Posted on 09/06/2005 10:16:17 PM PDT by tallhappy
National Public Radio (NPR)
SHOW: All Things Considered 8:00 AM EST NPR
September 1, 2005 Thursday
HEADLINE: Michael Chertoff discusses US aid effort being criticized in New Orleans
ANCHORS: ROBERT SIEGEL
BODY:
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
Conditions and public order continue to deteriorate in New Orleans today. Looting and violence spread. Evacuation efforts moved slowly. Four days after Hurricane Katrina people were still being plucked from rooftops. Officials reported little progress in plugging the damaged levees and flood walls. President Bush has proposed $10 billion for the flooded city and parts of the Gulf Coast hit by the storm. Congress will return to Washington from summer break to approve it.
Heavily armed National Guard were evacuating people out of the squalid conditions of the Superdome. They were boarding buses for the Astrodome in Houston. But it emerged that people stranded at the New Orleans Convention Center about eight blocks away were in more than dire straits. We'll have more on that in a moment.
Earlier we spoke with Michael Chertoff, Homeland Secretary secretary, who's overseeing the recovery operation. I asked him what a Louisiana official told one of our reporters that there are just not enough National Guard on the scene and that this is a federal disaster, not a local one.
Secretary MICHAEL CHERTOFF (Department of Homeland Security): In fact, there is a significant National Guard presence not only in Louisiana but in New Orleans, and it's getting bigger every day. Let me tell that, as we speak, there are approximately 7,400 National Guard working on this in Louisiana; of those, there are 2,800 in New Orleans itself. Today, tomorrow and the next day we're going to be adding 1,400 additional Guard every single day. In addition, we are bringing federal and local law enforcement authorities from Louisiana and other parts of the country to supplement. There is, I think, going to be more than adequate--and there is a more than adequate--law enforcement presence in New Orleans.
SIEGEL: Let me ask you about images that many Americans are seeing today and hearing about. They are from the convention center in New Orleans. A CNN reporter has described thousands of people, he says, many of them--you see them in the pictures, mothers with babies--in the streets, no food, corpses and human waste. Our reporter John Burnett has seen the same things. How many days before your operation finds these people, brings them at least food, water, medical supplies, if not gets them out of there?
Sec. CHERTOFF: Well, first let me tell you there have been deliveries of food, water and medical supplies to the Superdome, and that's happened almost from the very beginning.
SIEGEL: But this is the convention center. These are people who are not allowed inside the Superdome.
Sec. CHERTOFF: Well, but, you know, there have been--we have brought this to the Superdome. There are stations in which we have put water and food and medical supplies. The limiting factor here has not been that we don't have enough supplies. The factor is that we really had a double catastrophe. We not only had a hurricane; we had a second catastrophe, which was a flood. That flood made parts of the city very difficult to get through. If you can't get through the city, you can't deliver supplies. So we have, in fact, using heroic efforts, been getting food and water to distribution centers, to places where people can get them.
SIEGEL: But if those people who haven't gotten them--if they ask our reporter, `When am I going to see those supplies? When does it get to me?'--what's the answer? How many days until it reaches them?
Sec. CHERTOFF: I think the answer is that we are as much as humanly possible--given the fact that we still have feet of water that have not drained out of the city yet, we are moving those foods and supplies as quickly as possible. People need to get to areas that are designated for them to stage for purposes of evacuation. We're contending with the force of Mother Nature and...
SIEGEL: But--and what is your sense? I'm trying--I mean, by the weekend do you expect that everybody in New Orleans will have some kind of food and water delivered by this operation?
Sec. CHERTOFF: I would expect that--unless people are trapped in isolated places that we can't get to, I would expect that everybody's going to have access to food and water and medical care. The key is to get people to staging areas. There are some people who are stranded but who are not in imminent danger. They are not people that we're going to necessarily rescue immediately. We're going to try to them, you know, food and water, so they can sustain themselves until we can pick them up.
SIEGEL: We are hearing from our reporter--and he's on another line right now--thousands of people at the convention center in New Orleans with no food, zero.
Sec. CHERTOFF: As I say, I'm telling you that we are getting food and water to areas where people are staging. And, you know, the one thing about an episode like this is if you talk to someone and you get a rumor or you get someone's anecdotal version of something, I think it's dangerous to extrapolate it all over the place. The limitation here on getting food and water to people is the condition on the ground. And as soon as we can physically move through the ground with these assets, we're going to do that. So...
SIEGEL: But, Mr. Secretary, when you say that there is--we shouldn't listen to rumors, these are things coming from reporters who have not only covered many, many other hurricanes; they've covered wars and refugee camps. These aren't rumors. They're seeing thousands of people there.
Sec. CHERTOFF: Well, I would be--actually I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the convention center who don't have food and water. I can tell you that I know specifically the Superdome, which was the designated staging area for a large number of evacuees, does have food and water. I know we have teams putting food and water out at other designated evacuation areas. So, you know, this isn't--and we've got plenty of food and water if we can get it out to people. And that is the effort we're undertaking.
SIEGEL: Just like to ask you, there is said to have been a report in, I think, 2001 which listed a catastrophic hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the three worst potential disasters the country could face. As someone who inherited FEMA and who came to this obviously with 9/11 being the preoccupation that faced us all, have you had a plan somewhere in an office near yours that says, `Huge hurricane hits New Orleans. Here's what we do in case of that catastrophe'?
Sec. CHERTOFF: FEMA has plans for all foreseeable catastrophes. They've had plans for this kind of catastrophe, and they've exercised and worked on these plans. Recognizing this was a possibility over the weekend, we prepositioned an unprecedented amount of food and water and ice. This mandatory evacuation was ordered and begun. But at the end of the day, as with any titanic struggle with nature, a plan only gets you so far in the face of the reality of struggling with miles of cities that are under water.
SIEGEL: And our reporter said 2,000 people at the convention center without anything.
Sec. CHERTOFF: You know, Mr. Siegel, I can't argue with you about what your reporter tells you. I can only tell you that we are getting water and food and other supplies to people where we have them staged, where we can find them, where we can get it to them. And, you know, if you're suggesting to me your--that somehow the National Guard missed a group of people, I will certainly call up and make sure they don't miss them. But I'm not in a position to argue with you about what your reporter is telling us.
SIEGEL: Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Secretary.
Sec. CHERTOFF: Thank you.
SIEGEL: That's Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, who spoke with us this afternoon.
This is what I mean. Counsel have a role, but not as head of such organizations or in leadership and directing positions.
I heard Albaugh on Laura Ingraham also. I was serioulsy not impressed.
I also am aware that the MSM is spewing forth their lies.
Chertoff has also been a federal judge. In fact, that was his position just before being appointed to head Homeland Security. Probably he made a huge personal sacrifice to leave his nice comfy judgeship and take on this horribly stressful job.
He's a very brave man, btw. As DA, Chertoff went after the mob in NJ, IIRC. You don't get much braver than that.
However, I do agree with you that he may be too lawyer-ly for the job.
I think Bush found himself in a bad position after his nomination of Bernie Kerik for head of Homeland Security blew up in his face. It it turned out Bernie had a pretty sleazy private life.
So Bush turned to someone who was obviously a man of integrity, as well as smart. And that was Chertoff.
And one more thing: It's probably hard to find anyone decent to accept the position of Secretary of Homeland Security. It was, and is, a thankless job.
>> It was reported prior to September 1 by the MSM. See posts #95 and #98. And that was just from a quick check. <<<
Come again?
I was responding to your comment that media reporting on the convention center prior to September 1 may be an urban myth. In fact, the MSM did report the chaos there prior to September 1st.
>> In fact, the MSM did report the chaos there prior to September 1st.
Can you provide links?
LOL, glad to see your images up and moving. That shark wants a margarita!!
I think you grasped the imagery of the Mako.gif (transparent BG version of Shark.gif) & the Margarita.gif
I thought Mayor Nagin said he sent his whole police force up to get phyical & psyc exams & to pack to go to Las Vegas?
Looks like he got a few phone calls about "Viva Las Vegas"....
I heard a radio interview this morning with Da Mayor where he was ranting like a man on drugs about how he was glad to send his police and fire fighters to Vegas.
I saw Mayor Nagin say that on CNN on my DirecTV - "Viva Las Vegas!"
My post on this thread was aimed right at that insanity
Whatta Maroon!
--
Major Garret's exposé of Governor Blanco's orders to LOUISIANA Dept.of Homeland Security blocking the Red Cross & others from getting pre-positioned trucks of food, water, & hygiene items to the Super Dome is a blockbuster
Governor Blanco's spokesmorons are saying she is "awaiting more results from water testing"
Like it will suddenly become pure water!
A few days ago the MSM broadcast & published it was the US Dept. of Homeland Security & FEMA blocking the Red Cross
A blatant lie
Media and the Governor are starting to make Mayor Nagin look better than them
Blanco's 1/2 million dollar contract with Clinton's FEMA guy James Lee Witt to set up better evac. & response plans is going to nail Blanco & the Clintons
Slick Willie was on cable today claiming he did better than GW on emergencies - inferring - like Hillary outright said "My husband would not have let this happen....."
Slick Willie has his own Clinton-Katrina donor fund raising website now
Not exactly what GW had in mind when he asked Clinton to help raise big bucks
The Klintoons will skim millions for Hillary's 2006 & 2008 election campaigns!
--
Jesse Jerkson was on MSNBC tonight demanding everything & more
Wants them "close"
At "empty militry bases"
To become perpetual segregated welfare towns supported by US taxpayers?
90% of those at the Houston Astro Dome said they had no jobs at all - and therefore could not apply for Unemployment Insurance from LA
Jackson was claiming "They all lost good jobs!"
"Now they will ALL need counciling.... money.... retraining.... money.... housing..... money...."
Jabbar Gibson is a leader
Jesse Jerkson is a Kohn-man - demanding most in high level management be 70% -
NOPD Chief is a winner too
>>> Scarborough Country' for August 31-Transcript <<<
LOL! I guess FEMA officials should start watching Scarborough Country, right? Gimme a break.
Oh, come now. You can't be that dense. The point is that the MSM was reporting on and was well aware of what was transpiring down there. I gave you the other link from the Times-Picayune. Days elapsed before anything was done, which tainted the whole relief effort, however unfairly. As I indicated to you an earlier post, I only did a quick check. The bottom line is that situation at the convention center was known to the media and at least to the city officials.
Stranded Spain MP describes Katrina chaos
CNN) -- A Spanish member of parliament stranded in New Orleans has described a dire situation at the city's Convention Center, including dead bodies inside the building.
Lourdes Muñoz Santamaria, her husband and his 10-year-old son were on vacation in New Orleans and were unable to get a flight out of the city before Hurricane Katrina struck.
They ended up at the New Orleans Convention Center, where Muñoz used a pay phone to make several calls to a journalist friend in Madrid to describe the conditions. (See the video report of thousands stranded among filth and corpses -- 2:54)
The journalist, Montserrat Boix of Spain's state television TVE, said Muñoz told her the situation at the center was steadily deteriorating and that authorities were unaware of the magnitude of the problem.
According to Boix, Muñoz said dead bodies were inside the center and others were outside, with no one removing them.
Muñoz also told Boix there was no water at the center, and that when a few evacuation buses pulled up to the center Wednesday [August 31], there was a scramble to get aboard and only the strongest made it, because no authorities were on hand to direct a more-orderly evacuation.
Later, Muñoz described the situation to CNN partner station CNN+ in Madrid.
"It's everyone for himself. The police and army pass by the center, but here no one is organizing anything," she said.
"There are people injured because last night (Wednesday) there were stampedes in the dark because the people were waiting for buses and only five came."Then there was a stampede over a loud sound -- someone said it was a shot fired. There was screaming. People can't see anything at night. There are people bad off, without any help."
The local residents stranded at the center, she said, "are starting to doubt their government. We've been here more than 24 hours without being able to move. We all came here because they said we'd be evacuated in planes or buses or boats and that it was too dangerous to remain in homes."
Munoz said some people at the center thought about going across town to the Superdome to try to get evacuated from there, but police on the streets wouldn't let people leave the area. (Watch the video report on FEMA's scaled-back evacuation plans -- 2:34)
Muñoz estimated there were thousands of people at the center. She told Boix she and her family moved to an upper floor of the center because of what they regarded as aggressive tension on the lower floor.
Muñoz said she has been in frequent contact with the Spanish Embassy in Washington but that U.S. authorities are not permitting embassy personnel to enter New Orleans.
Muñoz, 35, is an MP from Barcelona for Spain's Socialist Party.
Perfectly said. Kudos.
>>> Oh, come now. You can't be that dense. The point is that the MSM was reporting on and was well aware of what was transpiring down there. I gave you the other link from the Times-Picayune. Days elapsed before anything was done, which tainted the whole relief effort, however unfairly. As I indicated to you an earlier post, I only did a quick check. The bottom line is that situation at the convention center was known to the media and at least to the city officials. <<<
Come on, now, you can't be that dense. I posted earlier that another Freeper could not find a report by the MSM on Google until Sept 1, and you posted a borderline MSM piece by Scarborough, and a non-MSM piece by the Times-Piscayune, both dated only a day earlier. No offense, but I have never seen Scarborough - not once. I don't even know what he looks like. And I had never heard of the TP until they started bashing Bush and covering the butt of Nagin. Can you give me something a little more mainstream?
For the record, none of this amounts to a hill of beans since supplying the Convention Center was a local responsibility in the early days of the response. The MSM made it a big deal, and many bought into their deception.
But I am still interested in finding out how many MSM reporters (e.g., those who normally report on network and cable nightly news) were actually reporting this on Wednesday, August 31.
WRONG!! It is the responsibility of the LOCAL authorities to make sure that people get out of town. Sine the local folks abrogated their responsibility, it fell to the National Guard, and now the US Military. Chertoff is Head of Homeland Security, so has an administrative responsibility to get people to the scene. He should NOT be micro-managing anything. That just makes the job harder for the people on the ground. Same thing with Michael Brown. The head of FEMA has the responsiblity of getting the men and materials to the scene. How it is distributed is up to the people on the ground. FEMA only goes where it is told by the local authorities.
From what I understand, as soon as FEMA found out about the Convention Center, food and water was delivered there.
This does not absolve Chertoff.
I don't watch Scarborough on a regular basis either, but he does use MSNBC news reporters who are MSM. The TP is the area's biggest paper by circulation and the 35th largest paper in America with 254,897 daily. I can look further, but based on your response, I really don't think you are interested in the facts. Anything that conflicts with your preconceived ideas are automatically suspect.
For the record, none of this amounts to a hill of beans since supplying the Convention Center was a local responsibility in the early days of the response. The MSM made it a big deal, and many bought into their deception.
Perceptions are more important than reality in this case. Legally, you are correct. However, you can be right and still be wrong. The Feds should have stepped in at that point and taken charge. Legalisms and bureaucratic turf wars don't play well in Peoria. When someone is drowning, you throw them a life preserver even if the lifeguard says you can't.
So all this media blah blah about the government waiting 5 days to do anything is bogus!!
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.