Weblogsky: "Katrina scenario did not exist"

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"Katrina scenario did not exist"

More Spin, mixed with a bit of historical revisionism: Michael Chertoff of Homeland Security simply denies that anyone had predicted a storm like Katrina and its impact on New Orleans. He says it was "breathtaking in its surprise," which is similar to Bush's statement that no one expected the levees would break.

When I was just a tad, I heard over and over how the evil Soviets would revise "history" regularly to fit the politics du jour, and this was considered a great sin and an indictment of communisim. Seems to be de rigueur for 21st century USA, however.

The good news is that CNN is calling bullshit on Chertoff.

New Orleans, state and federal officials have long painted a very different picture.

"We certainly understood the potential impact of a Category 4 or 5 hurricane" on New Orleans, Lt. General Carl Strock, chief of engineers for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Thursday, Cox News Service reported.

Reuters reported that in 2004, more than 40 state, local and volunteer organizations practiced a scenario in which a massive hurricane struck and levees were breached, allowing water to flood New Orleans. Under the simulation, called "Hurricane Pam," the officials "had to deal with an imaginary storm that destroyed more than half a million buildings in New Orleans and forced the evacuation of a million residents," the Reuters report said.

In 2002 the New Orleans Times-Picayune ran a five-part series exploring the vulnerability of the city. The newspaper, and other news media as well, specifically addressed the possibility of massive floods drowning residents, destroying homes and releasing toxic chemicals throughout the city.

Scientists long have discussed this possibility as a sort of doomsday scenario.

jon posted this at 12:54 AM
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Here's a link to a show 3 years ago about what would happen if a Category 5 Hurricane hit New Orleans.

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/wetlands/index.htm

This is on PBS, the network that the Bush Administration has desparately tried to shut down for it's 'Liberal Bias'. Apparently, they haven't been watching it.

Posted by: Matt Westervelt | September 4, 2005 1:22 AM

I think they should add another 10 billion in the Federal relief package and build more refineries here in America. After all the whole nation is feeling the gas prices go up as a result of Katrina. The President should have been quicker to act as well as the rest of our always fast acting and honest Governments around the world lol. I remember when gas was 89 cents a gallon and for 10 bucks you could get almost 11 gallons I put 10 bucks into today and got 3 gallons. I am only 27 years old so I am not talking about 1960, 70, or even 80 1990 just almost 8 9 years ago.

Posted by: Jerry | September 4, 2005 10:31 AM