Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents five days before the U.S. military
Sonia Joshi
Sep. 8, 2005

It was a sad thing to happen. A super power failed to exert its power to save its own citizens!

According to media reports, A Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents five days before the U.S. military, a Louisiana state senator said on Wednesday.

The Canadians beat both the Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. disaster response department, to St. Bernard Parish east of New Orleans, where flood waters are still 8 feet (2.4 metres) deep in places, Sen. Walter Boasso said.

"Fabulous, fabulous guys," Boasso said. "They started rolling with us and got in boats to save people."

"We''ve got Canadian flags flying everywhere."

The stricken parish of 68,000 people was largely ignored by U.S. authorities who scrambled to get aid to New Orleans, a few miles away. Boasso said residents of the outlying parishes had to mount their own rescue and relief efforts when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on Aug. 29.

The U.S. government response to the disaster has been widely criticized. Politicians and editorial writers have called for the resignation of top Bush administration officials.

Boasso said U.S. authorities began airdropping relief supplies to St. Bernard last Wednesday, the same day the Canadian rescue team of about 50 members arrived from Vancouver, nearly 2,200 miles away.

"They chartered a plane and flew down," he said.

Two FEMA officials reached the parish on Sunday and the U.S. Army arrived on Monday, he said.

"Why does it take them seven days to get the Army in?" Boasso asked.

He speculated that the smaller parishes suffered because the focus was on New Orleans, the famous home of jazz and Mardi Gras.

As for the Canadians, Boasso gave thanks for their quick work.

"They were so glad to be here," he said. "They''re still here. They are actually going door-to-door looking in the attics" for people to rescue, he said.

Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents five days before the U.S. military
Sonia Joshi
It was a sad thing to happen. A super power failed to exert its power to save its own citizens!
READ MORE>>

China and Russia plans a new military block like NATO
Balaji Reddy
China and Russia is closer than ever in forming a new military alliance to counter NATO alliance
READ MORE>>

Stop the atrocities – stop selling young Indian girls to old oil rich Arabs
Sudhir Chadda
The price is cheap for these old oil rich Arabs buying tens of young Indian girls...
READ MORE>>

World seeing American failures in New Orleans, misjudgments in Iraq, strange oil crisis – is America still a superpower?
Balaji Reddy
All these point to systematic long-term failure of a great country.....
READ MORE>>

MORE ARTICLES >>