Posted on 09/06/2005 5:56:44 PM PDT by bobsunshine
WASHINGTON - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region - and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.
Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.
Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged. Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."
The initial responses of the government and Brown came under escalating criticism as the breadth of destruction and death grew. President Bush and Congress on Tuesday pledged separate investigations into the federal response to Katrina. "Governments at all levels failed," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Brown had positioned front-line rescue teams and Coast Guard helicopters before the storm. Brown's memo on Aug. 29 aimed to assemble the necessary federal work force to support the rescues, establish communications and coordinate with victims and community groups, Knocke said.
Instead of rescuing people or recovering bodies, these employees would focus on helping victims find the help they needed, he said.
'Time for Blame'
"There will be plenty of time to assess what worked and what didn't work," Knocke said. "Clearly there will be time for blame to be assigned and to learn from some of the successful efforts."
Brown's memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public."
"FEMA response and recovery operations are a top priority of the department and as we know, one of yours," Brown wrote Chertoff. He proposed sending 1,000 Homeland Security Department employees within 48 hours and 2,000 within seven days.
Knocke said the 48-hour period suggested for the Homeland employees was to ensure they had adequate training. "They were training to help the life-savers," Knocke said.
Employees required a supervisor's approval and at least 24 hours of disaster training in Maryland, Florida or Georgia. "You must be physically able to work in a disaster area without refrigeration for medications and have the ability to work in the outdoors all day," Brown wrote.
The same day Brown wrote Chertoff, Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said Tuesday that Brown should step down.
After a senators-only briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Cabinet members, Sen. Charles E. Schumer said lawmakers weren't getting their questions answered.
"What people up there want to know, Democrats and Republicans, is what is the challenge ahead, how are you handling that and what did you do wrong in the past," said Schumer, D-N.Y.
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said the administration is "getting a bad rap" for the emergency response.
"This is the largest disaster in the history of the United States, over an area twice the size of Europe," Stevens said. "People have to understand this is a big, big problem."
Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees.
Wow. Gof forbid if you disagree with the general consensus on Free Republic.
I never once suggested Brown move people into New Orleans before the hurricane hit.
Waiting until AFTER the storm hit to seek approval to move workers? Not knowing if the people he was sending were even trained and needing 48 hours to make sure? Going live on CNN and admitting he did not even know until THURSDAY that there were people at the Convention Center?
I know that FEMA is not a "first response" agency, I've been making that point on message boards for days. But this lack of leadership and competence is a disgrace.
I'm calling it right now... Brown is OUT as FEMA Director.
I see someone else is quoting the area the size of the UK
So do the Girl Scouts and they're not first responders either.
Let's suppose for a minute the Red Cross is all gung-ho to crash an unknown situation.
By what authority does FEMA have to NOT let them into an area? I can see local police, fire, Nat'l Guard having jurisdiction. But FEMA?
You can have your opinion but when your opinion is not based on facts and you refuse to acknowledge those facts, then you deserve what you get.
Freeping is a full contact sport.
I would think so. They're back up, surely. First responders are local and state authorities.
In addition to holding regular briefings with emergency management officials in the affected states, FEMA reported the following activities, as of 10 a.m. today, as part of the ongoing federal response.
- FEMA's emergency teams and resources are being deployed and configured for coordinated response to Hurricane Katrina. This includes pre-staging critical commodities such as ice, water, meals, and tarps in various strategic locations to be made available to residents of affected areas.
- FEMA's Hurricane Liaison Team is onsite and working closely with the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Fla.
- FEMA's National Response Coordination Center and Regional Response Coordination Centers in Atlanta, Ga., and Denton, Texas, are operating around the clock, coordinating the prepositioning of assets and responding to state requests for assistance.
- FEMA has deployed a National Emergency Response Team to Louisiana with a coordination cell positioned at the State Emergency Operations Center in Baton Rouge to facilitate state requests for assistance. In addition, four Advance Emergency Response Teams have been deployed to locations in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The teams include federal liaisons who work directly within county emergency operations centers to respond to critical needs as they are identified by local officials and prioritized by the state.
- Rapid Needs Assessment teams have been prestaged in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
- Nine Urban Search and Rescue task forces and incident support teams have been deployed. The task forces are from Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, and Missouri.
- Thirty-one teams from the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) have been deployed to staging areas in Anniston, Ala., Memphis, Tenn., Houston, Dallas, and New Orleans, including 23 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams. The teams bring truckloads of medical equipment and supplies with them and are trained to handle trauma, pediatrics, surgery and mental health problems. Two Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams are also included as part of NDMS assets deployed, which are able to support and rescue pets, and provide any needed veterinary medical care for rescue dogs.
- Voluntary agencies, important partners in disasters, are prepared to augment local government services with shelters, mobile feeding units, water and clean-up supplies.
- FEMA has 500 trucks of ice, 500 trucks of water and 350 trucks of meals ready to eat (MREs) available for distribution over the next 10 days.
I would put 10 bucks on that.
News folks could get there. Criminals were getting there; but the mayor expected the FEDs to be the police?
Which way?
He's done.
I've been googling most of the day and can't find their breakdown. Thanks again.
>>I'm calling it right now... Brown is OUT as FEMA Director.
You better give him a call and tell him. I'd hate for him to read about it on Free Republic.
"If I understand what you are saying, FEMA should have positioned all their assets in NO and have a Catagory 5 huricane destroy them. "
How is anyone justifying denying food and water for 5 days while all the Hollywood icons got thru for their photo ops.
Yeah - that's a plank I want at the 2008 convention!
What's the matter with some of you? Don't you see that blocking aid for 5 days is not justifiable? Don't you see its political KoolAid?
I waited 40 years to see Repubs in power and don't think we can't lose it in a heartbeat.
>>Don't you see that blocking aid for 5 days is not justifiable?
Brown blocked aid for five days? Got a source for that?
That just can't be. I keep hearing how FEMA did nothing for at least 24 hours after the hurricane passed...and even though their own mission statement says it may take 72-96 hours until help arrives. Some people are going to be deeply saddened by this news:)
>>Don't you see its political KoolAid?
Back away from the Koolaid with your hands at your side. We think the media has spiked it with brain cell killing substances.
So Brown is a total idiot?
Care to back that up?
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