FEMA Chief Waited Until After Storm Hit

NewsMax ^ | September 7, 2005 | NewsMax Wires

[Freedom is eternally right]

About 26,000 New Orleans residents sought refuge from Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome, which authorities describe as the "shelter of last resort," Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu said late Sunday. To help keep them fed and hydrated, the Louisiana National Guard delivered three truckloads of water and seven truckloads of MREs — short for "meals ready to eat." That's enough to supply 15,000 people for three days, according to Col. Jay Mayeaux, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Emergency Preparedness. Outside the New Orleans area, the Louisiana Red Cross has opened 45 emergency shelters that were serving about 3,000 evacuees as of late Sunday, said Victor Howell, who heads the Red Cross of the Louisiana Capital Area. Aug 28 TP

[M. Espinola]

If a recommended 25 feet high flood wall had been constructed some years ago the flooding damage would have been greatly reduced from hurricane Katrina. The fact that the levee system in place was not adequate for such a storm surge with so many citizens of New Orleans living 'under sea level' was the core problem.

I am not laying absolute & total blame on Brown, it's well known there was a total lack on coordination from the Mayor of New Orleans, that state's Governor, all the way up to the Federal level. Many police and residents have all stated the same thing.

"Representative Mark Foley, Republican of Florida, said FEMA should be separated from the Department of Homeland Security. "FEMA should not be hindered by a top-heavy bureaucracy when they are needed to act swiftly to save lives," Mr. Foley said."

"Since FEMA's absorption into Homeland Security, its ties to state emergency programs have been weakened, and it has reduced spending on disaster preparation, critics say."source

I am glad FEMA assisted you with last year's multi-hurricane devastation. Katrina's first geographic victim in the US was southern Florida.

Not everyone has had such favourable experiences with FEMA.

[kabar]

Like George Tenet

[mad_as_he$$]

He's toast.

[mad_as_he$$]

My brother lives in Fort Walton Beach and was wiped out by Ivan. He, to this day, considers FEMA a useless, uncooperative, bloated and ineffective agency. They make promises they never keep and don't show for scheduled meetings. It has taken him until last June to get his life straightened out to where he can start to rebuild his house. FWIW his house was only under water for about 14 hours. It was instantly condemned by the county.

[cwb]

Your response points something out that also needs to be considered. People are still being tended to from last years hurricanes...not to mention the two already this year before Katrina.

Heck, FEMA was (and is) still responding to the first Katrina strike in South Florida just days before. This doesn't include the other 90,000 square miles they are also dealing with.

I'm amazed that so many people really expect that FEMA can do as much as they are being asked. Sadly, I don't want a federal goverment that has to become so big that it continues to take even more responsibility (and revenue for support) away from the states. Just think about what some are asking for, here.

[uttower]

I will back it up:

I saw him and heard myself on TV and he sounded like a total idiot. That is good enough for me. I guess you can make your own judgment. He is an example of the Peter principle times twelve.

To me it is a given the the Mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana are a bunch of idiots as well. The people of Louisiana deserve those idiots they elected to be their leaders. These are not the type of leaders I would have supported.

However, I do not deserve my President appointing a total idiot to head of FEMA. He should have made him an ambassador to some third world country.

[Kryptonite]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1478896/posts

[spanalot]

"The head of the Red Cross said the Louisiana State Homeland Security Dept was the dept which prevented them from entering NO. Not FEMA."

FEMA is "owned" by Homeland.

Both directors must go

[doug from upland]

Poor Stevens. That was not just dumb. It was Sheila Jackson Lee dumb.

[Daralundy]

FEMA's in the federal homeland not the Louisiana one.

[spanalot]

"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?
"

Read these strings - its widely reported that Homeland/FEMA denied/heldup a wide variety of profesional first responders.

[pepperhead]

Don't think it matters to him.

[Kryptonite]

"The Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" "Don't stop him, he's on a roll."

From Animal House. Seems appropriate here too. Friggin' morons everywhere these days. At least Blutarski was likeable.

Seven years of college down the drain....

[spanalot]

"Brown blocked aid for five days? Got a source for that?"
Its all over - even Bush said the results of aid have benn unnacceptable.

---

"Far from deferring to state or local officials, FEMA asserted its authority and only made things worse, said Aaron Broussard, the president of Jefferson Parish, south of New Orleans. When Wal-Mart sent three trailer trucks loaded with water, FEMA officials turned them away, he said. Agency workers prevented the Coast Guard from delivering 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and on Saturday they cut the parish's emergency communications line, leading the sheriff to restore it and post armed guards to protect it from FEMA, Broussard said on "Meet the Press" on NBC.

[spanalot]

>>Don't you see its political KoolAid?

"Back away from the Koolaid with your hands at your side"

OK - You get up there in 2008 and give the keynote speech on how the 5 day delay in the "Worst Disaster in the History of the US" was justified. We ain't winning these elections with Reagan landslides anymore.

[Bubbette]

I saw an interview with Michael Brown where he stated that he had prepositioned FEMA assets In Houston, Dallas, and elsewhere in the area. As it was, the NG had to cut their way through Mississippi because of the damage and trees across the road. Even supplies in Jackson MS could not have gotten through ormight have been destroyed.

Yeah, it would have been great to have had helicopters at the ready outside of the city limits, but they wouldn't have survived the storm and would not have been FEMA. They are NOT first responders. There was also the little pesky problem with snipers that threw a wrench in the works.

[spanalot]

"To help keep them fed and hydrated, the Louisiana National Guard delivered three truckloads of water and seven truckloads of MREs — short for "meals ready to eat." That's enough to supply 15,000 people for three days"

And are you suggesting that this was sufficient in a city with 100,000 victims?

[Black Tooth]

I'm calling it right now... Brown is OUT as FEMA Director.

You better give him a call and tell him.

I'd bet his phone is busy.

Just a guess.