Officials Shifting Blame For Delays

The Buffalo News ^ | 9/4/2005 | MANUEL ROIG-FRANZIA and SPENCER HSU

[markomalley]

NEW ORLEANS - Tens of thousands of people spent a fifth day awaiting evacuation from this ruined city, as Bush administration officials blamed state and local authorities for what leaders at all levels have called a failure of the country's emergency management. The White House dispatched 7,200 more troops to the area, bringing the total in the stricken region to more than 40,000 National Guard and active-duty soldiers.

[markomalley]

I wanted to highlight a couple of paragraphs on this:

---

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Blanco. Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, according to a source within the state's emergency operations center.

The administration had sought control over National Guard units, normally under control of the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request, noting that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law.

---

That shows exactly how it must have gone down. Blanco wouldn't give up her power, letting her people die rather than allowing Federal control and coordination of the incident. Normally, I'd support that kind of position, but that would imply that the governor actually had at least minimal leadership skills...

[beyond the sea]

A young Guardsman put an arm around the stooped Kelly and said, "Good luck and God bless."

Same here.

[visagoth]

For anyone you know that still cant figure out how things work in the disaster response world... check out this quote from the WaPo:

Other federal and state officials pointed to Louisiana's failure to measure up to national disaster response standards, noting that the federal plan advises state and local emergency managers not to expect federal aid for 72 to 96 hours, and base their own preparedness efforts on the need to be self-sufficient for at least that period. "Fundamentally the first breakdown occurred at the local level," said one state official who works with FEMA. 'Did the city have the situational awareness of what was going on within its borders? The answer was no."

[MNJohnnie]

Yep Want to blame the Feds but will not let the Feds take over. Dinosaur media spin lie "It's all Bush's fault, is going to look thread bear when people start asking"Why is President Bush having to ASK to take over on Friday night yet the Dinosaur media is telling that every in NO last week is "Bush's fault"?

[cardinal4]

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she expected the death toll to reach the thousands, while Craig Vanderwagen, rear admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service, said one morgue alone, at a St. Gabriel prison, expected 1,000 to 2,000 bodies.

What does this mean?

[gusopol3]

the MSM strategy becomes overt

[markomalley]

PHS has a uniformed service. They use navy-style ranks.

[syriacus]

The "Please, Mother. I'd rather do it myself" Twins

[Dog]

Thousands dead...thousands.

[cardinal4]

PHS has a uniformed service. They use navy-style ranks.

I never new that. The things you learn on FR!

[dawn53]

She's now hired her own "FEMA" guy...the guy that was FEMA head under Clinton.

That is just plain weird.

[Texas_Conservative2]

quote "as Bush administration officials blamed state and local authorities for what leaders at all levels have called a failure of the country's emergency management"


hm.. I want to know specifically who in the administration has blamed state and local authorities...

let me guess .... anonymous source?

[cardinal4]

Thousands dead...thousands.

We are afraid two of them are co-workers, but remain optimistc..

[Dolphy]

'Did the city have the situational awareness of what was going on within its borders? The answer was no."

Do they yet? Senator Vitter calls Friday the turning point...the national response was up to standards.

[Admin Moderator]

Washington Post must be excerpted, even from other sources carrying the story.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005 12:47 p.m. EDT Gov. Kathleen Blanco: No State of Emergency

Though her state has been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and thousands are believed dead in New Orleans, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has yet to declare a state of emergency and refuses to cede authority over rescue efforts to the federal government.

"Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans," the Washington Post reported in Sunday editions.

[KC_for_Freedom]

I don't know when it was decided to move without support from the local government, but obviously after Bush looked things over and saw that nothing was being done he decided to send in the convoys. Somewhere along the way the Governor must have authorized national guardsmen (first without weapons, then later with weapons free). But it is clear that they don't want the Feds to have control, in fact they fear it.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

The United States has six uniformed services, five of them are armed services, the sixth is the Public Health Service.

[sgtyork]

NOAA too.

[Bogey78O]

My work center on Chef Hwy had over 2.5 dozen people I've made contact with only two.