OrangeSoul Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 WASHINGTON - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security workers to support rescuers in the region ? and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents. Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims. Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged. Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities." The initial responses of the government and Brown came under escalating criticism as the breadth of destruction and death grew. President Bush and Congress on Tuesday pledged separate investigations into the federal response to Katrina. "Governments at all levels failed," said Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record), R-Maine. Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Brown had positioned front-line rescue teams and Coast Guard helicopters before the storm. Brown's memo on Aug. 29 aimed to assemble the necessary federal work force to support the rescues, establish communications and coordinate with victims and community groups, Knocke said. Instead of rescuing people or recovering bodies, these employees would focus on helping victims find the help they needed, he said. "There will be plenty of time to assess what worked and what didn't work," Knocke said. "Clearly there will be time for blame to be assigned and to learn from some of the successful efforts." Brown's memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public." "FEMA response and recovery operations are a top priority of the department and as we know, one of yours," Brown wrote Chertoff. He proposed sending 1,000 Homeland Security Department employees within 48 hours and 2,000 within seven days. Knocke said the 48-hour period suggested for the Homeland employees was to ensure they had adequate training. "They were training to help the life-savers," Knocke said. Employees required a supervisor's approval and at least 24 hours of disaster training in Maryland, Florida or Georgia. "You must be physically able to work in a disaster area without refrigeration for medications and have the ability to work in the outdoors all day," Brown wrote. The same day Brown wrote Chertoff, Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (news, bio, voting record), D-Md., said Tuesday that Brown should step down. After a senators-only briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Cabinet members, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (news, bio, voting record) said lawmakers weren't getting their questions answered. "What people up there want to know, Democrats and Republicans, is what is the challenge ahead, how are you handling that and what did you do wrong in the past," said Schumer, D-N.Y. Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska, said the administration is "getting a bad rap" for the emergency response. "People have to understand this is a big, big problem." Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...saster_response Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fubar Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 american citizens where let down by all the twaddle that goes on in the white house , and what makes it worse is monkey boy is heading the investigation into the lateness of the relief , such a sad shame coming from one of the most advanced countrys in the world , they where made to look like idiots well done bush and co , oh and lets not forget monkeys boys mother who made an appualing statement that the unwealthy have done ok out of the hurricane , now we know where george gets the idiocy from :blink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b mitchell Posted September 7, 2005 Share Posted September 7, 2005 "There will be plenty of time to assess what worked and what didn't work," Knocke said. "Clearly there will be time for blame to be assigned and to learn from some of the successful efforts." In other words, there will be time to find someone to blame, but it wont be us. This is just sickening. Everyone can see WHO and WHAT screwed up. Now FIX IT. Enough squabbling and save these people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 People in very important positions like this shouldn't be political appointees. This guy doesn't know the first thing about organizing a huge organization like this. Why doesn't Bush take things like this seriously? I'm not pointing fingers but I really think the people in charge of saving so many lives should be up to the job and shouldn't be there because they did something to help someone get elected. And I bet more than one person is going to get the medal of freedom or some other bs for the great job they've done... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LispyGlitter2 Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Yet another reason why we need to break away from the idea that the government actually cares about our well-being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betasp Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 The day after Ketrina the NOLA mayor siad that everything was okay and that they dodged a bullet. It looked like a regular hurricane hit (I live in the NC coast, I know hurricanes). Why would FEMA deviate from their normal policy when the mayor of NOLA said they had dodged a bullet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrunkenMaster Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 What's even worse is that its been revealed that Brown was formerly the President of the Arabian Horses of America for 7 years before being director of FEMA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 What's even worse is that its been revealed that Brown was formerly the President of the Arabian Horses of America for 7 years before being director of FEMA. 586497973[/snapback] YEEEEE HAAAA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Veteran Posted September 9, 2005 Veteran Share Posted September 9, 2005 What's even worse is that its been revealed that Brown was formerly the President of the Arabian Horses of America for 7 years before being director of FEMA. 586497973[/snapback] He is also a lawyer, has been a college professor, a bar examiner for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and was Deputy Director of FEMA before becoming the Director. You make it sound as if he was a stable boy. :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderRiver Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 More and more officials get away with scandals and laughs at the thought of resignation. I am sure Bill Clinton set the fine example for other officials out there. If I am the chief of FEMA, I would definitely apologize to the public over the wrong doings, and pledge to clean up the mess... and resign immediately afterward. Even the former FEMA chief thinks the current response as "concerned" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 According to an article in Time: Brown's (director of FEMA) resume is a sham: "Now, an investigation by TIME has found discrepancies in his online legal profile and official bio, including a description of Brown released by the White House at the time of his nomination in 2001 to the job as deputy chief of FEMA. (Brown became Director of FEMA, succeeding Allbaugh, in 2003.)... Article at Time.com Surprise surprise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyko Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Apologies wouldn't do **** Thunder. They'd only be happy with 1)Them getting taken care of or 2)Off with your head. It's already worse enough the FEMA director has minimal experience - treating emergency pickup of horse **** over at an Arabian horse club. Anyways, I feel pathetic to live in the United States right now. We constantly keep getting our image screwed by the administration who probably can't even add 2+2. They don't care about us - it was all about them getting into office to carry out their own scheme. We got so much political corruption and everyone fighting over "you're a liberal, you're right winged, etc.", that they don't even know what a true liberal is, and also they are so involved in the fighting they forget who they're representing. Hell, they don't even represent us anymore! It's just loyalty to their party. Damn kronies who don't give a damn about their own people. Slap their ass in New Orleans without food and water and live in a hellhole for 5 days and see "if they really understand what the hell the other people went through." Oh by the way, forget the investigation. I want complete reform of FEMA (I live in Florida). I don't want no horse-riding bearucrate deciding how much money I get in return. If it's donated, give it directly to the cause! Don't be stingy bastards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Moved here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 THIS JUST IN!! WASHINGTON - Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned. Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, where he was the primary official overseeing the federal government's response to the disaster, according to two federal officials who declined to be identified before the announcement. Brown will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad w. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief and rescue efforts. Brown has been under fire because of the administration's slow response to the magnitude of the hurricane. On Thursday, questions were raised about whether he padded his resume to highlight his previous emergency management background. Article here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S. Veteran Posted September 9, 2005 Veteran Share Posted September 9, 2005 hmmm...kick the bum out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Shake Posted September 9, 2005 Share Posted September 9, 2005 Now that need to get rid of that weasel Chertoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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