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.
Oh, back now, are we? You got stomped to pulp last night, but this morning we'll just pretend none of that happened, right?
Fine, you want to fire the man. List specific criteria FEMA is responsible for, and then provide proof that Mr. Brown and/or his organization was negiligent in those areas.
I guess CNN made up this poll to suit their coverage?
(CNN) -- A majority of Americans believe the city of New Orleans will never completely recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the resulting flooding, according to results of a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Tuesday.
Fifty-six percent of 609 adults polled by telephone September 5-6 said they believe the hurricane devastated the city beyond repair. And 93 percent of poll respondents said they believe Katrina is the worst natural disaster to strike the United States in their lifetime.
But a majority of respondents -- 63 percent -- said they believe the city should rebuild. And 66 percent said they believe all New Orleans residents should evacuate the city.
Respondents also disagreed widely on who is to blame for the problems in the city following the hurricane -- 13 percent said Bush, 18 percent said federal agencies, 25 percent blamed state or local officials and 38 percent said no one is to blame. And 63 percent said they do not believe anyone at federal agencies responsible for handling emergencies should be fired as a result.
"The Convention Center was not an Official shelter.
False.
" The Media did not start reporting on the Convention Center until Thurs, Sept 1. Which alerted FEMA to the evacuees at the Convention Center.
BS. I have little media access and knew about the problems before the 'cane hit and just after it hit. Your suggestion that FEMA should, or does use the media for info is ridiculous.
"FEMA and or the LA National Guard responded on Sept 1 to the CC."
The Guard was there on day one.
"But I don't expect you to respond to these specific details because that don't fit the latest Dem strategy. And that's just what this is, a DEMOCRATIC strategy to deflect blame from the state and local levels."
Rubbish from the cluless.
Have you read my posts???
The only thing I am blaming Brown for is his complete idiocy and lack of leadership. Failures happened at ALL levels of the response, local, state, AND federal. It was not ALL the local and state folks.
Oh, is that all? Well, now, at least you're being reasonable. < / scoff >
It seems very odd to say the least, viewing conservatives demonstrating mulish displays of impenetrable & unconditional support for the head of a federal bureaucracy, coupled with despicable verbal attacks on everyone who states otherwise, as being a liberal troll.
Everyone is someone else's troll.
The bottom line is if the chaos over the last week, specifically in New Orleans is an example of our nation's future 'responses' if similar natural catastrophes, and or acts of terrorism take place, there is a major problem. which must be rectified.
> Truth be known, you can probably thank your compatriots within the Dimocrat party for this monstrosity.
Maybe. I don't care which leader in FEMA it was, whoever it was needs to be gone. I'm suspicious when I see the memo from Brown talking about workers needing to "convey a positive image" for the agency. Like that matters so much when bodies are floating around. It stinks of lawyers and Demoncraps.
> Did you not follow the PC line of thought in my post.
Yeah, I did, and then said the "PC" part was not the biggest idiocy of the whole thing (although it did make a heckuva capper). The biggest idiocy is wasting the talents of firemen on handing out fliers.
I bet the PC training is some boilerplate training procedure hangover from the deep dark Witt days. But someone had to make a conscious decision NOW to arrange for X thousand firemen to hand out fliers. And whoever that was needs to be fired along with the citizen impeachments of Nagin and that idiot LA gov.
> Do you think for a minute FEMA created this lunacy out of thin air? Get a grip.
If not from FEMA, then who? They're handing out fliers with a frikkin FEMA number on it. Don't hand-wavingly name some unknown Dim force at work. Other than the office of Homeland Security, FEMA owns this steaming pile.
Gezz I forgot again, only you have all the answers.
Wrong. It's a status appraisal. The relationship should be professional. Chertoff is Brown's superior in the HS org.
"I have sent and recieived inter office memos that might sound differnetly than intended if read by outsiders without a clue."
These memos will be read by outsiders.
For the life of me, I don't see emergency management or any history that would qualify him for this position. Do you?
Mike Brown was, is and always will be far more qualified to run FEMA than you or me (especially you).
His answers have put your childish accusations to shame.
Yes, I do.
My wife watches CNN and I've had the pleasure of hearing them squeal like little pigs about the FEMA director taking action after the storm had hit. They think it's Watergate and are having their own Mardi Gras.
A half hour of listening to them would make a goat vomit. Talk about living in an alternative universe.
The fact that the FEMA director was not aware of the crisis in the convention center while the rest of america watched it unfold on TV is inexcusable.
Also, when he went on television to say "people are getting the help they need" and that security in new Orleans was "pretty darn good," it made clear that he either 1) Was in denial of the level of mayhem in new Orleans, or 2) Completely incompetent to grasp the seriousness of the situation.
I hear there is an opening for a new Iraqi Information Minister.
Maybe that's a wise idea the way it's being 'managed'.
"Place the blame where it rightfully belongs."
Where is the starting point? People living under sea level? It's like begging for floods.
Do you live in Louisiana?"
You need to ask? lol
You mean about the Brown fan club?
Horse crap.
Not that way you troll. It is CRONYism, and that irony that you misspelled it is perfectly representative of your misapplication in this case.
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