Yea, we all know Brownie did a “heckuva” job (Dems Nagin and Blanco were real winners too). I’m sure Trump is going to work his magic on FEMA just like so many other federal departments. He’ll probably destroy it when it’s needed most, as Trump’s climate change denial will contribute to more frequent disasters and not just in flood-pron areas like NO. Deaths from the irresponsible climate policies of mainly Republicans are sure to multiply as a result. That disaster responses aren’t good enough just adds horrible insult to injury. The ideological point scoring in all this is going on at in the White House! As for distorting facts, he’s the goddamn liar in chief, ffs.

First of all, the disaster was not due to a relatively typical hurricane (Cat 3 at landfall), but rather due to shoddy engineering; a poorly planned and executed evacuation; and foolish personal decisions to ignore evacuation warnings — all of that on top of the hubris of building a town below sea level in the first place. So you need a more apt anecdote to go with your fable.

More importantly, it is obscene and outrageous to allege that little was done to save lives. There is no room for excuses, but neither is there room to distort facts or exploit suffering in order to score ideological points.

Hear, hear.

A perfect example is one where the disaster could clearly be seen to be coming, yet we still did little to save innocent lives when it did. There was truly no excuse.

Happy to debate the wrongs of building in flood pron areas, and how many more areas not currently flood pron are becoming so as we refuse to take the level of carbon in the atmosphere seriously. In other words, what the best strategies are for adaption to climate change as well as avoidance. But when the disasters occur along the way, as they will in greater numbers because your lot actively block actions that would help, then we need to just shut up for a while save lives. That is, if we have any humanity at all.

Just struck by the irony of your citing an avoidable and wholly man-made disaster: a disaster waiting to happen, and one abetted, natch, by pandering politicians.

That you are happy to leave people to die in a disaster says it all really.

Right. Because you can’t call it equality until everyone who wants one gets a taxpayer subsidy to live in a swamp below sea level without ever being troubled when gravity ensues.

Of course, there will be an impact on wealthy nations like the US too, just not so much on the rich. Unworthy poor folk who live in coastal areas will increasingly be abandoned by the govt in the wake of more violent hurricanes, just as the victims of Katrina were by Bush.

The climate change issue is going to be an even bigger issue than Trump not delivering on his promises. It’s very frustrating the way the GOP talks about it. Some are starting to say there “might” be something in it, but they remain skeptical because the scientists aren’t in agreement. It seems every scientists has to come up with exactly the same results from their modelling before even the persuadeable ones will accept it. Those few who recognize it’s an issue are then demonized by many for buying into the “socialist” agenda.

Tweet I posted yesterday on climate change: https://twitter.com/HeatherHastie/status/823663037726892032

Yes. The US always has the upper hand because it is the biggest economy and thus negotiates from a position of strength. And, they take advantage of the fact that we all want access to their huge wealthy population for our exporters.