Isn't it amazing how things worked so much smoother this time around when the New Orleans residents actually obeyed orders and evacuated? Funny how that works...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/03/national/main1009209.shtml Yes, Mike Brown is a real American hero. Brown: 'Can I Go Home?' As Katrina Pummeled Gulf, Michael Brown Pondered Dogs, Wardrobe (CBS/AP) "Can I quit now? Can I go home?" one e-mail sent by former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown reads. E-mails sent by Brown during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast reveal that he was looking for a dog sitter, chatting about shopping and showing concern about his appearance during the tumultuous time. A House panel investigating the government's sluggish response to the storm has released 23 pages of internal e-mail from the time Katrina hit. The e-mails could bring more criticism to Brown, who has already been removed from his post after being denounced by lawmakers for his handling of Hurricane Katrina. In one e-mail, sent on Aug. 29 as Katrina was pummeling the Gulf, a FEMA public affairs official tells Brown the outfit he wore on a television appearance looked "fabulous," to which Brown replies, "I got it at Nordstroms," then adds, "Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?" CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reports that an hour later, as thousands of evacuees huddled in the Superdome "shelter of last resort," Brown fired off another email: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire you'll really vomit. I ama fashion god." (sic) And after the levees failed and the situation grew even more desperate, FEMA's point man in New Oreans pleaded for Brown to send more help. "... you know the situation is past critical," wrote Marty Bahamonde. "Estimates are many will die within hours." Just four minutes later Brown wrote back a light message: "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?" In another, an aide reminds Brown to pay heed to his image on TV, suggesting that he roll up his sleeves. By Sept. 2, Brown expressed inundation with the disaster response. He wrote to a GOP consultant who had requested a meeting, "I'm trapped now! Please rescue me!" The following day, Brown wrote to a fellow FEMA employee: "I feel like I'm getting the s--t beat out of me …" In response to an e-mail with a subject reading "U ok?" Brown wrote on Aug. 30, "I'm not answering that question." But he did ask the fellow FEMA employee if he knew of a good dog sitter or even "any responsible kids."
bull, we didn't have a corrupted idiotic Gov. in office, that didn't want to use state resources. The failures of Katrina was all due to our corrupted gov. that had her head so far up her ass she could see what she ate 3 weeks prior.
Baqui -- do you think Ray Nagin's tearful display of whining during the crisis on national tv was any better?
There sure looked like a lot of able-bodied people sitting around NOLA after the storm to me. They were at least strong enough to loot!
You're crazy if you think the effects of Katrina did not have something to do with the preparedness of the entire region in this instance.
Brownie wasn't running FEMA in 1994. He was the Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association at the time. FEMA was reorganized to be under the Dept of Homeland Security. Brown was in charge during that transition - and Katrina was the first major test of his management and reorganization job.
Please don't respond to him, folks. He is drooling at the opportunity to get as close as possible to openly insulting the people of color in New Orleans, again.
The people that stayed behind were either first responders, or had no means of transportation. I see why people dislike you now.
Yeah, just ignore him like he's ignoring the facts; like how the buses were there before the storm this time or how there were even military cargo planes being used to ferry people out.
I'll find the article on Brown the org. he was involved with lobbied hard in Washington for blackhawks to be used. they were the first ones to really bring the idea to government. Brown was always involved in first responders work, which is one of the reasons he was able to get the position he had in FEMA. I agree that he didn't do a great job, but IMO. whoever was in that position would have had the same results because our Gov. did not want to use state resources and waited for the federal government to use theirs. Blanco and Nagin are the reasons people died in New Orleans, Blanco and corrupted city officials are the reason the levee system failed. Blanco, not Brown is the main person to blame for deaths during Katrina, and Mayor Nagin is also part of that blame and should have used his better judgement to help the people with no means of transportation. So, like I said, ya'll can keep dogging on FEMA. But you guys are barking up the wrong tree. And meanwhile Brown is out of a job and Nagin is still being held in high regard when that man should be treated like the biggest piece of dog crap ever.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46155 The Federal Emergency Management Agency official in charge of the New Orleans rescue was fired from his last private-sector job overseeing horse shows. And before joining FEMA as a deputy director in 2001, Mike Brown, the Republican Party activist, had no significant experience that would have qualified him for the position. But the Oklahoman got the job through an old college friend who at the time was heading up FEMA. "I look at FEMA and I shake my head,'' a furious Gov. Mitt Romney told the Boston Herald, calling the response "an embarrassment.'' Even President Bush, after touring the devastated area, said he was "not satisfied'' with the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina's devastation. Members of Congress predicted there would be hearings on Capitol Hill over the mishandled operation. ________________________________________________ And by the way...FEMA took a lot of criticism from Florida back in 1992 when Andrew hit. The governor followed the protocol and requested the aid...it took 5 DAYS for federal troops to find their way to Florida. Clinton appointed the only director in FEMA history with real emergency experience and they improved FEMA. But it fell apart under the Bush administration...and now it's not even involved in preparedness. My fundamental problem is that the federal govt had the means to save lives and they chose to argue lofty notions of federalism. You can blame whoever you want for NOLA being in the mess they were in...but once they're in it, it's not time to play the blame game while people are dying. There's no excuse for that.
Basso - does Palin have any of this diaster experience? Does McCain? http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=3873732&postcount=31
I don't think anyone is arguing that. I know I'm not. I was aruging that it is silly to say that Louisiana has done such a bang up job with hurricane preparedness that there should be no federal intervention or oversight. Especially when Katrina was such a cluster. It isn't just Lousiana, all states that have the chance of hurricanes should have some sort of check and balance from the federal government.
Uh, the proof is in the, uh, video. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s2dSdWjp-jc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s2dSdWjp-jc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
