[MediaMole]

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.

The news channels seemed to know that things had gone to hell by Thursday. It pretty clear that there was going to be a disaster in the Superdome as early as Tuesday Morning.

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.

[A Citizen Reporter]

"It pretty clear that there was going to be a disaster in the Superdome as early as Tuesday Morning."

Really? How was it clear? Was anybody reporting from inside?

[Howlin]

If you would pay attention, you'd know that those shelters were NOT his responsibility for the first 3 to 5 days.

And you can't schedule drops of food and water at places that you aren't advised of.

[iThinkBig]

"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.

[OldFriend]

The storm hit on Monday. The flooding began on Tuesday.

Assessment on Wednesday and relief began on Thursday.

You have a problem with that?

Don't create your own timeline.

[DouglasKC]

The news channels seemed to know that things had gone to hell by Thursday. It pretty clear that there was going to be a disaster in the Superdome as early as Tuesday Morning. 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.

If you want to draw all of your information about conditions from news reports than all the reporters were reporting that New Orleans had "dodged" a bullet.

Think about this: There were hundreds of affected communties. Most of these communities were actually doing their job and giving first hand reports and information to FEMA and the feds telling them where to allocate the federal resources. To expect them to send out resources based on news reports alone is unrealistic. Suppose the reporters were wrong, or sensationalizing and they sent resources. They would be reamed because they sent them unneeded and unasked.

[PhilipFreneau]

>> 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.

You mean FEMA and DHS were supposed to ignore (or not believe) local officials?

[RasterMaster]

Yea, we want all the Feds to be sitting around watching Whoraldo like Nagin and Blanco, instead of doing their jobs.

[thepizzalady]

"...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...."

OK! I know I'm obsessive about these things, BUT words mean something and when you string words together to make sentences those sentences mean something. It's like saying "Why isn't the President paying attention to the NEWS to find out what's going on in the world?"
The answer is that the President IS the news and the regurgitation of that information is often WRONG and distorted and twisted depending on who's doing the regurgitating.

That's why the media follow the President for news because he has the information before the media not the other way around. Can you imagine Officials waiting for the Sunday paper to find out what's going on in the world? Or flipping through channels trying to find the most factual actual reportage of daily events? YEEESSS, RIGHTTT.(eyes rolling)

FEMA and DHS were told by those who SHOULD have been in charge and SHOULD have known, and DID KNOW, that "The SUperdome was the place of LAST RESORT." LAST means just that! It doesn't mean next to LAST, before LAST or AFTER LAST. There is no LAST,LAST. Last is IT. Final, THE END.

It was not the President or FEMA or DHS who dropped the ball. The President declared a State of Emergency before the hurricane hit. The mayors and governors were informed my FEMA that the states needed to put their own emergency plans into effect because relief could take up to 72 hours to arrive with massive amounts of food, water and medical supplies. Two other governors did just that. Only in Louisiana did the governor refuse Federalizing that state's National Guard saying she didn't want martial law in the streets. AND SHE NEVER PUT HER OWN STATE'S EMERGENCY PLAN INTO EFFECT!!! She did not make a decision for days until it was too late. All those people would have been evacuated on all those buses which were available for that purpose before the levee was breached.

So please, place the blame where it belongs. Don't just Blame Bush. Sift through the reports. Check the facts. Review the time lines. Discern the truth from the hype. Then you will begin to see a more accurate picture emerge.

Even with eye witness reports, different eyes see different things. Prove it to yourself in a group of people. An old game is to have 4 or 5 people in a room to witness a staged event. Then ask each person to describe the event on paper. You will truly be amazed at the different observations. Most of the time the recounting of the event will be so diverse it will be hard to believe they were all in the same room at the same time. It must be that people don't do these things anymore to teach how not to depend on only one point of view.