Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food" Ann Rodgers got it wrong!

Pittsburgh Gazette and the American Red Cross website ^ | Sept. 3, 2005 | Ann Rodgers/Red Cross

[rightinthemiddle]

Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food

Saturday, September 03, 2005 By Ann Rodgers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As the National Guard delivered food to the New Orleans convention center yesterday, American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them to do the same.

Other relief agencies say the area is so damaged and dangerous that they doubted they could conduct mass feeding there now.

"The Homeland Security Department has requested and continues to request that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans," said Renita Hosler, spokeswoman for the Red Cross.

"Right now access is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities. We have been at the table every single day [asking for access]. We cannot get into New Orleans against their orders."

Calls to the Department of Homeland Security and its subagency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were not returned yesterday.

[Allen H]

Can't wait for the Major Garrett interview on Hannity's radio show in a few minutes. That will blow any chance of the LA state and local democrat run govt getting off scott. Or getting off at all.

[Allen H]

Good, Garrett interview on now.

[Allen H]

AWESOME interview! How can anyone still say the federal government was to blame for food and water not getting to NO? It was clearly the local and state democrats the failed so miserably. Kathleen Blanco better start polishing up her resume'.

[Freedom is eternally right]

The fed and state DHS are connected only by the fact that the federal DHS required states to develop an Emergency Operating Plan and gave grants to the states to do this. The Red Cross was under the control of Gov. Blanco according to LA's plan (2005 EOP p.32).

# Section E. Volunteer and Others 2. The American Red Cross (ARC) has a primary response function to mitigate suffering by providing emergency mass care, food, clothing, shelter, first aid, supplementary nursing care and aid to individual families. The ARC may also furnish medical care, health items, essential household furnishings, occupational supplies, equipment, and emergency rental for housing, transportation and temporary repairs.
# V. DIRECTION AND CONTROL A. The Governor is responsible for the coordinated delivery of all emergency services, public, quasi-volunteer, and private, during a natural, technological and/or national security emergency/disaster situation. The Governor has delegated the LOHSEP Director the authority to implement this plan, and to direct State-level emergency operations through the regularly constituted governmental structure.

If the next argument is about the National Guard being under fed control, they weren't. They were under the control of LA DHS (OHSLA), Military Division (Source is pdf file LOUISIANA HOMELAND SECURITY STRATEGY, Military Department)

State Military Department – The Military Department contributes to homeland security through its homeland defense operations, support to civil authorities, and emergency response abilities. The Military Department provides unique capabilities that other agencies do not have. The Military Department is managed by the Adjutant General (the state’s point-of-contact for Homeland Security) who oversees three departments that have a direct involvement in the states implementation of homeland security mitigation efforts. These departments include the Louisiana Army National Guard, the Louisiana Air National Guard, and the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

. If you want links to these, I can look in my history to see if they are still there (I downloaded the docs).

[Allen H]

Clearly it's the state level that botched up last week. And that's democrats

[Allen H]

Sweet! 8) I emailed that to her too. I think she didn't just drink the koolaid, she took a dip in the pool filled with it. Please if you can find those docs, I'd LOVE to have them. Just email them to rocketfett@yahoo.com . Thanks a lot. 8)

[p23185]

NONE

[StAnDeliver]

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Letter to the Editor (online form)

[meema]

She needs a NEW SOURCE, since her original source continues to give her bad info.

[unsycophant]

"A year ago, as Hurricane Ivan approached, New Orleans ordered an evacuation but did not use city or school buses to help people evacuate. As a result many of the poorest citizens were unable to evacuate. Fortunately, the hurricane changed course and did not hit New Orleans, but both Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin acknowledged the need for a better evacuation plan. Again, they did not take corrective actions. In 1998, during a threat by Hurricane George, 14,000 people were sent to the Superdome and theft and vandalism were rampant due to inadequate security. Again, these problems were not corrected."

www.wsj.com

[mewzilla]

BTTT.

[mewzilla]

BTTT.

[Cboldt]

* bump *

Has Ann Rodgers issued a correction yet?

[Semper911]

Has anyone asked the Pittsburgh Gazette for a correction?

Yes. I emailed Ms. Rogers a few days ago, and I even got a reply. Here is our exchange:

Hello,

I am writing with regard to some incorrect information contained in an article you wrote recently. The article is titled Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food, and is found here:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm

You wrote:

"As the National Guard delivered food to the New Orleans convention center yesterday, American Red Cross officials said that federal emergency management authorities would not allow them to do the same."

The Red Cross has now stated that it was, in fact, the Louisiana State Homeland Security Department, not "federal emergency management officials", who denied them access to provide aid in New Orleans.

If you have concern about the accuracy of your reporting, please call the Red Cross to confirm. (As an aside, the Salvation Army has also now confirmed that the LA state officials also denied them access to the city.)

I look forward to the prominent publication of your retraction and correction.

Sincerely,

*******************

Dear **********,

Due to e-mails such as yours I called the Red Cross again to make sure I had not misunderstood them in our conversations about Homeland Security and FEMA. (The F stands for Federal). They said my story was not in error.

After many calls to the federal Dept. of Homeland Security, both before I wrote the article and after it ran, their spokeswoman finally returned my call. She had no idea whether the federal dept. was a party to the decision to keep the Red Cross out. She said she would get back to me after she checked it out, and I am waiting to hear from her.

The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security and and Emergency Preparedness is currently impossible to reach because whatever phone lines are working down there are overwhelmed.

If the story is in error I will be more than happy to write a correction, but the Red Cross stands by what it originally told me.

Sincerely,

Ann

She stands by her story. She just didn't talk to the right people at the RC.

Yet.

[Semper911]

Now that I have actually read the thread, I see that you got the same reply that I got. She must have it on auto-reply.

But thanks to her, I now know that the F stands for federal.

They really do think we are stupid.