Bush's FEMA Failed Us All.

[reprehensor]

Ex-officials say weakened FEMA botched response

By Frank James and Andrew Martin
Washington Bureau
Published September 3, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Government disaster officials had an action plan if a major hurricane hit New Orleans. They simply didn't execute it when Hurricane Katrina struck.

Thirteen months before Katrina hit New Orleans, local, state and federal officials held a simulated hurricane drill that Ronald Castleman, then the regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, called "a very good exercise."

More than a million residents were "evacuated" in the table-top scenario as 120 m.p.h. winds and 20 inches of rain caused widespread flooding that supposedly trapped 300,000 people in the city.

"It was very much an eye-opener," said Castleman, a Republican appointee of President Bush who left FEMA in December for the private sector. "A number of things were identified that we had to deal with, not all of them were solved."

FEMA contracted Innovative Emergency Management to 'lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans'.

In July, 2004, they held the 'Louisiana Catastrophic Hurricane Planning Workshop'; it went like this:

Driven by a predetermined scenario, entitled Hurricane Pam, the participants developed 15 functional plans over the course of the week, including: pre-landfall activities; unwatering of leveeenclosed areas; hazardous materials; billeting of response personnel; distribution of power, water, and ice; transport from water to shelter; volunteer and donations management; external
affairs; access control and re-entry; debris; schools; search and rescue; sheltering; temporary housing; and temporary medical care.

The scenario involved a slow-moving Category 3 storm making landfall near Grand Isle in the early morning. In the scenario, the storm, sustaining winds of 120 mph at landfall, spawned tornados, destroyed over 75% of the structures in its path, and left the majority of New Orleans under 15–20 feet of water. The workshop was sponsored by FEMA and LOHSEP, with a weather scenario designed by the National Weather Service and damage and consequences developed by IEM, Inc. of Baton Rouge. IEM, Inc. also facilitated the workshop sessions.

From November 29–December 3, over 90 participants met in New Orleans to continue planning for three topics: sheltering, temporary housing, and temporary medical care. These three topics were chosen by the workshop’s Unified Command as areas that needed continued group planning.

The outcome of these workshops is a series of functional plans that may be implemented immediately. Along with these plans, resource shortfalls were identified early, saving valuable time in the event an actual response is warranted. It is because of the dedication of every workshop participant that Louisiana is much better prepared for a catastrophic hurricane.

More here.

A clear case of 'privatization' as failure has rarely been seen.

Storm Exposed Disarray at the Top

By Susan B. Glasser and Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, September 4, 2005; Page A01

...Despite four years and tens of billions of dollars spent preparing for the worst, the federal government was not ready when it came at daybreak on Monday, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former senior officials and outside experts.

Among the flaws they cited: Failure to take the storm seriously before it hit and trigger the government's highest level of response. Rebuffed offers of aid from the military, states and cities. An unfinished new plan meant to guide disaster response. And a slow bureaucracy that waited until late Tuesday to declare the catastrophe "an incident of national significance," the new federal term meant to set off the broadest possible relief effort.

Born out of the confused and uncertain response to 9/11, the massive new Department of Homeland Security was charged with being ready the next time, whether the disaster was wrought by nature or terrorists. The department commanded huge resources as it prepared for deadly scenarios from an airborne anthrax attack to a biological attack with plague to a chlorine-tank explosion.

But Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday that his department had failed to find an adequate model for addressing the "ultra-catastrophe" that resulted when Hurricane Katrina's floodwater breached New Orleans's levees and drowned the city, "as if an atomic bomb had been dropped."

Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security has no access to the 'internets'.

FEMA takes brunt of hurricane relief criticism

BY MICHELLE MITTELSTADT
The Dallas Morning News

Though disaster planners have long ranked a direct hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the top three catastrophic scenarios facing the United States, authorities have lagged badly in evacuating the sick and vulnerable, passing out food and water, deploying military assets and quelling rampant lawlessness. And while the Superdome has long factored in disaster preparedness plans as the city's main hurricane refuge, no supplies were stocked there before the storm hit Monday.

Dr. Michael Lindell, a senior scholar at Texas A&M's Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, said he cannot comprehend why federal officials had not deployed equipment and relief supplies before Katrina struck - or mobilized to relieve clearly outflanked state and local resources.

"If it's a Category 5 hurricane, then frankly it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that it's going to overwhelm local capacity and that they are going to be in a world of hurt," he said, referring to the storm that fell to Category 4 by the time it hit shore. "You don't have to wait until there are bodies floating around in the water to start activating the National Guard."

Many disaster relief specialists blame FEMA's stumble on its diminished standing within the government and a relentless focus on terrorism prevention by the agency's new overseers.

In a post-Sept. 11 reorganization, FEMA joined 21 other agencies in a new Homeland Security Department, stripped of the Cabinet rank that had allowed it to report directly to the president. And, in a further department shuffle in July, FEMA lost its historic mission of working with state and local governments on preparedness plans before disaster strikes.

The administration has been trotting out representatives from the Army Corps of Engineers to say that they didn't see the 'break' in the levee coming. But nearly in the same sentence they admit that the flooding was foreseen. Now we know it was the ‘floodwalls’ that were breached anyhow. Same catastrophic result.

There was a change in leadership at the Corps in 2002.

Ex-Army Corps officials say budget cuts imperiled flood mitigation efforts

As levees burst and floods continued to spread across areas hit by Hurricane Katrina yesterday, a former chief of the Army Corps of Engineers disparaged senior White House officials for "not understanding" that key elements of the region's infrastructure needed repair and rebuilding.

Mike Parker, the former head of the Army Corps of Engineers, was forced to resign in 2002 over budget disagreements with the White House. He clashed with Mitch Daniels, former director of the Office of Management and Budget, which sets the administration's annual budget goals.

"One time I took two pieces of steel into Mitch Daniels' office," Parker recalled. "They were exactly the same pieces of steel, except one had been under water in a Mississippi lock for 30 years, and the other was new. The first piece was completely corroded and falling apart because of a lack of funding. I said, 'Mitch, it doesn't matter if a terrorist blows the lock up or if it falls down because it disintegrates -- either way it's the same effect, and if we let it fall down, we have only ourselves to blame.' It made no impact on him whatsoever."

Daniels, now governor of Indiana, did not respond to a request for comment.

Fire the employees that counter your agenda. Just another day in Bushworld. Damn the consequences.

On the front cover of the Mississippi Press, the boldest headline is 'Where's FEMA?' They are still waiting.

Where's FEMA?

by Natalie Chambers
THE MISSISSIPPI PRESS
September 4, 2005

PASCAGOULA — County and municipal officials are asking aloud ‘Where’s FEMA?’

As word spread of temporary housing needs beginning to be met in neighboring Harrison County, more questions are being asked in Jackson County.

Leaders here can only hope that they are next on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s list.

An estimated 100,000 of 135,000 Jackson County residents are in need of housing assistance following Monday’s landfall of devastating Hurricane Katrina, county officials were told by a Red Cross’ national representative. They also need a dependable supply of water, ice, food and other necessities.

To summarize; there was ample warning, plenty of studies to predict the flooding, but budget slashing, downsizing and privatization were employed that crippled FEMA's disaster relief abilities.

To top it off, cronyism.

A failure to protect us on 9/11.

A quagmire in Iraq.

Katrina.

President George Walker Bush has finally hit the trifecta.

-----------------------------------

Cross the ‘t’ dot the ‘i’ dept:

Blanco’s letter requesting Emergency aid under the Stafford Act, August 27th

President Bush legally puts the ball in Chertoff and Howard’s court, August 27th

So I guess he felt he was vacationing with impunity last week.

Katrina 'Prior Knowledge' Laundry List

[RBHam]

1. However, they exceeded Rummy's wildest dreams!

He could barely contain his glee today at the "helicopter" press conference.

The highlight was when he strut-paced behind stooge General Honore as the HIRED KILLER blathered on about the history of Hurricane Katrina...

PRICELESS!

"I can't hear you...there's alot of noise!"

Yeah.

Alot.

[Emit]

2. Thanks for putting this together

I've been following this, too, and you've put together some good points here. I would add it to Eloriel's thread that she made documenting the chaos that is unfolding. Mind if I put a link to your thread there?

I compiled some of the things FEMA reported they were doing that were in direct contradiction to what they actually were not doing. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4602266



According to FEMA's website, this is what they were doing on 8/27:
Emergency Aid Authorized For Hurricane Katrina Emergency Response In Louisiana
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18447

Release Date: August 27, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Michael D. Brown...today announced that Federal resources are being allocated to support emergency protective response efforts response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina.

Brown said President Bush authorized the aid under an emergency disaster declaration issued following a review of FEMA's analysis of the state's request for federal assistance. FEMA will mobilize equipment and resources necessary to protect public health and safety by assisting law enforcement with evacuations, establishing shelters, supporting emergency medical needs, meeting immediate lifesaving and life-sustaining human needs and protecting property, in addition to other emergency protective measures.

<<snip>>

FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.

[RBHam]

3. FEMA is a tool of Homeland Security.

Think North Korea-China.

FEMA was folded into "Homeland Security". Cheney/Rummy/Joint Chiefs issues orders, Chertof signs them, Brown follows them and takes the fall.

The groomed buffoon Brown is the lightning rod while the REAL PERPS escape accountability.

Look behind the lines.

The Neo-Cons have their Martial law scenario.

They are learning.

[reprehensor]

7. Link it, steal it, repeat it, ad infinitum.

Let's pile the evidence to the sky.

With DU at level 3, not everybody is seeing all the great stuff being posted around here.

[bvar22]

4. These people are CRIMINALLY Negligent.

They are DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for thousands of unnecessary deaths and should be PROSECUTED to the FULLEST!

[spooky3]

5. great work!

[reprehensor]

8. Link it, copy it...

Lather, rinse, repeat...

The people of New Orleans never had to drown.

[Hubert Flottz]

6. Mike Brown He's A Clown...and a thief...and a liar

Right Side Down

(Washington, DC) - Today (1/24/05), Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) sent the following letter to President George Bush requesting that he immediately remove Michael Brown from his position as head of the Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Under Secretary Brown's agency disbursed over $30 million in disaster relief money, which was allocated to over 10,000 Miami-Dade claimants after Hurricane Frances, which made landfall more than 100 miles away and there was no more than a heavy rainstorm. According to several news accounts by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "FEMA has written checks to cover new wardrobes, cars, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, furniture and thousands of televisions, microwave ovens, stoves, air conditioners and other appliances." In addition, the Sun-Sentinel sites that FEMA paid $4,500 for one resident's funeral, even though the county medical examiner recorded no storm-related deaths. Another Sun-Sentinel article stated that two residents received aid for "dental treatments due to dental injuries received during the disaster." In six other cases, FEMA reimbursed residents for damage caused by "ice/snow."

On Monday, January 11, FEMA held a news conference acknowledging that they made $12 million in overpayments to 3,500 individuals - blaming these overpayments on a "computer glitch." FEMA, however, continues to deny additional systematic problems and cites the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to prove that there were legitimate hurricane conditions in Miami-Dade. Yet, according to the Sun-Sentinel, NOAA has refuted the weather maps FEMA claims to have obtained from them. As the head of FEMA, Under Secretary Brown oversees federal disaster response and recovery operations, and it is negligent of him to refuse to accept responsibility for its agency mistakes. More...

http://rightsidedown.blogspot.com/

[Quixote1818]

9. keep this kicked it's important and everyone should see this. nt

[reprehensor]

10. What if They Were White?

What If They Were White?

...Then I'll say it.

If the majority of the hardest hit victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were white people, they would not have gone for days without food and water, forcing many to steal for mere survival.

Their bodies would not have been left to float in putrid water.

They would have been rescued and relocated a hell of a lot faster than this. Period.

I mean, reporters and crews are getting to stranded people, and government and military agencies can't? Why doesn't CNN run FEMA?

[Barack_America]

11. FEMA Strategic Plan...A Total F'ing Joke!!!

Here's some critiques I have of the FEMA Strategic Plan 2003-08 which was drafted by Joe Albaugh the then director and true destroyer of FEMA (Brown is just his apprentice)

FEMA
-Published a strategic plan for the years 2003-2008, entitled, “A Nation Prepared”.
www.fema.gov/doc/library/text_reader_fema_strat_plan_fy03-08.doc

-Among FEMA’s goals for increased preparedness is this statement:

“development of specific plans for catastrophic hazards and for risks to national infrastructure or resource targets, e.g., power grids, computer networks, transportation, communications, rail, etc.”

Apparently United States citizens themselves are not a resource important enough for the development of such plans.

-“Improving the Nation’s capability to respond to disaster is not just the responsibility of government entities. Each individual, family, and community must be aware of the risks they face, and make intelligent decisions to deal with those risks, both before and after disasters strike. Individually and collectively, we are all responsible for making good decisions, whether we are preparing our homes to better survive a hurricane, fire, flood or earthquake, or deciding how to repair and rebuild after disaster strikes.”

Apparently the decision to be poor is a bad decision.

- "Public perceptions of disaster-related performance may not always coincide with FEMA’s roles. Specifically, FEMA is not a first-responder, nor are disaster programs intended to cover all losses that may be associated with an event."

So exactly what does FEMA actually do then?

This is so drastically different than the FEMA of the Clinton years
http://www.fema.gov/nwz97/splan.pdf

"The first Strategic Plan in the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was published in December 1994. As part of the process of FEMA’s renewal, “Partnership for a Safer Future” laid out the agency’s mission and vision. We recognized that FEMA’s role in making a safer future would require us to lay a solid foundation on which to build an effective organization of emergency management. We recognized that the organization would need to lead and support the Nation in a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management
program. We also recognized that our mission to reduce the loss of life and property included protecting the Nation’s institutions from all natural and man-made hazards. FEMA consequently began to direct efforts towards creating an agency that would restore the confidence of the American people and fulfill President Clinton’s promise to “be there” when America needed us."

Slightly different attitude, don't you think??

[Xenotime]

12. They new this was going to happen..

and they did nothing to stop it.