It's Not Just A Car, It's Your Freedom!

I Can't Remember Which Automaker Used That Phrase...

Interesting stuff here. Looks like cars, or lack thereof, played much more of a role in the failure to fully evacuate New Orleans.

Take a look.

Here's several snippets, for those who want the quick version...

Those who fervently wish for car-free cities should take a closer look at New Orleans. The tragedy of New Orleans isn't primarily due to racism or government incompetence, though both played a role. The real cause is automobility -- or more precisely to the lack of it.

"The white people got out," declared the New York Times today. But, as a chart in the Times article makes clear, the people who got out were those with automobiles. Those who stayed, regardless of color, were those who lacked autos.

What made New Orleans more vulnerable to catastrophe than most U.S. cities is its low rate of auto ownership. According to the 2000 Census, nearly a third of New Orleans households do not own an automobile. This compares to less than 10 percent nationwide. There are significant differences by race: 35 percent of black households but only 15 percent of white households do not own an auto. But in the end, it was auto ownership, not race, that made the difference between safety and disaster.

Well, so much for that racism theory, Rev. Jackson. Maybe you can go shake down Ford & GM to donate a few cars. Don't bother with Chrysler. The Krauts don't take to blackmail very well.

Here's more:

Critics of autos love the term "auto dependent." But Katrina proved that the automobile is a liberator. It is those who don't own autos who are dependent -- dependent on the competence of government officials, dependent on charity, dependent on complex and sometimes uncaring institutions.

Depend on the government to meet your needs, and you're up the creek with no hope of getting FEMA to airlift in a paddle.

Numerous commentators have legitimately criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other government agencies for failing to foresee the need for evacuation, failing to secure enough buses or other means of evacuation, and failing to get those buses to people who needed evacuation. But people who owned autos didn't need to rely on the competence of government planners to be safe from Katrina and flooding. They were able to save themselves by driving away. Most apparently found refuge with friends or in hotels many miles from the devastation. Meanwhile, those who didn't have autos were forced into high-density, crime-ridden refugee camps such as the Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center.

Rather than help low-income people achieve greater mobility, New Orleans transportation planners decided years ago that their highest priority was to provide heavily subsidized streetcar rides for tourists.

Yep, kinda like I figured. Local guvmint has at least as much culpability here as the Fed. The Mayor of N'Awlins and the La. Governor come pretty close to criminal negligence by not having the hundreds of local school buses and MTA buses trolling the streets accompanied by a cop car using their PA to get people out of their houses and onto the buses. Now, you've got acres of buses underwater, and a completely wasted opportunity to save hundreds if not thousands of lives.

For Flying Spaghetti Monster's sake, y'all... If you live in a flood plain, consider moving. If you've just gotta have that ocean view, be prepared to get the hell out. If you can't afford to go it solo, form a cooperative, pool your cash, and rent a van. Just don't rely on Uncle Sugar to do it all for you. That's almost always a losing proposition.

H/T to BlogHouston and Tom Kirkendall