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State and Local Screwups

By stcynic on September 12, 2005.

FEMA is of course not the only agency to screw things up in handling the hurricane. Here's a great example of Gov. Blanco screwing up royally:

In emergencies like natural disasters it's normal for states to suspend this requirement and offer temporary reciprocity with the other 49 states, recognizing their licenses as being valid in the affected state. In an emergency, who cares where your doctor's license comes from? Usually this requires a proclamation from the governor stating that there's an emergency and that out-of-state licenses will temporarily be as good as in-state licenses.

In Louisiana, it took several days for the governor to issue such a proclamation. Meanwhile, doctors from all over the country just sat around in New Orleans, unable to do anything. Before you say "they should have helped people anyway" you should know a little about what could happen to them if they did. Practicing medicine without a license recognized in the state you're in is a major crime, usually a felony with a long prison sentence. Even if the state doesn't prosecute you for it, doing it voids your malpractice insurance which means you may lose your ability to practice anywhere.

Add to that the fact that it was state and local officials who refused to allow the Red Cross into the city to help people because it might encourage them to stay. And the fact tha the Governor of Louisiana could have ordered busses into New Orleans to take people out before the hurricane hit. There is more than enough blame to go around at all levels on this one.

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You are wrong about the reasons why Red Cross officials were asked to stay out of New Orleans. They were asked to stay out because their safety could not be guaranteed, according to Red Cross CEO Marsha Evans speaking on The Larry King Show. The statement that they were ordered to stay out because it might encourage people to stay is an after-the-fact Republican attempt to massage the message, aided by some sloppy wording in an interview by Evans on The O'Reilly Factor.

Paige wrote:

You are wrong about the reasons why Red Cross officials were asked to stay out of New Orleans. They were asked to stay out because their safety could not be guaranteed, according to Red Cross CEO Marsha Evans speaking on The Larry King Show. The statement that they were ordered to stay out because it might encourage people to stay is an after-the-fact Republican attempt to massage the message, aided by some sloppy wording in an interview by Evans on The O'Reilly Factor.

The statement came directly from the Red Cross, not from any pundit. It is still available on their website in this FAQ. The Red Cross themselves said, in response to the question of why they were not in New Orleans helping people immediately after the hurricane:

# Access to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.

# The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

I am guessing Mike Brown is taking a hit for the team on this one. I wonder what he got for resigning?