Chairman: Would it have been handled better if you were independent of DHS.
Brown: Cleary, it would have been better if we were independent.
Rep. Thornberry (R) Texas:
Generally, how many people do you expect to actually evacuate when an evacuate order is issued? We heard, for example, that 80% is pretty good. So what's your expectation?
Brown: Prior to Katrina I would have hoped for 80%. Post Katrina, I expect better than 80%.
Thornberry: So did 80% actually evacuate NO?
Brown: I don't know.
Thornberry: So you knew they wouldn't all evacuate and you already testified you knew the SuperDome was to be the evacuation center. Col. Ebert, is the emergency coordinate, chose the Dome as the shelter. It was not a decision you made.
Brown: No, we wouldn't make that decision.
Thornberry: You also testified you put some MRE's, water and people there before the hurricane hit. What were the people supposed to do?
Brown: Mini Fema team to push through the command structure to decide the needs of the super dome. A federal coordinating officer who is smart and knows the business well was there and another long time FEMA employee were there. THey were to liaison between mayor's office, FEMA and someone else i Couldn't get.
We also had a medical team there. There were approximately a dozen FEMA people at the Super Dome. We expected about 20,000 at the Dome.
Peach, is the hearings still going on? I had to leave this morning and since I got back I don't see them on C-Span online.