Worth noting: "federal disaster, federal responsibility"

[bustarbusto]

From the LA Times:

"...Under the law, Chertoff said, state and local officials must direct initial emergency operations. "The federal government comes in and supports those officials," he said.

Chertoff's remarks, which echoed earlier statements by President Bush, prompted withering rebukes both from former senior FEMA staffers and outside experts.

"They can't do that," former agency chief of staff Jane Bullock said of Bush administration efforts to shift responsibility away from Washington. "The moment the president declared a federal disaster, it became a federal responsibility…. The federal government took ownership over the response," she said. Bush declared a disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi when the storm hit a week ago."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fema5sep05,0,685581.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[MADem]

1. THREE WORDS: FAILURE TO LEAD n/t

[JuniperLea]

2. As per usual

The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

[KnaveRupe]

4. Whaddaya mean?

The right hand screws up and blames the left hand. That's been the pattern, anyhow.

[TahitiNut]

3. Important: FEMA responsibility and AUTHORITY

FEMA has responsibilities in what it defines as four domains of emergency management:

• Mitigation: Reducing the severity or likelihood of the hazard.
• Preparedness: Ensuring you have the capability to respond to the hazard.
• Response: Immediate actions taken to save lives, property, the environment, and the economy.
• Recovery: Subsequent actions taken to restore property, jobs, and services.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FEMA


Of particular interest, given the specious Bushoilini claims regarding the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans, in a corrpt and deceitful attempt to shift the blame for DHS/FEMA's malicious neglect ...

Here are some of the actions FEMA can take in emergency situations, as authorized by Presidential executive orders:

• allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.
• allows the government to seize and control the communication media.
• allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.
• allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.
• allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.
• allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.
• allows to designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons.
• allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.
• allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned if contaminated beyond reasonable means of decontamination, and establish new locations for populations.
• allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.
• allows them to specify the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.
• allows them to grant authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.
• allows them to assign emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.
• allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has broad powers in every aspect of the nation.

Authority is ONLY granted to the extent necessary to MEET RESPONSIBILITIES! In absolutely no sense whatsoever can it be claimed that DHS/FEMA met its responsibilities!

[Igel]

5. So what was Blanco doing denying * and FEMA control over

the disaster recovery?

Foolish ducks. Didn't FEMA know it was already in control, and why were Nagin and Blanco involved?