BLANCO/NATIONAL GUARD, still need info........

[OneGrassRoot]

Does anyone know where I can find what orders were issued by Gov. Blanco regarding the Louisiana National Guard before and after Katrina?

I'm still getting pounded with the question of why didn't she call up more LA National Guard as soon as possible and use their helicopters for rescue and food drops rather than wait for the feds.

Can't find this information to save my life.........

[jody]

1. "why didn't she call up"? I don't believe that will ever be known. n/t

[preciousdove]

2. SHE DID CALL -- Please do research and stop repeating propaganda! m/t

[jody]

3. The question was "call up more LA National Guard" and use them.

There were indeed lags in activation and use of the LA guard. Those who deny that harm our Dem position.

IMO, the most pressing question is why was Bush/FEMA so slow to react when they knew the problem was overwhelming city and state resources.

Just turning the problem over to FEMA does not clear mayor/governor from continuing to use their limited resources to aid as many victims as possible. Don't forget that LA Guard resources were completely under the command of the governor, not FEMA.

[OneGrassRoot]

4. thanks for helping to clarify my question.....n/t

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[renie408]

5. Curb that jerking knee...

This is a sincere question and deserves a sincere answer. I tried looking the info up and can't find it either. When did she call up the gaurd, how many did she call up and when did she request more help from Bush? I remember her being on Larry King early on...like Tuesday...and saying that she needed everything the government could send. But I can't find her exact request or its timing any where. Blanco is being used as a scapegoat and I would like to refute those people who are pinning the delayed response on her. Do you have specific info that would help me do that?

[ramapo]

6. But when?

I got beat up on this today along with the "72 hr for NG to report". This doesn't excuse the rest of the gov't non-response especially since she did declare a disaster situation before the storm hit.

[jody]

7. Remember Blanco refuses to sign over control of the LA Guard to Bush,

therefore any action or inaction attributed to the LA Guard rests squarely on Blanco as commander of the LA Guard.

The same holds true for any action or inaction attributed to FEMA and Bush is completely responsible for those things.

[sunnystarr]

17. Please research before commenting

It is normal and expected that a state governor maintain control of the state's National Guard units. If they were federalized they would no longer be able to act as a police force. Florida with all their hurricanes, even with the worst of them, never turned their NG over to the Feds. She needed additional units and they were slow in being released to help. She was only working with a fraction of the LA NG. The rest were in Iraq. The release of other state's units needed to be signed off by the President - he was busy with eating McCain's birthday cake, playing golf, getting a guitar, and chummying up to campaign supporters. Governors from many many states where ready with NG as well as other humanitarian aid - but guess who didn't sign the release for these to get to NO.

[jody]

18. I simply stated what is in the law of Louisiana, i.e.

"§2. Commander in chief. The governor of the state, by virtue of his office, shall be the commander in chief of the militia of the state."

And

QUOTE
§3. Militia

A. All able-bodied persons between the ages of seventeen and sixty-four residing in this state and who are not exempt by the laws of the United States of America or of this state constitute the militia of Louisiana and are subject to military duty.

B. The militia is divided into two classes, the organized militia and the unorganized militia.

(1) The organized militia consists of the national guard, the Louisiana State Guard and other organized military forces which may be authorized by law.

(2) The unorganized militia consists of all other persons subject to military duty.

UNQUOTE

LA laws can be found at http://www.legis.state.la.us/

What part of that LA law don't you understand?

Did you understand the question posed in the original post?

[OneGrassRoot]

19. you and I may be the only ones on the same page.........

as far as the original question.

I give up for the moment. The official site for LANG is down.

The only thing I could find was this, which really isn't that helpful, but I'll post it anyway. In reading various places, many others are frustrated with the lack of information available about deployment of the NG in general, throughout the States. I'm especially interested in what type of equipment was available to the Governor. I have a feeling she didn't have much available to her....a lot is probably in Iraq.

For anyone reading this, no one here is trying to trash the governor AT ALL. We all realize the BUCK STOPS with Bush. We're simply trying to be as informed as possible about all levels of this fiasco so we can respond factually when asked about these things.

"The Louisiana National Guard had called almost 3,500 of its members to state active duty as of 7 a.m. Monday to help with missions that ranged from aiding law enforcement agencies with traffic control and security to conducting searches and rescues and providing generator support. Guard members conducted security and screening at the emergency shelter at the New Orleans Superdome, and elsewhere helped state police with evacuations."

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050830/NEWS01/508300352/1002/NEWS

[jody]

29. That report is dated 30 Aug 05. I wonder how many others were called

after that date.

:hi:

[Spazito]

35. Go to the Governor's site, listen to her press conference from

September 1st, once you get your figures, pay close attention to what was promised to be on it's way and then take note when it actually arrived.

http://gov.louisiana.gov/

[jody]

39. OK, but what does that have to do with Blanco's use of about 7,800 troops

under her command?

[Spazito]

40. Ahhh, I have answered your question re what was requested

after the initial 4000, now you want something else. I STRONGLY suspect that, regardless of what is provided, you will continue to try and have someone do your work to blame the Governor for something, anything.


I suggest you plow through the State of Louisiana Plan see how it works, it might surprise you:

http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/plans/STATE%20OF%20LOUISIANA%20EOP%202005.doc

[jody]

41. No you did not answer my question. I am not trying to blame anyone, just

replying to the OP which asked specifically how Blanco used the LA Guard under her command. Blanco said 5,000 LA Guard troops were called up but that did not address when and how, that was the question posed in the OP.

Goodbye, :hi:

[Spazito]

42. I take that to mean the document I provided will not be read

I am shocked, no, really, shocked!


:rofl:

[jody]

45. Why can't you understand? I listened to all three of Blanco's press

conferences and read pertinent documents. I know that as of 3 Sep 05, Blanco had called up 5,000 LA Guard troops of the 7,800 she had left after the 3,700 were activated.

The OP question asked when they were called up and about equipment including helicopters. That data is not available from the links you provided.

"I am shocked, no really shocked" that you don't understand the OP topic!

[Bridget Burke]

43. No, you aren't the only ones....

www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4667256

[jody]

47. Many thanks for the link. n/t

[sunnystarr]

8. Here are 2 links

http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3571363
Blanco declares state of emergency as Hurricane Dennis approaches

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973
GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

[madmax]

9. Here's another link

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf

There is also an article on Buzzflash, left side.

[jody]

11. Letter does not address use of the LA Guard under Blanco's command. n/t

[jody]

10. Interesting but neither link deals with Blanco's use or non-use of the

LA Guard. The LA Guard is completely under the command of Governor Blanco and no one else. Blanco refuses to turn over control to Bush.

[Igel]

12. She was also late in requesting NG from other states,

at least in the case of Michigan.

One problem with that is I suspect the initial requests were for humanitarian assistance, then the mission crept to law enforcement: and the NG from other states needed to be indemnified. That took a few minutes.

Too much blame to sort out for now. Not enough facts, too many rumors and too much hearsay.

[blitzburgh55]

13. From FEMA

Homeland Security Prepping For Dangerous Hurricane Katrina
Residents in path of storm "Must take action now"

Release Date: August 28, 2005

Both Mississippi and Louisiana have mandatory evacuation orders in place for some areas. National Guard troops have been deployed to assist law enforcement in evacuations.

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18461

[blitzburgh55]

14. Also

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/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_national_guard

[jody]

16. OK but it does not address the LA Guard which was commanded by Blanco. n/t

[jody]

15. That reads like a standard PR release and not necessarily the truth. n/t

[lateo]

20. This is what I am hearing from the RW websites.

Blanco is to blame because she didn't ask for FEMA's help until Sept. 1.

Is there any truth to that?

[MissMarple]

21. No. She asked George for help on the 27th.

I'll see if I can find a link. I do believe she thought the cavalry was coming. But they just circled the wagons around NOLA and watched the disaster unfold. Actually, they also did that to the entire region.

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976

"• Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD): Coordinating traffic flow and management of the evacuations routes with local officials and the State of Mississippi.



The following information is furnished on efforts and resources of other Federal agencies, which have been or will be used in responding to this incident:
• FEMA ERT-A Team en-route.

I certify that for this emergency, the State and local governments will assume all applicable non-Federal share of costs required by the Stafford Act.

I request Direct Federal assistance for work and services to save lives and protect property."

[lateo]

49. Holy shit...this is it.

Look at this...
http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976


Pursuant to 44 CFR § 206.35, I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster. I am specifically requesting emergency protective measures, direct Federal Assistance, Individual and Household Program (IHP) assistance, Special Needs Program assistance, and debris removal.

Blanco asked the President for help on the 27th of August. It came a week later.

[OneGrassRoot]

22. no, no, no..................

don't go there. There were tons of threads here (and I'll try to come back and find some for you later)debunking that. She wrote a letter on August 28th doing her part in requesting federal help, including FEMA. She did her part in requesting additional help.

This thread is simply to find out how she used the resources, Louisiana resources, available to her.

[melissinha]

25. I remember Randi had it

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf

this is supposed to be it, but I can't pull it up...

[OneGrassRoot]

23. Here ya go......*S*

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4659485

[Spazito]

24. LOL, yes, I see it is 'driving you crazy'

but I don't see you asking the key questions such as:

How much equipment was available to her versus how much equipment of the Louisiana National Guard is in Iraq?

How many of the National Guard component left in Louisiana were administrative rather than active soldiers?

I suspect if you look for answers to these questions first, you will find the answers to the ones above.

[OneGrassRoot]

26. I've been trying to find that information.........

I finally got wise and approached it that way several hours ago, but still no luck. Perhaps when the LA National Guard websites come back up I can find more information.

I'm learning a lot about NG though. You're right, the various batallions (?) have various duties and expertise. Perhaps the ones needed most were away in Iraq. And the equipment, that's especially what's I'm interested in.

[Spazito]

27. That is what I truly believe is the case

I suspect you will not find that info on the NG site, if it was ever there, it will have been scrubbed by now, imo.

I am following up on some stuff as well.

[EVDebs]

31. Bush's policy of outsourcing, carried out by FEMA caused delays

FEMA Outsourced New Orleans Disaster Plans

http://www.wnymedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45&Itemid=35

by Wayne Madsen

shows us the company, Innovative Emergency Management, Inc. IEM for short, that should have planned out rescue and relief efforts in New Orleans. I also note that it took around FIVE whole days but FEMA finally got around to the process of privatizing bus contracts to rescue those New Orleans Superdome/ConventionCenter refugees. Those bus contracts appear to have gone from 650 to 5000 by the time FEMA realized people were AT those sites !

FEMA Urges Patience
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18540

“ *Convoys of food, water and ice which are arriving hourly in impacted areas.

*The evacuation of thousands from New Orleans to Texas. FEMA has contracted for more than 650 buses to expedite the state-ordered evacuation.”

Local Company Sending Charter Buses to Gulf
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/09/02/bus.html

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency is mobilizing 5,000 buses nationwide.” This is from a Cincinnati, OH bus company ; a No. Carolina Christian bus charter firm also got a contract

Community Offers Relief
by JENNIFER MENSTER
Record Staff Writer
Saturday, September 3, 2005
http://www.hickoryrecord.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=HDR/MGArticle/HDR_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784847098&path=

So, you can see, FEMA was ‘privatizing’ the rescue/relief effort and dawdling in this effort, rather than expediting rescue/relief that the National Guard/military could have been doing.

Bush's outsourcing and privatization policies, which so far have only been 'killing jobs' in America are now taking lives. Republicans should join Democrats in facing up to this dangerous policy practice, since hurricane season still runs through November.

What other surprises does FEMA have in store for us ?

[Spazito]

37. Please take out the Wayne Madsen link, that has been debunked

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4648006

[melissinha]

28. is the same one you guys had earlier

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf

Remember Randi had this on Friday. I thought the doc wasn't pulling up, but it was really my computer that was freezing up... I believe that the phrases you seek are:

I have determined that this incident will be of such severity and magnitude that effective response will be beyond the capabilities of the State and the affected local governments and that supplementary Federal assistance will be necessary.

Because the specific nature and exact path of the storm were unknown to her, it was not within her means to make plans to rescue people from the flood. It appears as if the procedure which she has to comply with is merely financial.

[jody]

30. That document doesn't answer the OP re activation and use of LA Guard. n/t

[EVDebs]

32. The NG isn't what evacuated those in the Superdome or Conv.Center

FEMA's outsourcing policies had so red-taped the situation that this was a disaster waiting to happen.

Remember Mayor Nagin and Mr. Broussard saying 'they're coming to get ya ma, Tuesday (then Weds, Thurs., Fri.)', then the old lady drowns on Friday ?

Buses under FEMA contracts were what eventually came to the rescue to the Superdome and Convention Center...days too late.

Outsourcing of planning (to IEM, Inc) and to out of state bus charter companies (while hundreds of Louisiana state school buses and transit buses weren't appropriated).

But by all means keep up with the calling up the guard line. Most of Louisiana guardsmen were in another Gulf...the Persian Gulf region. From post #13 above

"Both Mississippi and Louisiana have mandatory evacuation orders in place for some areas. National Guard troops have been deployed to assist law enforcement in evacuations". But if no FEMA bus evacuation contracts had been let, Criky, Brown was on tv saying he didn't know people were stuck at the Superdome/Conv.Center sites until Ted Koppel told him (!) you can see why the NG wouldn't have gone in...they were waiting for FEMA to get them buses...

[jody]

34. About 3,700 of the LA Guard were on active duty leaving about 7,800

in Louisiana. The OP asked about those troops and nothing else. :shrug:

[EVDebs]

44. As the mayor said, they weren't there yet.

The cavalry was always 'on its way.' Salon.com has a great article on the "Dry Plan"
www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/09/02/plan/

The NYTime's

Government Saw Flood Risk but Not Levee Failure
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/02/national/nationalspecial/02response.html?pagewanted=2

shows that everyone expected the levees to not be breached. Everything went out the window once that happened...even the President has said that no one could have predicted those levees failing. That wasn't true, nobody expected the levees to be breached. We'd always dodged the bullet before.

The NYTimes article is informative on the Natn'l Guard issue, as to the hesitance of bringing them in. The fear was for 'posse comitatus'/ police functions, on the Bush administration side.

And if no local buses are available for evacuations, how could the state and local governments finish the job of evacuations when the flooding from breached levees overtook the situation ? The City did what it could up to a point, according to the NYTimes article page 2

"City officials said they provided free transportation from pick-up points publicized on television, radio and by people shouting through megaphones on the streets. In addition to the Superdome, officials opened schools and the convention center as shelters."

Too many cooks indeed. Besides, as the Bush administration's own outsourced plan. But it looks like it was FEMA's job to move those people from the Superdome/ConventionCenter last refuge shelters. This needs investigation.

The state and local's got around 400,000 out of 500,000 residents evacuated. Those without the means of escape, the poor/immobile, got stuck. They didn't make it in the outsourced scheme of things.

Eventually those people got moved to Houston as planned, see text at
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/new-orleans-sdome_image-oi_01.htm

The key is in post #13's mention of the National Guard being called up to 'assist in evacuations'. What part did that play into the "plan" ?

The NYT article says
"Currently, the states' governors control their National Guard, with the Pentagon and other federal agencies like FEMA, coordinating operations with the state. The administration has resisted federalizing the relief operation, in large part because officials say it would severely limit the National Guard's ability to conduct law enforcement missions for which they are specifically trained."

And the article goes on to say (Saturday Aug. 27th) ...

"On Saturday, at the urging of FEMA, Mr. Bush declared an emergency in Louisiana, allowing the agency to promise financial assistance to state and local governments and to move ready-to-eat meals, medicine, ice, tarpaulins, water and other supplies to the region"

IEM's SE Louisiana /New Orleans Disaster Plan
http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Press_Releases/pressrelease060304_Catastrophic.htm

[jody]

46. OK but you need to differentiate between the LA Guard that was and is

completely under the command of Governor Blanco, and Guard units from other states. The units from other states were apparently delayed because of a bureaucratic foul up in the Bush mis-administration.

If the mayor was waiting on the LA Guard, then that's a problem solely between him and the governor. :shrug:

[Roland99]

36. Privatizing our lives

[jody]

33. Limited data on LA Guard. Apparently they don't have many helicopters.

Louisiana Army National Guard
QUOTE
Today's Louisiana Army and Air National Guard consists of 74 units spread among 43 cities and towns of the state and numbers some 11,500 Army and Air Guardsmen. As a result of various reorganizations the present Army Guard is composed of a State Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 204th Area Support Group, the 256th Separate Infantry Brigade, the 225th Engineer Group and various Medical, Maintenance, Aviation, Military Police, Armored Cavalry and Special Forces units and the 156th Army Band.
UNQUOTE

Troops Head Home To Another Crisis
QUOTE
The 3,700 Louisiana National Guard members in Iraq will begin heading home within about a week as part of normal troop rotations. . . . . .After nearly a year in Baghdad, Louisiana's 256th Mechanized Infantry Brigade is due to return fully to the United States by November, military officials said.
UNQUOTE

[OneGrassRoot]

38. Thank you guys!!!! Much appreciated...................

pieces of the puzzle are coming together a little bit more.

Thanks again.......if I find anything to add, I'll be sure to post.