breaks

FEMA is always slow to react they do a desent job but always late and slow to get going

after ANDREW here in MIAMI it to a week to begin to get the troops and releaf efforts going
sad to see the same slow start 12 years later

Even if the city wasn't able to evacuate people before the hurricane, leaving that many school buses in low lying areas was a major breakdown in itself. I kind of wonder who was supposed to drive those buses. What happens when the bus drivers evacuate with their own families? The 'plan' had some major gaps that just weren't covered.

Fixing the levees quickly in the middle of the flooding would have been a major accomplishment. I'm not sure if it was possible or not but it sure wouldn't have had a good enough chance of success to be the major component of a plan.

FEMA traditionally has been very slow and ineffective. It's slow response to Hurricane Andrew played a role in Bush 41's defeat in '92. I think the role it played in the campaign wasn't lost on Clinton. As much as I despise other things about Clinton, FEMA was actually an effective organization when Clinton put Witt in charge and elevated it to a cabinet level position. It's fallen back to it's traditional role of being a slow responding, after-the-fact organization buried in the larger bureaucracy of the Department of Homeland Defense.

Bush wasn't very enthusiastic about creating the DHS in the first place. He felt it just added another layer of bureacracy between Washington and response agencies. It has. What it shows is that Bush and others didn't really get the point of DHS - give it control and authority to put a coordinated response into action quickly. Either that or Bush was right - anything based in Washington will quickly become much better at pushing papers (and even better at slapping each other on the back in press conferences) than pushing people and material. Either way, it didn't accomplish the task it was created for.

 

[Skyhunter]

Fixing the levees quickly in the middle of the flooding would have been a major accomplishment. I'm not sure if it was possible or not but it sure wouldn't have had a good enough chance of success to be the major component of a plan.

They made a valiant attempt but the water was to strong, now that the levels are equalizing they will repair the 17th street breach and then breech the levee in other places to help drain the city. The ACE general on the ground said it should take about 80 days but his boss wouldn't offer a time frame.

FEMA traditionally has been very slow and ineffective. It's slow response to Hurricane Andrew played a role in Bush 41's defeat in '92. I think the role it played in the campaign wasn't lost on Clinton. As much as I despise other things about Clinton, FEMA was actually an effective organization when Clinton put Witt in charge and elevated it to a cabinet level position. It's fallen back to it's traditional role of being a slow responding, after-the-fact organization buried in the larger bureaucracy of the Department of Homeland Defense.

That made sense to me. Put a guy in charge that has experience and a proven track record. Not because he donated money to your campaign. Witt was a Clinton backer, but he was also experienced with construction and emergency management.

"I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded...I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared. In fact one state emergency manager told me, 'It is like a stake has been driven into the heart of emergency management.'" - James Lee Witt, former FEMA director, testifying before Congress in March, 2004

When hurricanes were in the gulf during his watch he would have hospital ships ready to move in right behind the storm. If they were not necessary all the better. Dispatching on from NJ 5 days after the storm hit is the epitome of incompetence

Bush wasn't very enthusiastic about creating the DHS in the first place. He felt it just added another layer of bureacracy between Washington and response agencies. It has. What it shows is that Bush and others didn't really get the point of DHS - give it control and authority to put a coordinated response into action quickly. Either that or Bush was right - anything based in Washington will quickly become much better at pushing papers (and even better at slapping each other on the back in press conferences) than pushing people and material. Either way, it didn't accomplish the task it was created for.

He did with FEMA what he is doing to the rest of the government. Dismantled it and gave it to political supporters.

 

[Zlex]

Wouldn't it be lovely if rain was really gumdrops, and snow was M&Ms?

And, if an asteroid the size of Utah is heading towards the earth, we should have 10,000 deep space missiles ready to go to blast it to bits. No, wait a minute, we can send out Bruce Willis on a Titanium armoured Space Shuttle, hope that it isn't hit by any foam insulation during launch, and he and a crew of lovable now uemployed roustabouts from New Orleans can blast it out of the sky, just in time.

In the case of Hurricanes, there should be triple walled levees capable of withstanding 50 ft waves for a month, built in a continuous, impenetrable ring around the entire US coastline. But, just in case, there should be a constantly refreshed emergency supply of fresh food and water, sufficient to feed ten million folks, strategically placed every 50 miles. Coast Guard personnel in constantly idling hovercraft should be ready at a moments notice to sprint to the aid of those in sudden peril, accompanied by armed NG troops to make it safe to save 'the greatest people on earth' from shooting at the helos.

From this point on, citizens of the USA should be required to wear kapok lifevests 24/7/365, just in case.
At birth, citizens should immediately be wrapped in 18 inches of foam from head to toe, just in case. However, the foam must be manufactured without releasing any undue amount of VOCs into the air, preferably by elves.

Because the economy and stability of the greatest country the world has ever seen should not be in a position where one big natural disaster effecting one area should screw it all up.

Oh, and did I mention, we need to do all this without building anymore oil refineries, nuclear power plants, pipelines, coal fired power plants? Without generating any waste? Without spoiling anybody's view? Without big bad business gov't contractors? Without a single eeeevil cor-por-a-shun? Without anyone in sight making more than MW, which, by the way, should be much, much higher?

How? Not my problem. FOrget the math, and try 'solar.' But, don't block anybody's view while you're at it, and don't put it in space, and, well, just do it.

Or Hydrogen? We'll go to the Hydrogen store, and buy some.

WIND! Hey, how about wind! Just...keep your damn windmills away from Teddy's Cape Cod retreat.

We so deserve what we're about to get. With any luck, it culls the herd.

 

[alexandra]

I was just doing the 'news rounds' (daily reading stuff) and came across this article about NO - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4210674.stm . It's an interesting read, because it touches on the issues of poverty and racism, etc.

alex

 

[Astronuc]

Even if the city wasn't able to evacuate people before the hurricane, leaving that many school buses in low lying areas was a major breakdown in itself. I kind of wonder who was supposed to drive those buses. What happens when the bus drivers evacuate with their own families? The 'plan' had some major gaps that just weren't covered.

And that certainly falls on the shoulder's of the mayor and city administration. There was certainly and opportunity for local officials to do it themselves. All those buses and trucks, which are now underwater, should have been driven to higher ground - like near the Superdome. And this is certainly not a federal problem - it's local.

Fixing the levees quickly in the middle of the flooding would have been a major accomplishment. I'm not sure if it was possible or not but it sure wouldn't have had a good enough chance of success to be the major component of a plan.

Fixing a major problem like a levee break in the middle of a hurricane is just not practical. Protective systems need to be designed so that they don't fail - a very simple and straightforward premise.

FEMA traditionally has been very slow and ineffective. . . . It's fallen back to it's traditional role of being a slow responding, after-the-fact organization buried in the larger bureaucracy of the Department of Homeland Defense.

Hopefully that will change in the wake of this disaster.

Bush wasn't very enthusiastic about creating the DHS in the first place. He felt it just added another layer of bureacracy between Washington and response agencies. It has. What it shows is that Bush and others didn't really get the point of DHS - give it control and authority to put a coordinated response into action quickly. Either that or Bush was right - anything based in Washington will quickly become much better at pushing papers (and even better at slapping each other on the back in press conferences) than pushing people and material. Either way, it didn't accomplish the task it was created for.

Bush needs to find the right people. I think some of the people he nominated and Congress approved let him and the nation down. I know he gets the heat (fair or not), because he is the president and it his watch.

I think quite a few people at DHS/FEMA need to resign, and Bush needs to find people who will be proactive.

I seem to remember some flack a few months ago about DHS spending huge amounts of money on parties and awards ceremonies. At this point, I have to wonder on what has DHS been spending money. Certainly it was not for planning for disasters like Katrina - which is their job.

And quite a few Republican Congresspersons and Senators are asking - WT#?

 

[1123581321]

LOL. Kanye West telling it like it is on live TV to an audience of millions.

“I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family and they say we are looting, you see a white family and they say they are looking for food. And, you know, its been five days because most of the people ARE black. And even for me to complain, I would be a hypocrite because I would turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I’m calling my business manager right to see what is the biggest amount I can give. And just to imagine, if I was down there and those are my people down there. If there is anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help about the way America is set up the help the poor, the black people, the less well off as slow as possible. Red cross is doing as much as they can. We already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way. And now they’ve given them permission to go down and shoot us.”

“George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

That is the biggist load of bull**** i have ever heard. Come on, do you really think that? There is 8000 or so Natl.gurard in louisiana, its the governers fault for not ordering them in there.

Please, quit this race-card thing.

Fibonacci

 

[1123581321]

Looks like those rumors about "those people" shooting at helicopters were unfounded.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1087205

Spokesperson for the FAA says that no such report was every filed with them. If a helicopter had been fired at, the pilots would have reported it.

Looks like the rumor about the shooting is every bit as false, silly, and malicious as the one about "those people" resorting to cannabilism.

Unless it was a millitary one. They don't deal with the FAA.

 

[1123581321]

Wouldn't it be lovely if rain was really gumdrops, and snow was M&Ms?

And, if an asteroid the size of Utah is heading towards the earth, we should have 10,000 deep space missiles ready to go to blast it to bits. No, wait a minute, we can send out Bruce Willis on a Titanium armoured Space Shuttle, hope that it isn't hit by any foam insulation during launch, and he and a crew of lovable now uemployed roustabouts from New Orleans can blast it out of the sky, just in time.

In the case of Hurricanes, there should be triple walled levees capable of withstanding 50 ft waves for a month, built in a continuous, impenetrable ring around the entire US coastline. But, just in case, there should be a constantly refreshed emergency supply of fresh food and water, sufficient to feed ten million folks, strategically placed every 50 miles. Coast Guard personnel in constantly idling hovercraft should be ready at a moments notice to sprint to the aid of those in sudden peril, accompanied by armed NG troops to make it safe to save 'the greatest people on earth' from shooting at the helos.

From this point on, citizens of the USA should be required to wear kapok lifevests 24/7/365, just in case.
At birth, citizens should immediately be wrapped in 18 inches of foam from head to toe, just in case. However, the foam must be manufactured without releasing any undue amount of VOCs into the air, preferably by elves.

Because the economy and stability of the greatest country the world has ever seen should not be in a position where one big natural disaster effecting one area should screw it all up.

Oh, and did I mention, we need to do all this without building anymore oil refineries, nuclear power plants, pipelines, coal fired power plants? Without generating any waste? Without spoiling anybody's view? Without big bad business gov't contractors? Without a single eeeevil cor-por-a-shun? Without anyone in sight making more than MW, which, by the way, should be much, much higher?

How? Not my problem. FOrget the math, and try 'solar.' But, don't block anybody's view while you're at it, and don't put it in space, and, well, just do it.

Or Hydrogen? We'll go to the Hydrogen store, and buy some.

WIND! Hey, how about wind! Just...keep your damn windmills away from Teddy's Cape Cod retreat.

We so deserve what we're about to get. With any luck, it culls the herd.

That just came out of nowhere.

 

[Astronuc]

Wouldn't it be lovely if rain was really gumdrops, and snow was M&Ms?
.
.
.
We so deserve what we're about to get. With any luck, it culls the herd.

Chemically enhanced vivid imagination?

 

[Astronuc]

That is the biggist load of bull**** i have ever heard. Come on, do you really think that? There is 8000 or so Natl.gurard in louisiana, its the governers fault for not ordering them in there.

It is an unfortunate statement by Kayne. Bush certainly had nothing personally to do with the delay. But his administration if responsible for DHS and their organizations such as FEMA. Bush appointed those people and Congress as well as the president oversees them.

The governor of any state can call up the National Guard in that state. Many (don't know what fraction) of Louisiana's National Guard are in Iraq.

Bush has mobilized National Guard personnel in 19 states and Wash DC. Apparently only he or someone he designates (?) can do that. The president is Commander-in-Chief.

 

[1123581321]

The governor of any state can call up the National Guard in that state. Many (don't know what fraction) of Louisiana's National Guard are in Iraq.

QUOTE]

From what i heard, 4000 in iraq and 8000 in louisiana.
I had a hard time finding a credible source to confirm that, so if someone might stumble across it, they can post it.

 

[Astronuc]

Today's Louisiana Army and Air National Guard consists of 74 units spread among 43 cities and towns of the state and numbers some 11,500 Army and Air Guardsmen. As a result of various reorganizations the present Army Guard is composed of a State Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 204th Area Support Group, the 256th Separate Infantry Brigade, the 225th Engineer Group and various Medical, Maintenance, Aviation, Military Police, Armored Cavalry and Special Forces units and the 156th Army Band.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arng-la.htm - don't know how old.

As Hurricane Katrina surged past New Orleans, Louisiana mobilized its soldiers to help, as did Mississippi, Alabama and other southern states. Despite prominent roles in the War on Terror, the states report more than the 50 percent strength mandated for homeland missions. Louisiana has 65 percent of its troops available for state missions; Mississippi, 60 percent; Alabama, 77 percent; and Florida, 74 percent, Guard officials said.

"It's a calming and reassuring effect on the American public when they see their National Guard," Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, National Guard Bureau commander, said. "When you call out the Guard, you know that you've got committed citizen-soldiers with considerable skills and a great commitment to the mission at hand."

The Louisiana National Guard had called almost 3,500 of its members to state active duty as of 7 a.m. Monday to help with missions that ranged from aiding law enforcement agencies with traffic control and security to conducting searches and rescues and providing generator support. Guard members conducted security and screening at the emergency shelter at the New Orleans Superdome, and elsewhere helped state police with evacuations.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050830/NEWS01/508300352/1002/NEWS

I do believe the LA National Guard were in New Orleans as early as Tuesday, but clearly that was not enough. Other units were presumably outside the city in other areas which were also hit.

 

[edward]

That is the biggist load of bull**** i have ever heard. Come on, do you really think that? There is 8000 or so Natl.gurard in louisiana, its the governers fault for not ordering them in there.

Please, quit this race-card thing.

Fibonacci

Governors fault or not, this racial card was left out on the table for the whole world to see, now we have to deal with it.

If over 50,000 white people had been left stranded in the heat without food or water in NO, it would not have taken 4 days to get them out. But that is a moot point. 50,000 white people would not have been left standed in NO.

 

[Townsend]

Governors fault or not, this racial card was left out on the table for the whole world to see, now we have to deal with it.

If over 50,000 white people had been left stranded in the heat without food or water in NO, it would not have taken 4 days to get them out. But that is a moot point. 50,000 white people would not have been left standed in NO.

http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/greatfire.html

By the way, Chicago rebuilt the city, not the federal government. In fact I don't think the federal government did any thing to help Chicago out...

Seems to me that your contention that "If over 50,000 white people had been left stranded in the heat without food or water..." does not seem to have much merit.

 

[edward]

Seems to me that your contention that "If over 50,000 white people had been left stranded in the heat without food or water..." does not seem to have much merit.

Only my opinion based on past experience. Like I said it is a moot point. We still have to deal with what did happen.