Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Local failure caused by FEMA

That is the meme we need to push to counter the latest Bush PR campaign.

In the case of Katrina we need to make clear that we are not complaining that FEMA did not arrive in NO. Clearly, the leadership of FEMA was on the scene immediately and took charge of the situation. The problem was that the leadership was so incompetent that it succeeded in interfering with local relief efforts but failed to provide any federal relief efforts. It kills me to see that the meme of "local failure" could take hold when story after story indicates that "local failure" was large caused by FEMA.

Over the past week I've read of the following:



Here's a blog covering the whole issue in depth:
FEMA failures

See also Live Journal


The local disaster response was, while inadequate, not disastrous. That effort, however, was made disastrous by FEMA.

The item on the Red Cross appears to be a more complicated item than merely FEMA failing to lead. However, the problem does appear to be outside the contol of the local governemnts. As said, more information on that issue would be helpful. Perhaps there exists a diary or blog that is capturing that issue in all its detail. If such a thing exists, I'd like to get a reference. Thanks.

This link to an LA times article on FEMA is quite relevant as well.

[Update] A picture is starting to emerge as to what caused the collosal failure at FEMA. It has become an organization without leadership or imagination, only able to follow bureaucratic procedures and mired in red tape.


Additional infor on FEMAs past and ongoing failures.
Related casees of FEMA being absent.

Brown warned 32 hours before landfall that levees could be breached.
[Note: The original version of this entry pointed to this link which says nothing about 32 hour notification. My appologies for any confusion.]


And this is directly tied to GWB himself. Fire fighters above are still underused but did get orders to provide background for a Bush photo op. (See the final graph). The absurdity only grows with this administration.

Labels: , ,

46 Comments:

At 11:34 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bowdoin University
Bowdoin University In response to the destruction and desperation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Bowdoin College will contribute $30,000 to three historically African-American colleges facing substantial recovery ...
Great input, you have a great blog here! I'm definitely going to bookmark you!

I have a internet wealth site. It pretty much covers internet wealth related stuff.

Come and check it out if you get time :-)

 
At 12:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

this one floors me too:

mobile unit can leave within 2 hours but no one uses it

then it's sent but:
delayed

the worst part is it was setup for disasters!
"The North Carolina mobile hospital stranded in Mississippi was developed with funds from the Office of Homeland Security after the Sept. 11 attacks. With capacity for 113 beds, it is designed to handle disasters and mass casualties."

 
At 1:53 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In Katrina's aftermath, bloggers recount the devastation of New Orleans
If you want to appear like you're at the cutting edge of net culture but can't be bothered to spend hours online, then never fear.
Hi, I was just surfing around and found you!,and ok i admit it !!, i am posting because i desperately need to build my new business and gotta have some traffic!!..So sorry in advance...:-). if you would like to see my spyware scanner related site. It isnt anything special but you may still find spyware scanner stuff of some interest
Thanks alot
Tony

 
At 3:49 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad someone is doing this.

To add to your list:
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.
-- from statement by Sen. Mary Landrieu
http://www.fromtheroots.org/story/2005/9/3/19542/97952

 
At 5:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/

Efforts to save documents stymied
3:25 p.m., Monday

By Greg Thomas
Real estate writer

Specialists working for the New Orleans Notorial Archives have been stymied in trying to return downtown to rescue some of the most historic documents in the city’s history, from original land grants to slave sale records and title records.

Federal troops have refused to let them through checkpoints into the city.

The Notorial Archives hired Munters Corp., a Swedish document salvage firm that freezes and then freeze-dries records to slowly remove moisture from them. But Munters’ refrigerated trucks were turned away by uniformed troops as they tried to enter the city, said Stephen Bruno, custodian of the archives.

The trucks were headed to the Civil District Courthouse on Poydras Street, where many of the city’s real estate documents are housed, and to the former Amoco building at 1340 Poydras St., which houses historic documents such as a letter from Jean Lafitte to Washington demanding for his expenditures during the Battle of New Orleans.

 
At 6:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html

3:32 P.M. Ben Morris, Slidell mayor: We are still hampered by some of the most stupid, idiotic regulations by FEMA. They have turned away generators, we've heard that they've gone around seizing equipment from our contractors. If they do so, they'd better be armed because I'll be damned if I'm going to let them deprive our citizens. I'm pissed off, and tired of this horse$#@@."

 
At 7:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

My name is Becky Brown and I happen to be Mike Brown's little sister.I am sick and tired of all the bs you guys are saying about him. He was there in Baton Rouge days before New Orleans was hit and he is not some washed up hack attorney. He is very good at what he does and all you people are full of #### and so are the reporters. I feel he and the President and the federal government gave those people at least 5-7 days advance notice they needed to evacuate and they didn't so they are the ones who are stupid and and should be blamed.

 
At 7:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Nevada Convoy To Gulf Region Put on Hold At Last Minute". From the LasVegas Sun, Sept. 4. "Irate Sherrif Still In Standby To Assist Louisiana" From leesburg 2 day. com (Leesburg Today), Sept. 5. This is crazy!

 
At 9:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Laura Esguerra
Laura lost her battle with cancer on Saturday night. Her sister Celia blogs about her loss with love and a heavy heart at 5th and Spring .
Hi, you got a neat blog here!

I have a poker
site/blog. It covers all poker related stuff.

Come and check it out if you get time :-)

 
At 9:18 PM, Blogger FortunaLee said...

>> My name is Becky Brown and I happen to be Mike Brown's little sister.

>>I feel he and the President and the federal government gave those people at least 5-7 days advance notice they needed to evacuate

You're either a troll, or an idiot. 5 - 7 days before Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast, it was nothing more than a tropical depression off the coast of the Bahamas.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/12458589.htm

 
At 9:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Becky Brown...

You're a good sister. Sorry to learn of your blindness.

 
At 11:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Another source of major help that was offered and turned down by FEMA was Mayor Daley and the city of Chicago. He offered all kinds of firecrews, ambulances, supplies etc, on Monday evening and was turned down. He has gone public with his outrage. My conclusion is that this was not ineptness but a deliberate, calculated new 9-11 coup to purge the 'less thans' in the poor area and free-up the land for wealthy Republican supporters/developers to rebuild with lofts, highrises, townhomes etc., and at the same time, get rid of a sizeable democratic voting bloc for good! Most of the poor that was displaced will never be able to afford to return to the 'New' Orleans.

 
At 11:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

A real enlightening blog. Don't stop now. Don't miss visiting this site about how to buy & sell everything, like photo shop tutorial on interest free credit; pay whenever you want.

 
At 1:26 AM, Blogger PM said...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this whole 'effort', or appearance of such, should be called 'The War on Relief', in the same spirit that NOLA is now called 'Lake Bush' and the emergency shelters are called 'Bushvilles'.

The War on Relief. Spread it.

 
At 4:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I heard on a Seattle radio station (710 KIRO) about an Alaska Airlines plane with a full crew that was sent back by FEMA. No explaination given.

 
At 11:48 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

One thing that bugged me about the people trapped in the Convention Center. The NOLA Convention Center is RIGHT NEXT TO THE MISSISSIPPI. Why couldn't people have been evacuated by, at a minimum, a barge? This is a city right next to the largest river in the United Sates - why couldn't it be used as a "highway"?

 
At 12:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

It's...I mean it's beyond incompetence, It's criminal negligence now. The neo-Cons and Bush apologists are spinning this so that Democrats in particular don't "politicize" the devastation. Problem is Bush has already done so by hiring Brown. It shows hapless cronyism at the highest levels of power.

Bush should resign, period. If his Administration can't handle something like Katrina's aftermath. How can the people of this country expect a firm response when and if terrorist attack happens? The neo-Cons and Bush apologists will scream bloody murder; but Bush hired Brown. To quote the famous phrase by Truman: "The Buck stops here."

 
At 12:51 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

add this from a D Magazine (Dallas) blog...

Primo's is a restaurant / bar
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK--AT PRIMO'S
FEMA has not earned high marks for its response to the Katrina disaster. A FBvian brings us a story from the front lines:

I ran into several Portland, Oregon, Fire Department rescue workers at Primo’s last night. They said they were deployed right after the hurricane, but that FEMA forced them to go through two days of “how to” seminars in Atlanta, including a lengthy workshop on “diversity.” Then, they couldn’t figure out what to do with them, but gave them each a federally issued credit card good for 30 days and sent them here to Dallas to “chill.” They said they’d like to get down to New Orleans to participate in the rescue, but that they would have to circumvent FEMA to do so. They also mentioned that a couple of their colleagues who had been sponsored by the Union (i.e., gone in without coordinating with FEMA) were able to get to work immediately, saving lives.

 
At 1:44 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"That is the meme we need to push to counter the latest Bush PR campaign."

Who's "we"? The Democrat party? MoveOn.org? International A.N.S.W.E.R?

And you can call it "pushing a meme" but aren't you too engaged in a PR campaign? Lipstick on a pig is still a pig. A PR campaign is still a PR campaign.

 
At 3:26 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

FEMA Director Michael Brown's sister, Becky Brown, made some callous comments about the flood victims being "stupid" and "to blame" for being flooded. These statements are equivilant to someone blaming a rape victim for being raped. "She shouldn't have worn that outfit, then he wouldn't have been tempted." "She shouldn't have been in that neighborhood, then he wouldn't have been tempted." Excuse me, but rape is still a violent crime, no matter what "she's wearing" or where she is, and the perpetrator is ultimately to blame.

Likewise, the absolute incompetence and horrific results of FEMA's inaction are to blame for the plight of the flood victims. Bush "privatized" FEMA only 3 months into his first term. Why? So competing contractors (his buddies?) could hash over details and red tape instead of delivering prompt services?

One of Bush's initial statements upon arriving in New Orleans was that Senator Trent Lott's home had been destroyed. He commented that Trent Lott had owned a beautiful home, what a shame that it was distroyed. But Trent Lott will be able to rebuild (how comforting! I was worried about that!) and then he'll have a fantastic home! And Bush will be happy to be able to sit on the front porch! Wow, what a relief. I was truly frightened that poor Trent Lott wouldn't be able to afford a new, fantastic home.

********

Recalling the 2004 election, one of the main points of the Bush campaign was that he was "stronger" on security, we would be safer from an Al Qaeda attack, and that if Kerry was elected, we would run the risk of another attack. Dick Cheney said exactly that at a town meeting before the election. Who is safe now? Just the rich folks? Screw them!

Doesn't Al Qaeda see our inept mismanagement and wonder just how much it would take to disable us further? This whole thing stinks.

 
At 4:03 PM, Blogger MSR said...

We refers to those who feel that the administration's response to Katrina was horribly incompetent and who feel that people should be held accountable for their failures.

The administration is trying hard to push the idea that the locals were doing nothing in NO waiting for FEMA to save them when in fact much of the trouble bringing supplies to the survivors and getting survivors out was do to FEMA mismanagement. People who care about this country, we, should make sure this is made known.

 
At 4:18 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You left out the Candian planes full of supplies that the DoHS refused to allow into our airspace. I think Canada gave up and loaded the supplies onto warships instead.

 
At 2:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heres a new FEMA failure for you Via CNN.
FEMA accused of flying evacuees to wrong Charleston.
Right city, Wrong State.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/katrina.charleston/index.html?section=cnn_latest

 
At 3:03 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heres another FEMA blunder, it appears microsoft may have gotten to them;
Want to file for aid online? Better run Windows
FEMA site requires assistance seekers to use Internet Explorer 6
I have been seeing on CNN (TV) that the online site doesnt even work anyways.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9231271/

 
At 6:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting post. From abroad it was difficult to understand who was responible for the delays.

 
At 9:57 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You might be interested in this from the Globe and Mail (Canada's national newspaper). It's in a story about Canadian efforts to help.

"When the extent of the devastation became clear late last week, the Canadian government asked the United States what it could do to help, but American authorities were too busy to respond. The military went ahead with plans for the relief mission, assuming that whatever resources it could take to the region would ultimately be needed."

"...too busy to respond..."???? That's a nice, polite way of putting it. More likely they were just blown off.

 
At 10:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I heard a story on the radio last night, it seems some people from South Carolina heard that help was not getting to the people of New Orleans due to the fact that no one could reach them, these people jumped in their car, drove to Louisianna, drove right up to the convention center in New Orleans, loaded a few people in their car and left, just to prove that they could. It seems the convention center was never underwater, what is FEMA's excuse for that?

 
At 3:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your linked reference:

"Brown warned 32 hours before landfall that levees could be breached."

Couldn't find that anywhere in the article. As a matter of fact, the article doesn't even mention the date of the Brown's memo to Chertoff. It does mention appealing to help from "staff" five hours after the storm hit, but later on mentions this nice little tid-bit:

"Before the storm, Fema had positioned front-line rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.

On August 29, the day that the hurricane hit land, Mr Brown also warned fire and rescue services outside Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama not to send in emergency workers unless specifically asked for help from local authorities."

So, they were waiting for the go-ahead from State/Local...which are always first-responders. Too bad they screwed it up.

Look, there's a lot of problems that are going to be flushed out here. Federal, state, and local officials are going to hot wash this thing and we'll improve our procedures. You've done a lot of good work here, but I think you ought to take a step back and put it into the light of how our federal disaster command-and-control is currently set up. It definitely isn't as efficient as it could be, but the assigning blame to JUST the Feds is a disservice to your readers.

 
At 11:37 PM, Blogger MSR said...

Zuke,

Good catch on the 32 hours link. There was an article which made that claim, attributing it to Max Mayfield the director of the National Hurricane Center. I now have the link pointing to that article. Sorry for the mix-up. I've still got the other article for the record.

Ok, true, I could tone it down a bit, but when I started this list, I was a bit irritated. It is certainly the case that there is a lot of fault to go around and placing blame entirely on the Feds is, indeed, unfair. I had a few reasons for focusing on the federal failures, however.

For one thing, the federal failure seemed to me to be particularly large. The one thing FEMA should be able to do is command-and-control and directing of resources. Instead FEMA seemed to be out to lunch the whole time. Secondly, I started this around the time that the cry was going up that it was all the locals fault and I felt that was unfair. The final, and major reason for focusing on the feds though is that everyone in the US is in danger if the President of the United States and Feds can't handle a large disaster. It's a much smaller group that is at risk if the mayor of one city or another can't do the job. Hence the federal failures are a matter of national interest in a manner that goes beyond the failures of Blanco and Nagin.

 
At 7:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

After what happened after Katrina, I think FEMA needs a lot of internal rennovation. The fact that a lot of people were affected is really inexcusable. As a nation of abundance, United States could have prevented a more catastrophic aftermath.

 
At 3:42 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting Site!! Its wonderful to get through your site, have look on this Airlines Site
Airlines Review | Northwest Airline Review | Northwest Airline Reservation Review | Northwest Airline Flights Review | Spirit Airlines Review |Spirit Airlines Schedule Review | Southwest Airlines Review | Southwest Airlines Fares Review | Southwest Airlines Airfares Review |Southwest Airlines Reservations Review | Southwest Airlines Tickets Review | United Airlines Review | United Airlines Reservations Review |United Airlines Flight Review | United Airlines Schedule Review |Northwest Airlines Review | Northwest Airlines Flights Review | Northwest Airlines Reservation Review | US Airways Review | US Airways Express Review | US Airways Center Review | Delta Airlines Review | Delta Airlines Reservation Review | Delta Airlines Flights Review | first time home buyers

 
At 2:57 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.wifiplanets.org/
Wifi Alliance, non profit international association formed
Wifi Antenna, your wireless network or connect to other wireless networks,

 
At 4:06 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

FEMA really dropped the ball on Katrina. Hopefully next time they will be better prepared.

 
At 6:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Indulge yourself and find partners for hot Sexual Encounters and Adult Dating at Adult friend finder free dating site!
If you are looking for a one night stand or a casual encounter, then the Adult Swingers Club is where the game is played.
If you practice a different range of sexual and sensual activities then adult personals has the Club for you.
Download over 2000 adult dvd movies, available formats: windows, mpeg, psp and ipod!
Shop for Adult Toys, DVDs and Lingerie and other Erotic Adult Products at adult sex toys shop.

 
At 10:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

strap ons strap ons sex toys
vibrating panties vibrating panties
Rechargeables Butterfly Vibrator Rechargeables Beaded Butterfly Vibrator
Strawberry Vibrator Fun Factory Sinnflut Intensity Strawberry Vibrator
Flashing Bunny vibrator Silicone Ultra Flashing Crystal Bunny
Magic Spots Decadent Magic Spots Decadent
G-Spot Vibrator Dreamboat G-Spot Vibrator
Sex Toys Sex Toys

 
At 4:09 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten Kartendrucker Plastikkarten KartendruckerArbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher Arbeitsspeicher

 
At 6:13 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great blog, great post, my blog are dofollow too.
I have some Gold secrets regarding Chinese farmer if anybody interested. mini storageIt’s pretty neat and I’ve been using it a while and got awesome results. Check me out if you’re interested. Moving companyI have no problem sharing.Pullers

 
At 2:38 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

good web.....

rx pharmacy
buy viagra

 
At 7:57 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice web...
Propecia

How Propecia works

Propecia precautions

Propecia instructions

Propecia side effects

Hair loss guide

Hair care handbook

Hair disorders

Hair loss articles

 
At 10:42 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

us drugstore | purchase any medication at discounted prices. 100% Legal.

Viagra in US
Cialis in US
VPXL in US
Soma in US
Levitra in US
Tramadol in US
Propecia in US
Ultram in US
Acomplia in US
Phentrimine in US
Xenical in US
Provacyl in US

 
At 8:19 PM, Blogger ragavendra said...

FEMA has failed miserably in both the public relief and the rescue act under this administration.
--------
ragavendra

http://www.celebpoker.net

 
At 1:01 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects the lives of many middle-aged men and their partners to one extent or another. The term erectile dysfunction, previously known as impotence, covers a wide range of disorders, but usually refers to the inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient enough to fulfill his own sexual needs or those of his partner. http://www.buy-viagra-with-us.com/

 
At 1:58 AM, Blogger Unknown said...

During the response to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA provided record levels of support to victims and emergency responders. Life saving and life sustaining commodities and equipment were delivered to the affected areas, personnel increased significantly in a short period of time to support response efforts and provide assistance to victim, and assistance was provided quickly in record amounts, sometime through innovative means.
------------------
Lonet

Sport betting guide

 
At 6:23 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

As soon as you administer Viagra to the system, its chief chemical component sildenafil citrate springs into action and starts inhibiting the PDE 5 enzyme. Alongside the inhibition of PDE 5 enzyme, the administration of Viagra also accelerates the effect of nitric oxide and leads to the smooth flow of blood to the penis; as a consequence, the person becomes capable of facilitating erections necessary for sexual intercourse.

 
At 10:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Poker Strategy giving out .. FREE $100 BONUS! If I win a lot of cash will I get paid? No man. New no deposit bonus free money poker: Poker sites. Money do not real deposit, and are redeemed on first deposit. It's free money in Mansion Poker.
No deposit profi POKER page bankroll Online Poker ... bonus for every friend who becomes a real money. VIP Club Points at real money poker games at a rate no deposit profits.
MicroGaming poker bonus with a huge $150 free play bonus to sink your teeth into. 2009 show 10000 ring-game ... Sign up through. Download pokerroom software.
Online poker is high-end game played over Internet and made free money for start play is great way to learn how to play the game.
Get free poker money, this is no scam, you can get up to 500$ esay and fast ... Register now and claim your free money bonus.
No need free risk deposit bonus of poker the heels of a proposal to regulate online poker in Cali texas hold em.
Also, I don't think I have ever seen a pro poker site that didn't offer free players the opportunity to play the normal game without risking.
Both Party Poker sign up bonus codes are for real money deposit, and are redeemed on first deposit.
Nie ma tego dobrego co by na złe nie wyszło, ale 50 dolarów bez wkładu na pokera jest najskuteczniejszym wyborem na pokera.
Kapitał startowy do wzlotu piechoty bonus jajka bez dołek depozytu znalazłem bonus za darmo. Online titan poker za free.
Następnie dozwolona te zgubne bonusy w promocji darmowy vulcan poker do bonusów bez pieniężnego wkładu powiedzieć chciałem bez własnej wypłaty kasiory - omaha hold'em.
Unikalne pokerroom jak Betfair interpoker

 
At 9:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This can really help in saving good amount of money as the dryer can work with better efficiency. You can find whether it is high time to go for an air duct cleaning by checking for these symptoms. If the temperature or air flow is changing at home or when there is excessive dust in home.
stanley steemer specials

 

Post a Comment

<< Home