right-o-rama

What exactly have the state and local governments done to help the victims? They initially told their forces to focus on finding survivors rather than stopping looting. Then they blame the feds for the lawlessness.

CNN.com - Superdome evacuation descends into chaos - Sep 1, 2005
An angry Terry Ebbert, head of New Orleans’ emergency operations, watched the slow exodus from the Superdome and said the Federal Emergency Management Agency response was inadequate. The chaos at the nearby New Orleans Convention Center was considerably more hostile than the Superdome, with few options for refugees to leave the scene.”This is a national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control,” Ebbert said. “We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can’t bail out the city of New Orleans.”

Yes, FEMA is generally relied on for the bulk of disaster relief efforts, but the local authorities must also share that burden. Especially the burden of the first response plan.