“Bumbling by top disaster-management officials fueled a perception of general inaction, one that was compounded by impassioned news anchors. In fact, the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest—and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history, with nearly 100,000 emergency personnel arriving on the scene within three days of the storm’s landfall.”Certainly, it seems hard to categorize 100,000 workers as an abandonment. Unlike many in the media that make such bold statements without verification, PM backed up its position with actual facts. How refreshing:
“Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day—some just 2 hours after Katrina hit the coast. Hoistless Army helicopters improvised rescues, carefully hovering on rooftops to pick up survivors. On the ground, ‘guardsmen had to chop their way through, moving trees and recreating roadways,’ says Jack Harrison of the National Guard. By the end of the week, 50,000 National Guard troops in the Gulf Coast region had saved 17,000 people; 4000 Coast Guard personnel saved more than 33,000.”As the proof is often in the pudding, PM bolstered its view on this myth with the following conclusion:
“While the press focused on FEMA’s shortcomings, this broad array of local, state and national responders pulled off an extraordinary success—especially given the huge area devastated by the storm. Computer simulations of a Katrina-strength hurricane had estimated a worst-case-scenario death toll of more than 60,000 people in Louisiana. The actual number was 1077 in that state.”
“Though many accounts portray Katrina as a storm of unprecedented magnitude, it was in fact a large, but otherwise typical, hurricane. On the 1-to-5 Saffir-Simpson scale, Katrina was a midlevel Category 3 hurricane at landfall. Its barometric pressure was 902 millibars (mb), the sixth lowest ever recorded, but higher than Wilma (882mb) and Rita (897mb), the storms that followed it. Katrina’s peak sustained wind speed at landfall 55 miles south of New Orleans was 125 mph; winds in the city barely reached hurricane strength.The reality is that had the levees held there would have been comparatively little damage to New Orleans as a result of this storm. However, in PM’s view, there is another issue raised by this disaster that has gone largely ignored:
“By contrast, when Hurricane Andrew struck the Florida coast in 1992, its sustained winds were measured at 142 mph. And meteorologists estimate that 1969’s Category 5 Hurricane Camille, which followed a path close to Katrina’s, packed winds as high as 200 mph.”
“According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the Atlantic is in a cycle of heightened hurricane activity due to higher sea-surface temperatures and other factors. The cycle could last 40 years, during which time the United States can expect to be hit by dozens of Katrina-size storms. Policymakers-and coastal residents-need to start seeing hurricanes as routine weather events, not once-in-a-lifetime anomalies.”
“Most of the New Orleans floodwall failures occurred when water up to 25 ft. high overtopped the barriers, washing out their foundations. But three breached floodwalls-one in the 17th Street Canal and two in the London Avenue Canalshowed no signs of overtopping. Accusations of malfeasance were born after the Army Corps of Engineers released seismic data suggesting that the sheet-pile foundations supporting those floodwalls were 7 ft. shorter than called for in the designa possible cause for collapse. In December 2005, PM watched Corps engineers pull four key sections of the 17th Street Canal foundation out of the New Orleans mud. The sections were more than 23 ft. long-as per design specifications. ‘I had heard talk about improper building before the sheet-pile pull,’ the Corps’ Wayne Stroupe says. ‘But not much since.’”Myth #4: “'They have people … been in that frickin’ Superdome for five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people.’—New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Sept. 6, 2005”
"Both public officials and the press passed along lurid tales of post-Katrina mayhem: shootouts in the Superdome, bodies stacked in a convention center freezer, snipers firing on rescue helicopters. And those accounts appear to have affected rescue efforts as first responders shifted resources from saving lives to protecting rescuers."In reality, although looting and other property crimes were widespread after the flooding on Monday, Aug. 29, almost none of the stories about violent crime turned out to be true:
"Col. Thomas Beron, the National Guard commander of Task Force Orleans, arrived at the Superdome on Aug. 29 and took command of 400 soldiers. He told PM that when the Dome’s main power failed around 5 am, ‘it became a hot, humid, miserable place. There was some pushing, people were irritable. There was one attempted rape that the New Orleans police stopped.’”What were some of the other numbers?
“The only confirmed account of a weapon discharge occurred when Louisiana Guardsman Chris Watt was jumped by an assailant and, during the chaotic arrest, accidently shot himself in the leg with his own M-16.Some mayhem, huh? And how about the supposed anarchy in the streets, or snipers shooting at rescue operators?
“When the Superdome was finally cleared, six bodies were found—not the 200 speculated. Four people had died of natural causes; one was ruled a suicide, and another a drug overdose. Of the four bodies recovered at the convention center, three had died of natural causes; the fourth had sustained stab wounds.”
“‘The vast majority of people [looting] were taking food and water to live,’ says Capt. Marlon Defillo, the New Orleans Police Department’s commander of public affairs. ‘There were no killings, not one murder.’ As for sniper fire: No bullet holes were found in the fuselage of any rescue helicopter.”Myth #5: “‘The failure to evacuate was the tipping point for all the other things that … went wrong.’—Michael Brown, former FEMA director, Sept. 27, 2005”
“When Nagin issued his voluntary evacuation order, a contraflow plan that turned inbound interstate lanes into outbound lanes enabled 1.2 million people to leave New Orleans out of a metro population of 1.5 million. ‘The Corps estimated we would need 72 hours [to evacuate that many people],’ says Brian Wolshon, an LSU civil engineer. ‘Instead, it took 38 hours.’”
“Later investigations indicated that many who stayed did so by choice. ‘Most people had transportation,’ says Col. Joe Spraggins, director of emergency management in Harrison County, Ala. ‘Many didn’t want to leave.’ Tragic exceptions: hospital patients and nursing home residents.”Myth #6: “‘We will rebuild [the Gulf Coast] bigger and better than ever.’—Haley Barbour, Miss. Gov., The Associated press, Sept. 3, 2005”
“Just 1 to 2 percent of claims were from ‘repetitive-loss properties’-those suffering damage at least twice in a 10-year period. Yet, those 112,000 properties generated a remarkable 40 percent of the losses-$5.6 billion. One homeowner in Houston filed 16 claims in 18 years, receiving payments totaling $806,000 for a building valued at $114,000. “Just as significantly, the five Gulf Coast states accounted for half the total of repetitive-loss costs nationwide. Taxpayers across the country are paying for a minute number of people to rebuild time and time again in the path of hurricanes.”
“Folks in Tornado Alley and along the San Andreas fault don’t get federally backed insurance, so why should taxpayers subsidize coastal homes, many of them vacation properties?”Great question. So, what’s the answer that PM offered which few media would have the guts to espouse?
“Before we start rebuilding ‘bigger and better,’ Congress should reform the flood insurance program. A good start: Structure premiums so the program is actuarially sound and clamps down on repetitive claims.”Myth #7: “‘You have a major energy network that is down … We could run out of gasoline or diesel or jet fuel in the next two weeks here.’—Roger Diwan, managing director, Oil Markets Group, PFC Energy, Business Week, Sept. 1, 2005”
“Initially, the pictures from the gulf looked bleak: oil rigs washed up along the coast, production platforms wrecked. In truth, Katrina inflicted minimal damage to the offshore energy infrastructure. Only 86 of the gulf’s 4000 drilling rigs and platforms were damaged or destroyed, and most of those were older, fixed platforms atop unproductive wells.”Read the entire story here.
With the special election in Tennessee House District 62 now in the books, the real political surprise from that campaign comes not merely in the victory for Republican Pat Marsh, but in its size and scale: Marsh, with an unofficial total of 4,931 votes district-wide (56 percent), defeated Democratic nominee Ty Cobb, with 3,663 votes (41 percent), and Constitution Party candidate Chris Brown, with 255 (3 percent). Some Democrats,doubtless not a few liberals in the Tennessee blogosphere, will attempt to spin this result in a myriad of ways, but however one might choose to define its meaning, a 15-percentage point difference in an off-year legislative special election involving the incumbent's brother is a thorough shellacking. If the press wants to discuss bellwethers, this vote didn't look good at all for Tennessee Democrats. Pat Marsh ran, by all accounts, a decent campaign but not a great one. A great campaign is what a candidate would normally need to upend an opponent with a strong family name in an area prone to putting families in positions of authority, not to mention being a Republican in a constituency that almost routinely sends a Democrat-even a conservative one-to the Tennessee House of Representatives. Read the entire story here.And in Oklaholma the Republican Party picked up another seat to further pad their already large majority in the State House of Representatives:
Russ won 56 percent of the vote in a largely Democratic district. House District 55, held by a Democrat since 1965. Democrats outnumber Republicans by a 2-1 margin in the district, which covers Washita County and parts of Caddo, Canadian and Kiowa counties. Russ, 48, will succeed Ryan McMullen, a Democrat, who resigned the House seat in July to take a federal post. Russ, a member of the Cordell City Council, will resign his city post before taking his oath as a state legislator. The Republican State Leadership Committee, the nation’s largest caucus of Republican state leaders, issued a statement congratulating Russ for his win. “His victory in this overwhelmingly Democratic district sends a clear message that individuals want the ability to determine their own destiny by electing state leaders who understand the importance of a limited government,” said Republican State Leadership Committee President Scott Ward. “During these challenging economic times, Todd will get to work with his colleagues in the Oklahoma House to ensure that elected leaders help create an environment where the economy can grow and individuals prosper.” Russ’ special election victory is the 20th win for Republicans in state legislative special elections across the country the November elections, according to the Republican State Leadership Committee. Its goal is to elect Republicans to the office of attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and state legislator. Read the entire story here.
There is a true grass roots effort going on in this country now. No it is not the opposition to the Health Care bill or the uprising against the Cap and Tax bill. There is a grass roots effort to help President Obama Win the Heisman Trophy. As sponsor of the Heisman Trophy, Nissan is given one vote. The other 870 votes are spread out among sportswriters. Once Nissan's vote goes to President Obama the groundswell will be overwhelming and across the country sportswriters will be forced to vote for President Obama as the 2009 Heisman Trophy Winner. Cast your Write In Vote for President Obama here. under the field "Type your entry here". Nearly 60% of adults are married, 10.4% are separated or divorced, 6.6%Read more about it here:
are widowed, 19% are never married and 5.7% are living with a partner.
Marital status varies greatly among race/ethnic groups: approximately 61
percent of white adults, 58 percent of Hispanic adults, and 38 percent of
black adults are married, according to the survey.
Married adults are less likely than other adults to be in fair or poor
health, and are less likely to suffer from health conditions such as
headaches and serious psychological distress.
Married adults are less likely be limited in various activities, including
work and other activities of daily living.
Married adults are less likely to smoke, drink heavily or be physically
inactive. However, married men are more likely to be overweight or obese
than other men.
Adults who live in cohabiting relationships are more likely to have health
problems than married adults and more closely resemble divorced and
separated adults.
The association between marital status and health is most striking in the
youngest age group although it persists throughout the age groups studied.
Single people may simply not know what's good for them, a recent group of studies suggests. A body of demographic research presented at the conference of the Population Association of America here today indicates that marriage offers dramatic emotional, financial and even health benefits over the single life and cohabitation. "Cohabitation has some but not all of the benefits of marriage," said Linda Waite, the association's president, in an address to members in which she argued that the married enjoy better health, more money and more satisfying sex. An enhanced commitment that comes naturally with marriage, she said, increases all levels of the support that individuals bring to their relationship and lives. "Cohabitation does not generally imply a lifetime commitment to stay together," she said. "Cohabitants are more likely to assume that each partner is responsible for supporting him or herself." Dr. Waite, a professor of sociology at the University of Chicago whose research focuses on family structure, drew from various resources in her work, including the National Survey of Families and Households, a sampling of 13,000 adults, which was conducted in the late 1980's, with a followup in the early 1990's. In terms of money, her research found that married couples were generally more financially well off than couples who simply lived together, because they were much more likely to pool money and invest in the future than were couples who merely cohabitated. Increased material well being, she argued, trickles down into investments in better medical care, safer surroundings, better food and other things that raise the standard of living and reduce stress. Read about it here.
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