I Get it, but Still.....

All the evacuees are now up in arms because they are not being allowed back in to New Orleans.  Even though many neighboring parishes are allowing their residents to return at sunrise tomorrow, Mayor Nagin has decided that non-essential persons will not be allowed back into New Orleans until midnight Wednesday. The Governer has left the decision to the local governments,  a decision with which Miss Ginger tends to agree.

She get Nagin's point.  Most homes have no power,  and therefore no air conditioning. (Have you ever been in an un-air conditioned building when it 90+ degrees outside?!) There are no grocery stores or gas stations open.  And because most other businesses are closed and unprotected as well,  he feels (jusifiably, IMGG'sHO) that he needs to keep the curfews in place.  Curfews are a hell of a lot easier to enforce when no one is around!

She also get the evacuees' point.  The shelters are crowded,  uncomfortable,  and offer absolutely no privacy. 

 

Those who had friends or family may have imposed upon them to avoid the public shelters,  but that still causes to above problems,  perhaps to a lesser degree.  But then the feeling of imposition kicks in, which adds insult to injury.  And even those who chose hotels probably did so on a sort of self imposed "sliding scale",  meaning that to the ones sheltered in a Motel 6 or LaQuinta,  the financial difficulty is perhaps even more real than the ones who selected more expensive lodging. The traffic was hideous getting out,  and it's likely to be even worse getting back! Even withcontraflow,  it's gonna get ugly!

So again Nagin finds himself the subject of criticism.  Many evacuees are saying that it took them weeks to return after Katrina and now, after this experience,  they will never evacuate again. Even an extremely irresponsible reporter in the Times Picayune wrote a "smart ass" column saying he will never leave again. Miss G  think's he is an asshole,  but she won't go so far as to say she'll be looking for him on his roof the next time there is  hurricane coverage on CNN. Oops, I guess she just did.

To make matters even worse,  "the Train they call The City of New Orleans"

was used to transport critical care and special needs patients to Memphis for safety.  Well,  the tracks were damaged by the hurricane,  so now they will have to find another way to get them home!

So, for what it's worth,  here's what Miss G thinks should happen.

1.  Nagin should stand his ground and run the city as he sees fit until he thinks it's safe enough for everyone to come home.  They elected him to represent them, so stand back and let him represent!

2.  The people of New Orleans should cut Nagin some slack and give him a chance to prove he learned from his mistakes.  None of this is his fault!

3.  The state government needs to figure out what role they are going to play in this type of crisis.  IMGG'sHO they have pushed all of the responsibility to execute down to the parish and city level,  and the responsibility to fund everything up to the Federal level.  I guess that leaves them free to sit in the Governer's Mansion in Baton Rouge eating bonbons.

4. The Federal Government needs to ensure that all expenses incurred by the citizens of the Gulf Coast to care for themselves rather than burdening the system be rewarded in the way of a tax credit on their Federal income tax.  Give them credit for the hotel bills,  food costs,  and gasolinethey used to take care of themselves and their families! Imagine what would have happened if all 2 million evacuees counted on government assistance!

5. The Corps of Engineers needs to figure out how to get the levee project complete well before 2012.  Anyone who has ever run a business knows you can easily cut the length of a project to whatever timeframe you choose if you throw enough manpower at it!

6.  All of Miss G's readers need to plan their next vacation to the Big Easy right now! (You don't have to go now,  just plan it now!) October is a GREAT time to go, because the weather is more temperate and the crowds are smaller.  For Miss G's gayboy readers,  the gurls of New Orleans throw the most awesome Halloween party on the planet!  A Creole Thanksgiving is a treat Miss G hasn't had the pleasure of enjoying since the death of Momma G,  but this may be the year to change all that.(Have you ever had a deep fried turkey?  Yum!)  

Christmas in the French Quarter has a charm that is uniquely New Orleans (how many jazz renditions of Silent Night are there?) And if you don't think you're up for the debauchery of Mardi Gras (some of you Ohio housewives may not be!), plan to visit a couple of weeks before Mardi Gras,  when the parties and parades are in full swing but the crowds haven't arrived yet.

The weather in February may be warm,  or it may be wicked cold,  but there won't be any hurricanes (except the red ones in tall, curvy glasses!).  The City may still show some scars from the battle (after 200+ years of tropical assaults,  you learn to prioritize the repairs!) The City always shows the patina of its age, usually gracefully, sometimes not so much. New Orleans has always been a hotbed of political opinion,  and in a recovery and election year everyone will openly expresstheir thoughts on both matters! But mostly the City will show it's joie de vivre, its tolerant culture,  and its ability to party and smile through any adversity!  Miss G is going back Sunday- anyone want to meet her there?

 

Tags: New Orleans, Gustav, Ray Nagin, Fried Turkey