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 ...
Geez, not you too. No one even said a word about the Convention Center until Thursday. Everyone was talking about the Superdome.
It is their job. I thought that the decision to create the huge bureaucracy known as the Department of Homeland Security was a mistake when the 'rats proposed it, but now I'm sure.
If terrorists had blown the levees, what should the response have been? Again, protect yourself. The government cannot do it for you.
Sounds to me like DHS and FEMA were trying to follow plans that were in place while the LA officials had ignored plans available to them there. What is the use of spending money, time, and effort organizing and co-ordinating plans that comply with state and federal laws if they are going to be scrapped in favor of responding according to media reports? Who is to know that media coverage would always be available or accessible? While I don't disagree that it should be incorporated into overall "intelligence" information, it certainly should not be expected to be the main source as so many are seemingly suggesting it should have been in this case in lieu of "questionable" or incompetent political officials.
Ping
Not if the sewer flooded..even if the johns weren't stopped up .
We went to a rarely used home over Christmas and after one day we had to call roto rooter..Had the sewers been flooded in my area..it would not have solved the problem.
Chertoff may have as many or more in his offices, but he was probably on the phones, not sitting around monitoring TV. Generally, government officials rely on official reports that have been verified, not snotty rumors from Soledad O'Brien.
Of course, no one was aware of the Convention Center until Thursday...maybe that was because they were suppose to be going to the Superdome if they had ignored the multiple warnings to get the flip out of Dodge.
"If FEMA and DHS had paid attention to the news reports it would have been clear that there was a disaster brewing -- especially when compared with what they were getting from the local officials."
Yeah, you got a point considering we all saw ALL of NO underwater on CNN. Part of the administrations misguided perceptions, is to want to believe the best of people at all times and that the appointed local and state officials are always competent.
I THINK -- best guess here -- by the mere fact that the FOX crew (Shepard Smith and camera crew) (who I think were the only ground broadcast crew near/at the Superdome just before and then just after the storm) (I note they moved into the French Quarter during the storm and were there early soon afterward then back to the freeway location near the Superdome with a water moat in between their position and the Superdome), anyway, I noticed that that crew was taking a great deal of personal safety risks by positioning where they were.
The FOX Crews was AT the Superdome the afternoon before the storm struck but didn't return that closein after the storm and probably because of security concerns. As it is, I have wondered how it was that Smith and crew remained as they did on that freeway adjacent to the Superdome (with water, food, security, an energy source).
It could not have been easy, is my point. They MUST have had helicopter transport in and out again daily inorder to remain there as they did, but if they DID, I also wonder how they maintained security for that transport, given their location. Otherwise, Shepard Smith looked bathed and freshly dressed every day amidst the mess he was covering.
I thought it was remarkable coverage, myself.
But, about the Astrodome in Houston, there was already a story there that was being persued and that was/is the conditions of the shelter, the security and wellbeing of the people being housed there. Given that that was the very, very big issue from New Orleans, I mean, it was already a story when the Houston facilities opened up, such that there was forewarning and incentive to film the place, before, during and now ongoing.
Few of us perceived the Superdome situation becoming as awful as it did, while with the N.O. Convention Center, people were trying to flee and those it was not at all a secure site for any news crew. So, no filming from there until after the swat teams and other military arrived. Then, usher in Heraldo.
Hate to say it, but that really sounds stupid.
So,what's the other part,or parts,are there many,few,gee,these misguided perceptions are worth sharing,don't you think?
When you're running an organization .. you don't have time to stand around watching TV - besides the feds were expecting the state and city govts to be doing their part - BUT THEY WEREN'T - and now they want to blame the feds for their own incompetence.
"DHS and FEMA should not have to spend valuable time watching television for information when there is work to be done"
This is what is killing me about the liberals. They keep saying how could they not know WE were seeing it on TV! IDIOTS, they were not watching TV! Anyway half the crap being shown was old rerun sensationlized footage of people that had already gotten help even thought the same clip was being shown over and over like they were still in danger.
I remember seeing some interviews from the people at the convention center. They kept saying we haven't had anything to eat or drink for 3 or 4 days. THEN, they interview others that say they are having to loot the stores around them for survival. So, while I'd not have liked to be stuck in that hell hole, EVERYONE there was not starving and dying of thirst. A lot of them had been resourceful and got food and water. There were people dying in the water, in attics and rooftops who really had NO food or water, though.
But yeah,it does sound stupid.Damn shame,if you ask me.Kinda like Newt getting all backed up about opining that NO should be bulldozed.
Oh, wow. Is that a CYA answer or what?
Part of the administrations misguided perceptions, is to want to believe the best of people at all times and that the appointed local and state officials are always competent.
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They may "want to believe" those things, but they aren't naive enough to depend on it as has been demonstrated and, I believe, will become more apparent in this instance as more information comes out. We may see things happening in real time on television, but the logistics of responding require time. I have no doubt that improvements will be made as a result of what has been learned here, and that we will benefit from them in future disasters that are certain to come. What aggravates me is the willingness to blame the president for the incompetence of others. It is easy to say after the fact that he should have known that they wouldn't do their job. If the president hadn't been the competent leader he has proved himself to be, the lack of competence of LA officials would have been an even greater set back, imho.
I couldn't diagram that sentence if my life depended on it.
I think if any mistakes were made by FEMA and the rest of the federal government, it was the assumption that the local and state governments were working in the best interests of their citizens during the emergency situation.
It was unfathomable to me as I watched the mayor haggle with lawyers over his responsibilities and options when he should have merely been executing well laid plans. I fell into further disbelief as I watched a governor overcome with emotion instead of showing steadfast leadership in a time of crisis. If I hadn't watched it happen, I would have a hard time believing the levels of incompetence and dereliction that caused so many to die.
Too many on this board have been calling for his head.
Please try not to allow the media to spin the truth against this administration.
Everyone from the Bush administration I have seen on TV has been excellent and that includes (surprisingly)Mineta.
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