WTF?! 1st Fed. Dis. Declaration *EXCLUDED* Affected Parishes

[Tesibria]

I just noticed something weird - could THIS explain part of the problem with Feds not helping the Locals in the evacuation???

The August 26th Declaration DID NOT INCLUDE Orleans Parish - OR St. Bernards OR St. Tammany (or the other ones really hit). In fact - it seems that it included just about every parish except those hardest hit. This wasn't corrected UNTIL AFTER THE HURRICANE!!!

Check this out: List of LA Parishes - and what Declaration covered them:

Acadia --n--- 29th
Allen 26th --n---
Ascension --n--- 29th
Assumption --n--- 29th
Avoyelles 26th --n---
Beauregard 26th --n---
Bienville 26th --n---
Bossier 26th --n---
Caddo 26th --n---
Calcasieu --n--- 29th
Caldwell 26th --n---
Cameron --n--- 29th
Catahoula 26th --n---
Claiborne 26th --n---
Concordia 26th --n---
Desoto 26th --n---
E. Baton Rouge 26th 29th
East Carroll 26th --n---
East Feliciana 26th 29th
Evangeline 26th --n---
Franklin 26th --n---
Grant 26th --n---
Iberia --n--- 29th
Iberville --n--- 29th
Jackson 26th --n---
Jefferson --n--- 29th
Jefferson Davis --n--- 29th
Lafayette --n--- 29th
Lafourche --n--- 29th
LaSalle 26th --n---
Lincoln 26th --n---
Livingston 26th 29th
Madison 26th --n---
Morehouse 26th --n---
Natchitoches 26th --n---
Orleans --n--- 29th
Ouachita 26th --n---
Plaquemines --n--- 29th
Pointe Coupee 26th 29th
Rapides 26th --n---
Red River 26th --n---
Richland 26th --n---
Sabine 26th --n---
St. Bernard --n--- 29th
St. Charles --n--- 29th
St. Helena 26th 29th
St. James --n--- 29th
St. John --n--- 29th
St. Landry 26th --n---
St. Martin --n--- 29th
St. Mary --n--- 29th
St. Tammany --n--- 29th
Tangipahoa --n--- 29th
Tensas 26th --n---
Terrebonne --n--- 29th
Union 26th --n---
Tangipahoa --n--- --n---
Vernon 26th --n---
Vermilion Parish --n--- 29th
Washington --n--- 29th
Webster 26th 29th
West Baton Rouge --n--- --n---
West Carroll 26th --n---
West Feliciana 26th 29th
Winn 26th --n---

Source for Parishes: http://www.enlou.com/parishes/#a; http://www.lapage.com/page/

August 27 Declaration: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

August 29 Declaration: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050829-2.html

=========
WTF???????????????????????

[SmokingJacket]

1. Yes, I noticed that too: mostly Northern parishes first.

I have no explanation...

[Horse with no Name]

2. I explained this once before but can't find the info

but the initial request in the letter states for ALL areas affected by the hurricane not designating counties...
then the second part lists the counties that won't be primarily affected but could possibly be secondarily affected by floods or tornadoes, etc.
Just covering all bases.

[Tesibria]

5. Not talking about the request - but about Bush's Declaration

It specifically states:

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.

Therefore, the Dept of Homeland Security and FEMA were NOT authorized by the President to coordinate ... ... in the areas actually affected by the Hurricane.

[Horse with no Name]

7. How this breaks down

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,
talking about the area that is directly hit
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.
Talking about the secondarily affected counties.

It follows the same format as the request from Gov. Blanco.

[Tesibria]

8. oh -- i THINK that makes sense

i'm processing -- thanx!

[Sparkly]

3. Wow.

How do the lists correlate with Blanco's specific requests in her letter?

[Sparkly]

4. Also -- was there a statement on Louisiana on the 28th??

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/

August 28, 2005
President Discusses Hurricane Katrina, Congratulates Iraqis on Draft Constitution
Fact sheetIn Focus: Iraq
Statement on Federal Disaster Assistance for Florida
Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Mississippi
Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Alabama

[Tesibria]

6. I couldn't find it - could only find LA on 27th and 29th ... nt

[Sparkly]

9. Also -- I wonder why we haven't heard more from/about William Lokey.

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.

Looks like Lokey also worked on emergency management under Clinton.

[krkaufman]

10. I just read the WH press release for the Louisiana SoE...

... and am wondering that, too! (I found your post doing a search for "Lokey".)

Everyone's going after Mike Brown, but Lokey was supposedly appointed as the man on the spot -- the Federal Coordinating Officer. HE should have the answers on what went wrong in the lead-up to the hurricane and in its immediate aftermath.

But where is he now?!?

Here's the only decent info I've found on Lokey, thus far, and may explain why he's been "disappeared"...

Political storm brewing over Katrina disaster
By JOHN McQUAID

...

FEMA officials pleaded "no contest.".

Bill Lokey, chief coordinator for FEMA, said agencies were simply overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. "It's the nature of the disaster," he said. "This is far beyond anything we've ever done in this country. It's beyond our immediate capabilities for sure."

Lokey said rescue workers have been hampered by floodwaters, and by the fact that many of the resources they needed were not available nearby and had to be brough in. And because the storm damage was spread across three states, FEMA's resources have also been spread out, he said.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#076488

from... http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=103&topic_id=152836

That's the ONLY mention of Lokey's name in the ENTIRE breaking news scroll at the Times-Picayune. I find it odd/disturbing.