School Buses Not Good Enough

Published on September 8, 2005 By Island Dog In Politics

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin garnered a ton of publicity with a profanity-laced interview he gave to WWL radio last Thursday, where he blasted President Bush and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco for not coming to rescue his city in time.

However, Nagin's most newsworthy comments - where he explained why he didn't used hundreds of city school buses to evacuate his city's flood victims - went almost unnoticed.

Turns out, Nagin turned his nose up at the yellow buses, demanding more comfortable Greyhound coaches instead. "I need 500 buses, man," he told WWL. "One of the briefings we had they were talking about getting, you know, public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people out of here."

Nagin described his response:

"I'm like - you've got to be kidding me. This is a natural disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."

While Nagin was waiting for his Greyhound fleet, Katrina's floodwaters swamped his school buses, rendering them unusable.

Link

Comments (Page 1)

joeKnowledge

on Sep 08, 2005

LOL

This is why I blaim him more than anyone else. someoone commented that 700 busses wouldn't hold 3500 people... what kind of math is that? Each bus could hold 40 people so clearly that is not 3500 it more like 28000. Greyhound buses can hold more people (around 47 sitting and maybe 17 standing), but are you going to wait for a for profit business to send buses to you? Into danger? Loosing money, damaging buses AND possible loss of revenue?????

I saw the traffic jam on the highways leading out of NO, and I was amazined as to the emptiness of the other side of the road. Those buses could have been using one or 2 lanes of that part of the road and still leave room for emergency vehicles.

So many things could have been done. The governer seemed to be lost as to who was conroling what, NO was long known by many to be in danger even by FEMA because of the levee system and other factors, the major of NO is a dumbass... so many wrongs.

Baub

on Sep 08, 2005

Each bus could hold 40 people so clearly that is not 3500 it more like 28000.

Don't forget, they buses can be used for more than one trip. To Baton Rouge and back is a 2 hour trip, so in the days before the storm hit, alot of people could have been evacuated and the buses saved for any help needed after the storm.

Dr Guy

on Sep 08, 2005

Nagin is a total jerk. Maybe we can send New Orleans Doug Wilder. He would have kicked some ass and taken names, and there would have been a lot feweer people haning around the Superdome on the day after.

Hep me! Hep Me! I am a wounded duck, see my boken wang? Right Nagin.

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

There are no words that would accurately portray the contempt I have for that idiot ignoramus. None. He screwed the people of his city by failing to utilize his resources, instead demanding that everyone else rush to assist in cleaning up his mess. He HAD all those buses at his disposal; he could easily have used those to make 2 or three trips each and get a LOT more folks out of town. Like JoeK said, there were lanes coming into N.O. that could have been utilized specifically for buses evacuating people out of the city., making it possible for each bus to make a couple of trips out.

He's an idiot.

joeKnowledge

on Sep 08, 2005

LOL
I probably shouldn't make fun of the mayor of NO but when I hear him talking I feel very uneasy. He seems to talk as if he is around the way instead of more stately (I think he can still be 'cool' or 'in touch' and talk stately at the same time... others do it)

The buses could have made 2 trips at least, and with a special area of the highway for them, the trip would have been faster than 2 hours.

So instead of 28000 people, we are not talking about 84000 people (4 hours round trip per bus for a 12 hour period).

Makes you think doesn't it? Plus those buses could have been used for the aftermath AND they would not have been destroyed because they would not have been in the parking lot just sitting there.

so you save lives AND your school buses... dumbass.

Island Dog

on Sep 08, 2005

This is why I blaim him more than anyone else. someoone commented that 700 busses wouldn't hold 3500 people... what kind of math is that?

I can think of two people ignorant enough to comment like that.

But it's still Bush's fault.

dharmagrl

on Sep 08, 2005

But it's still Bush's fault.

I think I should market a bumper sticker with 'lest we forget.....it's all Bush's fault' on it.

bakerstreet

on Sep 08, 2005

If this kind of politics lasts, I think I am going to run for office. Apparently you can blame anything on the President and it sticks. Heck, if I can win as a Democrat, they won't even believe that I did anything wrong...

drmiler

on Sep 08, 2005

Actually no. We're talking about 28,000 per trip. At 4 trips for each of the 700 buses that's 112,000

joeKnowledge

on Sep 09, 2005

I ment 3 trips of which equals 84,000. 4 hours to and from during a 12 hour period. The forth trip would go into the 16th hour, but from what I hear, the mandatory evacuation was given 24 hours befor the storm hit so between loading the buses, and unloading them, and telling people about the buses, you might actually make 3 round trips (well, 2 and a half because your not going to return the buses back to the parking lot are you?)

drmiler

on Sep 09, 2005

ment 3 trips of which equals 84,000. 4 hours to and from during a 12 hour period. The forth trip would go into the 16th hour, but from what I hear, the mandatory evacuation was given 24 hours befor the storm hit so between loading the buses, and unloading them, and telling people about the buses, you might actually make 3 round trips (well, 2 and a half because your not going to return the buses back to the parking lot are you?)

Yeah but Baton Rouge is only an hour away. 2 hour round trip. 4 trips 8 hours.

Island Dog

on Sep 09, 2005

Where are the liberals and democrats about this?

drmiler

on Sep 09, 2005

Where are the liberals and democrats about this

Who you talking about? The liberal "moon bats"?

COL Gene

on Sep 09, 2005

There were two phases to the response of this storm. The pre storm actions which were not effective and were the responsibility of the local and state officials. However, after the storm, when the local and state assets were impacted by the storm, the Fed FAILED. Yes the local, state and Federal response was a Failure!

Yes the 700 busses could have helped if they could have gotten the people into the busses. They can not even get the people out of New Orleans now.

This is a failure of the Mayor, three Governors and the President. They all failed America!

Dr Guy

on Sep 09, 2005

the President. They all failed America!

WOW! What a revelation coming from you.

Now I know the president did not fail, for the 'wrong' barometer has just told us so.

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