Is President Bush truly to blame for the disaster that happened during and after Huricane Katrina?

Question

I seem to remember it took a long time for the Governor of Louisiana to ask for help, and the Mayor of New Orleans did not tell people to leave until the very last minute. And why aren't individual states and municipalities (especially those prone to flooding and huricanes!!) responsible for preparing for these disasters, and for the inevitable clean up afterward.
I'm sorry for the people who lost their homes and/or family members, but after 2 years and millions of our nation's tax dollars, something's gotta give.

Answer 1

You hit the nail right on the head!!!!!!! Nagan is the one mostly responsible for the plight of his city. If he had asked for help sooner his citizens would be better off by now!!!!!

Answer 2

The only thing that President Bush can be faulted for was the response by FEMA and actions taken by Brown who was in charge of the FEMA response. Other then that the main people who should be faulted would be the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana....Those two people were in charge evacuation setting up shelters providing aid to those in need, and delegating the Federal money that they requested to help clean up and rebuild New Orleans and Louisiana....The rest of the blame should be focused on those people who did not evacuate and opted to the stay at home and ride the storm out....They know the city is below sea level and also that Katrina was a dangerous storm....They should have left days before the storm made landfall its no fault of there own......and if they needed help well they should have contacted family members to help them get out way in advance!!!

Answer 3

In answer to your question, Not even close!
Now for the rest of it You put the blame where the blame is due! Some people say things that make it sound like the President is able to walk in the position of God even to the point of blaming him for making the disaster happen. It is also not the Presidents fault that the people of New Orleans decided to live below sea level. That was a disaster waiting to happen and the Governor & Mayor should have done something about it long ago.
I visited New Orleans 27 years ago with my mom who grew up there. We went to the levee's and I couldn't believe that people would build their house just the other side?!?

Answer 4

New Orleans sits 8 feet BELOW sea level, there is an ocean and a HUGE lake surrounding them. Hello if you weren't prepared for something like that to occur then you get no sympathy from me. The French who settled New Orleans knew it was a disaster waiting to happen. The levee's that protected the town were only rated for category 3 hurricanes nothing more. It was only a matter of time before this occurred, should have been more prepared is all I got to say.

Answer 5

I agree Louisiana, should quit blaming everything on the President, it's not his fault that their levee's didn't hold. It's not his fault that everyone their ignored the warning and did not get out. The State of Louisiana, if the "walls" around the the city and area would've held to it's so called standards, then their damage would've been very minimal. So in this case, really, who do you poiont a finger at? I mean I live on the coast and work offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, I know personally several people that had catastrophic damage, a guy that I work with lost his whole house and he and many other I know live on coastal Mississippi. Why do we never hear anything about the Coast.

Answer 6

I am sure all involved are to share some blame. Things just did not go in perfect order after the disaster of Hurricane Katrina. The President however seems to be the first target for any blame. not just for the Hurricane Katrina. The "it is all Bushes fault" mentality. is to say the least :getting nonsensical We all agree that there should be more help going there and for other
needs at home, such as infrastructure etc.

Answer 7

No, it is stated in the Constitution that the U.S. government is not supposed to intervene with the lives of it citizens. That is why soldiers can not enter your house in time of war or disasters. It is the responsibility of the State's representative to ask for the help of the government. The U.S. government has no responsibility to take action in the event of a disaster legally. They only help when asked to....So no the President is not responsible for what happened and still is not obligated to help by way of the Constitution.

Answer 8

I dont think you can blame the president because the president cant control the weather. Those people watched the news or listened to it. They knew Katrina was unpredictable yet chose to stay and not do anything until they were told to. I to am sorry for those who lost homes but they need to get a job and stop sitting there complaining the government is doing nothing to help. HELP YOURSELVES people.

Answer 9

I think that all we can blame President Bush for (and I'm not a Bush fan, but honest) is the failure of FEMA. Obviously, the man he appointed to be in charge of FEMA, Brown, was not the right man for that particular job. But there is blame enough to go around. I don't think any of the citizens or officials thought it was going to be as bad as it was. And then when it was the were sort of in shock. They should have acted (Governor & Mayor) much sooner.

Answer 10

FEMA screwed up for sure, but the main fault lies with the state and local government i.e. Blanco and Nagin. I still think they should be charged with homocide for this fiasco.

Also, where are the LibDem majority leaders that promised to right all of the wrongs in this country if they were voted in......why arent they spearheading getting N.O. fixed up again instead of wasting time trying to cut and run from Iraq?