FEMA Head: Katrina Was 'Catastrophic'

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON - The nation's top disaster relief official said Tuesday that Hurricane Katrina wrought "catastrophic" damage to low-lying portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and that additional medical personnel were being moved in to treat evacuated hospital patients.

With at least one New Orleans hospital threatened by Katrina's floodwaters, patients were being transferred to the Superdome, said Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and medical personnel were being sent in to treat them.

The damage is "very, very sobering," Brown said. "And of course the flooding is just everywhere ... New Orleans, all through Mississippi and Alabama. This storm is really having a catastrophic effect," Brown said on CBS' "The Early Show."

FEMA sent medical teams, rescue squads and groups prepared to supply food and water into the disaster areas and Brown said it would be "quite a while" before those displaced by the hurricane can return to damaged areas, especially in those areas near downtown New Orleans.

"It's the parishes and wards south and east of New Orleans, it's Biloxi, Miss., and the region," Brown said on NBC's "Today" show. "All those low-lying areas are just devastated."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050830/ap_on_re_us/katrina_washington

[rodeodance]

1. FEMA is part of Homeland Security. It is broke and discombulated.

[wli]

2. flush with cash but heavily politicized and heavily porkbarrelled

All the money went to the wrong places because they were Republican voting districts, and into the wrong projects because the neocons were more interested in pork like pepperspraying and tasering peaceful demonstrators than actually dealing with disasters.

[TahitiNut]

3. So far, all I detect is lip service from FEMA.

The SCLM has yet to depict any FEMA activities whatsoever. What rescue and nurturing we've heard reported is local heroes working with what they can scavenge.

[SpiralHawk]

4. FEMA is following the lead of the "commander in chief"

and "hanging loose."

[indepat]

24. Dismembering FEMA keeps us safe at home as terra' is being fought over

there so we don't have to fight 'em over here. Our resources are finite, so we must use our treasure and deploy our human resources where we will get the biggest bang for our buck so we will be safe.

[SoCalDem]

5. And "loans" may be nice, but when there are SO many people

with NOTHING left, a loan will not solve their problems.It's hard to imagine the situation these folks are in.. Imagine a couple with a few kids aho both worked at a casino..(lots did)..

In one swoop, they have no place to live, no job , and probably very little money in the bank (if they are like most people).If they stayed behind, they may not even have a car now..

How will a small loan help them? If they rented, they might not even be eligible. If the loans are to help re-build, those loans will go to their landlord...not them..

They will have to somehow survive on handouts from family and red cross & salvation army..

I suspect that lots of people will just pull up stakes (of what's left) and just go elsewhere..

[TahitiNut]

6. Our "social safety net" is about 1/4" off the concrete.

Anyone that falls merely a foot will bust their skull.

I don't think one person in a hundred fully realizes how close they are to being totally impoverished. It takes one helluva lot less than most folks are willing to even think about.

[SoCalDem]

8. 2 consecutive paychecks missed will do it for most of us

:scared:

[TahitiNut]

14. Yep. And you might be shocked to find out how fast ...

... a person can lose over $100K in home equity. Yes, I'm speaking of a case I know in detail. I probably would've never believed it if I didn't see it. Stunning ... and not an anomaly, either.

[Eloriel]

15. And just in time for that handy, dandy new bankruptcy bill

A match made in heaven.

[tedzbear]

18. Plus they've all lost their jobs for the next couple months.

Or maybe longer, depending on how long it takes to rebuild NO's businesses.

[tedzbear]

17. No wonder they are looting.

I would too if I had no water, food, or clothing. FEMA needs to get into gear fast.

[riverwalker]

7. emergency food stamps

You can't eat paper. How helpful are food stamps with no car to get to a store, if any stores even exist in the area.

"The Agriculture Department said its Food and Nutrition Service would provide meals and other commodities, such as infant formula, distilled water for babies and emergency food stamps."


"Some 6,000 National Guard personnel from Louisiana and Mississippi who would otherwise be available to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina are in Iraq"

Those 6000 National Guard could be saving American lives today. Our response to this disaster on a federal level is as bad as what we see in third world countries.

[Tippy]

13. Son-in-laws nephew who is a Guardsman..

not sure if he is from KY or TN was called up this morning they are headed for the Gulf Coast....

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Does anybody know what happened to the Bayou country?

Years ago I got a good ole boy city land use planner really nervous because I started digging into his personal files, (public record). I knew that I was onto something, but I didn't know what. I still don't know what he felt guilty about, but he leaned over at me and said, "I'm going to retire soon and I'm going to go deep in the Bayou Country where no one can find me."

I just thought, well, I just thought that if there was one person in the world that should take the brunt of corrupt land use development, it should be him.

[ramapo]

10. I'd expect some of it is gone

The bayou has been sinking out of sight for years

[The Backlash Cometh]

12. Thank you.

[Tippy]

11. "An exposed nerve"

...be sure to read this from the beginning lot of info on why FEMA is not what it once was..thanks to George Bush....

In case Congress hasn't gotten the message, former FEMA director James Lee Witt recently restated it in strong terms. "I am extremely concerned that the ability of our nation to prepare for and respond to disasters has been sharply eroded," he testified at a March 24, 2004, hearing on Capitol Hill. "I hear from emergency managers, local and state leaders, and first responders nearly every day that the FEMA they knew and worked well with has now disappeared. In fact one state emergency manager told me, 'It is like a stake has been driven into the heart of emergency management.'"

Lately, though, Witt has had nothing to say publicly about the agency's performance. His disaster management company, James Lee Witt Associates, recently won a $250,000 contract with Orlando, Fla., to help the city get its share of post-hurricane FEMA money. A company spokesman says that Witt will be making no comment while Florida's recovery efforts continue, out of respect for his former colleagues.

Waugh, the Georgia State University expert, says that the recent hurricanes could serve as a wake-up call to highlight FEMA's drift in priorities. "If you talk to FEMA people and emergency management people around the country, people have almost been hoping for a major natural disaster like a hurricane, just to remind DHS and the administration that there are other big things--even bigger things than al Qaeda.

"This is an exposed nerve in the emergency management community, in the sense that resources have been shifted away from hurricanes, tornados and other kinds of disasters--the kind of disasters that are more likely to occur than terrorism."

< http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2004-09-22/cover.html >

[Vogon_Glory]

16. Just Remember--Hurricane Season Isn't Over Yet. n/t

[demgrrrll]

19. There is an article in the WaPo today about how Bush has dismantled

FEMA. Words fail me. I need to step away for awhile.

[SharonAnn]

21. Reagan and GHWB damaged it. Clinton rebuilt it to top-notch, and

now commander Bunnypants has broken it badly.

These people really have got to stop voting for Republicans.

[Megahurtz]

22. Reagan and Poppy. Great.

We are so fucked.x(

[nerdus]

20. Bush pads resume

Now he's a hurricane prezdent and a war prezdent!

And, just like 9/11, he will seek to use this massive disaster for his political gain.

[54anickel]

23. OMG, the pics on that site. This is the first chance I've had to see

some of the photos. I made it to #192 before the tears kicked in. That picture of the officer carrying that tiny frail woman - the look on his face and the looks he's getting from the National Guard troops from behind him. :cry:

[blossomstar]

25. Where is our President?

Today, President Bush was in California discussing his pre-emptive war in Iraq while thousands upon thousands of our citizens in LA, AL, and MI are without homes and many of them are dead. This is a national emergency and our President should be at the forefront helping these people... yesterday, today and tomorrow! I just saw on television that many people in New Orleans are sleeping on bridges on underpasses just to stay dry as their homes are under water. This is here in America. I'm sorry, but to hell with Iraq and rebuilding their buildings time after time so they can blow them up again! It's high time that we had some leadership that looked after us here in America and our tax money be spent helping Americans. Every resource within our power should be sent to these states NOW. Send in busses and pick up these people camped out on the underpasses, on roof tops, in the super dome and other shelters. Give them shelter, food and clothing... NOW. As the president stated earlier that these people are in his prayers... we need to ACT. Having lived through the flood during Isabel I know first hand what these people are feeling; hopelessness.... time goes by as if every hour is a year... living in a tiny old camper (with 4 dogs) waiting, waiting, waiting... September turns into October, October turns into November, then November turns into December... it feels like years instead of months since we were thrown out of our home. These people need action along with prayers. We need to pick them up, tend to their injuries, give them food and take them to the inn as the "good samaritan" did, not offer a prayer and pass them by as did the Pharisee.

[Nothing Without Hope]

26. Plans to allow New Orleans to be damaged by storms and floods may date

back at least several years, judging by the massive cuts or blocks in project/grant funds to protect the city or provide disaster relief. In addition to the other threads I and others have posted on how the Bush Administration cut funding for disaster protection and relief, here's a new one. So far it only has 3 votes, and it's buried in the Editorial Forum - it deserves a wider audience:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x151655
Thread title: 9/28/04 La should have received FEMA disaster mitigation grants, but got 0
paineinthearse Editorials Tue Aug-30-05 12:25 PM

Even just the excerpt given in the OP shows that this is a long-term policy of the Bush Administration. No explanation for denial of the funds was given. The money still went to places like Texas and California, but despite all evidence suggesting that they should be first in line, NOTHING for New Orleans.

Here are additional threads relating to the consistent Bush Administration policy of starving funds for protection and disaster relief.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4482567
Thread title: Bush has slashed Clinton's Disaster Mitigation Program. (unbelievable)
Posted by barbaraann GD Forum Sun Aug-28-05 12:23 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2042880
Thread title: New Orleans district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cut by Bush
Posted by usregimechange GD-P Mon Aug-29-05 12:25 AM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4490119
Thread title: Bush Cut Hurricane, Flood Protection Funding to New Orleans
Posted by Lori Price CLG GD Forum Sun Aug-28-05 09:59 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2042922
Thread title: DU media Blast Bush's cuts to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
sregimechange GD-P Mon Aug-29-05 12:54 AM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2045974
thread title: Hold Bush accountable for the flooding of New Orleans!
saracat GD-P Tue Aug-30-05 04:36 PM

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4517048
thread title: Cuts to the Army Corps of Engineers... not a politicization, just
4MoronicYears GD Forum Tue Aug-30-05 08:44 PM

If this doesn't upset you enough, go read this thread. Be sure to read through the whole thing. The dismantling of FEMA has a very specific history - they imported a Bolton clone who caused high-level career FEMA people to leave. There is also the matter of what is happening with NorthCom...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4519574
Thread title: Think about the implications of this: Nat'l Guard in Iraq, NorthCom HERE.

[yellowcanine]

27. Where is the Louisiana National Guard and all of their equipment?

George Bush should be impeached for leaving the Gulf Coast defenseless against the aftermath of a major hurricane.

[demo dutch]

28. eh in Iraq? Apparently Natl Guard is short handed only 4000 in LA on hand

[Trevelyan]

29. La. Mayor Ray Nagin can't get through to Bush on pluging the hole in Levee

8:07 pm CDT -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has given a remarkable interview to

WWL TV, broadcast on wwltv.com. Nagin said that the National Guard's Blackhawk helicopter carrying the sandbags to plug the hole in the levee on 17th St. Canal was diverted to rescue misssions.

Nagin said he called the governor, and that he and other state and local officials are unsuccesfully trying to get through to the White
House to ask if the people in Washington know what they're doing.

The White House switchboard is 202-456-1414.

To ask the La. Air National Guard to ignore Bush's treasonous orders and plug the hole, call [phone]

[Trevelyan]

30. 'This is hardly the time for Bush to destroy FEMA'

Posted on Wednesday, August 31 @ 08:46:13 EDT

By Eric Holdeman, Seattle Times

In the days to come, as the nation and the people along the Gulf Coast work to cope with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, we will be reminded anew how important it is to have a federal agency capable of dealing with natural catastrophes of this sort.

This is an immense human tragedy, one that will work hardship on millions of people. It is beyond the capabilities of state and local
government to deal with. It requires a national response.

Which makes it all the more difficult to understand why, at this moment, the country's premier agency for dealing with such events —
FEMA — is being, in effect, systematically downgraded and all but dismantled by the Department of Homeland Security.

Apparently, homeland security now consists almost entirely of protection against terrorist acts. How else to explain why the Federal Emergency Management Agency will no longer be responsible for disaster preparedness? Given our country's long record of natural
disasters, how much sense does this make? What follows is an obituary for what was once considered the preeminent example of a federal agency doing good for the American public in times of trouble, such as the present.

(more)
eprinted from The Seattle Times:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002460041_fema31.html

[Trevelyan]

31. La. Mayor Ray Nagin said helicopters to plug hole "NEVER SHOWED UP"

Bush CUT FUNDING to stengthen the levees. SEVERE cuts. YEARS of under-funding. This is a fact. There is no way that they can spin their way out of this one.

Nagin: Entire City Will Soon Be Underwater

--Problems Escalate to 'Another Level' 30 Aug 2005 New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is "very upset" that an attempt to fix the breach in the levee at the 17th Street canal has failed, and he said the challenges that the city is facing have "escalated to another level." ...Nagin
said he's been advised by the head technician at the sewage and water board that water in the east bank area of Orleans and Jefferson
parishes will rise to levels equal to Lake Pontchartrain. He said the "bowl is now filling up" and the entire city will soon be underwater.

Nagin said the sandbagging was scheduled for midday, but the Blackhawk helicopters needed to help did not show up. He said the
sandbags were ready and all the helicopter had to do was "show up."

He said after his afternoon helicopter tour of the city, he was assured that officials had a plan and a timeline to drop the sandbags on the
levee breach.

wdsu.com


Bush is responsible. REPEAT Bush is responsible.