RADICAL ACTION NEEDED

In a letter to the San Jose (CA) Mercury News, Roy Verley of Mountain View stated the case quite clearly and we quote:

“Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans has been called the worst natural disaster ever to strike this country.  Incredibly, the bungled “recovery” has now been exposed as something even worse.  It is a national disgrace.  The Bush administration after promising to rebuild this national treasure has become ever more concerned by the war in Iraq, growing international tensions, it's  plunging approval ratings and more.  It has thrown money and rhetoric at the problem but little heart or leadership.  As hope fades for our fellow citizens who have lost everything, all Americans should be ashamed.  We may call ourselves  the greatest country in the world, but what's happening in New Orleans is not indicative of greatness.  It's a pointed reminder that our national priorities, leadership and perhaps even our consciences needs some work."

Obviously, piecemeal picking at the problem by incompetent government agencies, greedy developers and contractors, and even well-meaning NGO’s, cannot get the job done. therefoe,

Here is what the President should do:
 

The president should issue an executive order establishing a super powerful task force to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, strength the levees, and reestablish barrier island buffer zones, all while hastening the return of the local population to their home neighborhoods and providing interim support until all this is achieved.  This recognizes that government, neither federal, state nor local is institutionally capable of dealing with this disaster and its aftereffects, as has been proven by results to date. And, most important of all, this is no time nor place for any kind of racial “re-arranging.”  

The task force should report only to the president.  Its appropriations should take precedence over all other government funding until such time as Congress and the President determine that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are sufficiently restored to proceed on their own.  

Authority over the task force should supersede all local authorities including the mayor, governor, all state and local agencies, and many organizations created by them to deal with the Katrina aftermath.  The task force could allow that work which has already begun to continue if, and only if, it could be shown to have constructive goals and respectable progress toward those goals.  Profiteering, corruption, and window dressing should be investigated and eliminated with prosecution where applicable.  

Resources available to the task force should include, but not be limited to, the National Guard, state police, Corps of Engineers, Seabees, FBI and the full roster of NGO’s throughout the country.  

Organization and management of the task force should consist of retired military, public works and law enforcement personnel who are not currently engaged in partisan politics. Top leadership should consist of persons of such caliber as Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkoff, and others of unimpeachable character.  Tight timetables should be established and, if not achieved, should require full disclosure and maximum effort to correct.  

All activity should be open to review by any member of the media or government agencies, but the authority of the task force should not be subordinated to any other than a super majority of the U.S. Congress and that only to determine when the work of the task force, itself, is complete.  Specific objectives, contractor selection, or activities should not be subject to change by any other than the task force.  The executive branch of the federal government, other than the President, should be specifically prohibited from the exercise of any control over the work of the task force.  This recognizes the extent of undue lobbying influence and the partisan political atmosphere that has been allowed to pervade all levels of federal government.  

The first objective of the task force should be to remove all debris which would create an obstacle to restoration.  Then to establish full infrastructure restoration including roads, bridges, public buildings, all public services including water, transportation, communications, power, sewers, waste management, police, fire, and recreation facilities.  When infrastructure is in place former residents should be encouraged to return to their former home location and to live there in temporary shelters while permanent homes are being rebuilt. This will help to re-establish  the crucial importance of neighborhoods.  Rebuilding loans should be interest-free to individual homeowners and to landlords who agree to rent to the previous tenants or to others legitimately displaced by the storm.  Trailers, RV’s, and even tents could be used for temporary living quarters while home construction is underway and should be provided, rent-free, by the task force until a permanent shelter is completed.  Food-service should be supplied without cost by the established field kitchen facilities of the US Army, National Guard, Salvation Army, Red Cross and private contractors until such time as local food markets and restaurants become established.  

Employment opportunities should be coordinated by an active, well-staffed and decentralized employment department with preference given to local residents. Vigorous law enforcement should be deployed to control criminal activity and assure security for the returning populace. Private enterprise should be encouraged, but predatory and racially motivated development or zoning should be discouraged and, if necessary, prevented by the task force.  

Continuous and active auditing of expenditures should be conducted by the task force to prevent scams, illegitimate claims, and profiteering.  

It is not difficult to visualize how the task force would be organized.  A chairman should be appointed who would then recruit the other members. Staff coordinators should be hired immediately to interface with those resources necessary to the rapid achievement of the task force goals. One such coordinator, for example, could identify debris removal capabilities throughout the country and recruit as many as necessary to the effect a rapid clearing of obstructive debris.  Another coordinator could establish the necessary property records to show ownership of each parcel in the affected area.  These landowners should then be contacted to determine if they intended to return and rebuild. or to put the property up for sale.  In the meantime, another group of coordinators could concentrate on bringing together the resources necessary to reestablish public works such as water power and waste management. Again, giving priority to local residents for contracts and employment.

Another coordinator should interface with local law enforcement and the National Guard to put in place sufficient law-enforcement patrols that would assure security throughout the area.  Another (housing) coordinator could commandeer enough temporary housing units in the form of trailers, RV's, field tents, field kitchens, etc., to house and feed those residents wanting to return to their own area and live there while their homes were being repaired or rebuilt.  Following the restoration of public works, individual homeowners should be able to start rebuilding and repairing with interest-free loans provided by the federal government.  With the neighborhoods now consisting of consumers, former residents, contractors, law enforcement, etc., private business people could begin establish food markets, restaurants, and other types of commerce. In addition to the interest-free rebuilding loans, subsistence payments should be availableto those who need them. One coordinator could be assigned to the specific task of helping those who were carrying flood insurance to assure  payments in timely fashion.  

What all this requires is the assumption that old neighborhoods can be rebuilt as they were without the need for any rezoning.  Every homeowner whose home was completely  destroyed and removed should have the services of home planners as needed at no expense, within reason, to design a new home.  Prefabricated and factory built houses should be encouraged because they cost less and go up much faster. And so on.  

A task force like this could demonstrate that America is, indeed, capable of greatness.  The cost will be huge in dollars, but insignificant in terms of what it will accomplish in restoring American self-respect. Will we do it? Who knows?

 

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