Posted on 09/27/2005 10:26:28 AM PDT by Rennes Templar
WASHINGTON (Sept. 27) - Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and put much of the blame for coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.
"My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," two days before the storm hit, Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.
The storm slammed into the Gulf Coast on Monday, Aug. 29.
Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.
"I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."
Brown, who for many became a symbol of government failures in the natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusations that he was too inexperienced for the job.
"I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.
Brown resigned as the head of FEMA earlier this month after being removed by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff from responsibility in the stricken areas.
Brown, who joined FEMA in 2001 and ran it for more than two years, was previously an attorney who held several local government and private posts, including leading the International Arabian Horse Association.
Brown in his opening statement said he had made several "specific mistakes" in dealing with the storm, and listed two.
One, he said, was not having more media briefings.
As to the other, he said: "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off."
Both Blanco and Nagin are Democrats.
"The people of FEMA are being tired of being beat up, and they don't deserve it," Brown said.
The hearing was largely boycotted by Democrats, who want an independent investigation conducted into government failures, not one run by congressional Republicans.
But Jefferson -- who is not a committee member -- accepted the panel's invitation to grill Brown.
Referring to Brown's description of his "mistakes," Jefferson said: "I think that's a very weak explanation of what happened, and very incomplete explanation of what happened. I don't think that's going to cut it, really."
Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., cautioned against too narrowly assigning blame.
"At the end of the day, I suspect that we'll find that government at all levels failed the people of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and the Gulf Coast," said Davis.
Davis pushed Brown on what he and the agency he led should have done to evacuate New Orleans, restore order in the city and improve communication among law enforcement agencies.
Brown said: "Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications."
In part of his testimony, Brown pumped his hand up and down for emphasis.
Brown said the lack of a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans before the storm was "the tipping point for all the other things that went wrong." Brown said he had personally pushed Louisiana Gov. Blanco to order such an evacuation.
He did not have the authority to order the city evacuated on his own, Brown said.
When asked by Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky, whether the lack of an ordered evacuation was "the proximate cause of most people's misery," Brown said, "Yes."
Brown is continuing to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay, with his Sept. 12 resignation not taking effect for two more weeks, said Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke.
Knocke said Brown agreed to stay at FEMA up to four weeks after he resigned to advise the department on "some of his views on his experience with Katrina." He said Brown, who is in a "transition" period, does not have any decision-making or management responsibilities.
"There is an important public benefit to ensuring that any pending projects, initiatives, commitments or records be properly passed off to staff," Knocke said.
Brown ran FEMA for more than two years.
No, but it's always difficult to pat yourself on the back.
Go run fema then. As of now, FEMA IS NOT ON THE HOOK FOR COMMUNICATIONS.
Thanks for posting.
Posted earlier.
Brown blames 'dysfunctional' Louisiana (FoRmer FEMA head)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1492174/posts
Yup.
But Brown is telling the truth.
That would allow the MSM to turn him into a target.
Brown is saying exactly what happened. That's why these hearings are being held, and why the Demo(n)cRATS are boycotting them.
They know how bad they are going to look.
"I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."
Would he prefer Brown wait until the hearing had progressed a little more before he blamed the people who were responsible?
ping
BTTT!
bttt
WTG Brown, hats off to a man who isn't going to put his head in the sand and play PC patsy for the rats or media. I hope Brown has just lit the fire under the spineless GOP.
You're absolutely right. But who listens to us. Afterall, were just 'the public' so what do we know?
Sadly, I have to respectfully disagree with you. The masses are fed garbage and lies by a sophisticated MSM. They have been subjected to public education and don't know anything about how government works -- federal vs. local responsibilities. What is clear as day to Freepers is lost on most of the public, besides, they are more interested in who will be voted off Surviver this week. Bush must have screwed it up, that's the only message that they've had, that's what so many believe.
Just think, Rep. Jefferson, himself, used the military to evacuate HIS home of papers he didn't want the FBI to get, or the boxes of money, INSTEAD of helping them with search and rescue... that is not part of the news is it? The military was dumbfounded at his delaying them, getting their vehicles bogged down, but I was shocked that the military didn't put him in his place. They did photograph it from what I heard later on Rush....
I wonder why the investigative body doesn't consist of the first responders, police, firefighters, doctors, etc., who stayed and did their jobs, instead of the jerks that make it up now? This is the most ignorant thing I have ever seen... so partisan and non of them knows his ass from a hole in the ground... sorry but am fed up with these people. We are living it. FEMA is not the problem, though they need re vamping, too much paper, contractors not informed of policy or procedure, but they are not in charge of running anything in law enforcement or communications.
Amen.
"That would allow the MSM to turn him into a target."
Like he's not now?
If disasters hit other Dim states I wonder what nit-wits would be flushed out.
I guess that's why Blank-o was elected with solid majorities from the parishes in the northern part of the state. But don't let the facts get in the way of a pithey comment.
The republicans that are going after this guy are being stuck on stupid. It is bad enough liberal hacks like Mara are doing it but republicans, What Up with that!
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