Posted on 09/04/2005 11:39:17 PM PDT by smoothsailing
State and local officials did not inform top federal officials early on of the deaths and lack of food among hurricane victims in the Superdome or convention center, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday.
Mr. Chertoff said neither he nor Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown was told of the deteriorating situation in New Orleans until Thursday night.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Sure, and if all the screaming idiots who are wanting Bush's head on a silver platter had got what they wanted and Bush took over the operation from these incompetant children for evacuation and relief from day 1, then they would now be screaming that he was a tyrant, ignoring chain of command and protocol...he can't win for losing...but he can't lose because he has God's hand on him...they know it, we know it, s'aint happening, Bush will come out smelling like a rose as he always does, driving MSM into further insanity...
As terrible as the WTC attack was, its devastation was measured in square blocks, while Katrina was measured in thousands of square miles. The first reports of the levee breaches were on Tuesday morning. Three days from Tuesday is Friday. Everyone was under the impression that New Orleans had escaped the worst of Katrina while they knew that more than 100 miles of the Gulf Coast had been obliterated.
DHS and FEMA need to use an intelligence gathering model for building a profile of the reality on the ground. They need to use media reports, technical means (i.e. satellite and aerial photos) and first hand reports from the ground as well as reports from politicians.
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I certainly hope that this becomes part of any future plan. Perhaps there have been legal roadblocks to sharing communication between media and government. I'm thinking that Shep, etc must have been able to use an uplink even when they were off the air. Did he call anyone or just assume that officials were kicking back and watching his on-air emotion.
Far tooooo true.
It would be somewhat reasonable for such characters to assume that their special channels were giving them more up-to-date info than the media.
An eroneous assumption as we know.
Thank you, Howlin, for posting this list. Everyone must flood all the members of this committee demanding to know where the funds went in LA that were supposed to prepare the state for an emergency. Those were federal funds and they must be accounted for. What is the system of accountability that this committee has in place to see that Homeland Security funds are being spent on preparedness? Obviously, this committee was not doing its job either. They need to be put on the hot seat as well.
Pres. Bush acted too slowly, and I think The head guy of FEMA needs to resign as does the Gov. and Mayor. Who would have expected the locals to completely ignore their responsibilities? Unfortunately, President Bush was between a hard place and rock. He has limitations based upon the constitution as to what can and can not be done in a state by the Feds without a Governors permission (I hear the idiot has still not declared a state of emergency. Blanco said on Fox News on Tuesday that everything was fine in Lousiana). On the other hand, when Pres. Bush realized the locals were incompetent he mobilized almost immediately and sent in the military-including a tough Army General who seems great! On Thursday, my friend (female helipcopter pilot-who surprisingly looks like a blond barbie doll) was activated. We both have three kids and have been room Moms
Friday she was in Louisiana-medical unit sent there to support the troops. I think the public understands this was the worst natural disaster in modern history. The people know President Bush is a good man who came through brilliantly when he realized the seriousness of the situation.
Nyconse
There are several people here who think the federal government should have been sitting around watching FOX and CNN instead of focusing on the worst natural disaster to ever strike this country. Of course, those same folks seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that the entire Gulf Coast has been wiped out, don't seem to give a da*n about the millions of other folks who are suffering, haven't bothered to read the constitution (only 14 lousy pages FGS) and couldn't tell you what the 10th amendment was if their lives depended on it.
You wouldn't be one of those painfully ignorant people, would you?
Shoot, why are we paying local officials. We could save a whole bundle of money if we just let everything be run by Washington. We could sure get rid of a lot of state and city employees and the expense that goes along with them. That would be a tidy savings. Hey, maybe you're onto something.
They'll call them phony... before they ever think of placing blame on Nagin & Blanco!
As for picking up their trash -- pick it up and put it where?
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In the empty cardboard cartons that had MRE printed on the outside of them.
Yeah, that's pretty pathetic. Norm and Tom are pretty good, but the rest are frightening.
The only saving grace is that they know if they try to pin this on Bush, every future president and every future senator will have their necks on the line for any possible disaster that hits in the future.
Nevermind, there are few on that committee who are smart enough to figure that one out until it's too late.
Doug, there were 2 million people displaced, 90,000 square miles of this country destroyed, and you want Chertov watching TV?
You, I think, are the first to mention what I have been wondering. I was shocked to hear about the convention center when it came up on TV. All talk was about the Superdome. And the convention center location never came up early on. The networks didn't even know early, IIRC. So how would anyone else know.... except of course unless the local officials let someone know. And I agree, the administration was not sitting around watching TV.
Get this straight folks: the people at the convention center, in the Superdome, and on those overpasses, as terrible as their plight was, were among the relatively fortunate victims of Katrina.
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This needs to be pointed out regularly. The Superdome was meant to be a refuge for those "unable" to evacuate. The plan, before the storm was for any 'special needs' person with one caregiver to come to the Superdome. Three days of water and MREs for 15000 people was prepositioned. Somehow portapotties for 15000 have not been in evidence, and the loss of a sewage system that has to pump sewage uphill was not planned for.
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The people who showed up later on the overpasses, the convention center and at the Superdome were by and large strong enough to fend for themselves - much better than the people trapped in their attics.
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Very few people in those locales, except for three infants who died, appear to have suffered from dehydration. No one is suffering from starvation.
Sounds like Nagin et al are ASSuming that because the media had it all over the tube that FEMA was supposed to react.
NAGIN: "Why isn't the government helping the people in the convention center, where I sent them but neglected to tell anyone? Any idiot can see them on TV?"
Do we really want the Feds taking cues from the media?
After all, once the storm passed, the legitimate media (and Geraldo) told the world that NO had dodged the bullet.
That is a polite way to say it. What a bunch of losers!
And even Geraldo admitted that no one knew about the convention center. You are confusing the Super Dome with the convention center. The convention center was never meant to be a shelter of any kind.
I guess Blanco and Nagin expected clairvoyance from FEMA!!!!!
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