An entire city was up and running. The stadium had running water, electricity, food, cots, televisions and hundreds of people on hand to help. At one point, local emergency officials said they had to turn volunteers away, because there were too many of them.
Evacuees also weren't locked down in a stinking, falling apart stadium, trapped with no where to go. Many chose not to go inside San Diego's stadium and register, but camped out in the parking lot where they could also take advantage of the services provide to the people inside.
There was even a facility at the site to house pets.
The only Federal agency that gets any credit for doing its job right is the Forest Service. Those guys, along with city and county firefights know what they're doing.
Back to the head of the list of why the two don't compute as comparable is that we were prepared. All things considered, we managed beautifully even though we're short of National Guard personnel and equipment, no matter what the under secretary of the Army says.
Bush flew in spurred by a wisp of quilt and he can leave just as quickly. Just like the people of New Orleans, who are still waiting for their city to be rebuilt, the people who lost everything shouldn't hold their breath waiting for any help from Bush.
We'll rebuild and rebuild quickly, but it will be done by us, just as we -- with a little co-operation from dying winds -- contained the fires to the north and are beginning to get a handle on the ones to the south.
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