Citizens Stranded in New Orleans: “One of the Worst Abandonments of Americans on American Soil Ever”

The president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, Aaron Broussard, just
issued an emotional appeal on NBC’s Meet the Press. By the end, he was
completely broken down, sobbing uncontrollably:

[Crooks and Liars, as always, has the video.]

RUSSERT:
You just heard the director of homeland security’s explanation of what
has happened this last week. What is your reaction?

BROUSSARD:
We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go
down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American
coast. But the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as
one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in
U.S. history. ... Whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that
totem pole needs to be chainsawed off and we’ve got to start with some
new leadership. It’s not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in
New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now.

Broussard then discussed the difficulties local authorities had with FEMA, including one case where they actually posted armed guards to keep FEMA from cutting their communications lines:

Three quick examples. We had
Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They
said we didn’t need them. This was a week ago. FEMA, we had 1,000
gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish.
When we got there with our trucks, FEMA says don’t give you the fuel. Yesterday
– yesterday - FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication
lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back
in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards and said no one is
getting near these lines...

Finally, Broussard told the tragic personal story of a colleague, and broke down:

I
want to give you one last story and I’ll shut up and let you tell me
whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I’m in,
Emergency Management, he’s responsible for everything. His mother was
trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and
said, “Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?” and he said, “Yeah,
Mama, somebody’s coming to get you.” Somebody’s coming to get you on
Tuesday. Somebody’s coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody’s coming
to get you on Thursday. Somebody’s coming to get you on Friday... and she
drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night! [Sobbing] Nobody’s
coming to get us. Nobody’s coming to get us. The Secretary has
promised. Everybody’s promised. They’ve had press conferences. I’m sick
of the press conferences. For god’s sakes, just shut up and send us
somebody.

www.thinkprogress.org/2005/09/04/worst-abandonments/