All Aboard


Actually, I feel more like quoting a line from The Godfather--"Some day, and that day may never come..."

Let's hope so. But grits ain't groceries, and hope/prayers won't stop storms and floods:

The new emergency preparedness plan, a work in progress, will not include the opening of the Superdome as a refuge of last resort.

Instead, the city, state and federal government will participate in an effort to move an estimated 10,000 residents without transportation to state shelters outside the area by bus or Amtrak train. The train will be reserved for “special needs” residents with medical conditions and the elderly.

Residents needing transportation will be picked up by Regional Transit Authority buses at locations throughout the city and driven to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, where they will be processed and then driven by bus to shelters, either in RTA buses or in buses provided by the state.

Nagin said U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff intervened to get Amtrak participation in the evacuation plan, and also is assisting in getting commercial air carriers to hold off on canceling flights out of the city, or even provide special planes, to evacuate tourists and others who already have tickets to fly out of the city.

The city still must complete negotiations with Homeland Security on memoranda of agreement for both the Amtrak and commercial air carrier parts of the plan, city officials said.

Nagin said the new plan also will allow residents to bring their pets onto evacuation buses with them, as long as the pets are in cages.

Now, whatever else might come of this, it's a decent start...it's tragic that they're only now considering a coordinated transportation plan, but better late than never.

It'd be nice if this emergency plan, utilizing trains, could somehow develop into a regional transit system during NON emergency conditions...you know, sort of like back in the day when regular rail service existed between NOLA and BR. If nothing else, it would make my plans for going to Jazzfest this weekend a LOT easier.

Anyway...oh, and while not exactly related, thinking of transportation got me thinking about something I saw earlier today about geography. Ouch. Can you be a world leader without really knowing anything about, um the world?

****--h/t Oyster for the concept here...but I couldn't find lyrics for one of my favorite train songs, and had to go with a general link instead (2nd star).