1. Never Evacuate To The North East In A Hurricane
- I think most people realize this... and I even realized it in theory. But I still sought refuge in Alexandria, LA during this storm. The good news was the my evacuation time out of Houston was normal... the bad news was that the roads between Alexandria and Houston were ravaged by Rita (thus making my return trip much longer as I had to avoid all the road closures)
2. As Much As We Plan... Stuff Still Happens
- As people evacuated, the turmoil created on the highways was astounding to me. The good news was that people were kept out of "harm's way," but the bad news was that many people experienced frustration beyond anything they had experienced to that point. Just further proof that man's plans are foolishness. And all that we do is still subject to God's ultimate plan.
3. Texas Is A Better State Than Louisiana
- As much as it pains me to say it... the proof is right there for all to see. Texas was ready... Louisiana wasn't. Granted, Katrina gave the nation a view into how important it is to be prepared for the worst case scenario. But I think Texas would have been as efficient as it was this past weekend even if Katrina hadn't happened. This is my favorite quote thus far: "My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional." - FEMA Director Michael Brown Again, I hate to say it... but he is right. However, I still think Texans are arrogant. But arrogance isn't always a bad thing, I guess... :-)
14 comments:
Todd, I'd have to agree. I too am from Louisiana and it pains me to admit it as well! My family that still lives there tell us horror stories all of the time. I guess the old saying that "Everything is bigger in Texas" holds true even to our kindness and generosity. God Bless Texas!
I'm a Texan and know I'm arrogant about it...but don't feel any remorse over that for the very reasons you've stated here. It also helps when you can be arrogant about Texas in one breath, and make fun of it in the other. Watch:
1. Texas ROCKS.
2. Texans are morons b/c it's the only state where we boast about the fact that ALL THE WORLD knows who we are because they want to know who shot JR Ewing...while at the same time HATING the fact that all the world thinks we're a bunch of cowboy-hat wearin', oil company ownin', boot scootin' rednecks.
Hey Texans, pride goeth before a fall...from your friendly native New Mexican ! Get a life, it's not all about Texas...the world is a bigger place. I say this in all the love I can muster :) Jeff
Remember ... it's not arrogance if it's based on truth. ;-)
I agree ... while we did learn some particulars from what happened during Katrina, I do believe that we were better prepared.
And I'm looking forward to the first case study written to compare/contrast the leadership styles of Nagin in New Orleans vs. White in Houston and Thomas in Galveston. I bet business schools and leadership development programs will be studying that for years to come!
Something to consider- New Orleans had a much higher percentage of the population that was dependent on mass transit. That being said, New Orleans should have had a plan for getting their citizens out of harms way.
While a case study on the federal, state, and local governments' response to these hurricanes would be interesting, several of the key factors in these storms were significantly different.
Disclaimer: I am not native to Texas or Louisiana. And for this I am very thankful, for various and ridiculous reasons. :)
Texans are arrogant like Christians (and dare I say Calvinists) are arrogant...when you know the truth, you just want to share it.
Dear anonymous,
Great answer. Will you marry me?
oh my gosh, Shanna did you really just say that?!
hilarious!
Todd- great post!
check out my blog
And yet you shared that anonymously... hmmmm.
Seems to me like there's a lot of LA-bashin' going on here. Not that it's all bad, but I feel I must stick up for the state listed on my birth certificate, the state I called home for most of my life, and the place to which I retreat when needing some country living. I, alas, am from the north. North Louisiana, that is. A place that has the reputation for being snooty and looking down their noses at the "uncivilized" folks in the southern part of the state. However, here's the deal: I love the state. I love the fact that everything is not bigger there like it is here.
As far as preparedness for the respective hurricanes, I can say this: the best was done with resources available in all cases. This is where everything being bigger in Texas came in handy. Even with the "great job" done here in Texas, there are critics who feel like this or that should have been done this way or that way. It's easy to say now that something was done incorrectly, but I'd be willing to bet that any of us would probably make similar decisions, and be faced with the same types of criticism. Hindsight is 20/20 after all, so let the finger-pointing and blame-placing begin.
Texans--be proud of Texas. That's great. More power to you. However, I want to urge the Louisiana peeps to stand up for their state as well. Louisiana. My home state and a great place despite the critics (in my humble opinion). Laissez les bontemps roulez!! *plink* *plink*
Nice defense, Arshunda...
Steve C.... I appreciate your comments, but please remember that my post was meant to be in jest. I was not offering any of those items as absolutes. And regarding the last one... unfortunately, you are not privy to the jokes about me being from Lousy-anna... and how much Texas is better that Louisiana... and all that. I was all meant to be funny. But again... I appreciate your comments. By the way, do I happen to know you but just don't realize I know you?
so i'm a couple of months late, but i just found your blog todd, so sue me. as a native of north louisiana and a recent resident of southwest la, i must put in my two cents. yes katrina was a disaster and blanco displayed for all the world to see why i didn't vote for her. but i must draw your attention to my former homestead, lake charles, la, which withstood the brunt of rita. that place including homes, hospitals, and nursing homes was deserted before rita came ashore. and though it looks like a bomb went off affecting most homes, streets, churches, and businesses, no lives were lost because no one was there. sure most homes including my former apartment now bear blue tarps but everyone's alive to put that tarp on the roof. so even though my state is considered the butt crack of the u.s. (yeah, i said it) there are many in this state that do have a clue. you just didn't see any of them on tv because, well, they all evacuated.
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