The Mayor of New Orleans Ain't No Rudy
Like most people I watched the news as the hurricane approached New Orleans. Each time the mayor of that city appeared on TV, I was struck by one stark perception - this guy ain't no Rudy. That is probably not very fair. But, still again, his lack of Rudyness is showing.
I understand his frustration with a lack of federal response. I am frustrated too. But I do not see leadership from this man. He is dependent (and this I believe was his plan) on everyone else to get New Orleans out of this mess. There are things that New Orleans could have done in advance to minimize the problems with Command and Control. Predetermined command points in case of flooding, redundant radio or satellite communication systems, evacuation plans for those in the citizenry who have no transportation, evacuation plans for hospitals and the infirmed would all be the responsibility of the Mayor's office. But this mayor failed to prepare his city for a disaster that we have been warned about for years. In other words, the mayor of New Orleans failed to provide an infrastructure or plan to which federal agencies could be attached.
Granted doing these things might cost money that could be spent on hodge - podge projects to buy votes. But now what? Blame the federal government for not knowing where to find the helpless in New Orleans? Blame the federal government for not being able to communicate with police and fire personnel on the ground?
Rudy's city was not very well prepared for 9-11. But Rudy knew how to lead. And he led his people out of disaster. He put out a face and voice that was confident and reassuring. Yesterday the New Orleans mayor had a fit on the radio. It appears that he was upset, and again rightly so, about the slow response to the crisis. But again, what did his administration do to help contain the problem in advance? Nothing much is my guess. If FEMA shows up and says, "Where do you need the most help?" And the collective response is a panicked, "Everywhere!" Well, that's just not good information. I imagine that if it were not so impolitic, that federal government officials would have plenty to say about the lack of planning and organization on the city administrative level. I imagine that they would say that they had to go in and start completely over and do planning that, for other cities, would be considered pre-planning.
When the feds showed up to help Rudy's city he knew exactly what needed to be done. He knew where to place personnel. He knew how to get his people to react to and with the feds. He had good people in place who also had good people in place. When asked important questions Rudy had good informed answers. His city allowed the feds to work from the inside out. Because he was able to provide direction his city's torment was lessened. That, after all, was his job.
Yes, the feds were slow in New Orleans. But I don't think their speed was due to a lack of desire. But, instead, due to a lack of information that should have been available from the get-go. Because of a lack of organization on the ground the feds in New Orleans have to approach the problem from the outside in. And that always takes more time. Instead of knowing where to go first, the feds had to figure it out. And that always takes more time.
The Mayor of New Orleans can complain all he wants, but at some point he will have to answer questions about what he did to prepare his city for a disaster that everyone knew was looming.
I understand his frustration with a lack of federal response. I am frustrated too. But I do not see leadership from this man. He is dependent (and this I believe was his plan) on everyone else to get New Orleans out of this mess. There are things that New Orleans could have done in advance to minimize the problems with Command and Control. Predetermined command points in case of flooding, redundant radio or satellite communication systems, evacuation plans for those in the citizenry who have no transportation, evacuation plans for hospitals and the infirmed would all be the responsibility of the Mayor's office. But this mayor failed to prepare his city for a disaster that we have been warned about for years. In other words, the mayor of New Orleans failed to provide an infrastructure or plan to which federal agencies could be attached.
Granted doing these things might cost money that could be spent on hodge - podge projects to buy votes. But now what? Blame the federal government for not knowing where to find the helpless in New Orleans? Blame the federal government for not being able to communicate with police and fire personnel on the ground?
Rudy's city was not very well prepared for 9-11. But Rudy knew how to lead. And he led his people out of disaster. He put out a face and voice that was confident and reassuring. Yesterday the New Orleans mayor had a fit on the radio. It appears that he was upset, and again rightly so, about the slow response to the crisis. But again, what did his administration do to help contain the problem in advance? Nothing much is my guess. If FEMA shows up and says, "Where do you need the most help?" And the collective response is a panicked, "Everywhere!" Well, that's just not good information. I imagine that if it were not so impolitic, that federal government officials would have plenty to say about the lack of planning and organization on the city administrative level. I imagine that they would say that they had to go in and start completely over and do planning that, for other cities, would be considered pre-planning.
When the feds showed up to help Rudy's city he knew exactly what needed to be done. He knew where to place personnel. He knew how to get his people to react to and with the feds. He had good people in place who also had good people in place. When asked important questions Rudy had good informed answers. His city allowed the feds to work from the inside out. Because he was able to provide direction his city's torment was lessened. That, after all, was his job.
Yes, the feds were slow in New Orleans. But I don't think their speed was due to a lack of desire. But, instead, due to a lack of information that should have been available from the get-go. Because of a lack of organization on the ground the feds in New Orleans have to approach the problem from the outside in. And that always takes more time. Instead of knowing where to go first, the feds had to figure it out. And that always takes more time.
The Mayor of New Orleans can complain all he wants, but at some point he will have to answer questions about what he did to prepare his city for a disaster that everyone knew was looming.
posted by EduDude at 8:52 AM
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