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.
"Forty-two percent say Bush did a "bad" (18%) or "terrible" (24%) job, but 35% rate his response as either "great" (10%) or "good" (25%). "
Am I to assume that the Bureacrat Bots would prefer that Bush take the hit on this rather than the incompetant Brown and Chertoff?
I don't think that Bush (42% w/ bad or terrible) should take the blame for the butthead that didn't know there was no water or food at the Convention Center till Thursday.
Okay, I said before I wasn't going to rspond to you, but here I go. What best management practice actually promotes "Must be willing to break the law as well as do things that are not in his scope of authority "?
Then try something else.
Why put the horse czar job on his FEMA bio? It's not relevant. (It also doesn't disqualify him from this job.) And (yet again) his bio shows that he was, is and always will be more qualified than you or me for FEMA Director.
If Brown gets canned, it will be a crying shame. And people like you will be at least partly to blame.
no, the point is that even Gallup, with it's push polls can't find near the blame you clowns seem to
:)
"Must be willing to break the law as well as do things that are not in his scope of authority "?"
If Nancy Peolosi hates you, you must be doing ALOT right.
Would you be willing to learn?
Your stubborn refusal to acknowledge a difference between the roles and responsibilities of FEMA versus the roles and responsibilities of first responders, indicates that you are not.
A Horseman of the Apocalypse is giving a press conference on CNN right now.
and what else would encourage them more than for W to start tossing folks over the side
strange bunch of "conservatives" here these days
"What we know...
The Dem Party is salivating at the possibility that they can ride the Katrina wave into majority in the House, Senate & yes, even the WH in 08'.
Why else would they call for immediate hearings as soon as NEXT week. One can smell the political stench coming from the Hill as far away as HI. Their faux "hair on fire" press conferences reek of partisanship.
Fortunately, the President is pushing back unlike he ever has before. Early and often. Expect to see him in the Gulf Coast Region often. Very hands on."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.