Sandy, Katrina, and Failure of Leadership

By Dr. Gerard Nadal
11/5/2012
Coming Home (gerardnadal.com)

It was Bloomberg's Marie Antoinette moment. Let them eat cake.

The catastrophe we now face can and must in large measure be laid at the feet of Obama, Cuomo, Bloomberg. It's true that government can't, and shouldn't be expected to do everything. But the scandalous truth is that they failed to do most of what it is they were supposed to do. "Never again," doesn't mean no more storms. It means responsible planning. Realistic logistics. An informed citizenry. A post-disaster police/national guard presence that is clear and forceful. "Never again," is about leadership from in front. It's time for a change.

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NEW YORK - (Originally published at Coming Home. This article is reprinted with the author's permission.)

In Hurricane Katrina a Democrat Governor delayed in making the call that was legally necessary, the one asking the President to send in Federal troops. The Federal Government was similarly ill-prepared. CNN and FoxNews both reported that the state Homeland Security of LA refused to allow the Red Cross to go into New Orleans. Governor Blanco and President Bush assumed responsibility for their respective failures, and all vowed, "Never again."

Enter Superstorm Sandy.

Government cannot prevent the destruction of property in natural disasters. It happens. By all accounts, Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg did an excellent job in admonishing people to leave the areas under direct threat, and ordered the mandatory evacuations. For myriad reasons, many of my neighbors failed to heed the warning and paid with their lives.

That's nobody's fault but their own.

However, the catastrophe we now face can and must in large measure be laid at the feet of these men, Obama, Cuomo, Bloomberg. We had at least five day's notice that this monster was headed our way. Why were emergency generators not assembled and pre-positioned in safe areas for rapid deployment after the storm?

Why were tents, blankets, MRE's, etc not similarly deployed? Why were police stations, schools, churches not pre-designated as centers to apply for food, blankets, FEMA aid, etc? People without power, heat, clothing, food can't hear the radio broadcasts of leaders telling them to go to websites (which they can't access anyway) to find out where to obtain assistance.

Why have neighborhoods in the NYC borough of Queens descended into anarchy, with devastated residents left to fend for themselves against looters with guns, baseball bats, and even bow and arrow? This, while the Mayor swore that we could simultaneously staff a 26 mile marathon route through all 5 boroughs!

Mayor Bloomberg was shamed into canceling the NYC Marathon, when the press reported three large generators were sitting in Central Park to power a party tent. This, against the backdrop of increasingly long lines for gasoline because most stations were without power, a situation deteriorating as of last night.

Those generators could, and should have been deployed to intersections with two and three gas stations in order to ease the shortage, which we have been told is a result of the loss of electricity to power the pumps. People need the gas to power generators for heat and light.

It was Bloomberg's Marie Antoinette moment. Let them eat cake.

Would that Bloomberg showed the same zeal for disaster logistics as he has for banning trans fats, 20 oz. soda (pop), taxing tobacco into the stratosphere, mandating the posting of calorie counts on menus, banning soda machines in schools, trampling private property rights of bar owners in outlawing smoking, handing out Plan B to children in schools, attempting to crush crisis pregnancy centers.

This failure, and his obsession with the eating habits of his citizens are his valedictory: hard won and fairly earned.

To the credit of my fellow New Yorkers, we're not waiting for our elected officials to act. Slowly, amidst suffering that could have been attenuated by responsible advanced logistical planning, we're climbing back.

This can't be blamed on Republicans this time. In New York, it's a Democrat trifecta. Of course, the spin will be that government can't, and shouldn't be expected to do everything. And that is true. But the scandalous truth is that they failed to do most of what it is they were supposed to do.

"Never again," doesn't mean no more storms. It means responsible planning. Realistic logistics. An informed citizenry. A post-disaster police/national guard presence that is clear and forceful.

"Never again," is about leadership from in front, and leadership that is characterized by proactive needs assessment and timely follow-through.

It's time for a change.

NOTE: For a way to help buy food for stricken Staten Islanders, where every penny donated will be used to purchase food, click here.

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Dr. Gerard Nadal holds a Ph.D in molecular microbiology from St. John's University, is a teacher, editor and columnist at the Center for Morality in Public Life, and a public speaker. He is the former National Director of Med Students for Life of America. His blog, Coming Home, is committed to serving the pro-life community through the Sciences. He is currently working on an international research project researching the abortifacient properties of oral contraceptives.

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Blog of Dr. Gerard Nadal Science in the service of the pro-life movement

Keywords: Hurricane Sandy, Hurrican Katrina, President Obama, Gerard Nadal, leadership,

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1 - 4 of 4 Comments

karlVDH
6 months ago
Robert, whatyou're saying, in essence, is that you'd rather make a political statement to a bunch of people who haven't been hurt and don't particularly care anyway than give what you can to help real people in real need.
You want to look at an elderly homeless couple who lost everuthing when their dream house was destroyed... a mom who'd rather sit in her car in a four hour gas line with her kids than let them sit in their freezing house... a father working double shifts to support his kids who're living in a shelter because the storm dropped a tree through the roof... you want to look at those people and say you refuse to help because you don't like how the rest of their state votes, or how people they'll never meet and probably didn't vote for might have spent the money?
It's THEIR fault? Money and politics in the wake of a massive disaster? Have you BEEN here, sir? Have you seen NY or NJ recently? Come on, brother... That's awfully close to saying "you deserve it," and I'm having a hard time seeing Christ in it.
Robert
6 months ago
Question? Is it bad that I want to say to the people of New York and New Jersey, "You voted for Obama. You voted for bigger government. You voted for higher taxes. You voted for the most corrupt President in my lifetime. You wanted him. You got him. You scream for social justice. We had money to help but it was spent on healthcare, education, housing, and food for Illegal aliens and some to lazy to work, Planned Parenthood, your buddies at Solyndra and a dozen other campaign contributors.

Sorry no donation. Ask your Campainer in Chief for help.

I won't say that to them but, I can't reach as deep anymore. The TAX man got me and is going to get me again. Besides, I need to save up to pay the penalty on the new HHS mandate. You know the one where I have to decide between laying off workers, providing the morning after pill against my conscience or paying a large fine. Oh yeah, you guys voted in favor for that.
Police Chief David Couper
6 months ago
Maybe one or more of the four major obstacles to police reform “arresting” your police? To find out -- and then what can be done about it see, “Arrested Development: A Veteran Police Chief Sounds Off About Protest, Racism, Corruption and the Seven Steps Necessary to Improve Our Nation’s Police” (Amazon.com in US and EU). And follow my blog at http://improvingpolice.wordpress.com for my help and a discussion of current issues confronting police.
KarlVDH
6 months ago
Gov. Christie aand the President were willing to put aaside politics THE NEXT DAY and start working toward helping this region. I LIVE in the disaster area. I can see, with my own eyes, the recovery effort underway.
There has been neither a failure of leadership from ANY quarter, nor has there been any reason to compare the job done by these administrations to the debacle that Bush allowed Katrina to become.
So far, our leaders here and in Washington, regardless of policy, re getting this right. Look... gas lines, power outages... thesse are INCONVENIENCES. Are we really so spoiled and partisanly stupid that we're going to compare that to tens of thousands having to live in a football stadium?
The truth is that we have had excellent leadership through this thing, and you're just WRONG, Dr. Nadal. Perhaps you could instead have offered some prayers for us regarding the Nor'Easter about to hit us tomorrow on top of the damage already done.
Or, maybe you can offer us some insiight. What are you personally doing, Dr. Nadal, to assist in the relief effort here, and where are you offering your own leadership and expertise? Are you in Sea Bright? Mount Olive? Trenton? Seaside Heights? Where are YOU leading, Dr. Nadal? Maybe others could be following your own example more closely if they could see how you're doing it. Are you IN New Jersey?

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