A city lies in ruins amid toxic sludge left by a hurricane. Tens of thousands of people are on a storm-raked island in what used to be their hometown, without electricity, running water and other basic necessities. Homes and businesses have been devastated by the score, leaving a debris-strewn wasteland.

You know what this town needs to solve its problems? That's right -- a government-imposed news blackout!

Galveston city officials have imposed a media blackout, ordering that no one in city government can talk to the press except the city manager and the mayor. Together, the two answered all of five questions at a noon-time press conference today, Dolph Tillotson of the Galveston Daily News writes in an editorial. He called the policy "a serious misstep" and "incredibly bone-headed."

This none-comes-to-the-Father-but-through-me attitude of handling the press always does what it's intended to do -- it cuts off the flow of information to the media. And while that's always a bad thing, it's an even worse thing right now, just two days after Ike made landfall. Just when people want more answers, looks like there will be less. As Tillotson writes:

"A news blackout will cause those people, helpless evacuees, to suffer longer. Not knowing the full story is the worst pain they face, and the city has helped prolong and make that pain greater by blocking access to news."