Posted on 09/06/2005 5:56:44 PM PDT by bobsunshine
WASHINGTON - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region - and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.
Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.
Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged. Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."
The initial responses of the government and Brown came under escalating criticism as the breadth of destruction and death grew. President Bush and Congress on Tuesday pledged separate investigations into the federal response to Katrina. "Governments at all levels failed," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Brown had positioned front-line rescue teams and Coast Guard helicopters before the storm. Brown's memo on Aug. 29 aimed to assemble the necessary federal work force to support the rescues, establish communications and coordinate with victims and community groups, Knocke said.
Instead of rescuing people or recovering bodies, these employees would focus on helping victims find the help they needed, he said.
'Time for Blame'
"There will be plenty of time to assess what worked and what didn't work," Knocke said. "Clearly there will be time for blame to be assigned and to learn from some of the successful efforts."
Brown's memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public."
"FEMA response and recovery operations are a top priority of the department and as we know, one of yours," Brown wrote Chertoff. He proposed sending 1,000 Homeland Security Department employees within 48 hours and 2,000 within seven days.
Knocke said the 48-hour period suggested for the Homeland employees was to ensure they had adequate training. "They were training to help the life-savers," Knocke said.
Employees required a supervisor's approval and at least 24 hours of disaster training in Maryland, Florida or Georgia. "You must be physically able to work in a disaster area without refrigeration for medications and have the ability to work in the outdoors all day," Brown wrote.
The same day Brown wrote Chertoff, Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said Tuesday that Brown should step down.
After a senators-only briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Cabinet members, Sen. Charles E. Schumer said lawmakers weren't getting their questions answered.
"What people up there want to know, Democrats and Republicans, is what is the challenge ahead, how are you handling that and what did you do wrong in the past," said Schumer, D-N.Y.
Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said the administration is "getting a bad rap" for the emergency response.
"This is the largest disaster in the history of the United States, over an area twice the size of Europe," Stevens said. "People have to understand this is a big, big problem."
Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees.
Maybe we congress should pass some new disaster legislation. Calling the inept democrat governor and mayor act. The act would call for the governor and mayor of the rat city to step down and let republicans take their place.
Isn't Carl/Newsmax also a member here?
This is disappointing since we have been pointing our these inaccuracies for almost a week now.
I'm assuming that since I've been defending FEMA you thought you 'had' me with that training session.
If what was reported was true, and we know that the MSM never lies or distorts, it looked like a pantload and I won't begin to defend it.
But if you'd checked my profile page you'd not have asked the question.
Brown and Chertoff, two lawyers without any major executive experience until their present jobs. We need real professionals in these positions, not political hacks.
One thing that has bothered me about FEMA's response time is that prior to Katrina hitting there were news reports in Houston about how Reliant Energy and SBC had trucks sitting in Beaumont, TX ready to go to where ever the storm hit and get the lines up and running. If electricity and phone companies can have this kind of foresight, why can't an organization like FEMA?
So while flying folks from the Northeast during a storm would be bad, couldn't they have staged in Texas or any other state to the west of the storm's predicted path?
It has come to light that all during the night on Friday, September 2, the president of the United States was forced to “negotiate” with Governor Blanco for the lives of the suffering and dying people of New Orleans. She feared that allowing the federal government to take control would make her administration appear as though it had failed. How she would be judged was more important to her than the lives of those people who were dying in the squalor. How many died as Blanco maneuvered to protect her reputation?
The Posse Comitatus Act prevents, by federal law, the president of the United States from sending federal troops into any state without the direct request of the elected governor of that state. A frustrated President Bush could only stand by and watch as the horror unfolded until he received the request for help. Despite the finger-pointing at President Bush, there was little that he could do until he was formally asked for assistance. No matter how loudly the liberals scream, they know full well that the president was helpless to do much of anything.
If I understand what you are saying, FEMA should have positioned all their assets in NO and have a Catagory 5 huricane destroy them.
If I remember correctly the levee system was still intact a good 12-18 hours after Katrina passed.
Lots of uninformed armchair thinking if you ask me.
Why dont you put the blame where it belongs, city and state officiaqls are at fault here not the feds.
Like Jamie Gorelick.
"The Red Cross are not first responders"
Yes they are - they offer first aid, food, water, shelter ,and common injections
Brown is not the only one who should go. When there a bad apples in the barrel they require being extracted. In no way is that an adverse reflection on the President. Your die-hard defense of Brown only harms the President and feeds directly into the hands of the radical left.
Hillary & her cohorts were waiting for something like this, so she & the rest of power hungry sellouts could dig their backstabbing claws into President Bush's anti-terrorist policies, via sneaking through the back political door. The radical Left's goal is dividing this nation and once again pushing this country into the dangerous direction of appeasement, lowering our guard while we are at war with hordes of barbarian Mohammedan madmen.
Replacing Brown quickly deflates the air out of the Dem's 'hot air' political balloon.
Hurricane season is not over yet....
"Accept their resignations immediately. "
"Of course I'm sure you meant publicly praise and perhaps even reward them for doing more than you or others around here could possibly imagine."
It sweems like alot of people here don't care about the Repubs that have to get elected in 2008
I agree. It's always about the money.
Wow two companies based in Texas have trucks ready in Texas.
Steve, Steve, Steve....fyi, FEMA was moving into action before the governor called for help which is a requirement for FEMA since FEMA doesn't just barge in.
FEMA doesn't have a fleet, nor a distribution center, nor a logistical hub like Walmart or FEDEX.
Considering that it to a 'hunnert year' storm with a state and municipal collapse to trigger unjustified outcries against FEMA I don't think we need to expand FEMA as you might be suggesting.
Or perhaps he meant the size of the EU's political clout.
"Now, call me nuts, but I find this gentleman to be imminently qualified for this position - much more so than a few keyboard warriors who haven't even the foggiest clue as to what FEMA's mission is."
He is a lawyer!! That's worse than I thought.
Yes, I've had to deal with FEMA. This area was host to Ivan and Dennis.
On what grounds would you fire Brown?
"First Responder" is a technical term. The Red Cross is NOT a First Responder organization.
Kinda sux to find out you don't know what you're talking about isn't it?
Rudy was a lawyer.
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