Why didn't anyone send more buses to the Superdome earlier?

Question

The whole Katrina/New Orleans thing has been bungled on so many different levels it boggles the mind. But one issue, in particular, simply blows me away every time I think about it:

Why did it take so long to send buses to get folks out of the Superdome and Convention Center?!

We move 50-60,000 people out of stadiums literally every day in America. And given the road to the Superdome remained open, at least as I understand it, I simply can't comprehend why 2000 buses weren't sent to New Orleans within 1-2 days.

While that may seem like a lot of buses, it's not much more than the number of school buses and public buses in most major cities. So why weren't all buses in cities commandered and sent into action as "rescue vehicles".

Does anyone have a cite to an article that specifically addresses that issue?

Answer 1

I don't have an article, but I was listening to NPR last night, and the commentator was saying the evacuation was really bungled due to an organization and communication problem. No one took charge and said, hey I'm running the show, get 2000 buses and send them down, because no one felt they were in charge. FEMA, State & local police, National Guard, all were not sure what the other guys were doing and so waited for overall direction, which never really came.

Answer 2

I would be very surprise if the senator will be reelected. This should have being his/her job to “shout” as hard as she could and then a bit more- she is the communicator to all federal issues and she failed miserably. The senator should have called to all the near by cities/states and ask for rescue buses, call the army/national guard to have an thousand of transport aircraft to be able to take as much people as possible to near by states.





No doubt, FEMA has a lot to be blame too, but I think that locally that was the senator job to manage and to raise all the red flags.

Answer 3

Rising gas prices and the dwindling value of the US dollar.