This weblog had moved: http://www.coolweblog.com/bilodeau/

# I'm getting tired of this : In reading up on the wake of Hurricane Katerina, I've come across a sentiment that runs counter the idea that the blame for the impact and lack of recovery should be laid at the feet at all level of governments. My own experience with the ice storm we had a few years back resonates with this: to place all your trust in the authorities, to assume that someone is taking care of it, that there are proper contingency plans in place, and that the will and the means to carry them out exist, is a mistake. You can punish them in the voting booth, but for the moment, the only person that is going to save you is you.

Having said that, I believe that the governments must be held accountable, since it is their responsibility to do whatever they can to minimize the risk of such situations occurring and to react in an effective manner if they do. This has clearly not happening in the case of New Orleans. The lack of both leadership and action is disgusting, and the appropriate people should be held accountable.

Aside: Anderson Cooper looses it on head-in-the-sand suck-up politico (mov, via Robot Widsom)

Part of the problem, I believe, is that bureaucracies, by their very nature, are not sympathetic to individual cases. They look at the big picture. How many people live in New Orleans? About 1.3 million (in the greater area). How many people are stranded there? 50,000? (I can't get an accurate count... there are apparantly ~30k at the Superdome...) That under 4% of the population, and may also consist of people who arguably bear some responsibility for not having evacuated when they were told to. "Well, we DID tell them to leave!" From the bureaucratic perspective, detatched from the reality that these people are suffering, this must be an acceptable situation. No need to freak out, everything is ok.

Look, it's either that or the government organizations are grossly, almost criminally, incompetent.