Anyone is welcome to submit a Guest Blog Entry to torontomike.com. I received the following entry earlier today.
I wouldn't for a moment suggest that anyone suffering through the distaster that is New Orleans deserves it. Having said that though, honestly what did they expect?? There was plenty of advance warning, not to mention a mandatory evacuation order. So then everyone takes shelter in a single building, still located in the general vicinity of the disaster. Did no one expect that the power might go off? That the plumbing might not work? The current situation is the result of pretty much everyone from the federal government right down to the general populace dropping the ball and dropping it badly.
Mike H.
Many a ball was dropped, that's for certain. As I understand it, New Orleans was a city of very poor and very rich and a very wide gap between the two. The rich got out, and may never return. The poor, without automobiles, education or money, were willing to roll the dice and stay in their city.
This article was posted Sunday morning. The mandatory evacuation notice came down Sunday morning and the Louisiana Superdome was opened that day at noon as a "shelter of last resort". The mayor discouraged people from staying at the Superdome because there were few supplies and "people would not have access to power and possibly plumbing". So yes, there was a days warning but it clearly wasn't enough time and the message wasn't completely received. Again, many a ball was dropped. If only we could call a Mulligan and do this over.
