This is Slow?

The usual reporting out there was the reaction by the Federal Government to the Katrina aftermath was slow. However, did you know

For instance, it took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in strength on the scene in Homestead, Fla. after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. But after Katrina, there was a significant National Guard presence in the afflicted region in three.

Journalists who are long on opinions and short on knowledge have no idea what is involved in moving hundreds of tons of relief supplies into an area the size of England in which power lines are down, telecommunications are out, no gasoline is available, bridges are damaged, roads and airports are covered with debris, and apparently have little interest in finding out.

So they libel as a "national disgrace" the most monumental and successful disaster relief operation in world history.

Source: Jack Kelly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - No shame-The federal response to Katrina was not as portrayed

What I find real ironic is we hear Nagin, Blanco, and Landrieu and their defenders say yeah we had those busses but where would the drivers have come from? But then they turn around and were demanding a whole corps of National Guardsmen the day after Katrina came through. Of course the stories circulating are that up to 2/3rds of the NOLA police force deserted their posts (however, I place little faith in that but numbers like 20%-30% seem more reasonable to me). Our nation saluted the bravery of the New York City Police and Fire Fighters, now we have the same departments in NOLA giving these vocations a black eye.

I also suppose the decision to deny the Red Cross access to the Superdome should be investigated.