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.
And I sincerely hope you don't blame FEMA when your lawn has weeds or your car's timing belt breaks.
You same to take the opposite approach... it's all the local ands state agencies' fault and FEMA did everything right.
I'll repeat what I said one more time...
Failures happened at ALL levels of the response, local, state, AND federal.
Brown's atrocious PR skills and his feet-dragging to send FEMA workers warrants his firing- immediately. The State of Louisiana will have to deal with their own Governor. Nagin is now the mayor of a ghost town, so I'm not really sure to whom he is now accountable.
That's the best you can do. Shall I now respond with 47 other posts where I did provide data (including to that lame question, finally)?
Uh no, my family is prepared.
>>>As already said, we have to agree to disagree. I sincerely hope you never have to depend on FEMA to deliver water or medication to your loved ones
So are many other families. Nevertheless, if an earthquake drops a building on top of your children, are you going to hire FEMA director to direct the rescue efforts to save your family?
I'll go with Giuliani if I had a choice.
"The near total evacuation of the major American port city of New Orleans, Louisiana was accomplished between Tuesday afternoon, August 30 and Friday afternoon, September 2, 2005. This evacuation occurred while other search, rescue, relief and evacuation operations were simultaneously being conducted throughout the Gulf Coast between approximately Lafayette, Louisiana, on the west and the Florida panhandle on the east -– an area of about 90,000 sq. miles, or the size of the entire nation of Great Britain.
I'd say this amazing achievement is the opposite of slow. I'd say that it's a stunning accomplishment and one that demonstrates superb organization, remarkable logistics flow, and the greatness of the American spirit.
From the following photographic timeline, it should be clear to all reasonable people that the failure of government response occurred before the hurricane hit, and it occurred solely at the local and state level."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1478997/posts
Well, yes, I lived through the Northridge earthquake, my brothers condo was a total loss. I had to point my shotgun at a looter, but we had plenty of water.
and CA has mutual aid plans...Orange County fire and law enforcement was there in 10 hours.
Giuliani. Presumably because of his 9/11 experience. Do you know who he was coordinating with during that awful time? Director Albaugh and Dep. Director Mike Brown of FEMA.
Funny, ain't it?
Somehow, I fear the irony will be lost.
But hey if you want a former estate lawyer/poli-sci professor/horse show coordinator that supposedly held an emergency management position in some Midwestern town as the head of an unconstitutional portion of the federal government and even screws that up, be my guest. Get out your cheerleading uniform and whoop it up for all I care. It appears you're at least doing that well.
I know. I used to live in California, so I tend to move from earthquake-prone areas to hurricane-prone areas :-)
If you compare California to other states, you will realize that California has some of the best public services in this country.
FWIW, I'll probably be in one of the affected states soon, either as a paid responder or a volunteer via the CDC. Some of what I did in Iraq will be usefull here, too.
I hope Rush doesn't venture here - he just said Homeland should never have been made and that this increase in bureacracy has been a big red tape hindrance.
PS- to all the flamers who castigated me on Tues when I said the failure to plug up the dykes or the canals at the Lake P end would mean an increase in damage by a thousand fold - far exceeding the actual storm damage and the damgae of 9/11
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/06/national/nationalspecial/06cnd-deficit.html?ei=5065&en=a3ffbf721fa7239a&ex=1126670400&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print
Off-subject: AP reporting $2,000 (each) debit cards to be given to every adult evacuee.
Much like you do on any Iraqi Freedom thread.
"Some NO first responders were looting right beside the riff-raff. "
And do you think this does not happen at every disaster site - including the Rolex store under WTC?
Define sluggishness.
Tell us what you expected and compare that with the actual timeline.
If you're going to make charges then have the wherewithal to back them up.
And, btw, did you stop to think that the media trucks were there covering the storm before the levies broke?
If it comforts you that someone who can't hold a job and apparently has never seen a television is heading FEMA just because he was appointed by someone with the right letter by their name, so be it.
You don't know that.
"Bush should fire "Brownie" today, and he should fire Chertoff tomorrow. He should show America that personal responsibility is a Republican Party value. Then he should nominate Janice Rogers Brown for Sandy O'Connor's seat, and put the Left on the defensive again."
No MOre Posts Pleaswe - We have a Winner!
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