Slow response to Katrina, Interview with Mayor Nagin, and Nat. Guard Shortages

This opinion piece in the Guardian by the former editor of the NYT pays tribute to the city of new orleans while mourning its fate.

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Mayor Ray Nagin interview transcript

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/”>
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/
Five part series that shows the knowledge of what was needed to be done to prevent just what has happened was there long before Katrina hit.

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The Democrats provide the following bits of information:

National Guard Units In US Recently Forced To Give Up Equipment. Already suffering from manpower shortages, the National Guard’s overstretched forces are being confronted with another problem: not enough equipment to supply Guard troops at home. “To fully equip troops in Iraq, the Pentagon has stripped local Guard units of about 24,000 pieces of equipment. That has left Guard units at home, already seriously short of gear.” [Detroit Free Press, 6/13/05]

The GAO Found Army Reserve Facing Increasing Equipment Shortages. In July 2005, the GAO found that “Army Reserve units are not generally allotted all of the equipment they need to deploy.” Since September 11th, commanders have required deploying units to have 90 percent of their required equipment, yet in February 2005 the Army Reserve reported it had about 76 percent of the equipment it requires, an estimate that includes older equipment. [GAO, “An Integrated Plan is Needed to Address Army Reserve Personnel and Equipment Shortages.” Rpt # GAO-05-660, 7/12/05]

Nearly Half of Army Reserve Equipment Needs to be Repaired. The Army Reserve estimates that “currently as much as 44 percent of its equipment needs servicing.” [GAO, “An Integrated Plan is Needed to Address Army Reserve Personnel and Equipment Shortages.” Rpt # GAO-05-660, 7/12/05]

Hurricane Katrina