FUBAR
Communications: I guess it would have been too hard to air drop hand-crank radios in New Orleans, like we did in Afghanistan, so people would know what to do and where to go.
Leadership: Michael Brown is dumber than mildew
Earlier on CNN, Brown was asked why authorities had not prepared for just such a catastrophe — given that the levees were designed to withstand only a Category 3 hurricane and Katrina was stronger than that.
“Government officials and engineers will debate that and figure that out,” he replied. “Right now, I’m trying to focus on saving lives. I think we should have that debate, but at an appropriate time.”
Brown said Katrina was unlike other hurricanes in which the magnitude of the disaster typically subsides after the initial blow. That was not the case Monday, when the Category 4 storm blew ashore.
“What we had in New Orleans is a growing disaster: The hurricane hit, that was one disaster; then the levees broke, that was another disaster; then the floods came; that became a third disaster.”
Brown said he had to be careful about getting rescue teams to the site earlier.
“Otherwise, we would have faced an even higher death toll,” he said.
You would think that the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be able to understand that the levees and flooding are a single event, i.e. the levees prevent flooding. He should also be aware that storm surge and flooding are the major causes of death in hurricanes.
You would think he would have heard of the National Weather Service, which could have told him that it was safe to fly and drive at least a day before his agency made any move at all. It may also surprise him that the military is capable of judging risk on its own, but can’t do anything without permission in the United States.
The military does weird things, like reconnaissance. The military would use satellite photos and flyovers to determine routes and doesn’t depend on paved roads. [He would probably be surprised at how many times an enemy fails to provide an army with paved roads on invasion routes.]
Based on his performance, I think that Mr. Brown might be qualified to round up carts in a parking lot. He shouldn’t apply at Wal-Mart though, the job would be too big for him.
[Editor: FUBAR is a technical military Acronym – the last part is Beyond All Recognition.]
Update: Because I’m really angry and would really like to tow him through the streets of New Orleans with his mouth open: Brown, did you ever hear of the Hurricane Hunters? They are in the military and their job is to fly through hurricanes. They spent most of a week flying through Katrina which is why we knew what a bad storm she was.
