Bush would have acted sooner in an election year.

[snippy]

Compare what Bush did BEFORE two different hurricanes hit Florida last year with what he did before Katrina hit.

Hurricane Charley hit Florida on August 13 last year.

Department of Homeland Security Prepares Response to Hurricane Charley

FEMA Public Affairs
Contact: 202-646-4600
August 13, 2004

With Hurricane Charley's 145 mile-per-hour winds impacting the Florida coast, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pre-positioned personnel and supplies for rapid response to areas that will need emergency assistance from this Category 4 strength storm.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is coordinating activities along with other federal departments and respective state agencies. FEMA met its goal to have necessary emergency response teams and disaster relief supplies positioned throughout the southeast region earlier today in preparation for the anticipated response operations. More equipment and resources are being deployed from stockpiles nationwide.

Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and FEMA Director Michael Brown are maximizing readiness and response efforts for Hurricane Charley and have been in contact with Florida Governor Jeb Bush and other governors in southeast states that could be impacted by this dangerous storm.

FEMA's Mobile Emergency Response Services’ communication units from as far away as FEMA’s Denver, CO, regional office were mobilized to be in place prior to Hurricane Charley's landfall. These units are able to provide telephone, radio and video links in support of response and recovery efforts.

FEMA has activated and deployed Medical Management Support Teams such as MASH-type Disaster Medical Assistance Teams and Veterinary Medical Teams and has mobilized and pre-positioned first-responder urban search and rescue teams for possible service. Disaster medical teams have also brought extra supplies to ensure that the region's large elderly population’s needs are met.

Twenty semi-trailers containing cots and blankets, emergency meals, portable toilets, personal wash kits, sleeping bags, 6-8 person tents, plastic sheeting and roofing, bottled water and mid-range generators are being staged in Georgia for rapid deployment to Florida. FEMA has also deployed large sea containers with building materials for immediate home repairs.

. . .

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at FEMA's request, has coordinated the deployment of ten truckloads of water and seven truckloads of ice to the Tampa area and has deployed sandbag teams and portable flood control levees to central and northern Florida.

. . .

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3942 (emphasis added)



And hurricane Frances hit Florida on Sunday, September 5 last year. This is from a September 6 2004 White House press release:

. . .

As of noon Monday, in response to Hurricane Frances, FEMA and other Federal response agencies have taken the following actions:

About one hundred trucks of water and 280 trucks of ice are present or will arrive in the Jacksonville staging area today.

900,000 Meals-Ready-to-Eat are on site in Jacksonville, ready to be distributed.

Over 7,000 cases of food (e.g., vegetables, fruits, cheese, ham, and turkey) are scheduled to arrive in Winter Haven today.

Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) are on the ground and setting up comfort stations. FEMA community relations personnel will coordinate with DMATs to assist victims.

Urban Search and Rescue Teams are completing reconnaissance missions in coordination with state officials.

FEMA is coordinating with the Department of Energy and the state to ensure that necessary fuel supplies can be distributed throughout the state, with a special focus on hospitals and other emergency facilities that are running on generators.

The Army Corps of Engineers will soon begin its efforts to provide tarps to tens of thousands of owners of homes and buildings that have seen damage to their roofs.

The National Guard has called up 4,100 troops in Florida, as well as thousands in other nearby states to assist in the distribution of supplies and in preparation for any flooding.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and Defense together have organized 300 medical personnel to be on standby. Medical personnel will begin deployment to Florida tomorrow.

. . .

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/20040906-1.html (emphasis added)


And there was this:

Michael Brown, director of FEMA, told CNN: . . .

"We have poised right now to move into this state literally thousands of personnel, literally hundreds and hundreds of trucks, emergency rescue workers, urban search and rescue, medical teams."

FEMA spokesman James McIntyre said about 4,500 federal personnel are staged at various locations in Florida, Georgia and other states in Frances' path. More people are on call. FEMA deployed about 1,500 people in response to Charley, which hit southern and central Florida Aug. 13, McIntyre said.

. . .

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/09/04/hurricane.frances/ (emphasis added)

Before Katrina hit he declared the gulf coast a federal disaster area to streamline claims for financial assistance from the government after the hurricane passed, he attended a fund raiser, he played a guitar, and he shortened one of his many annual vacations by a few hours.

[tk2kewl]

1. it also helps when they hit primarily well off white areas

[LiberalFighter]

3. Actually it helps that his sc*mb*g brother is Florida's gov

[AntiCoup2K4]

9. No shit. Just call it contribution to Jeb's campaign fund...

...or election fixing fund. Same difference in Florida.

[snippy]

12. I think that is a factor in the lack of urgency following

hurricane Katrina, but I think the 2004 pre-hurricane preparations were politcally motivated. The response teams were in place to respond to both primarily black and white areas. Bush also had FEMA hire a politcal consultant last year for public relations work concerning the federal government's response to hurricanes. That consultant wrote a memo about how Bush could avoid political damage from any lack of rapid response to a hurricane.

[phantom power]

2. Well, mid-terms are next year.

I'd like to think that even Americans have a long enough attention span to remember what happened this week (and didn't happen).

[LittleClarkie]

4. But it's not his ass in those mid-terms

I don't know if he even gives a damn about his party at this point.

[phantom power]

7. Even so, a major loss of GOP seats in congress would devastate him.

A Democratic majority in congress would cripple Bush's ability to do anything. And it would be a gigantic political repudiation of all that he stands for.

Mind you, I'm far from believing that will actually happen, but after each of these disasters, there are more people who hate Bush and the GOP, and fewer who support them.

[tk2kewl]

8. you better believe its his ass

if dems take both houses do to the extreme diapproval of bushCo and thus repukes in general, his ass is going to be in the frying pan by february 07

[tk2kewl]

5. i just hope the victims of this storm can get themselves registered

to vote. these assholes will do everything possible to disqualify them for not having a permanent address or prevent them from registering altogether

[LiberalFighter]

6. The one's that might have a better memory...

would be those in different states that personally know those that lose their homes because of hurricane. AND the ones that they know still are living in different states.

[phantom power]

10. I'm waiting to see how many people make the connection...

between "small-govt" policies of the GOP and this disaster. Because that's the connection that needs to happen. If all of this anger just channels into "I hate Bush," then it's debatable whether it translates into a major GOP upset in 2006.

[1932]

11. Uhm, there's no good time for a disaster like this.

[snippy]

13. True, but the people suffering as a result of Katrina would have received

prompt federal assistance from Bush if this was an election year. Since it was not an election year Bush did not care enough to prepare the federal response in advance.

[1932]

17. New Orleans is the only reason La goes Democratic in statewide elections

Now it's gone.

[ThoughtCriminal]

14. At first, I misunderstood the subject line

It can easily be taken out of context (and they will).

The links are very useful.

[snippy]

15. You're right and I changed it.

That interpretation just went right by me originally. I was thinking only about how much less suffering would have occurred if Bush had acted as he did last year.

[ThoughtCriminal]

16. Yes that's better

What I'm hearing from some Bush apologists is that it takes days to mobilize and it's up to the state. The 2004 Hurricanes are a strong rebuttle.

This one needs more nominations - so here's the kick.

[leesa]

18. He hasn't really done much of anything yet, has he?

12 helicopters??? Ships due to arrive days from now????