Disaster experts: Federal government wasn't ready for Katrina

[struggle4progress]

By SETH BORENSTEIN

Knight Ridder Newspapers


WASHINGTON - The federal government so far has bungled the job of quickly helping the multitudes of hungry, thirsty and desperate victims of Hurricane Katrina, former top federal, state and local disaster chiefs said Wednesday.

The experts, including a former Bush administration disaster response manager, told Knight Ridder that the government wasn't prepared, scrimped on storm spending and shifted its attention from dealing with natural disasters to fighting the global war on terrorism.

The disaster preparedness agency at the center of the relief effort is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was enveloped by the new Department of Homeland Security with a new mission aimed at responding to the attacks of al-Qaida.

"What you're seeing is revealing weaknesses in the state, local and federal levels," said Eric Tolbert, who until February was FEMA's disaster response chief. "All three levels have been weakened. They've been weakened by diversion into terrorism." <snip>

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/nation/12528135.htm

[Solly Mack]

1. (duh)

Bush Inc is screwing Americans (and others) every which way they can.

[aquart]

2. Well, those people in NOLA looked terrified to me.

[jayctravis]

3. They're not ready for a Hurricane that we had several days

advance notice of, and they're supposedly supposed to be ready for a random terrorist attack?

[jobycom]

12. I think they are quite prepared already for a random terrorist attack

They have their excuses and spin written, focus-group tested, and polished to perfection to explain why they couldn't stop it. But the damned excuses just don't work on a hurricane they had two days advance warning of, and which turned out to be the most exact hurricane prediction I've ever seen.

On Saturday they were saying it would strike land between New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a Category 4 on Monday morning. It went aground exactly where they said, when they said, and how they said. ANother goddamn memo that Bush didn't read, I guess.

[Atman]

4. Fighting "the global war on terrorism?"

Jesus Christ, even when they're dissing him out of one side of their mouths, they're sucking him off with the other! Obviously, Knight-Ritter got the memo about changing the name of the war to Global War on Terrorism from The War in Iraq, or whatever they were calling it before. Maybe we should just call it Diddy!

[LeahD]

5. This tells it like it is.

Appointed officials with little experience. If there is justice in this world, there WILL be political fallout for * from this.

[DELUSIONAL]

6. and some of the democrats acted like cheer leaders

and where are the democratic leaders NOW?

Or perhaps they have issued statements or whatever -- but as usual the media whores don't cover the democrats -- preferring to follow the nitwit dumb ass jerk around.

[AspenRose]

7. I don't know about y'all but I feel SO much safer now

:sarcasm:

In other news: Sun rises in east. Water is wet.

[Eloriel]

8. Ouch

They've been weakened by diversion into terrorism.

Ouch.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

26. Ouch indeed

Someone better get them a band-aid, that's gonna leave a mark.

[Old and In the Way]

9. If Clinton was President.....

he'd have been directing the relief efforts from NO as soon as a helicopter could have gotten him in there. He'd have inspired the locals and rallied the nation by being there and pitching in. He'd have made it a national priority from Day One.

What a difference character and leadership make in our selection of Presidents.....

[Kablooie]

38. ANY moderately competant president would do the same thing.

[caligirl]

10. I thought we would be waiting another 2 weeks for this to surface in MSM

[faithnotgreed]

11. if at all - so yes this was quite fast

considering

this cabal needs to be run out NOW

[feminazi]

13. i saw this reported on cnn too

"For example, in the 1990s, in planning for a New Orleans nightmare scenario, the federal government figured it would pre-deploy nearby ships with pumps to remove water from the below-sea-level city and have hospital ships nearby, said James Lee Witt, who was FEMA director under President Clinton.

Federal officials said a hospital ship would leave from Baltimore on Friday."

and this ship isn't expected to reach NOLA until sept 8th! what the hell were they waiting for? why wasn't this ship dispatched BEFORE katrina hit when it was obvious that the LA/MS/AL coast was going to be hit?

[NYC]

25. The hospital ship will leave Baltimore on Friday?

How many more people will die just waiting for aid that wasn't sent on a timely basis? Leaving Baltimore Friday? There is no sense of urgency in what the federal government is doing.

[Occulus]

14. And in the event of a real terrorist attack

is there ANY doubt left that they'll bungle the response to that as well?

[yankeeinlouisiana]

15. Why does this not surprise me!

:-(

[calimary]

16. This is something that needs to be said, read, and spread.

Foment discontent. Plant the seeds. Poison the well. Step by step, kick the bastards toward the door...

[JoFerret]

17. They CONTRIBUTED to the cause

and bungled the relief.
(FEMA funding, defenses funding, lack of planning, wetlands development - see Sidney Blumenthal''s account of responsibility.)

[calimary]

18. But... but... but... he's keeping us safe! 9/11! God Bless America!

We just need to make sure we keep mentioning this whenever we get the opportunity. Little mentions. Quick hits. As our sparring coach in karate would say - "quick jabs and then get out." Plant the seed. Poison the well. Stir things up. The polls are going against him. People are mad. And if they're not hurting from the hurricane aftermath directly, they're hurting at the gas pumps by the day, from coast to coast. This kind of thing is how the Romanovs fell. Critical mass was reached. So was the tipping point. And it tipped the whole ship over.

[JoFerret]

19. Did it have to happen?

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313



Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.

Much more

[rodeodance]

20. whow. Knight Righter done great with this one!!

[rodeodance]

21. They've been weakened by diversion into terrorism." EXactly!!

they are finally talking about the elephant in the room!!

[rodeodance]

22. kick

[Shadder]

23. I have to wonder

What would happen right now if the west coast were to have a large earthquake? Could we even begin to deal with a second natural disaster?

[Larkspur]

24. We've just reached the PEAK of the Hurricane season

don't need an earthquake to make things worse. Most likely the US somewhere will be hit with another powerful hurricane before the end of the seaon.

[bleedingheart]

27. skimping on FEMA hurt our "homeland" because we weren't

prepared for any disaster of this magnitude whether it was natural or terrorist based.

So the Bush Admin really fucked up and now he has a war on two fronts...he is an immensely stupid jackass.

[Massachusetts]

28. "skimping on FEMA hurt our "homeland" because we weren't"

Yes,
But we are prepared for an invasion by the Iranian Navy.

(SARCASM WITH A SIDE OF ANGER)

[Francine Frensky]

30. Add in that the NATIONAL guard isn't protecting the NATION

it's over in Iraq.

Bush makes bad decisions. It's just that simple. His priorities are all wrong.

[Skwmom]

29. If there was a major terror attack, wouldn't they need to provide a major

relief effort? This is pathetic.

[Skidmore]

31. And why is that?

Because our elected/selected officials are only prepared for emergency party fundraisers. And the fundraisers are alway attended by people who buy them off to weaken government so they can profit. Connect the dots.

[Le Taz Hot]

32. The head of FEMA

now gets my vote for the stupidest statement ever made by a government official. When asked about all the people still stranded without food, water or medical necessities, Mr. head-of-FEMA suggested they go to their local churches to seek relief.

I mean, just what the hell can ya' say? :banghead:

[LevelB]

33. Sounds like a faith based rescue operation

B.

n/t

[mcscajun]

44. He didn't! He told them to go to their local churches????

:wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf: :wtf:

Um...guess he hasn't noticed...There ARE No Local Churches! Mother-f.....

Welcome to the brave new world of totally Faith-based disaster relief.

:grr:

Just when I think these heartless, incompetent, lying, motherless bastards can't MAKE Me ANY ANGRIER!!!

:nuke:

[JPZenger]

34. Terrorists Could Have Broken the Levy Too

It is a weak excuse to say that efforts were diverted from disaster relief to homeland security. The same types of preparation are needed, in many cases. If terrorists wanted to attack a U.S. city, they could have easily determined that New Orleans was one of the most vulnerable, because it is below sea level next to a huge lake. The terrorists could have waited for high tide and then blown a hole in the levy with explosives. It would have had a similar effect.

The vulnerabilities of New Orleans were not a secret. There have been hour long stories about it on nationwide cable channels. I remember one show stressed how vulnerable New Orleans would be to a major flood if the many chemical plants to the north of the City released toxics downstream.

One news report (posted elsewhere on DU) said the White House had specifically delayed local requests for funding to strengthen the levies earlier this year.

[0007]

35. Katrina was al-Qaida......and our mommy & daddy haven't a clue

that people, and the ability to perform without apparent effort are the first priorities.

[UrbScotty]

36. Federal government not prepared? I am SHOCKED!

:sarcasm:

[Lars39]

37. Privatization strikes again...

http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Press_Releases/pressrelease060304_Catastrophic.htm

[TNOE]

42. SO WHERE WAS THIS IEM????

n/t

[demo dutch]

39. Not ready for ANY disaster man-made or natural, we're on our own people!

[Scout1071]

40. They have been exposed. Where are the billions supposedly

spent in preparing for national disasters? I don't give a crap if it's floods, hurricanes or an attack. We have been exposed as being woefully unprepared for any of it.

We need to demand accountability now. Where exactly did all of our money go?

[demo dutch]

41. People you're on your own in any disaster man-made or natural and

I thought that the goverment has a basic responsability of keeping its citizens safe. Clearly that's become a joke!

[Orion The Hunter]

43. First 911...

now FEMA and federal emergency assistance is a joke!

Man if you are poor and/or need federal assistance in this country, you are seriously SOL.