Following on this earlier post and Joe Carter’s post noted in the post below regarding the failures of the federal government in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, former state legislator Bob Williams — whose district was the most impacted by the Mount St. Helens eruption — lays the wood to Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin in this equally devastating Opinion Journal op-ed

The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his/her emergency operations center.
The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. If the plans had been implemented, thousands of lives would likely have been saved.

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Although one whould caution against jumping to conclusions before facts are established, tongues will nevertheless be wagging across the United States today in the face of this devastating Wall Street Journal ($) article that lists the incidents reflecting lack of organization and preparedness in the federal government’s response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, including the following:

The U.S. Army has a large facility, Fort Polk, in Leesville, La., about 270 miles northwest of New Orleans. Officials at Fort Polk, which has nearly 8,000 active-duty soldiers, said their contribution so far has consisted of a few dozen soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division manning purification equipment and driving half-ton trucks filled with supplies and equipment. The first contingent of soldiers didn’t receive orders until Saturday afternoon.

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The Librarians’ Index to the Internet has put together a terrific web resource center for Hurricane Katrina-related information, including information on volunteer opportunities, legal matters, displaced students, charitable giving, animal rescue, missing persons, temporary housing, flood control, levee management, gas prices, environmental factors, news sites, maps and images, and much more. Moreover, LII.org continually updates their webpages, so check back from time-to-time to review the resources added to the Hurricane Katrina webpage.
Man, those librarians sure can organize, eh? ;^)

It’s not everyone who can make this type of contribution to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort:

Greg Norman is lending his personal helicopter to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, just as he did after last year’s destructive hurricane season.
Norman sent the helicopter to the greater Louisiana area Friday, and said it will remain in service for as long as a month. His pilot, Gary Hogan, will fly medical supplies and other items into the region.
“Our thoughts and feelings go out to everyone over there,” Norman said.
Norman’s estate on Jupiter Island, about 90 miles north of Miami, was damaged by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne last year. He lent his helicopter – which can carry about 1,000 pounds of supplies and shuttle small groups of patients and medics – to the recovery effort.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency contacted the helicopter’s manufacturer in recent days seeking help, and word eventually got to Norman. FEMA will coordinate Hogan’s flights and supply fuel.
“They need as much airlift as they can get,” Norman said.