With three days advanced warning of the storm

[Dees]

why wasn't the NG mobilized at that very time and ready to go as soon as the storm lifted? Why take the risk and chance that it might miss? Never never F with mother nature. Troops and supplies could have been in destruction areas hours after the storm.

[Dogmudgeon]

1. There actually was a lot of pre-staging, as it's called

But deployment required -- by law -- authorization by the President.

He did NOT authorize deployment until early Thursday morning -- a day and a half ago.

The Guard was not pre-staged, but the state National Guards were put on alert by at least Gov. Blanco and Gov. Barbour as early as last Friday. The use of the regular military -- including military materiel and the coordination of the various state NGs -- was entirely the responsibility of the President.

There were certainly minor mess-ups along the way. It is impossible to forsee every contingency. But by far the biggest mistake was that George W. Bush neglected to authorize a full emergency response in a timely manner, in spite of knowing it would be needed on Monday morning.

Yes, he knew. He signed federal-level state-of-emergency declarations in advance of Katrina. And then he neglected to activate the various agencies and authorities when the proper time came.

--p!

[Dees]

2. Thank you.

[starroute]

7. Do you have a link for that?

I'd like to see some more details -- and also if it can be absolutely documented. (It could be important.)

[Dogmudgeon]

8. Links

They are all throughout the posts here. FEMA probably has an entire section of its website with PDFs of legal papers concerning emergency procedures. The websites for CNN and MSNBC have also posted a few articles about how states of emergency work.

Don't worry. It WILL be absolutely documented. Every jot and every tittle. There is no possible excuse for this kind of inaction, and even if his stacked courts exonerate him, everyone will still know that George W. Bush is the most spectacularly incompetent excuse for a president this country has ever suffered.

--p!

[friesianrider]

3. This is the kicker of this whole mess.

We knew on Saturday that this would be bad - and it wasn't even as bad as we thought it would be at first.

99% of the problems we are experiencing today is from lack of preparation and lack of action at the FEDERAL level. Yes, the local government was not prepared, but it didn't take a genius to see Tuesday morning that this was the case. Bush should have gotten off his ass and done SOMETHING. ANYTHING!

I agree...this staging should have been done on Sunday and Monday and Tuesday...NOT Thursday afternoon.

[beyurslf]

4. But President Bush cut his 40 day vacation short by 2 days to help

out those poor people.

[friesianrider]

9. Right! *smacks head* What was I thinking?

He's such a moral man *sigh*

[Dees]

5. Emergency preparedness. I'm not any kind of an expert

but any President worth his weight in sawdust would have said...damn the costs I want a full mobilization now. If the storm does not do what we have been told its capable of doing...its good training. If it hits, and probably will, I want materials, supplies, water, food and medical plans made to hit the ground the very minute the storm lifts. I'm not giving cakes away and playing the guitar until I'm assured we are as ready as we can be. The buck stops here.

[Dees]

6. Kind of like having advanced warning of a terrorist

strike using aircraft and ignoring it.