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.
We haven't topped 9/11 yet officially. So it's not the worst disaster in US history.
Broussard? Isn't he the jackass that started to bawl on Russert's show about how his cleaning lady's, wife's mother-in-law drowned after calling his office for 4 days in a row and he couldn't be bothered to go rescue her?
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It's ludicrous to believe that Big Federal Brother is responsible for or precognitive about everything that could happen in a severe weather event (an act of God or Mother Nature) or disaster, and that citizens aren't accountable for their own actions and decisions!
And (I) lost it all in Andrew and had to finally leave FL as a result of last year's 4 storms in 6 weeks .... my life, my choice, my decision.
What happened to maturity .. self-sufficiency .. individual responsibility?
My local government is responsible for giving me accurate information and providing evacuation routes and shelters. I am responsible for heeding that advice and the due diligence and provisions for my survival, and for those in my care.
What you're describing sounds like shepherding mindless piggies at the trough.... and a trough that's always been under sea level and surrounded by water.
As the MSM wants you to be. Just believe everything they say.
5 hours..give me a break???
"No, but they didn't go without food for five days "
Its been widely reported by many sources that the Convention Center had none for 5 days - this is not the Superdome
Assuming spanalot is on the level, he wants us to believe that noone in the US will think of this. Plus, we must waste all of our time and energy reacting to every Dimwit's baseless charge.
Next Sheila Jackson-Lee will proclaim that we angered the Martians by landing men on their planet and they caused the hurricane. Of course, we'll have to respond to that too.
It's as though they are oblivious the Dems & the MoveOn.Traitors are gaining unwarranted political mileage out of this disaster and the Presidential election 'many years' away. November is right around the corner as an initial indicator.
The 'liberals' are ticked off and using the hurricane as an issue because this President has a golden opportunity to alter the adverse direction of the Supreme court with not one, but two replacement justices.
Bush Says He Will Investigate Response to Hurricane
I would like to know how the defenders of FEMA's Brown explain the President's own comments stating he was not satisfied with the storm relief response?
Today President Bush stated he is interested in saving lives and also "Bureaucracy is not going to stand in the way of getting the job done" which is a giant step in the right direction as our enemies are watching, lurking and continue plotting their evilness against US & the rest of civilized world.
Are you suggesting there were 100,000 in the Superdome?
"We haven't topped 9/11 yet officially. "
I pray your right - but the biggest to date is Galveston.
That just about sums it up. There was ZERO response from the city or the state. No wonder nothing happened until Thursday.
I believe I've seen quotes from LA Guardsmen that have said they handed out water at the Convention Center.
Let alone mounds of trash that would indicate these folks were eating and drinking something.
She'll blame her hairdo on the Martians, too!
Did he say he was unhappy with Brown's storm relief response?
Keep up the good work - somebody is going to realize that the Repubs have got to win.
I think there were 30k in Superdome, 20k in Convention Center, and easily 5ok in rest of city - where many had to loot to survive.
If Brown were a Clinton administration official, somehow I think all this a-s-covering for him by freepers wouldn't be happening.
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