AP: “Federal Emergency Management Agency officials did not respond to repeated warnings about deteriorating conditions in New Orleans and the dire need for help as Hurricane Katrina struck, the first FEMA official to arrive conceded Thursday.“
Marty Bahamonde, a FEMA regional director, told a Senate panel investigating the government’s response to the disaster that he gave regular updates to people in contact with then-FEMA Director Michael Brown as early as Aug. 28, one day before Katrina made landfall.
In most cases, he was met with silence. In an Aug. 29 phone call to Brown informing him that the first levee had broke, Bahamaonde said he received a polite thank you from Brown, who said he would check with the White House.
“I think there was a systematic failure at all levels of government to understand the magnitude of the situation,” Bahamonde said…
Later, on Aug. 31, Bahamonde frantically e-mailed Brown to tell him that thousands are evacuees were gathering in the streets with no food or water and that “estimates are many will die within hours.“
“Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical,” Bahamonde wrote.
Less than three hours later, however, Brown’s press secretary wrote colleagues to complain that the FEMA director needed more time to eat dinner at a Baton Rouge restaurant that evening. “He needs much more that (sic) 20 or 30 minutes,” wrote Brown aide Sharon Worthy.
“We now have traffic to encounter to go to and from a location of his choise (sic), followed by wait service from the restaurant staff, eating, etc. Thank you.”
No wonder DHS Secretary Chertoff now says that FEMA bungling, and not an inept local response, was the primary problem with the handling of Katrina.
THERE’S MORE: The LA Times has Bahamonde’s classic response to a FEMA flack’s urgent request to give Brownie some more time for dinner:
“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!” Bahamonde messaged the co-worker. “I just ate an MRE” military rations “and crapped in the hallway of the Superdome along with 30,000 other close friends so I understand her concern about busy restaurants.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
No wonder DHS Secretary Chertoff now says that FEMA bungling, and not an inept local response, was the primary problem with the handling of Katrina.
I would argue that the the DHS Secretary said that because it is in his interest for the Federal government to handle these situations. If the responsibility laid in the hands of the state government (where I think it should) then people in his department would be out of a job. It is obvious there were failures but I would first place blame with the state government which should maintain the resources to solve these problems themselves. Once their failure (a major failure!) had been identified it is definitely time for the Federal government to step in. Their bungle was a second mistake, not the first.
I think to truly understand this situation we need to place blame everywhere it belongs. Btw, how about Louisiana pays back the Federal government for bailing them out? Lets get some responsibility for the way that state’s behave so this kind of stuff doesn’t happen again.
“Btw, how about Louisiana pays back the Federal government for bailing them out? Lets get some responsibility for the way that state’s behave so this kind of stuff doesn’t happen again.”
That will stop Category 4 hurricanes from making landfall?
>That will stop Category 4 hurricanes from making landfall?
No, of course not. But it would send a message to the other states: the Federal government is not an infinite pool of resources and money that is to be used in the case of state incompetence; instead it is an emergency blanket. As I said, lets get some “responsibility” for the mistakes made by state governments. How can the state take any responsibility when the Federal government has footed the bill for all of *their* mistakes?
Look at everything everyone has a different attitude, I treat this game has its own state of mind.
Other players to me how, I will to them how. They send me Hellgate London Palladium, I will send them too.