"Dodged a bullet" - I hate to throw cold water on Franken et al...

[El Supremo]

Sure, it is obvious that several Bushistas used this phrase a a talking point to excuse the slow response. But Al Franken and others have looked only at newspaper headlines to debunk it.

Well, on Monday (Aug. 29) I went to bed relieved that the levees hadn't failed. I remember hearing that New Orleans had "dodged a bullet" on TV that night. It was probably on CNN. When I woke up and turned on the Today Show Tuesday morning I learned, to my sadness, that the levees had failed.

I'd like to hear what any of you remember.

Whatever the truth, FEMA should have been on the move as soon as the storm let up - even if 80% of New Orleans wasn't flooded.

[RandomKoolzip]

1. They shoulda been there BEFORE the flood.

A category 4 hurricane is STILL some serious shit, even without the flooding. Wind damage, etc.

[Garbo 2004]

18. FEMA had reps in NOLA before and during the storm. They weren't

dependent on newspapers/media for assessments of the situation.

[Teaser]

2. Listen harder

Chertoff claimed that he read the headline in several newspapers.

[ewagner]

5. Correct, that's the point

Chertoff lied.

[El Supremo]

6. I know, I know.

This statement was obviously fed to many people. But what is your memory from Monday night?

[geomon666]

3. I remember being up all day Monday

Heard levees were busting in the afternoon and people were begging for video footage and none was forthcoming until the next day.

[meganmonkey]

4. Soemone tracked down the headline on WorldNet Daily of all things

It's on a thread somewhere around here...

I don't remember hearing it from anyone other than bush, scotty mcpuffyface et. al.

I don't have cable though, nor do I generally watch TV news.

NPR was very careful, if I remember correctly - they never implied that all was well...they constantly referred to potential levee problems after the storm but before the flooding.

[flyarm]

12. world net daily! link

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46025

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN KATRINA'S WAKE
Hurricane slams ashore,
N'Orleans dodges bullet
Storm downgraded to Category 2, flooding traps residents on roofs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: August 29, 2005
12:10 p.m. Eastern

[tulsakatz]

7. everyone knew......

........that this was a category 4 or 5 and their levees could only withstand a category 3!!!

I'm sorry.....I just don't buy the 'we didn't know' argument!! Only an idiot would believe something like that!

[bigbrother05]

8. Chertoff said he saw it in the newspaper headlines

That's a direct statement that they are trying to debunk. No mention of hearing it the night before, etc. That's why he was 'surprised' by the news of the flooding Tuesday afternoon. Clueless and apparently a liar too.

[krkaufman]

9. Yeah, I remember hearing the same on TV on Monday...

... BUT FEMA SHOULDN'T BE MANAGING BY CABLE NEWS CONJECTURE...!!!

I expect that experts on the matter were still watching the levees, and hadn't felt they'd "turned the corner" -- to use a BushCo-ism.

[flyarm]

10. they should have been outside the effected area ready to go in

immediately!

i lived through the northridge earthquake..there is no warning of an earthquake and fema was there immediately within 2 hours of the earthquake they were walking down our streets looking for injured people! and shutting off gas lines!

in 2 hours!!

and it happened on Mlk day and it happened at 430-450am in the morning!!

they were WALKING THROUGH OUR STREETS WITH THEIR FEMA HATS AND SHIRTS!!!!!!!!!!! AND PORTABLE COMPUTERS!!

FLY

[back2basics909]

11. IF they had been there....

.. they would have know it did not dodge a bullet. Not all the damage was done by the levees breaking. Very few of the dead will have been from that. If they want to say they were sitting watching the news and reading the papers for their information, let them. It looks just as bad.

[flyarm]

15. they obviously ignored the federal national waeter report sent to

master * !!!!!!!!!!!!!

they counted on world net daily
news??

the only place in the usa that said NO had dodged a bullet!!

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46025

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN KATRINA'S WAKE
Hurricane slams ashore,
N'Orleans dodges bullet
Storm downgraded to Category 2, flooding traps residents on roofs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: August 29, 2005
12:10 p.m. Eastern

[flyarm]

17. i guess they didn't read anything but the headlines of

world net daily..because if they had read the next part of heading it said people traped on roofs with flooding!!

fly

[K-W]

13. Al looked at newspaper headlines because that was the claim.

He debunked it perfectly well.

[Blue_In_AK]

14. I remember hearing it on TV

but vaguely. I don't remember who said it. And it wasn't very long until the horrible truth was revealed.

[ClusterFreak]

16. Seems I remember hearing or reading that the first levee broke...

....late Monday morning??:shrug:

[Garbo 2004]

19. Damage and flooding happened during the storm. On Monday there were rpts

about the 17th street canal.

[GumboYaYa]

20. I heard that the levee was breached on Monday evening.

As soon as I heard it I knew that it was about to become a major tragedy and the news media simply did not get it. The stories of the levee breaking were not prominent and I could not figure out why people weren't screaming their heads off about it.

Regardless, it is something that people in emergency management should have know was a major problem as soon as it occurred. Every New Orleanian sure as shit did.

[chalky]

21. There's a slideshow a DUer posted last night

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4705232&mesg_id=4705232

If you go through the slideshow you'll see the people emerging after Katrina hit NO, relieved that it was over. The pictures show a lot of structural damage, but no flooding. Everyone was relieved--then the levee gave way.

It's an interesting chronicle--you'll even get a glimpse at that ever elusive creature, the "whitus lootericus".

[Ms. Clio]

22. On Monday night, I was reading reports here from local TV that the levees

had broken, water was rising, and hundreds were already clinging to their roofs.

That evening, FOX was relieved that the damage to oil infrastructure looked "minimal," and Nancy Grace was back in Aruba.

The levees broke Monday morning and afternoon.