Blanco Refused To Act... Governor’s Indecision Cost Precious Time

nortsidejournal.com ^ | 09/14/05

[Cboldt]

I wonder if the bonding requirement was what was holding up the use of Feds in evacuation proceedures. There appears to be similar exec orders that allow waiving licensing of out-of-state medical personel and vets.

There is also a KBB exec order that suspends certain regulations pertaining to commercial vehicles.

The suspension of bonding to be admitted into LA law enforcement has no relevance whatsoever to a request from the governor for National Guard or active-duty military assistance.

I'm not saying she wasn't part of the problem, only that the KBB executive orders are not the place to be looking for timing of National Guard requests, exercizing of inter-state National Guard compacts and the like.

[Cboldt]

Here is another snippet that results in an utterly false impression:

Meanwhile Blanco had her own advisors insisting that the President was actually making a request for federal takeover of the Louisiana National Guard, and asking to put Louisiana State Police under federal control. They were concerned that this would be the same as martial law and lead to abuse of power by the federal government.

The next day, August 27 ...

There is no way that President Bush would have been seeking to federalize activity in Louisiana on August 26th. The auther misreads a WaPo article of September 4th, that describes a meeting between Blanco and Bush on a Friday - many readers misinterpret the article as saying the meeting was on Friday AUgust 26, when in fact, the meeting referred to was on Friday, September 2nd.

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301680.html

[Cboldt]

Here is another one that misses the boat.

Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which was revised after 9/11, the Federal Government and FEMA are not allowed to interfere with local operations unless they are authorized by state and local leaders.

I agree that obtaining Federal Assistance depends on a state asking for it (See Stafford Act, 42 USC; and the regulations that flow from it, i.e. FEMA rules at 44 CFR), but the author is saying the Emergency Management Assistance Compact is what governs this relationship. It does not.

EMAC, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, is a congressionally ratified organization that provides form and structure to interstate mutual aid. Through EMAC, a disaster impacted state can request and receive assistance from other member states quickly and efficiently, resolving two key issues upfront: liability and reimbursement.

http://www.emacweb.org/

Here is another, the author says "By Tuesday, August 30, the federal relief effort began shipping food, water and medical supplies toward Louisiana for use in New Orleans," yet it is evident from news accounts that relief supplies were prepositioned INSIDE Louisiana before Katrina made landfall.

Here is one that is indefinite ...

The Department of Defense sent search and rescue experts, doctors, nurses and support personnel. FEMA was there to help as much as they could but local and state officials would not allow them to participate because Governor Blanco still had not given her permission.

The phrase "would not allow them to participate" is indefinite. Participate in what, exactly? FEMA was working, obtaing damage assessments, order repositioning of supplies, starting the process of coordinating outside resources, etc.

I do know that the Red Cross and other FEMA-driven agencies were denied permission to enter NOLA, by state and local authorities, because the thugs were active and because Blanco figured starving the people would encourage them to leave. The author should have been more specific here.

Anyway, the article simply paints a grossly inaccurate picture of the way Blanco mismanaged the situation. It fails to separate asking for $$ from ceding control of a rescue and relief effort. It asserts that KBB 2005-23 is somehow the device that "turned a switch" between FEMA/federal inaction and action. In the first place, there is no single "switch" of that nature. The governor's requests for assistance must be precise. And in the scond place, as noted above, KBB 2005-23 has absolutely nothing to do with the relationship between LA and federal assistance.

Like I said, there are some facts in the article, but as a whole, it needs to be taken with a pound of salt.

[LexBaird]

Thank you. I asked you to refute, and you stepped up to do so.

[cookcounty]

"Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which was revised after 9/11, the Federal Government and FEMA are not allowed to interfere with local operations unless they are authorized by state and local leaders.

The TV News Stars will broadcast a small story about this in about 10 years.

[Cboldt]

Thank you. I asked you to refute, and you stepped up to do so.

It does get repetetive though. A similar article was posted about 5 days ago. Lots of "crap" flying around here, not that it'a unusual. I fully expect a number of readers to find the top of this thread and never read through it to find any refutation or contrary citation.

Most of the time, when I see articles and posts with false assertions, I just move on without saying a word. It's much easier than making a correction.

[cookcounty]

Emergency Management Assistance Compact ( www.emacweb.org ) was set up by Congress. Katrina Blame-finding Bloggers ought to study this site. You'll probably be quite a few steps ahead of the MSM, which is still focused on sending emergency Kleenex to Governor Blank-Oh.

[cookcounty]

Bush called, Blanco stalled, and the Democrats Covered Up!

[cookcounty]

Check with emac.org

(Emergency Management Assistance Compact, set up by Congress, which governs these issues.)

[Rock N Jones]

This letter to the Regional Director dated August 28, 2005 is a request a total of $130,000.000 for Special Need Shelters, Hospital shelters, generators, support staff for shelters and the following:
1) Louisiana State Police (LSP) Costs to support evacuations -$500,000 for a direct landfall
2) Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries(WLF)-Cost to support evacuations -$500,000
3)Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) –Cost to Support evacuations -$5,000,000

Nowhere in this letter is it stated that she requesting FEMA to be directly and physically involved. To put bluntly the letter says we will take care of it, you send us the money.

[Milligan]

My co-workers at school are saying Bush didn't provide federal aid quickly enough. They point to this and I'm getting confused:

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976

What is the Stafford Act? It sounds like she asked for federal aid and no mentioning of federal troops. Did Blanco mistakenly thought Federal Aid included the Federal Troops too?

[Guenevere]

I'm counting on you being right !

[crude77]

bump

[Milligan]

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31

Morning

My Way News reports an additional 700 National Guardsmen from TX, OH, and OK are deployed in LA. Revised 9/6

“Early Aug. 31, an MC-130P Combat Shadow from Hurlburt’s 16th Special Operations Squadron flew a team of combat controllers to the New Orleans airport to set up lights which would allow reopening the runway for nighttime operations. The airport has no electrical power.” Revised 9/6

Governor Blanco called for a total evacuation of the city of New Orleans.

In an interview on Good Morning America, the Governor said “We’ve sent buses in. We will be either loading them by boat, helicopter, anything that is necessary.”

When asked about looting the Governor said “We don’t like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue.”

Blanco said she wanted the Superdome — which had become a shelter of last resort for about 20,000 people — evacuated within two days, along with other gathering points for storm refugees. The situation inside the dank and sweltering Superdome was becoming desperate: The water was rising, the air conditioning was out, toilets were broken, and tempers were rising.

Governor Blanco asks the President to send federal troops to conduct law enforcement activities.

At 10:00 AM TP reports that a spokesperson for the Texas Governors office says refugees from the Superdome will be put up in the Astrodome:

FEMA is providing 475 buses for the convoy and the Astrodome’s schedule has been cleared through December for housing evacuees, a spokeswoman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry said.

http://rightwingnuthouse.com/archives/2005/09/04/katrina-response-timeline/

[JulieRNR21]

Have you seen this video? CNN camera catches her admitting she should have requested federal troops sooner.


September 12, 2005
Blanco Screws Up With Troops - Proof on Camera! (VIDEO)

Hat tip: Reader LadyCop

There is a shot where Blanco is being set up several days ago for a TV interview, and her press secretary is helping her adjust her mic. They’re having a personal conversation, but the cameraman catches it!! In it, she kinda jokes to her press secretary something like “yeah, well I guess I really need to ask for troops,” and a couple more things she says.

A bit later in the segment she gets into a semi-argument with Miles O’Brien, and he’s pointedly asking her exactly WHEN she asked the President for troops.

She gets frustrated and says she didn’t even know what day it was the, she was confused, but Miles presses her.


DOWNLOAD and view video here.

http://thepoliticalteen.net/2005/09/12/blancocnndaybreak/

[Texasforever]

You have saud that twice. Please list the false claims.

[Mo1]

She gets frustrated and says she didn’t even know what day it was the, she was confused, but Miles presses her.

She is an incompetent moron who doesn't have a clue

Thanks for the link to that video

[Ellesu]

[KSCITYBOY]

bump

[Cboldt]

You have saud that twice. Please list the false claims.

Do I need to rebut some of the false claims twice?

Or is the response at posts 88, 91, 102, and 103 adequate?