Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Newsflash: Louisiana Told Red Cross to "Stay Out" of New Orleans

Yes, the headline is correct. Earlier today, Fox News reporter Major Garrett broke a story that claims that the Red Cross was fully deployed with food, sanitation and medical supplies to assist those left behind in New Orleans (including, presumably, the Super Dome and the Convention Center) but were barred from entering the city by the Louisiana Homeland Security who claimed that they wanted people to leave New Orleans and, if the Red Cross went in there, people would feel they did not need to leave, making the evacuation more difficult.

What is really galling is that they were ready to enter New Orleans on Monday afternoon, BEFORE the levees broke, flooding the city.

Even more mystifying is that, as the days past and the suffering, death and sanitation crisis became a national disgrace, the interstate access to both refugee facilities remained intact.

Why did the state of Louisiana deny the presence of the Red Cross and the supplies so desparately needed by thousands of suffering people?

Hugh Hewitt has something to say about this and Radioblogger has the complete transcript of Hugh's radio interview with Major Garrett this afternoon.

Read....and don't forget to scratch your head while you weep.