FEMA is not a first responder - Don't be so quick to pillory the federal response in New Orleans

As one who has received training by FEMA in emergency management and also training by the Department of Defense in consequence management, I believe that the federal response in New Orleans needs clarification.

The key to emergency management starts at the local level and expands to the state level. Emergency planning generally does not include any federal guarantees, as there can only be limited ones from the federal level for any local plan. FEMA provides free training, education, assistance and respond in case of an emergency, but the local and state officials run their own emergency management program.

Prior development of an emergency plan, addressing all foreseeable contingencies, is the absolute requirement of the local government --and then they share that plan with the state emergency managers to ensure that the state authorities can provide necessary assets not available at the local level. Additionally, good planning will include applicable elements of the federal government (those located in the local area). These processes are well established, but are contingent upon the personal drive of both hired and elected officials at the local level.

"We coordinate all city departments and allied state and federal agencies which respond to citywide disasters and emergencies through the development and constant updating of an integrated multi-hazard plan. All requests for federal disaster assistance and federal funding subsequent to disaster declarations are also made through this office. Our authority is defined by the Louisiana Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, Chapter 6 Section 709, Paragraph B, 'Each parish shall maintain a Disaster Agency which, except as otherwise provided under this act, has jurisdiction over and serves the entire parish.' "

Check the plan -- the "we" in this case is the office of the mayor, Ray Nagin who was very quick and vocal about blaming everyone but his own office. A telling picture, at left, taken by The Associated Press on Sept. 1 and widely circulated on the Internet shows a school bus park, apparently filled to capacity with buses, under about four feet of water. If a mandatory evacuation was ordered, why weren't all the taxpayer-purchased buses used in the effort?

Who could have predicted the anarchy resulting as a consequence? The individuals who devolved into lawless animals embarrass the entirety of America. (I worked in a U.S. Embassy overseas for a couple years and I can imagine what foreign diplomats are thinking.) What societal factors would ever lead people to believe that this behavior was even remotely acceptable?

The folks in New Orleans who are perpetrating the violence and lawlessness are not that way because of low income or of race, but because they personally do not have any honor or commitment to higher ideals. The civil-rights leaders should be ashamed at playing the blame game.

The blame is on the individuals. The blame is on the society that allowed these individuals to develop the ideal that the individual is greater than the national pride he is destroying. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was very clear in her comments that she was offended at those who suggested the suffering in New Orleans was prolonged because of race.

As a retired Marine, I hang my head in shame to see my fellow Americans degenerate so far. I spent so many years in the Corps helping the citizens of other countries rise to a higher level of personal responsibility to ensure that in case of emergency, anarchy did not necessarily follow. When people are held to a higher standard of personal responsibility and they accept that, then they will do the right thing when the time comes.

It seems that the mayor of New Orleans is leading the effort in not taking responsibility for his actions. The emergency managers for the state of Louisiana do not have much to say either. The failure in the first 48 hours to provide direction for survivors is theirs to live with. When FEMA was able to take over, it started out behind and had to develop its plan on the fly. Now the federal government has established priorities -- rescue the stranded, evacuate the city, flow in resources and fix the levee. It appears that now there is a plan and it is being systematically executed.

Hurricane Katrina was a national tragedy -- not just in the number of lives lost or the amount of physical damage, but also in the failure of people to do what is right when no one is looking.

Forget about the process and save lives. Let the chips fall where they may.

Listen to what you are saying. You are absolving local goverment of any responsibility, asking for some sort armed Federal HR Fire Brigade of 50 or 60 thousand men to be ready to respond anywhere in the country at a moment's notice? And where would you put them?

Louisiana, like every other state, has a National Guard, State Police, Sheriff Departments, EMT's, School Bus Drivers and buses, Bus Companies and drivers, RailRoads, Taxicabs, private cars, African American Churches with buses and vans, NOLA has a Police Department. The plan was in place. None of these resiources were orgaized, none were deployed properly. Emergency situations require IMMEDIATE RESPONSE LOCALLY. With the advance warning these Affirmative Action Ani had, there is simply no excuse for their inaction and ineptitude.

The Governor did not even ASK for help from other states, until it was OVER. Do you not realize, in your zeal to overturn process, that Federal troops and National Guardsmen from other states, must be ASKED into a state by the Governor?

The Mayor did not order the evacuation until too late and until after the Governor asked him to. They both disregarded instructions from FEMA AND GW. Can you not see that the Mayor and Governor did not handle their jobs? He, for one, is an idiot with a substance abuse problem and cannot be criticized because he is black. She, a snivelling monument to ineptitude, cannot be criticized because she is a woman. Political Correctness gives them both immunity. What they gave back was the needless deaths of hundreds, which with MSM support, they can now blame on the Feds.

O buyer of MSM BS, What you are really asking for in effect, is that when there is advance warning of some natural disaster, that the Federal Government take over cities. Ain't the way it works in America. Locals are responsible first. Help is on the way. Takes a few days. BTW, it would be extremely helpful if the locals didn't shoot at it.

If they contrive a Katerina Commission, as the Clintons are adamant to do...

You mean a Katrina Whitewash Commission, don't you?

The 9/11 Commission was set up with the intention of not exposing the real culprits (the Klintoons) and hiding their criminal and criminally negligent misdeeds from view (Jamie Gorelick, etc.) instead whitewashing the blame all around (heavy doses on the Bush Administration) and the entire responsibility for the death of over 3000 Americans fuzzed up completely.

Congressional Hearings, period. Followed by Federal indictments of the criminally guilty, period. Full disclosure, period. That's what is needed here, not another coverup commission!

But, that's what the Democrats are now desperately trying to avoid - hence, the early hue and cry for another "Commission", which they will stack with the guilty and direct completely over the tepid objections of the flaccid Republican members, just like the 9/11 Commission.

What are the Democrats really trying to hide in Louisiana, anyhow, besides criminal incompetence? Could it be where the billions of dollars in spent Homeland Security funds really went? All you have to ask yourself is where were the emergency SATCOM radios for New Orleans - or rather where did the money for those radios go - and then start unraveling perhaps one of the largest thefts of Federal money ever discovered (besides Medicare, Medicaid and Welfare).

Lots of state and local officials are sweating out the coming microscope and the national Dems (led by Hillary and Bill, who are probably criminally involved in the Louisiana corruption) are doing their best to sideline a genuine investigation before the bodies are even collected. That's why they don't want the Feds taking control of any events in Lousiana and that's why they are battling in "turf wars" against all common sense.

It makes lots of sense to them. They are trying to stay out of jail and hope they can keep prying eyes out of discovering the criminal corruption which made this disaster even worse than it is.

LOCAL, STATE FAILURES DOOMED NEW ORLEANS (Lonsberry)
boblonsberry.com ^ | 09/06/05 | Bob Lonsberry

Posted on 09/06/2005 6:35:29 AM PDT by shortstop

One of the astounding aspects of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy has been the profound incompetence of Louisiana’s politicians. Never has it been more clear that winning an election and being a leader are two completely different things.

From the run-up to the storm to the events since, Louisiana’s governor and New Orleans’ mayor have been useless, far more concerned with taking political advantage and misapplying blame than with saving people’s lives and doing their duty.

And, with incredible gall, this pair has led the ungrateful and dishonest charge against the federal government and President Bush. They, along with various race-baiters and a great many hateful celebrities, have turned this catastrophe to their political advantage, recasting it as an event of racist neglect instead of what it is – the largest relief effort in the history of the United States.

Those with blood on their hands dare to indict the rest of us.

And, yes, they do have blood on their hands.

The woeful mismanagement by the city of New Orleans of the evacuation, the shelters and the relief effort undeniably cost lives. What remains to be seen is how many lives.

Let’s take the evacuation. Though information has been shifting and hard to come by, it seems clear that while the city did run inadequate transit buses for free to evacuate residents before the storm, the much larger school bus fleet was left idle. In fact, it was not even moved so that it not only did not carry any people to safety, it was lost to rising flood waters.

Literally thousands of people were left to face the storm and its aftermath because the city didn’t send its largest transportation tool – the school buses – to get them.

And the two city-established shelters – the convention center and the Superdome – quickly turned to misery and violence because the city failed to supply and supervise them in even the most rudimentary way. The city told people to go to the shelters, but the city did nothing to make such a move safe or healthy.

It did not send in emergency supplies of water, food, blankets, cots, medicines or anything else that would be considered essential. It didn’t even send in port-a-potties. And it left the shelters understaffed or completely un-staffed. There was no organization, no security, no city officials assigned to be in charge.

There was no provision for the people in the shelters to eat, drink, sleep, be safe or go to the bathroom. And yet the city sent tens of thousands of people to them, directly causing misery and death.

In the wake of the storm, the city’s public safety response was confused and ineffective. Blaming its failures on communications gaps, the city astoundingly had no electrical back-up for its police and fire radio system. And it apparently had completely ineffective commanders.

Police officers were able to move around in the city, but did so pointlessly, uselessly and sometimes criminally. As looters gained the upper hand, some New Orleans police joined them.

And some New Orleans police simply ran off.

Nearly one in every seven members of the New Orleans police department abandoned their posts and abandoned their city. Some even stole police vehicles to make their escape, leaving the people they were sworn to defend to suffering and despair.

The cowardice and dishonor of this is all the more obvious when contrasted with the actions of emergency workers on September 11.

The New York firefighters ran in and the New Orleans police ran out.

And the New Orleans mayor is no Rudy Giuliani.

Strength, courage and leadership were absent in New Orleans. Instead of inspiring by their example, the mayor and governor were visibly shaken and afraid. They acted like frightened children. Stupid frightened children.

The governor did little before the storm and little after the storm. She failed to use her National Guard effectively or expeditiously and she refused to let anyone else use it either. She complained that the federal government was doing nothing while refusing to authorize the federal government to operate freely in her state.

Federal officials can only work in a city with the permission and cooperation of state and local officials. That has largely been withheld. Instead, Louisiana’s politicians have made excuses for themselves and made repeated and dishonest attacks against the federal government.

And beyond Louisiana, those whose bread is buttered by racial division and distrust sowed the hateful lie of racial prejudice in the pace of the response. Completely ignoring the enormity of bringing massive amounts of equipment, supplies and aid workers into the devastated region, they told the people of New Orleans and the gullible of the country that this massive relief effort was something to be hated, not appreciated.

In the words of one idiot, “George Bush doesn’t like black people.”

And in the words of Jesse Jackson, standing with a bunch of refugees to whom he brought no water or relief: “This is the hold of a slave ship.”

And that is a lie.

What happened is that one of the largest storms ever to hit the American mainland struck the Gulf Coast. It hit a city which, incredibly, is built below sea level. It hit a city and state whose leadership fundamentally failed to prepare or effectively evacuate. It hit a city and state whose leaders then provided no effective relief for the displaced, and whose incompetence was demonstrated by the collapse of basic institutions like law enforcement.

What also happened is the United States and its people moved with compassion and speed to provide relief. Hearts, wallets and homes were opened. The largest relief effort in the nation’s history was launched and it saved thousands and thousands of people. It is now feeding, housing and clothing those people, and it will eventually reclaim and rebuild their city.

That’s what happened.

But you won’t hear that on the news.

All you’ll hear on the news is the complaint and ingratitude of people who have blood on their hands.

I am not absolving anyone. There is plenty of time to hold people accountable after the fact. Solve the problem, then ask questions later. We have the regular military and NG (which can be federalized) to respond anywhere in the country. They are already in place.

Emergency situations require IMMEDIATE RESPONSE LOCALLY. With the advance warning these Affirmative Action Ani had, there is simply no excuse for their inaction and ineptitude...The Governor did not even ASK for help from other states, until it was OVER. Do you not realize, in your zeal to overturn process, that Federal troops and National Guardsmen from other states, must be ASKED into a state by the Governor?

The governor and mayor deserve the vast majority of the blame. What good does that do to help the victims once they require assistance? There are times when you must say the rules and process be damned if there is a greater good. Katrina was probably the greatest natural disaster ever to hit this country. Unique circumstances require unique actions. Listen to what you are saying: Regardless of the consequences, the federal government must not intervene in a national disaster invloving the lives and safety of millions of people unless the state requests assistance.

I didn't say that. After Katrina hit and the magnitude of what happened was known, I want the Federal Government to take the lead, espescially if the state and local governments prove to be incompetent. If the first responders are being shot at, I definitely want the Feds to intervene. Half the NO police force walked off the job. Others were involved in looting. Prior to an impending natural disaster, I would expect the Feds to hector state and local governments, even publicly, if preparations are inadequate.

I have been involved in the development and implementation of disaster and evacuation plans. The most important lessons I have learned are: (1)Get people out while the infrastructure is still intact and (2) be flexible because the assumptions you made in drafting the plan may not hold up.

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Craig Martelle: FEMA is not a first responder

Don't be so quick to pillory the federal response in New Orleans. Immediate emergency management is primarily a local and state responsibility


		Craig Martelle, retired as a major in the U.S. Marine Corps, lives in North Huntingdon. He recently launched the Strategic Outlook Institute, a public-policy organization.


	Phil Coale, Associated Press Flooded school buses in a lot, New Orleans, Sept. 1. Click photo for larger image.