President of Jefferson Parish Breaks down

Sorry mods if this doesn't belong here.

I just saw this interview and was greatly saddened at what he said. Especially how this man really broke down before the end of it. Did anyone else see it? I will include a bit of the transcript.

MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn´t the mayor of New
Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility?
Couldn´t they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much
more organized in evacuating the area?

MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The
cavalry´s coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry´s coming, the
cavalry´s coming, the cavalry´s coming." I have just begun to hear the
hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry´s still not here yet, but I´ve begun
to hear the hoofs, and we´re almost a week out.

Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver
three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back.
They said we didn´t need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000
gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The
Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there
with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don´t give you the fuel."
Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency
communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry
Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our
line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee
said that if America--American government would have responded like
Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn´t be in this crisis.

www.bayoubuzz.com...



[edit on 4-9-2005 by nikelbee]

Yes I did, and I have to say that it shows the desperation of many when they as they saw the city and the people and were not able to do anything.

Very hard broken.

I too watched this yesterday morning on Meet the Press.

The strain was apparent in many ways. Aaron Broussard, the president of Jefferson Parish, dropped his head and cried on NBC's Meet the Press.

"The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home, and every day she called him and said, 'Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?' And he said, 'Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday' - and she drowned Friday night. She drowned on Friday night," Broussard said.

"Nobody's coming to get her, nobody's coming to get her. The secretary's promise, everybody's promise. They've had press conferences - I'm sick of the press conferences. For God's sake, shut up and send us somebody."

Mr. Broussard pretty much maintained his composure and controlled his obvious anger throughout the interview, while trying to answer the questions posed. Yet, when he started to relay the quote from above he simply lost it and broke down sobbing uncontrolably.

I was watching this with my wife and eldest [17] daughter...till he was finished there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

You could just feel the total and utter raw emotional trauma that overcame him.

Imagine, that even in his position of influence and with whatever resources he had at hand . . . how he had to feel utterly helpless day after day after day. All the while being told . . . the cavalry is coming?!

Nothing more to do than sit back and watch the horror unfold.

Such a sad state of affairs.





[edit on 5-9-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

Absolutely. I too felt it hard not to feel a lump in my throat when I heard this man break down and ask the questions so many of us have been asking ourselves.

I hope someone is keeping count of the times we have seen people 'lose it'.

So far there is Mayor Nagin, Senator Mary Landrieu and Aaron Broussard. I have no doubt that countless others also broke down but possibly in the privacy of their own homes or offices.

It is sad when you are reduced to begging for help. No, strike that - it is tragic.

Found video for you guys here:
www.wonkette.com...

Emotional times for everyone.

I also saw this interview and it tore my heart out to see what these people are going through and I have nothing but respect for Mr Aaron Broussard.
We must all understand the vastness of the situation and the square miles and number of people involved. There has never been anything like this in our country but we know now that it will happen again some day and yes we should be better prepaird but you still will not be able to mobilize that many people and that much equipment much faster. Everyone must take this as a lesson and prepare themselfs to survive while people mobilize because you alone can control your survival.

I also saw this on the Australian news. It profoundly moved me.

Here's a link to a portion of the Meet the Press interview with Aaron Broussard:

LINK

*requires quicktime

As with Nagin's radio interview . . . this is a must see/hear.

Nagin-Broussard in '08?

not likely, but damn . . . these two are the heart of TRUE America!

Peace2All

...sorry, didn't notice that Simulacra had already posted a link to video

[edit on 5-9-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver
three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back.
They said we didn´t need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there
with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don´t give you the fuel."
Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency
communication lines. They cut them without notice.

Unbelievable. Just because FEMA can't help fast enough doesn't mean it should stop others from helping. Theres no reasonable explanation for something like this. According to Alex Jones, FEMA isn't letting others help so it can take all the credit for helping, and after all this time, I think he may be right.

FEMA taking credit isnt even the right way to put it. FEMA is hurting...cutting the supply power lines and having fuel turned away from coast guards looks more and more like they want to further the destruction more then anything else.

[edit on 5-9-2005 by grimreaper797]

Who is Fema to dictate what jefferson parish needs?

This is why you never trust federal government to help with anything like this... Unless of course if they stage something you can bet that they will swing in there like hero's to save the day.. .

But this wasn't staged.

Fema has a lot to answer for. I'm not going to provide the link but there is one here about possible camps for people to relocate to after this.

Considering how they handled this mess and they are FEMA camps would you want to be in one? I know people will say well they are 'lucky' to be alive and living somewhere at all - but after the irresponsible actions of FEMA I can't say I feel comforted by the notion that they will be providing for the care of thousands.

yup !#$@ FEMA anyways when I heard this interview I cried because when people tell other people the other people are coming to come get them just stay there and they dont and those people who were told to stay there die someone should be held responsable I blame FEMA big time