He knows the important thing is to look good
Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.
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.
Memo my ass! Has this guy heard of the telephone? This is Congress's fault too. Just a few weeks ago I heard about how FEMA screwed up in Florida last year burying some folks who shouldn't have been with federal funds. The GAO and the congressional pimps have the entire bureaucracy writing memos to cover their behinds rather than taking decisive action!
If you would read this thread, you may comprehend why you were the recipient of snooty comments.
Next time FEMA should send their entire force in BEFORE the hurricane hits so we can have more dead bodies clogging up the pump drains.
"This is bad?" Seems the arm chair quarterbacks, MSM, DU, DNC and Bush haters in general,are trying to make us believe they are stupid enough to see it that way.
Apparently they think FEMA should get there with the Weather Channel people and hang out with them in the wind, rain, falling trees, blowing sheet metal and whatever else is blowing in the wind, so that if they survive they can get started as soon as the storm passes.
Don't tell anybody that; they'll be certain you're crazy.
BRAVO!
Brown needs to be praised immediately. FEMA's and DHS' response to this disaster has been impressive, despite all the rhetoric and ignorant comments to the contrary.
I've got a few questions:
1.)When President Bush picked Brown for this job, was he picked because he had a wealth of experience and expertise in emergency management, and an EXCEPTIONAL track record of managerial success?
2.) What criteria WERE used in the selection process?
3.) Was Brown the VERY BEST person available for this important job?
4.) How do you spell chronyism?
I'm starting to feel a little disappointed in President Bush on this issue.
FEMA is not first responders. FEMA has always let state and local governments know that they (not FEMA) are responsible for the first 72-96 hours of an emergency. FEMA will then assist as necessary. In the case of Katrina, there was no local or state support at all.
Should FEMA be 200,000 employees strong with their own fleet of boats, trucks, planes, choppers to handle (slightly better) a once every 200 year event?
I certainly hope not. That would indeed be horrible, to make a political scapegoat of the leader of the one agency that really seemed to have its act together.
If Babs Mikulski disapproves of him, then that's bonus points for the man in my book!
I think you are missing the point. These are Homeland security people from outside FEMA. This doesn't mean that there were not also FEMA people being sent on a different schedule.
BTW, the reason I'm confident these are not FEMA people being requested is because they are told to check in with FEMA Human resources.
http://wid.ap.org/documents/dhskatrina.pdf
Bump.
They buried them with federal funds? $10's and $20's or $50 and $100's?
You're right, it seems to have been a waste of money.
Maybe the undertaker removed the money before they sealed the coffin?
Or are you saying they shouldn't have been with federal funds? Or did they bury them because they had been with federal funds?
Oh my! I've been with federal funds most of my life! FEMA will buy me for being with federal funds?
I think you better check your days. The storm didn't hit till Monday. The levees broke the next day. FEMA doesn't go in BEFORE a storm. When the full import of the mess was realized it took a bit to marshal the forces to move a hundred thousand people.
You are really being unrealistic.
Half the folks who made up the crisis could have gotten out. They chose to stay. The other half should have been taken out on those busses starting the Friday before the Monday the storm hit. All low lying areas of NO should have been forcibly evacuated.
A thousand National Guard should have been put in the Dome and another thousand in the Convention Center ... even though it was not a refuge site. They broke in.
Good point. So if I recall correctly that means Brown has dealt with 6 hurricanes in the last 13+ months alone (not including Katrina). Heck, what makes New Orleans different than the other 2 states even effected by this storm? Seems pretty obvious to me.
Makes complete sense. Would you prefer he have responders from the Northeast trying to fly out during the remnants of a Category 4/5? FEMA already had resources staged.
"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. "
Do you remember on Star Trek how you could tell which no name actors were the "expendables".
Accept their resignations immediately.
Thank God you're not in charge! Were you calling for Mr. Brown's firing after four hurricanes hit Florida last year? Hmmmm?
In a sense...yes since FEMA is not a first response team. They come in after the local and state people call for them.
He knows the important thing is to look good
Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.
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