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Edited on Tue Sep-06-05 06:44 AM by John Doe II
This tries to be a quick summary of evidence we do have. Please add everything you find in order to get a bigger impact. (Most is from DU threads but I simply think it’s important to get the stuff together) 1. Evidence that Bush knew what would happenGov. Blanco requested aid and help with evacuation two days before. http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdfhttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4657604And read the official document : “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. “ http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.htmlhttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4651748But obviously lies here: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/02/national/nationalspecial/02response.html?ex=1283313600&en=a6f37e1385d69e7e&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rsshttp://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/01.html#a4738 (video) Yet: Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. "The New Orleans hurricane scenario," The Houston Chronicle wrote in December 2001, "may be the deadliest of all." It described a potential catastrophe very much like the one now happening.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/02/opinion/02krugman.html?incamp=article_popular_1&oref=loginAnd: “Categorized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as one of the top three “likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country,” a major hurricane striking the city of New Orleans has been an impending disaster on FEMA's radar since at least 2001 »http://www.publichealth.hurricane.lsu.edu/convert%20to%20tables/Preliminary%20Public%20Health%20Issuestf.htmAnd: "New Orleans was the No. 1 disaster we were talking about," recalled Eric L. Tolbert, then a top FEMA official. "We were obsessed with New Orleans because of the risk."http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/02/national/nationalspecial/02response.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all2. Evidences that it was known to officials what was going on in New Orleans after the catastrphyImportant articles putting official statements about not knowing etc next to accounts that easily point out the contrary. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.htmlhttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4600287and here another one: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10010545863. Evidence that Bush is responsible for the much delayed rescueNorthern Command was waiting for Bush’s order: "NorthCom started planning before the storm even hit. We were ready for the storm when it hit Florida because, as you remember, it crossed the bottom part of Florida, and then we were plaining, you know, once it was pointed towards the Gulf Coast. So what we did was we activated what we call defense coordinating officers to work with the state to say okay, what do you think you'll need, and we set up staging bases that could be started. We had the USS Baton sailing almost behind the hurricane so that after the hurricane made landfall it's search and rescue helicopters would be available almost immediately. So we had things ready. The only caveat is, we have to wait until the President authorizes us to do so. The laws of the United States say that the military can't just act in this fashion, we have to wait for the President to give us permission."http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4605183And not to forget: “In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort.http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp 4. evidence of pattern of in lack of response(Here I’ve heavily borrowed from DU member rhosgobel’s blog: http://rhosgobel.blogspot.com/2005/09/doing-everything-possible-to-help.html and http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=8066o) Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard - on Meet the Press: "... We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, 'Come get the fuel right away.' When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. 'FEMA says don't give you the fuel.'" http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/04.html#a4783 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179790"As a flooded New Orleans sinks further into despair, up to 500 Florida airboat pilots have volunteered to rescue Hurricane Katrina victims, transport relief workers and ferry supplies. (...)
On standby since Monday, the pilots -- many from Central Florida -- have spent thousands of their own dollars stocking their boats and swamp buggies with food, water, medical supplies and fuel.
"But the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not authorize the airboaters to enter New Orleans. Without that permission, they would be subject to arrest and would not receive security and support services." http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-caneboats0205sep02,0,5932477.story?coll=orl-home-headlines"A visibly angry Mayor Daley said the city had offered emergency, medical and technical help to the federal government as early as Sunday to assist people in the areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina, but as of Friday, the only things the feds said they wanted was a single tank truck." http://www.suntimes.com/output/hurricane/cst-nws-daley03.html“Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck — a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress.
"New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_national_guardU.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana): "I understand that the U.S. Forest Service had water-tanker aircraft available to help douse the fires raging on our riverfront, but FEMA has yet to accept the aid. When Amtrak offered trains to evacuate significant numbers of victims – far more efficiently than buses – FEMA again dragged its feet. Offers of medicine, communications equipment and other desperately needed items continue to flow in, only to be ignored by the agency." http://www.newschannel6.tv/news/default.asp?mode=shownews&id=8695From a letter written by Jason Robideaux: "We were pulling a large (24ft) shallow draft aluminum boat that can safely carry 12 passengers and had ramp access which would allow the elderly and infirm to have easier access to the boat ...
"We then specifically asked the DWF agent that we (and other citizens in the flotillia) be allowed to go to the hospitals and help evacuate the sick and the doctors and nurses stranded there. We offered to bring these people back to Lafayette, in our own vehicles, in order to ensure that they received proper and prompt medical care.
"The DWF agent did not want to hear this and ordered us home. We complied with the DWF agent's orders, turned around and headed back to Lafayette along with half of the flotillia." http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Louisiana_officials_accused_of_blocking_rescue_volunteers“A Russian official said the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had rejected a Russian offer to dispatch rescue teams and other aid." http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9161198/ "Department of Homeland Security as well as other U.S. agencies were contacted by the Canadian government requesting permission to provide help. Despite this contact, Canada has not been allowed to fly supplies and personnel to the areas hit by Katrina." http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/8/31/235829/261"Cuban President Fidel Castro told more than 1,500 doctors Sunday night that American officials had made "absolutely no response" to his offer to send them to the U.S. Gulf Coast to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Castro, a longtime adversary of the United States, initially offered to send 1,100 doctors and at least 26 tons of supplies and equipment ..." http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/09/05/katrina.cuba/index.html"Authorities are avoiding airdropping provisions into New Orleans — the traditional way of supplying disaster victims — out of fear of sparking riots, a state official said.
"While the military has used helicopters to drop provisions to some stranded in New Orleans, authorities have not launched the massive supply airdrops seen in Afghanistan at the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom.
"Several C-130 Hercules aircraft are stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, but authorities have not ordered them to drop supplies to flood victims, Arkansas Air National Guard officials said." (link) "Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?
"Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
"The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city." http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html#4524German Red Cross is refused as well. And for the very same reason. http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,373274,00.html"Volunteer physicians are pouring in to care for the sick, but red tape is keeping hundreds of others from caring for Hurricane Katrina survivors while health problems escalate.
"Among the doctors stymied from helping out are 100 surgeons and paramedics in a state-of-the-art mobile hospital marooned in rural Mississippi. ...
"The North Carolina mobile hospital stranded in Mississippi was developed with millions of tax dollars through the Office of Homeland Security after 9-11. With capacity for 113 beds, it is designed to handle disasters and mass casualties. ...
"It travels in a convoy that includes two 53-foot trailers, which as of Sunday afternoon was parked on a gravel lot 70 miles north of New Orleans because Louisiana officials for several days would not let them deploy to the flooded city, Rich said.
"Yet plans to use the facility and its 100 health professionals were hatched days before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, doctors in the caravan said." http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/09/04/katrina.sick.redtape.ap/index.html“Shortly before they were set to leave for Hurricane Katrina-battered states, a group of about 100 law enforcement officers from across Nevada was told to stay put by the Federal Emergency Management Agency
"FEMA officials put the contingent on hold on Sunday afternoon for between one and three days until its mission can be determined, Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Kevin Honea said." http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/sep/04/090410225.html"While federal and state emergency planners scramble to get more military relief to Gulf Coast communities stricken by Hurricane Katrina, a massive naval goodwill station has been cruising offshore, underused and waiting for a larger role in the effort.
"The USS Bataan, a 844-foot ship designed to dispatch Marines in amphibious assaults, has helicopters, doctors, hospital beds, food and water. It also can make its own water, up to 100,000 gallons a day. And it just happened to be in the Gulf of Mexico when Katrina came roaring ashore.
"The Bataan rode out the storm and then followed it toward shore, awaiting relief orders. Helicopter pilots flying from its deck were some of the first to begin plucking stranded New Orleans residents.
"But now the Bataan's hospital facilities, including six operating rooms and beds for 600 patients, are empty. A good share of its 1,200 sailors could also go ashore to help with the relief effort, but they haven't been asked. The Bataan has been in the stricken region the longest of any military unit, but federal authorities have yet to fully utilize the ship. (…).
"A 135-foot landing craft stored within the Bataan, the LCU-1656, was dispatched to steam up the 90 miles of Mississippi River to New Orleans. It took a crew of 16, including a doctor, and its deck was stacked with food and water. The craft carries enough food and fuel to remain self-sufficient for 10 days. (…)
"Then the Bataan was ordered to move to the waters off Biloxi, Miss., and LCU-1656 was ordered to return. The landing craft was 40 miles from New Orleans, but it wouldn't be able to deliver its cargo." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509040369sep04,1,4144825.story?page=1&ctrack=1&cset=truehttp://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/nation/12554907.htm "Early on Friday morning Christie Weber watched the Mayor of New Orleans screaming on CNN, "We need buses to get these people out of here. Get off your ass and get down here."
"She picked up the phone and started calling local charter bus companies. By 6 AM she discovered that there was an abundance of vehicles ready and waiting to be deployed - if and when they were called upon. But, until now no one had called. All of the charter bus companies that Weber rang up had already signed on with FEMA several days earlier, and they were just waiting for a call back regarding financial reimbursement, a destination and an approved route. (...)
"Next she decided to call the Governor's office in Louisiana instead of FEMA. They responded immediately with, "Please, God Bless You, YES!" and provided her with a route and a letter to Wisconsin Emergency Management requesting their assistance in staffing the buses with law enforcement officers." http://www.doorcountycompass.com/news/050904-katrina.htm"The 83 members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Urban Search and Rescue team from Orange County, Calif., have been told to stay downtown at the Hyatt Regency Dallas at Reunion.
"Since Friday, they have been sitting tight at the luxury hotel with members of five other teams of specialists from California, Nevada and Washington state – about 500 people all diverted to Dallas on the way to the Gulf Coast.
"There they have watched television reports, itching to help the stranded victims of Katrina but ordered by FEMA officials to stay idle.
"'It's been horribly frustrating,' said Battalion Chief Marc Hawkins, noting that he understood the reasons the team had been asked to stay put. 'Keeping firefighters pent up like this is a chore.'
"On Sunday, the Orange County team learned where it would finally do the job it was trained to do. By the time the team arrives in Metairie, La., a full week will have passed since it was ordered to leave California.
"'We've been trying like hell to get out of here,' said Battalion Chief Hawkins, one of the Orange County task force leaders.
"The reason for the extended holdover? Team members were told that conditions were too chaotic in New Orleans, which has been plagued by violence and reports of gunfire aimed at rescuers, and the National Guard needed more time to restore order. In addition, problems getting supplies to the rescue crews already there, as well as victims, had not been worked out." www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/katrina/stories/090605dnmetkatfema.d400626.html "A caravan of Loudoun County sheriff's deputies, loaded with supplies and volunteers willing to assist police in Louisiana in maintaining order, never made it out of Virginia after the sheriff said bureaucratic delays forced it to turn around early Friday. (…)
"Loudoun Sheriff Stephen Simpson said he organized a troop of 22 volunteer deputies and six emergency medical technicians in response to a call for help that came from the sheriff in Jefferson Parish in suburban New Orleans.
"The deputies were equipped with food, water, gasoline and other supplies not only for themselves but also to replenish Jefferson Parish, Simpson said. The deputies had tents and were prepared for a stay of at least seven days.
"The Loudoun convoy had planned to depart at noon Thursday, but was delayed for nine hours seeking final approval from Virginia or Louisiana emergency officials. Not wanting to wait any longer, they departed Thursday night, hoping to get the paperwork cleared en route.
"By the time the group got to Harrisonburg -- several hours south of Loudoun County -- Simpson said Lousiana State Police told him shortly after midnight Friday that they didn't want any help and would likely be turned away if they arrived." http://www.nbc4.com/news/4932312/detail.html?rss=dc&psp=news5. Plan of a complete evacuation of New Orleans?It sounds absurd but reading this: “NEW ORLEANS (AP) – New Orleans is getting tough with people who are still refusing to leave the hurricane-ravaged city.
Mayor Ray Nagin says water will no longer be handed out to people who refuse to leave.
Despite evacuations, rescues and relief efforts, Deputy Police Chief W-J Riley says some people still don't want to leave their homes while others are hanging back to take part in looting and other criminal activity.
State police are using force to get some to move. A SWAT team, armed with rifles, confronted two brothers at their home in the Uptown section of New Orleans, leaving one sobbing.”http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3808582&nav=EyB0e9oshttp://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4652878 |
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