Tape: Bush, Chertoff Warned Before Katrina

Breitbart (AP) ^ | 3/1/2006 | MARGARET EBRAHIM and JOHN SOLOMON

[wjersey]

WASHINGTON

In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, risk lives in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage of the briefings.

Bush didn't ask a single question during the final government-wide briefing the day before Katrina struck on Aug. 29 but assured soon-to- be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."

Six days of footage and transcripts obtained by The Associated Press show in excruciating detail that while federal officials anticipated the tragedy that unfolded in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, they were fatally slow to realize they had not mustered enough resources to deal with the unprecedented disaster.

Linked by secure video, Bush's bravado on Aug. 29 starkly contrasts with the dire warnings his disaster chief and a cacophony of federal, state and local officials provided during the four days before the storm.

A top hurricane expert voiced "grave concerns" about the levees and then-Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown told the president and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that he feared there weren't enough disaster teams to help evacuees at the Superdome.

"I'm concerned about ... their ability to respond to a catastrophe within a catastrophe," Brown told his bosses the afternoon before Katrina made landfall.

Some of the footage conflicts with the defenses that federal, state and local officials have made in trying to deflect blame and minimize the political fallout from the failed Katrina response:

_Homeland Security officials have said the "fog of war" blinded them early on to the magnitude of the disaster. But the video and transcripts show federal and local officials discussed threats clearly, reviewed long-made plans and understood Katrina would wreak devastation of historic proportions. "I'm sure it will be the top 10 or 15 when all is said and done," National Hurricane Center's Max Mayfield warned the day Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast.

"I don't buy the `fog of war' defense," Brown told the AP in an interview Wednesday. "It was a fog of bureaucracy."

_Bush declared four days after the storm, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees" that gushed deadly flood waters into New Orleans. But the transcripts and video show there was plenty of talk about that possibility _ and Bush was worried too.

[wjersey]

The Dims new talking points

[dirtboy]

A top hurricane expert voiced "grave concerns" about the levees and then-Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Michael Brown told the president and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff that he feared there weren't enough disaster teams to help evacuees at the Superdome.

As it turns out, that concern was moot, because Louisiana officials turned away aid to the Superdome anyway.

Funny how that isn't mentioned here.

[madison10]

So what? Landrieu & Nagin were warned, too. Lot of good THAT did.

[ncountylee]

Yep...AP reduces DNC fax costs.

[MNJohnnie]

More BS from Asso Propaganda. Funny how they NEVER cover the briefing documents from FEMA that warns local and state officials that it can take up to 96 hours for the Feds to ride to the rescue. More scum bag KNOWING lies by the Asso Propaganda.

[cardinal4]

Yawn. Katrina is so yesterday..

[kingu]

*yawn* I saw Mayfield tell me the same thing on The Weather Channel - he was rather blunt about it. And? People stayed, some paid the price, and short of declaring martial law, the federal response was appropriate and timely.

[Txsleuth]

This is much ado about stuff we already know...

AND---it was a HURRICANE FGS... and I know that even the "experts" never know exactly what will happen!!!

[SouthTexas]

And so was everyone in NO.

[newgeezer]

If I'm the President, and someone warns me about a huge hurricane approaching Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, I tell them to make sure all the information we have is forwarded to the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama state officials.

Then, having gone above and beyond the call of duty, I immediately return to taking care of my own responsibilities.

[Kylie_04]

Yep, expect to hear this over and over. They are putting the tape against GWB's statement a few days later that no one anticipated the levees being breached...ya know, more of the "dishonesty" of this admin.

Only problem I see is that the weather dude in the video spoke about water coming OVER the levees. There IS a difference between storm surge causing water to top the levees and breaks in said levee. This will, of course, be ignored.

[Bigg Red]

Six days of footage and transcripts obtained by The Associated Press.....Linked by secure video, Bush's....

%%
And the AP obtained this material how? Smells of a security breach of some sort.

[isthisnickcool]

It kept the crime down.

Not in the Houston area. The dumbest thing elected officals could have ever done was bring all those folks here.

[Southack]

Perhaps Louisiana's corrupt officals who stole levee money to pay for casinos should share part of the blame...the rest of the blame falling onto local and state officials (as well as New Orlean's residents themselves) for not evacuating...the storm was the sole item on the news for 4 days prior to making landfall, so people knew it was coming (and if everyone knew about the levee's then they hardly have an excuse for staying).

It's also worth noting that New Orleans was hit by the weaker West side of Hurricane Katrina. Mobile and Biloxi were hit by the more harsh East side of the storm, yet for "some reason" they managed their part of this crisis a bit better...

[dfwgator]

Gee and I guess that's why President Bush had to tell Blank-O to order the evacuations.

[BushWonGore'sDone]

How long after the storm was over did the levees begin to fail?