Blogging is a new "feature" of the internet. It allows an easier way to update web pages and gives a "log" type setup with some automatic features. This is the second Blog I've created, the first can be seen here.

 
Just over two months ago, southeastern Louisiana had a near brush with Hurricane Dennis. It wasn't much since Dennis stayed clear of Louisiana. With the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina, why am I even bringing up Dennis? A few days after Dennis I posted a comment about Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard criticizing the actions he took in the days leading up to Dennis. Specifically, I didn’t think highly of him issuing a voluntary evacuation of Jefferson Parish ahead of the schedule that was listed in the State’s hurricane plans for the Metro New Orleans area. You can see the full article that I wrote at this URL: http://www.da-parish.com/archive/2005_07_10_blog.html

Now, a couple of days after Hurricane Katrina has all but wiped the City of New Orleans off the wipe along with neighboring communities, including St. Bernard Parish, where I live, I get a couple of emails calling me a jerk since I was critical of Broussard.

To John A. Hebert who sent an email saying an apology was in order, let me say now that no, no apology is in order. My reasons for disagreeing with Broussard are still valid today, even after Hurricane Katrina. By failing to follow the state plan, the he also agreed to, Broussard but the surrounding areas at greater risk.

There was a very narrow window of opportunity for people to evacuate for Katrina and by following the state plan, those that wanted and had the means to get out, did so. Many more lives were saved because of this than if every parish had tried to evacuate at the same time.

Broussard was worried about calling for an evacuation in the middle of the night. Does he think his citizens cannot drive at night? There were plenty of people who waited until the early hours of the morning to evacuate. They found the highways to be easily navigated and made good progress on their way out of town.

It is amazing that I received no comments on that article until after Broussard broke down on national TV. I can only guess that the "jokers", to borrow a term from one of the comments I received, didn’t read the full article and most likely don’t live within the New Orleans area.

I still believe in the words I posted earlier. The only thing I can do is add to it. When Broussard decides to run for Governor, as I’m sure he is planning, I will still vote against him. In times of crisis like this, we need leaders who can stand up to the pressure. Mr. Broussard proved he is unable to handle the pressure of leading a parish. I can’t take a chance on him not being able to handle the pressure of running a state.

Be good to yourself,
Westley Annis
westley@da-parish.com =============================================================
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posted by Westley at 9/11/2005 12:45:00 AM