Secretariat
09-11-2005, 09:00 PM
Unlike Boxcar, I promise not to respond to myself in 5 of the 6 postings.
Let’s once more look at the timeline.
Governor Blanco. She put the call out for a State of Emergency on the 26th of August. Here it is again:
Date: 8/26/2005
GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
BATON ROUGE, LA--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today issued Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.
That's the trigger for FEMA to shift into high gear with the National Response Plan (NRP) of the Federal Homeland Security. In fact at this time Blanco deployed the Louisiana National Guard to NOLA and around the state as best was possible. However, some troops and equipment were in Iraq so a full deployment could not occur.
So, Thursday the 26th, Louisiana shouts "Help!" The White House reciprocated the same day, but here's the rub:
Their official WH notification has the Parishes affected as:
“The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.... Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.”
Notice anything missing? Maybe New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St Bernards Parish, and all the other parishes that comprise the NOLA and seaboard parts of Louisiana? They’re simply not there. FEMA's own site makes the same mistake in outlining counties of jurisdiction for their efforts, or, as they confidently put it:
“FEMA intends to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas”
FEMA then proceeds--until it was changed on Monday--to NOT list the most affected seaboard parishes, New Orleans included. Right state, but kinda missed some of the wrong parishes till it was way too late.
Then it seems the White House was worried about 18-19 year old guardsmen not having the requisite skills. The White House and FEMA would not start advancing supplies til the paperwork was ironed out. As reported by MSNBC, via Jurist:
“...President Bush could have "federalized" the National Guard in an instant. That's what his father, President George H.W. Bush, did after the Los Angeles riots in 1992.... But after Katrina, a strange paralysis set in. For days, Bush's top advisers argued over legal niceties about who was in charge, according to three White House officials who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. Beginning early in the week, Justice Department lawyers presented arguments for federalizing the Guard, but Defense Department lawyers fretted about untrained 19-year-olds trying to enforce local laws, according to a senior law-enforcement official who requested anonymity citing the delicate nature of the discussions.”
So what was all the deal with the federal Department of Homeland Security during this? Well from their fed site:
“Preparing America
In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.”
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0569.xml
There is listed on the site a lengthy document called the National Response Plan (NRP) which is to go into effect upon any “Incident of National Significance” signed by none other than:
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary, Department of Defense
Tommy G.Thompson, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
Tom Ridge, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
John Ashcroft, Attorney General, Department of Justice
Porter J. Goss, Director of Central Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
and just about every member of the cabinet.
The NRP document bases the definition of “Incidents of National Significance” on situations related to the following four criteria set forth in HSPD-5:
1. A Federal department or agency acting under its own authority has requested the assistance of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
2. The resources of State and local authorities are overwhelmed and Federal assistance has been requested by the appropriate State and local authorities.
Examples include:
■ Major disasters or emergencies as defined under the Stafford Act; and
■ Catastrophic incidents (see definition on page 43).
Now, see item 2? "The resources of State and local authorities are overwhelmed and federal assistance has been requested..."
Such as Date: 8/26/2005
GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
BATON ROUGE, LA--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today issued Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.
Followed by:
From the White House
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 27, 2005
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing. The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts...
So FEMA was ordered by the President to “coordinate ALL disaster releif efforts”.
Now, where was the National Guard is often asked? Well, the units Blanco had at her command, those LA units not deployed to Iraq, were in fact in New Orleans, making themselves most definitely known to the folk of the Superdome and elsewhere throughout the state.
Then on Sunday from the National Weather Service:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...
HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.
MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER.
AT LEAST HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED...ALL WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT.
THE VAST MAJORITY...OF TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED.
POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.
WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.
Despite this warning – No water was forthcoming from FEMA, which on August 26th had been “ordered by the President’s declaration to “coordinate all disaster releif efforts.”
Pretty much says it all.
Let’s once more look at the timeline.
Governor Blanco. She put the call out for a State of Emergency on the 26th of August. Here it is again:
Date: 8/26/2005
GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
BATON ROUGE, LA--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today issued Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.
That's the trigger for FEMA to shift into high gear with the National Response Plan (NRP) of the Federal Homeland Security. In fact at this time Blanco deployed the Louisiana National Guard to NOLA and around the state as best was possible. However, some troops and equipment were in Iraq so a full deployment could not occur.
So, Thursday the 26th, Louisiana shouts "Help!" The White House reciprocated the same day, but here's the rub:
Their official WH notification has the Parishes affected as:
“The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.... Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.”
Notice anything missing? Maybe New Orleans, Jefferson Parish, Plaquemines Parish, St Bernards Parish, and all the other parishes that comprise the NOLA and seaboard parts of Louisiana? They’re simply not there. FEMA's own site makes the same mistake in outlining counties of jurisdiction for their efforts, or, as they confidently put it:
“FEMA intends to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas”
FEMA then proceeds--until it was changed on Monday--to NOT list the most affected seaboard parishes, New Orleans included. Right state, but kinda missed some of the wrong parishes till it was way too late.
Then it seems the White House was worried about 18-19 year old guardsmen not having the requisite skills. The White House and FEMA would not start advancing supplies til the paperwork was ironed out. As reported by MSNBC, via Jurist:
“...President Bush could have "federalized" the National Guard in an instant. That's what his father, President George H.W. Bush, did after the Los Angeles riots in 1992.... But after Katrina, a strange paralysis set in. For days, Bush's top advisers argued over legal niceties about who was in charge, according to three White House officials who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the negotiations. Beginning early in the week, Justice Department lawyers presented arguments for federalizing the Guard, but Defense Department lawyers fretted about untrained 19-year-olds trying to enforce local laws, according to a senior law-enforcement official who requested anonymity citing the delicate nature of the discussions.”
So what was all the deal with the federal Department of Homeland Security during this? Well from their fed site:
“Preparing America
In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.”
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/editorial/editorial_0569.xml
There is listed on the site a lengthy document called the National Response Plan (NRP) which is to go into effect upon any “Incident of National Significance” signed by none other than:
Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary, Department of Defense
Tommy G.Thompson, Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services
Tom Ridge, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
John Ashcroft, Attorney General, Department of Justice
Porter J. Goss, Director of Central Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
and just about every member of the cabinet.
The NRP document bases the definition of “Incidents of National Significance” on situations related to the following four criteria set forth in HSPD-5:
1. A Federal department or agency acting under its own authority has requested the assistance of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
2. The resources of State and local authorities are overwhelmed and Federal assistance has been requested by the appropriate State and local authorities.
Examples include:
■ Major disasters or emergencies as defined under the Stafford Act; and
■ Catastrophic incidents (see definition on page 43).
Now, see item 2? "The resources of State and local authorities are overwhelmed and federal assistance has been requested..."
Such as Date: 8/26/2005
GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
BATON ROUGE, LA--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today issued Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.
Followed by:
From the White House
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 27, 2005
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing. The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts...
So FEMA was ordered by the President to “coordinate ALL disaster releif efforts”.
Now, where was the National Guard is often asked? Well, the units Blanco had at her command, those LA units not deployed to Iraq, were in fact in New Orleans, making themselves most definitely known to the folk of the Superdome and elsewhere throughout the state.
Then on Sunday from the National Weather Service:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...
HURRICANE KATRINA...A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.
MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER.
AT LEAST HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED...ALL WINDOWS WILL BE BLOWN OUT.
THE VAST MAJORITY...OF TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED.
POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.
WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.
Despite this warning – No water was forthcoming from FEMA, which on August 26th had been “ordered by the President’s declaration to “coordinate all disaster releif efforts.”
Pretty much says it all.