What did they know and when did they know it?

In the summer of 2004, local, state and federal officials held a simulated hurricane drill in which widespread flooding supposedly trapped thousands of people inside New Orleans. The exercise simulated the evacuation of more than a million residents. The problems identified in the simulation were not addressed.

Detailed written plans were already in place in New Orleans to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need transportation in the event of a hurricane like Katrina. It was the responsibility of Mayor Nagin to implement those plans. He did not.

Forty-eight hours before Katrina hit, Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center made personal calls to both Louisiana Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to warn them of the magnitude of the approaching storm, which was then about 240 miles from land with 68-foot waves.

Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin failed to act in a timely manner, and their inaction hampered the evacuation of New Orleans.

What did they know, and when did they know it?

Terence McManus,

New Sharon