More misinformation from the MSM, this time the LA Times:
"Chertoff's remarks, which echoed earlier statements by President Bush, prompted withering rebukes both from former senior FEMA staffers and outside experts.
"They can't do that," former agency chief of staff Jane Bullock said of Bush administration efforts to shift responsibility away from Washington. "The moment the president declared a federal disaster, it became a federal responsibility…. The federal government took ownership over the response," she said. Bush declared a disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi when the storm hit a week ago.
"What's awe-inspiring here is how many federal officials didn't issue any orders," said Paul C. Light, an authority on government operations at New York University."
You know, in scientific experimentation and thesis there is a saying, "If the premise is off, your results are going to be off".
The constant drumbeat of the MSM blaming the Bush Administration for a monumental screwup at the State and Local Level is telling.
The premise is off.
Let's examine:
1. Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans. There was very little damage in the city structure from wind, in fact, the MSM and City Officials were talking about how "lucky they were" and how "New Orleans dodged another one."
A day afterward the levee broke and flooded eighty percent of the city. THAT in fact was the disaster. It isn't even known IF the Hurricane caused the breach at this time.
2. In preparing for the coming Hurricane the City of New Orleans, specifically the Mayor and his officials failed to follow their own disaster plan in that they 1) failed to identify the population that would require transportation - the poor and infirmed, and 2) provide that transportation. Instead over 400 buses which could have transported 20,000 people out of harms way were not used - simply cannot get away from this - criminal negligence.
THAT is what caused the Chaos at the Superdome NOT the FEMA response.
3. Reguardless of when the La. Governor, Blanco issued her disaster proclamation, she didn't act on it for a full 24 hours AFTER the storm hit, and then she had to be TOLD to call out the National Guard. Again, calling out the NG is NOT a FEMA responsibility.
FEMA is there to "Assist" local and state agencies in time of disaster. They are NOT the FIRST response - but the followup to the first response which is the local and state.
In short both Nagin and Blanco are largly at fault - criminally so for they are trying to farm off responsibility on the Bush Administration. Shameful, cowardly and inexcusable.
Filed under Katrina disaster relief new orleans emergency response
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