Never mind

New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin told his people they could go home. Federal authorities - who are completely, totally, 100% responsible for the Katrina catastrophe, as all right-thinking people everywhere know - said it was too early. Now, with another storm heading toward the city, Nagin is telling people they should leave again:

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has suspended re-entry into the city over fears tropical storm Rita could strike.

"The conditions have changed. We have another hurricane approaching us," Nagin told a news conference on Monday.

Rita is moving into the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is building in strength and may become a hurricane. While experts think Rita will hit land in Texas, others think it could hit southeastern Louisiana.

Days earlier, Nagin had OK'd the return of residents to neighborhoods that had suffered the least damage.
[...]
Earlier Monday, U.S. President George Bush questioned the plan to allow residents to return to New Orleans, given ongoing concerns about the threat of more flooding and safety in the city.

"The city needs to re-emerge," the president said after a meeting of his Homeland Security Council. "It's a matter of timing."

Bush mentioned the risks posed by Rita.

Medical experts have also warned that the city is not ready and say major disease risks still remain.

The doctors supported the view of Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen, head of the federal government's hurricane response, which is at odds with advice issued by Nagin.

Between this and other local officials blatantly making up horror stories about the allegedly slow federal response, one of two things are becoming clear:

1. responsibility for Katrina is shared with local and state, not just federal, officials; or,

2. Karl Rove's hurricane-generating, levee-breaching machine also has a mind-control function, which can make local offcials act at least as incompetently as Mike Brown.

Posted by damian at September 20, 2005 07:54 AM | TrackBack