Via Atrios: For the record, the AUGUST 27 declaration from the WH

[Gloria]

declaring an emergency in LA....I had tracked down the mention to an 8/28 timeline on the BBC....where are our timeline threads....this should be included.......

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 27, 2005

Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

Representing FEMA, Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named William Lokey as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA [phone].

[aquart]

1. FEMA was authorized to mobilize. They didn't.

[kliljedahl]

2. I see a "Medal of Freedom" in the works

[stlsaxman]

4. You are correct.

damn.

[Nothing Without Hope]

35. According to the Mayor of New Orleans, they kept promising they would

come and didn't show up. This went on for DAYS. Very clearly a deliberate delay. Now the rest of the world sees it and some Americans do despite the Administration lies and Poodle Press spin. There are even a few bursts of truth in the media - but overall the Administration is still spinning at highest possible rpm and their media mouthpieces are falling into place as usual. The exceptions are encouraging and more light is breaking through.

[SillyGoose]

3. There's the smoking gun proving dereliction of duty on the fed level n/t

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. Are they stupid?

How can the blame be placed on local gov. after this? I think they are stupid if they think they will get away with placing the blame entirely on local gov.

[henslee]

11. I know a guy from Carnival cruises who said FEMA took from Wed.

to Sat. to finalize the leasing of the cruiseships that will house survivors. They could not believe how long they took to do the paper work.

[intheflow]

13. Absolutely!

"I didn't have the properly signed form" my behind! THIS is the properly signed form!

[ima_sinnic]

6. how come this guy Lokey has escaped any mention or need to

account for his actions or lack thereof? Let us turn our spotlight on William Lokey, so-called Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations. Coordination would have been a critical element in the success of this operation. It is obvious that coordination was severely lacking and in fact most likely wantonly obstructed.

[intheflow]

15. Yeah, that was the first thing I thought, too.

Who is this guy and where the f*ck has he been hiding? This is the first I've heard his name mentioned.

[Gloria]

7. I have found Tn. Gal's timeline thread & posted it there..here's the link

We need to keep it kicked so people can add stuff....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4618468

[dweller]

8. needs one more nom

:kick:

dp

got it! :thumbsup:

[Cleita]

9. Kicked and recommended.

:kick:

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

10. I hope I didn't read the original post wrong, but

there is nothing in there about the parishes of Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines, etc.

I listened to the press conference last Sunday live when Mayor Nagin ordered the mandatory evacuation of the parish of Orleans and also heard the mayors and other officials from Jefferson Parish pleading with everyone to please evacuate.

Where in Louisiana are the particular parishes mentioned in this declaration?

[Gloria]

14. I don't know anything about LA, but I don't see those names either...

?

[satya]

18. I noticed, too, that Jefferson was not mentioned. I saw the parish prez on

MTP this a.m. and cried along with him.

:cry:

[Horse with no Name]

28. see post 27 eom

[shraby]

12. Sent this to Olbermann.

[mzmolly]

16. So, unfortunately Bush did act initially but - his appointees did not?

Why didn't he rattle cages sooner? Why did FEMA/DPHS drop the ball - especially given the fact that they KNEW before hand. Imagine if it was a surprise attack.

[Catchawave]

33. Shouldn't they have been keeping him updated?

He appointed these dweebs, the buck stops with Bush :mad: Sorry, I'm not letting him get off that easy.

[TransitJohn]

17. This really fired me up.

Tore off a LTTE (which I almost never do) to the Casper Star-Tribune, our statewide newspaper. Here's my text.

Wow. Turns out we can't blame President Bush for the woefully inadequate response to the devastation that Hurrican Katrina visited upon the unfortunate poor with no means to evacuate out of her path. No, instead we can blame the incompetent cronies he appoints to fill out important positions in his administration. The Federal Emergency Management Adminastration was empowered on August 27th to begin planning for the aftermath of this horrendous storm, and did nothing. I direct your attention to an official release from the White House.
"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency."
Here is the relevant URL:http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html
I hope everyone holds this (mis)administration accountable, but suspect that, instead, Bush will give FEMA's head some sort of medal, as he rewards every example of incompetence his cronies perpetrate.
(TransitJohn)
Laramie

[lastknowngood]

19. When was this firs seen? I bet it has be backdated.

n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

31. It was announced in the M$M on Sunday night

that Bush had declared a State of Emergency. This is well documented on this site and in the press.

From the moment he declared the State of Emergency the Federal Government was in charge of the response. Instead he went back to bed and continue with his vacation for three more days. Then on Wednesday he turned control over to the Pentagon and militarized the response. Security and property became top priorities and people's lives came last.

[Gloria]

20. Also says "authorized" not "required" to coordinate.....

eom

[randr]

21. Any link to the Mayor of Biloxi firring the debris removal

company that FEMA sent in? As I recall they were a private company that demanded money to start work. If true this is a shining example of FEMAs outsourcing/privatization process at its worse.

[Lindsay]

23. But BushCo approved.

Remember the guy who said outsourcing was good for America?

GREED IS GOOD.

:sarcasm:

[daleo]

22. Bush will probably offer up the FEMA head as a sacrifice eventually

Hoping that will put out the fire, rather the way Tenant took the fall for the absence of WMD. I don't think it will work - you can't pull that stunt too many times.

[Nothing Without Hope]

37. Will make it awkward that last Friday he told said FEMA head he was

doing "a heck of a job."

Story in Maureen Dowd's great op/ed - I've posted the link and excerpt downthread here;

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4630184&mesg_id=4638289

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

24. Sorry to bring this up again, but where in that declaration is the

parish of Orleans or Jefferson?

I don't see those names mentioned.

Again, someone with knowledge of the parishes of Louisiana, where exactly in the state of LA are the parishes that are mentioned?

[kestrel91316]

25. If they were left out, IT WAS DELIBERATE. They wanted the leadership

of those parishes to think that they were included, so they would make their plans assuming the feds were going to be right there for the. This is going to be Bush's out. He will say "But look at the document. I NEVER declared Orleans or Jefferson parishes disaster sreas, so I am not responsible for what happened there."

BTW, if this doc is correct, Orleans and Jefferson parishes are STILL not officially disaster areas, right? There have been no further declararions, right?

[CottonBear]

34. My family just evacauted from St. Tammany Parish (Lacombe & Slidell)

NO is Orleans Parish.
South of NO are the Plaquemines, St. Bernard and Jefferson Parish.
North of NO is St. Tammany Parish.
:wtf:
I don't know what the hell this document is referring to but it's not about NOLA and surrounding areas.
:grr:

[Horse with no Name]

27. This is how I read it.

The first part acknowledges this:
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.

The second part:
Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.

These parishes weren't in the line of the storm (Bossier is near Shreveport, ie), but the order extended help to those parishes that weren't directly in the line of the storm but that might be secondarily affected.

Map of parishes:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/maps/louisiana_map.html

[Gregorian]

26. I believe this like I believe he won the election fair and square.

[chomskysright]

29. GET THE GOP OUT OF THE SOUTH NOW

[chomskysright]

30. Callin all YELLER DOG DEMS: Huey P. Long is on the march:

uSE THIS HOWEVER YOU LIKE (AND WE HOPE RANDY NEWMAN DOES NOT MIND):

(paraphrased from Randy Newman's song, Kingfish: Good Ole' Boys: 1974: This is about Huey P. Long, LA famed governor, who took care of business when the Federales moved too slow during the 1927 flood that over ran NOLA: KICK THEIR ASS BLANCO)

NEVER FORGET NEW ORLEANS

There's a hundred-thousand BushMen in New Orelans
In New Orleans there are BushMen everywhere
But your house could fall down
Your baby could drown
Wouldn't none of those BushMen care.

Everybody gather round
Loosen up your suspenders
Hunker down on the ground
I'm a cracker
And you are too
But don't I take good care of you

(HERE WE'D NEED TO SUBSTITUE WHAT BLANCO/ MAYOR NOLA, LANDREAU ARE DOING)

Who built the highway to Baton Rouge?
Who put up the hospital and built you schools?
Who looks after shit-kickers like you?
The Kingfish do.

Who gave a party at the Roosevelt Hotel?
And invited the whole north half of the state down there for free.
The people in the city
Had their eyes bugging out
Cause everyone of you
Looked just like me

Kingfish, Kingfish
Everybody sing
Kingfish, Kingfish
EVERY MAN A KING

Who took on the Standard Oil men
And whipped their ass
Just like he promised he'd do?
Ain't no Stnadard Oil men gonna run this state
Gonna be run by little folks like me and you

Kingfish, Kingfish
Friend of the working man
Kingfish, Kingfish
The Kingfish gonna save this land.



(I think you can substitute 'Bush Men' for 'French Men' here; French Men, meant to imply the upper class in LA, is what Newman was alluding two as re: his research; the King Fish, of course, was Governor Huey P. Long who, in 1928, JUST LIKE BLANCO IS DOING, told the Federales to stick in their pipe and smoke it as they were moving way too slow for him and the people. Later labeled as a 'dictator', he was a populist. A crazy dentist assasinated him about 10 years later in the marble halls of the Louisiana State Capitol. Its a great album all the way through, documenting seminal events in the South).

Below also is the link to a site that Gov. Blanco has set up in order to pull in money for the clean-up and restoration, keeping it out of the hands of BushCo. Look down after the lyrics of Newman's song. Pass this around please.

KICK THEIR ASS BLANCO: KEEP THE SPIRIT OF THE KINGFISH WRAPPED TIGHT AROUND YOU



The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation has been established in order to help provide immediate assistance to our citizens in need through a network of Louisiana charities, non-profit and governmental agencies, including clearinghouses like the Louisiana VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster). The Foundation is also designed to support long-term family restoration and recovery by focusing on education, housing, health care, legal assistance and jobs for Louisiana families whose lives have been altered by Hurricane Katrina.

By postal mail, please make donations payable to Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Inc. and mail to:

Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Inc.
Fed. Tax ID No. 20-3399944
c/o Division of Administration
1201 North Third Street, Suite 7-240
P.O. Box 94095
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9095
Inquiries may be directed to: [e-mail]

http://www.katrina.louisiana.gov/donate.htm

[rhosgobel]

32. Gov. Blanco requested the federal declaration

Bush's declaration appears as though it was in response to a written request by Gov. Blanco admitting that her state couldn't handle the approaching hurricane. You can see the full text of her letter at <http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=4843>; it nicely contradicts most of what the administration is currently saying about the state and local governments not preparing for the disaster, and not asking for help.

I've posted more about it here: <http://rhosgobel.blogspot.com/2005/09/louisiana-governor-requested-federal.html>

[bring_em_home_bush]

39. good info, thanks!

[Igel]

45. Enumerate the help asked for.

"Help" means many things. Did she request tanks, food and water, legal pads, National Guard reinforcements, or relief funding?

If she didn't get what she asked for in a given instance, FEMA or other states screwed up. If she didn't get what she didn't ask for, I don't blame FEMA. Unless we want FEMA to be in control.

FEMA coordinates. FEMA doesn't command.

[JDPriestly]

47. Working together is the key.

Coordination/control/command is irrelevant. Never since the Civil War has this nation seen such widespread destruction over such a large area. The local authorities could not possibly have coordinated a disaster of this magnitude. It is a state/regional emergency that had to be coordinated by the state and the federal government working together with FEMA.


FEMA's role was to work with the local authorities as needed and not to quibble over who was in charge. FEMA Failed Miserably in That Role.

What if the disaster had been wide scale destruction of our energy infrastructure? What if three or four major American ports had been attacked by terrorists at the same time? What would Bush have done? He had no plan for NO. I bet he had no plan for many, many of the contingencies that could have occurred. There has already been a lot of criticism of his lack of a plan for the Long Beach/LA ports, for keeping nuclear material out of the LA port area.

FEMA had the power to establish a collaborative effort. The local authorities did not. That is because FEMA controlled the resources that were needed. The locals did not have the resources. Therefore they did not have the power.

If FEMA wanted to control or coordinate in the Harvard Business School structure that the Bush administration favors, then it was up to FEMA to provide the plan of action and the resources that the affected parishes and the State of Louisiana might need. The sad fact is that FEMA had no such plan. FEMA failed, pure and simple and is now trying to shift the blame and distract by pointing to supposed failings at the local level.

The only real failing at the local level was the disintegration of the police force. Hey, what would you have done if you had been a NO police officer, take care of your family or hunt down looters? Come on now. Family comes first in a situation like that. That is a fact of life that future DHS/FEMA planning should take into consideration. Local police and other responders in some disasters need to know their families will be cared for.

We are now paying for another Bush lie. Bush reassured us throughout the 2004 campaign that he would provide for our national security against terrorist attacks. His boast was empty. We are now finding out that the only security plan he had/has is to rely on local authorities to handle things. He did not have the imagination or honesty to recognize that the 9/11 disaster, which was well handled, was relatively simple in terms of logistics. The office towers were nearly completely destroyed. The big job was getting survivors out within the shortest time possible. It was time sensitive, but also time limited. Transportation away from the towers themselves was not so drastically affected by the 9/11 attack. Once the survivors got out and left the area, they could go to functioning, albeit overcrowded, hospitals that had electricity, etc. Many of the survivors could simply go home. Their homes were still standing and attainable. NO is much worse. The disaster destroyed or made uninhabitable thousands of homes. People have no place to go back to. Some of the hospitals in NO were not really functioning. At 9/11, the firemen's and police officers' own families were, for the most part, not needing attention. In NO, the firemen and policemen, quite understandably, needed to take care of their own children/wives, etc. before they could do anything for the city.

Another lie, that's what the DHS excuse for its poor performance is. Bush's DHS was not planning how to take care of future security needs. It was preparing to take care of what had already happened, not thinking creatively about what could happen in the future. Bush was shortsighted. This is typical Bush, and the problem is with his corporate, Harvard business school management style. It stinks. It has made our industries unable to compete in the world market. The top down, manager/CEO focused form of organization needs to go. That system only works in the good times, only when no creativity is needed. We need democratic approaches to management -- in government and in business. Democracy, the marketplace of ideas works. Dictatorships, however benevolent, however efficient in the short term, lead to inefficiency and failure in the long term.

[Nothing Without Hope]

36. On Friday Bush told slime/idiot FEMA head he was doing a great job

this was the day afther Brown claimed no one told him about all those thousands of abandoned people waiting for days in the New Orleans Convention Center.

Maureen Dowd NAILED this in her Sept 3 NYT op/ed: "The United States of Shame." She pulls out all the stops. The clear warnings for both the hurricane --long and short-term -- as well as for the 9/11 attacks and the situation in Iraq. The lame, heartless photo-op posing by Bush when people nearby were literally dying. The levees. The cut funding. The lack of National Guard due to Iraq. And this finale:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/03/opinion/03dowd.html
Op-Ed Columnist

United States of Shame

By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: September 3, 2005

(snip)

Michael Brown, the blithering idiot in charge of FEMA - a job he trained for by running something called the International Arabian Horse Association - admitted he didn't know until Thursday that there were 15,000 desperate, dehydrated, hungry, angry, dying victims of Katrina in the New Orleans Convention Center.

(Here Dowd points out that instead of firing Brown, yesterday Bush told him "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job.")

It would be one thing if President Bush and his inner circle - Dick Cheney was vacationing in Wyoming; Condi Rice was shoe shopping at Ferragamo's on Fifth Avenue and attended "Spamalot" before bloggers chased her back to Washington; and Andy Card was off in Maine - lacked empathy but could get the job done. But it is a chilling lack of empathy combined with a stunning lack of efficiency that could make this administration implode.

When the president and vice president rashly shook off our allies and our respect for international law to pursue a war built on lies, when they sanctioned torture, they shook the faith of the world in American ideals.

When they were deaf for so long to the horrific misery and cries for help of the victims in New Orleans - most of them poor and black, like those stuck at the back of the evacuation line yesterday while 700 guests and employees of the Hyatt Hotel were bused out first - they shook the faith of all Americans in American ideals. And made us ashamed.

(snip)

She ends with the inescapable question: "Who are we if we can't take care of our own?

Maureen Dowd's email: [e-mail]

[Contrary1]

38. "beginning on August 26"

"The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing..."

"...Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency."

I heard yet another moron a few minutes ago on CBS blame the state of LA for the delay in getting Federal help. He said the 24 to 48 hour delay in FEMA assistance was their fault for not asking sooner. Does the Presidential declaration of emergency not state "beginning on Aug. 26" three days before Katrina hit? How can these people live with themselves?

Evidently, their "discretion" didn't kick in soon enough.

[Igel]

46. It's simple.

Think of it as a contract to provide what's needed. Blanco said *she* would submit requests, in that very letter you're referring to. Did she lie? Was she insane? I think not.

Think of what a contractor's doing if the contractor provides everything the contractor thinks is needed, but the client hasn't asked for it.

The stuff might sit around, in the way, until the client deals with it; or the contractor can decide to implement its own plan, overriding the client. Both are bad.

I'll wait until a non-partisan team figures out where the linkage request-transmittal-fulfillment broke down. Because neither ardent dem nor ardent repub is likely to be able to do it.

All I can do is point out that *Michigan* (you know, run by that "fascist" Granholm (D) ) complained about not getting timely requests, when they were ready to roll on Tuesday: Mississippi beat Louisiana by a day.

[windbreeze]

40. NO NO NO are we missing something...???

THIS for instance....


Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and PROVIDE AT ITS DISCRETION, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.


KEY WORDS....<<<<PROVIDE AT ITS DISCRETION>>>> remember Blanco, called for help on the 28th...and that call went unanswered..several days later, the Mayor was still begging for help...and he also got no response....IS THIS ANOTHER FAKE DOCUMENT??? What happened to NORTHCOM, who's top man said they HAD TO WAIT FOR AUTHORIZATION TO MAKE A MOVE, FROM THE PRESIDENT...they were ready...but COULDN'T GO UNTIL THEY HAD ORDERS...and that didn't come until when? the 3rd???

NOPE...I am NOT giving Bush a free ride on this one, HE is still the one that gutted the agencies, and the funds to take care of the levees, for his WIR...the buck stops with HIM...while he was stuffing his vile mouth with cake, and playing golf(not a Terry Schiavo case after all)...HE WAS NOT TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, OR FINDING OUT WHY HIS AGENCY WAS NOT DOING WHAT HE SUPPOSEDLY AUTHORIZED IT TO DO ON THE 27TH...but then knowing how this bunch operates, who knows what the real orders were???? Delay as long as you can, no one will ever know...and IF I come under fire...I can always release this little notice to the press...IF THIS IS REALLY TRUE, WHY DIDN'T IT COME TO LIGHT UNTIL NOW???DO you seriously think BUSH would have taken the flack he has up until now, and NOT SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ORDER???

Don't be taken in...this does NOT add up, no matter how you cut the cake Bush eats...imo for fwiw..
windbreeze

[Spazito]

41. Here is what bush said about what was done BEFORE the hurricane hit

There is no question his own words nail him, imo:

"It's a storm now that is moving through and now is the time for governments to help people get their feet on the ground," Bush said. "For those of you who are concerned about whether or not we are prepared to help — don't be. We are."

He added, "We're in place, we've got equipment in place, supplies in place and once we're able to assess the damage we'll be able to move in and help those good folks in the affected areas."

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had medical teams, rescue squads and groups prepared to supply food and water poised in a semicircle around New Orleans. (Related item: FEMA ready to test recovery procedures)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-08-29-aid-agency_x.htm

[MojoXN]

42. Well, here's your smoking gun:

"...FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide AT ITS DISCRETION, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 PERCENT Federal funding."

Well, freeps, fuck you. As this PROVES, it wasn't the mayor or governor's fault. It was FEMA's call, and 75% of the cash was coming from FEMA. Your boy Bush fucked up big time, wouldn't you say? Wait, what am I thinking? Of course you wouldn't say so, you're mindless, heartless, soulless freeps.

MojoXN

[Contrary1]

43. Kicking for bookmarks...

we need to remember this one. Make copies to hand out to the morans you run into.

[Shadder]

44. We now have a Katrina time website

It's in 'WIKI" format so everyone is encouraged to add or update it as needed. Curently I'm doing most of it myself and it's getting hard to keep up. If anyone else wants to get involved with this that would be fantastis. I'm donating the hosting space and bandwidth for it.

http://savinggraves.org/notimeline/index.php