Politics | 08/28/2008 9:55 am

Louisiana Senator Leaving Denver Party for New Orleans Amid Gustav Warning

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu is making preparations to leave the Democrats’ big party in Denver to go home, as Hurricane Gustav gets stronger.

Politico.com reports that Landrieu’s aides confirm the Democratic senator is trying to leave the Democratic National Convention. Mayor Ray Nagin as well as Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby.

The storm — which has the potential to be a Category 3 hurricane — is threatening Landrieu’s hometown of New Orleans almost exactly three years from when Hurricane Katrina made landfall (August 29, 2005) and forever changed the Crescent City. Gustav could make landfall today, anywhere between the Florida Panhandle and Texas.

Landrieu has been a leading voice in Washington calling for the Gulf Coast recovery effort in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita — and has helped secure billions in recovery money. She also chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Disaster Recovery Subcommittee.

Read more about: Hurricane Gustav, Mary Landrieu, New Orleans, News, Politics, Weather

29 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Watching the weather channel with worry. Will the newly built walls keep the water out of New Orleans this time? The winds and water that come from the hurricane itself were awful all along the Gulf Coast three years ago and what a nightmare to think it may happen to some extent now. I wonder if the attitude of fear of the people living tin New Orleans will exist ? Holing people up in a stadium and then being afraid to take them water and provisions——I still cannot get over that our US citizens allowed that.—Hopefully individuals attitudes will be different this time and help people. WE, as a country are better than the outrage that happened 3 years ago.

By Dorothy S on 08/28/2008 9:22 am

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I fear for New Orleans if they take another direct hit. I am not confident that the levees will hold after the reports I have read about them. At least, FEMA is making better preparations.

By Diana T on 08/28/2008 10:11 am

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FEMA had better be prepared—after their disastrous criminally culpable lack after Katrina.

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 12:02 pm

Frank, I think they are already sending their people in. What a shame it was dis-mantled and put under the umbrella of Homeland Security. Did I ever tell you about the trip my sister and I took with HistoryAmerica 7 months later on a focus trip of the Mississippi floods of 1927 and then Katrina? We went on every levee from Memphis and then on all the broken ones in New Orleans, and got to know the damage on a fairly intimate basis with the various authorities that were involved. 7 mos. later, very little had been done in the cleanup. And, I saw exactly why the place flooded so badly. The Army Corp of Engineers was not well thought of at that time. But, it was a very interesting trip because it was on a first person basis, not just what was seen from the media. Sad, so sad….

By Diana T on 08/28/2008 12:12 pm

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The Army Corps of Engineers sucks big time—and they totally blew it where the levees are concerned. Are they ever thought well of? Out here all they do is try to straighten rivers and build dams which do so much to destroy fish spawning esp salmon. I have little use for them —either do most environmentalists.

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 12:24 pm

And where is Ray Nagin? It might be best if he stayed in Denver, where he can do less harm.

By Lucinda Herbert on 08/28/2008 10:20 am

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Agreed

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 12:03 pm

But he’s back in N.O. and seems to be a bit better prepared—buses ready trains for the elderly and sick—hospitals ready to evacuate and this time they have got it mostly together—it’s the Feds i worry about. but they seem to be better prepared—and seems is the operative word.

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 2:28 pm

I can tell you that one of my closest and best friends for over 15 years lives in Slidell, LA and they got hit hard when the levy broke…I was talking to him just yesterday about Guvtav and he said that the levys have been built back up to what they were before Katrina but that’s it…they are still “working” on making htem stronger so all they can do at this point is pray they hold up to this hurricane. I asked if most citizens learned from Katrina and are thinking about leaving and he said NO…he said that most people are looking at this one as being smaller than Katrina so it shouldnt and hopefully wont do as much damage… He said he and his family are working on an evac plan and that with them having a 1 1/2 year old he is thinking of moving here to VA…he doesnt want to go through a hurricane every 2-3 years that takes everything out. I just don’t understand how the Gov’t of LA could not make those levy’s any stronger in 3 years. Their Senator has raised all those funds, where are they being spent? Plus I didnt know how bad the super dome was until I started to watch the news…It was poor planning on all our parts but having friends that tried to go down there and help who got shot at by residents when they were trying to help them…that was when they said enough is enough. I dont think the American people let that happen…Their Gov’t over estimated the number of people that would need shelter and how they would act.

By C Hardy on 08/28/2008 10:24 am

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Where;s the money> in Louisiana it could be anywhere—one of the most corrupt of lal state governments in the country i’m afraid.

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 12:05 pm

Frank I know that and a lot of others know that so what was all the fuss about when their Gov’t who you yourself just called corrupt didnt do anything for them when Katrina hit? Why was that Bush’s fault? Why was it Bush’s fault that all those people were shipped to the SuperDome the way they were??? I mean if their Gov’t is so corrupt could it have been b/c their Gov’t didnt care then and the only reason they care now is b/c Katrina happened and they know they are under the light and have to act this way?

By C Hardy on 08/28/2008 12:17 pm

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How is it Bush’s fault—Michael Chertoff! You could look it up.

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 12:26 pm

C O, Mistakes were made, we all know by now, by both the city and state government. But, the biggest fiasco was FEMA, under Michael Brown. Please remember that when Homeland Security was enacted, this administration put FEMA under its umbrella. James Witt, who under the Clinton administration turned that department into a smooth, and very efficient operation, was very skeptical of doing this, testifying to that affect in 2004, and was most definitely proven correct during Katrina. When Witt was running FEMA, national guard, medical emergency corps, Army Corps, etc. were put into place IN ADVANCE of the coming storm, and that was not done prior to Katrina. The Bush administration was warned at least 2 yrs. before Katrina of the immense danger of New Orleans taking a direct hit, when it was discovered during a mock disaster trial run, and also when a massive report was released describing exactly what would happen. This administration either ignored or refused to go by the report; whatever, their part in the disaster was simply not performed in a timely manner. In addition, it was known PRIOR to Katrina, that certain levees in the system were not in good operating order. In addition, please note that there were pumps that could not withstand the additional wear and tear in trying to evacuate the flooding from the crack in lower 9th levee, and simply ceased to operate. So, yes, this Bush administration most definitely contributed to the demise of N. Orleans. Let’s just hope that this time around if it should happen, they have their act together.

By Diana T on 08/28/2008 1:07 pm

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Diana as I have said before I agree the Levy’s just weren’t up to par…they hadnt been for a very long time. It just angers me that we have been through how many Presidents that KNEW those levy’s weren’t up to par yet just b/c Katrina happened when Bush was in office he got the majority of the blame…I agree that FEMA didnt work as well as it should but then again when you have people who got all that FEMA money & used it for other things…when do we hold them accountable? I never said the Administration didnt help in the demise but to give them all the blame…Just b/c Bush was told about the Levy’s as was everyoen else…I guess it gets a little sickning when that is all you hear… I agree that in the wake of a natural disaster Forces should be put in place and it was sad that it was not done in this case…but again Katrina was a natural disaster and no one really knew what could happen. I mean we could have all been surprised and the levy’s stood up…but they didnt and the fact that it has taken them now 3 years just to get the levy’s back up to the way they were before Katrina…what help is that to them?

By C Hardy on 08/28/2008 1:25 pm

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Presidents only know how much they are told by advisers, etc—and the Corps of Engineers obviously lied and didn’t do their jobs —they built substandard levees and they were poorly maintained and inspected——and then Bush put Brown and Chertoff in charge of FEMA and that was the worst mistake of all—neither one had any experience in disaster preparedness—Brown ran horse shows for gods sake. And Chertoff was not mush better—that’s like putting a 5 yr old in charge of NASA—experienced persons are needed in depts like FEMA and they were no were near ready. ACtually they knew the force of Katrina before it hit and the path of the storm was tracked—had state and federal officialss been prepared the loss of life would have been minimized—1800 people died in Katrina and there was no need for that to happen.

By Frank Peterson on 08/28/2008 2:35 pm