Former FEMA Director Criticizes Current Management

[liberalpragmatist]

From Kevin Drum:

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_09/007020.php

FEMA THEN AND NOW....So what does James Lee Witt, former director of FEMA in the 90s, think of his agency's response to Hurricane Katrina?

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.

"These things need to be planned and prepared for; it just doesn't look like it was," said Witt, a former Arkansas disaster chief who won bipartisan praise on Capitol Hill during his tenure.

Read the rest of the story for a blow-by-blow indictment of the weak federal response to Katrina. FEMA just isn't what it used to be.

***

Read the Washington Monthly entry to find the link to the entire story.

ON EDIT: Just wanted to add that whatever you think about Clinton's comments today, you know that had he been President, had such a hurricane occurred, the disaster that is unfolding would NOT have happened. Same goes for Gore and probably for Kerry (though if Kerry were in charge he may not have had time to undo all of Bush's damage in the past 8-9 months).

[proud patriot]

1. I'm furious

:mad:

[Turbineguy]

2. I had a nice visit from the regional FEMA Director

during Bush 41 some years ago (my son and his son were buddies).

We spoke about what he did and it was clear that a number of things had been done in a pro-active manner with regard to earthquake preparedness and civil defence. These were improvements from the Reagan days, but then it was all cold war driven. It was a political patronage job. He would lose his job when Clinton was elected. He never the less did not appoach it with the current "let's do nothing and hope for the best" appoach.

Bush 41 ofcourse, knew something about civil defence having actually fought for his country.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

3. Asleep at the Wheel

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.


How many times does this have to happen for people to recognize nothing is EVER planned by this group, besides how to attack those who say out loud "they have NO PLAN?"

:grr: :cry:

[Field Of Dreams]

4. Witt runs a consulting firm in Little Rock now...

disaster management and contingency planning. Wes Clark works for his firm as well. Think Bush and company will enlist their expertise? Nah!

[leftchick]

5. I just posted about the USS Comfort Hosital ship

it will not get there for a week!!!

[never_get_over_it]

6. So say last Saturday when the forecast was getting bad

and certainly by Sunday when it was a cat 5 if "they" had prepared to move this ship in - it would probably be there by now or at least almost there - instead of leaving tomorrow. Oh but what was George doing last weekend - hiding from Cindy - attending a fund raiser - riding a bike - fishing - you know he has to go on with his life he can't worry about thousands of poor folks who didn't pick themselves up by the boot straps and get the hell out of NOLA

[SaveAmerica]

7. By then it will be the USS Morgue, more blood on the hands of

those who voted for W