The Governor's letter

[Disagreeable]

Link below:

"Governor Blanco asks President to Declare an Emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina


BATON ROUGE—Today Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco forwarded a letter to President Bush requesting that he declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina. The full text of the letter follows:

August 27, 2005


The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.

Through:
Regional Director
FEMA Region VI
800 North Loop 288
Denton, Texas 76209

Dear Mr. President:

Under the provisions of Section 501 (a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR § 206.35, I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina...."

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976

 

[Liberty Belle]

Why on earth did she wait so long? SHE was the person in charge here, not the president. What the heck were Blanco and Nagin doing while Katrina bore down on the coast as a category 5 hurricane? Protecting the people who voted them into office was their responsibility and they failed miserably.

 

[Jinglebob]

Politics over duty



This is a post from a Merritt Island, FL, reporter who's been researching what went on before the storm hit.





I think all of Nagin's pomp, posturing is going to bite him hard in the near future, as the lies, and distortions of his interviews are coming to light.




On Friday night before the storm hit Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of calling Nagin and Blanco personally to plead with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of N.O. and they said they'd take it under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68' waves before it was destroyed.



President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency Act). Just before midnight Friday evening, the President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the federal government and the military could legally begin mobilization and call up. He was told that they didn't think it necessary for the federal government to be involved yet. After the President's final call to the governor, she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in.



Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation. After a personal plea from the President Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action. In frustration, the President declared the area a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin some advanced preparations. Rumor has it that the President's legal advisers were looking into the ramifications of using the insurgency act to bypass the Constitutional requirement that a state request federal aid before the federal government can move into state with troops - but that had not been done since 1906 and the Constitutionality of it was called into question to use before the disaster.



Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past decade to N.O. for levee construction, maintenance, and repair was diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships. Toss in the investigation that will look into why the emergency preparedness plan submitted to the federal government for funding and published on the city's website was never implemented and in fact may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning - though the document implies that they were.



The suffering people of NO need to be asking some hard questions as do we all, but they better start with why Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard from adjoining states. Or maybe ask why Nagin keeps harping that the President should have commandeered 500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to his own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have over 500 busses at his disposal to use between the local school busses and the city transportation busses - but he never raised a finger to prepare them or activate them.



This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major city has all but been destroyed and thousands of people have died with hundreds of thousands more suffering, but it's certainly not a time for people to be pointing fingers and trying to find a bigger dog to blame for local corruption and incompetence. Pray to God for the survivors that they can start their lives anew as fast as possible and we learn from all the mistakes to avoid them in the future.

 

[Steve]

Great post, seems in an effort to "blame Bush" the liberals are ignoring Facts and just posting what appears to defend thier position,,

if you look closly at the Declaration, the feds were only asked to perform debris clean up and assist with three as yet unnamed undisgnated shelters,

Not what was actually required, but leave it to the Military they will clean up the liberal Democrats mess again.....


in case dis missed it again there it was in print from yet another source( not just the ones she provided)

but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation

 

[Disagreeable]

You people live on a different planet, thank God. 25,000 body bags, 25,000! have been shipped to the Gulf Coast reagion and all you can do is is spin. Disgusting. Bush says, no one expected the flooding when EVERY person who ever looked at the situation has said the levees wouldn't withstand a Cat 5 hurricane, he tells us in his raido addresses that Iraqis are joining together to build a free country while they're murdering each other in the streets and disagreeing on a Constitituion, and as we see people die on television, he tells Micheal Brown, you're doing a heck of a job. You can blame whoever you want, but it doesn't matter a wit whether the governor, the mayor or the dog catcher asked for any help at all. The Bush Administation instituted a National Response Plan in December of 2004 that lays out the guidelines for the Federal response for national disasters, but like other projects this bunch has come up with, they didn't bother to follow through. Link to the full plan is below, but here are some excerpts:

"On page 43 of the NRP the section is titled, "Proactive Federal Response to Catastrophic Events": The NRP establishes policies, procedures, and mechanisms for proactive Federal response to catastrophic events. A catastrophic event is any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions. A catastrophic event could result in sustained national impacts over a prolonged period of time; almost immediately exceeds resources normally available to State, local, tribal, and private-sector authorities in the impacted area; and significantly interrupts governmental operations and emergency services to such an extent that national security could be threatened. All catastrophic events are Incidents of National Significance.

Implementation of Proactive Federal Response Protocols

Protocols for proactive Federal response are most likely to be implemented for catastrophic events involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive weapons of mass destruction, or large magnitude earthquakes or other natural or technological disasters in or near heavily populated areas.

Guiding Principles for Proactive Federal Response
Guiding principles for proactive Federal response include the following:
■ The primary mission is to save lives; protect critical infrastructure, property, and the environment; contain the event; and preserve national security.
■ Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of catastrophic magnitude.
■ Identified Federal response resources will deploy and begin necessary operations as required to commence life-safety activities.
■ Notification and full coordination with States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources. States are urged to notify and coordinate with local governments regarding a proactive Federal response.
■ State and local governments are encouraged to conduct collaborative planning with the Federal Government as a part of "steady-state" preparedness for catastrophic incidents.

Implementation Mechanisms for Proactive
Federal Response to Catastrophic Events
The NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement (described in the Catastrophic Incident Annex) addresses resource and procedural implications of catastrophic events to ensure the rapid and efficient delivery of resources and assets, including special teams, equipment, and supplies that provide critical lifesaving support and incident containment capabilities. These assets may be so specialized or costly that they are either not available or are in insufficient quantities in most localities.

The procedures outlined in the NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement are based on the following:
■ The pre-identification of Federal assets and capabilities;
■ The strategic location of pre-identified assets for rapid deployment; and
■ The use of pre-scripted mission assignments for Stafford Act declarations, or individual agency authority and funding, to expedite deployment upon notification by DHS (in accordance with procedures established in the NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement) of a potential catastrophic event.

http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf

 

[nenmrancher]

Funny how Disagreeable alway manages to duck and run or offers another smear attack when she/he/it cant and does not have the facts to behind them to respond to another post. What a hate filled person, deserves everyones sympathy. :?

 

[Disagreeable]

Funny how Disagreeable alway manages to duck and run or offers another smear attack when she/he/it cant and does not have the facts to behind them to respond to another post. What a hate filled person, deserves everyones sympathy. :?

LOL! I do have the facts to support what I post on this site. On the other hand we have "jinblebob's" post from a "reporter" with no name who reports for a "newspaper" with no name making accusations that are false and I POSTED INFORMATION WITH A LINK THAT SHOWED THEY'RE FALSE. Bush was dragged kicking and screaming back to DC on THURSDAY AFTER THE HURRICANE! That's how important he thought the loss of possibly 25,000 American lives was. So don't waste your sympathy on me. Give it to those who are not smart enough to check their sources before they post ignorant, easily debunked stuff on this board.

 

[nenmrancher]

Sorry Disagreeable but I do not trust you or your sources to be unbaised and to report the truth, I think you and your kind would bend, distort and flat out lie about anything and everything you can to have your way.

 

[Steve]

EVERY person who ever looked at the situation has said the levees wouldn't withstand a Cat 5 hurricane,

Dis, can you then explain why the Mayor failed to act?

while I grant that in after thought, the president should not have waited and by passed the state and the mayor, and broke the law and disregarded the constitution to deploy the military, in violation of the stafford act, and the other laws that prevent the Federal Goverment from interfering with the states rights,,,

But that still doesn't explain why the Mayor sat on his ass and did nothing...so could you explain that as I have a full understanding of why legally the president had to wait for the Mayor, and govenor to act...

But I can't understand why the Mayor failed to act...so please explain that,,

 

[Faster horses]

She can't explain it...or she won't.
It is not in her 'best interest.'

All her bit**ing is pointed directly at President Bush.
She is on a mision here and facts don't matter.
If it doesn't concern making Bush look as bad as possible,
she hasn't the time for it.

 

[Disagreeable]

EVERY person who ever looked at the situation has said the levees wouldn't withstand a Cat 5 hurricane,

Dis, can you then explain why the Mayor failed to act?

while I grant that in after thought, the president should not have waited and by passed the state and the mayor, and broke the law and disregarded the constitution to deploy the military, in violation of the stafford act, and the other laws that prevent the Federal Goverment from interfering with the states rights,,,

But that still doesn't explain why the Mayor sat on his ass and did nothing...so could you explain that as I have a full understanding of why legally the president had to wait for the Mayor, and govenor to act...

But I can't understand why the Mayor failed to act...so please explain that,,

He did act, Steve. He issued a mandatory evacuation order. He put out information for those that were unable (sick, old, unwilling) to leave about where to go during the hurricane. They went to those sites, expecting help would arrive for them after the storm. And they sat there for four days before someone arrived. The news organizations were able to get their people in. Why couldn't FEMA get theirs in? Incompetence at the top. Brown's resume is being discussed all across the web. If you haven't read it, you should. Bush has turned what was one of the most responsive Federal agencies into a honey pot to pay his pals for political support and the poor, sick, and elderly paid for it with their lives. All of us will be paying for it with our taxes for years to come. There are at least two other lawyers that had no emergency management experience in high positions in FEMA. How reassuring is it to you that these same people are running Homeland Security?

 

[Disagreeable]

She can't explain it...or she won't.
It is not in her 'best interest.'

All her bit**ing is pointed directly at President Bush.
She is on a mision here and facts don't matter.
If it doesn't concern making Bush look as bad as possible,
she hasn't the time for it.

The simple truth is the Mayor did act. I posted a transcript to the press conference where he issued his mandatory evacuation order. I also posted a link showing he was really a Republican and only changed parties a few days before he ran for Mayor. Does that make him any more competent in your eyes?

I don't have to make things up about George W. Bush. Practically every day he does something that shows how inept his administration is. The sad thing is that thousands have died in Iraq, and now here in the US, because of the Bush Bunch's absolute incompetence.

 

[Disagreeable]

Sorry Disagreeable but I do not trust you or your sources to be unbaised and to report the truth, I think you and your kind would bend, distort and flat out lie about anything and everything you can to have your way.

I link to AP, ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Time, Newsweek, mainstream news outlets. You choose not to believe them, that's fine with me. Those are the places Americans get their news. I have even linked to FOX, though I don't watch their news.

 

[Steve]

The simple truth is the Mayor did act

Yep he read a transcript then went home,,,and by what I see, thier was no effort to help the Sick,.disabled, or those unable to get to the places set aside for them...

now with out skirting the issue again

What did he do,,,nothing,,,,

he had a couple busses run from desiganated places to the superdoom,

How can a severly disabled person get to a designated place,,,walk?

how can a bed ridden person get to a designated place,,walk?

if a person is sick, disabled, or unable to get out of the city on thier own, how could they get to these shelters or to the "few spots set up for a few people to get to a place of last resort,, I guess they could just walk there ...as Negal did not do anything,,,,,,other then read a prepared statement....and how did that exactly help these people that you just named............???????????

Keep relying on your prepared statements as they will carry you through the hardships, ( a bus or two might help more) if it wasn't so sad I would think you were trying to be funny......He read a statement,,,give me a break,,,next time a politician reads a speech I'll believe him....

 

[Liberty Belle]

Good Op Ed piece from the Rapid City Journal:

What happened in New Orleans
By Warren "Bones" Bonesteel, from Rapid City.

Katrina: Imagine, if you will ...

Imagine 9-11 times 1,000 in your hometown. (What would it be like in the middle of winter?) The bridges are down, public transportation has stopped. Water has stopped. The lights are out. Railways have been destroyed. Half of the city has been destroyed, the rest is inaccessible.

The ports to and near your city and state are blocked. Half or more of the interstates, highways, streets and roads into the city are blocked or completely destroyed. Airport runways are destroyed, damaged or blocked.

The devastation stretches for more than a hundred miles. There are no outside communications except for the occasional satellite phone. Police and emergency services are almost completely at a standstill. They are victims, too. Many of them will be among the dead and dying. They can only work 36 to 48 hours straight before they collapse in any case.

Can you hold on for three days? Four? Maybe five? The reality of logistics gives you three days minimum before any amount of federal resources reach the city. You may not see those resources personally for another three or four days ... or more. If you live in the suburbs or outside of the city, it will be probably longer.

Is your state legislature ready? Is your state capital ready? Are your local civic leaders prepared? If not, why not?

And even if you aren't at the "epicenter," your city, town or village receives a flood of refugees ... all who need food, clothing, medical care, housing, transportation, schools and jobs ... and their criminal elements and gangs are coming with them, which many among you experience even now.

This is what happened in New Orleans. The politicians and other civic leaders weren't ready. It'll never happen, they said. It won't be that bad when it does, they said. It's business as usual. Let's get ready for Mardi Gras!

What really happened in New Orleans: Katrina.

So lemme get this straight ...

Such a storm as is unprecedented in recorded history hits an American city, one that lies below sea level. A storm with 40-foot storm surges at that.

1) The mayor of New Orleans (it was his "watch" after all) and the government of Louisiana were totally unprepared for any type of disaster. Even though the levees were almost swamped by a much lesser storm only a few short years ago ... and again 10 years ago ... and again about 20-odd years ago ... and yet again more than 30 years ago.

2) Apparently there were no plans in place at the local level (i.e., the mayor, parishes and other local elected councils), let alone implementation of any plans.

3) The United States military has been cut by at least a third over the last decade (the only national resource able to quickly respond to such a large disaster in anything resembling a coordinated manner).

4.) The mayor left the poor and the disabled and the hospitalized to fend for themselves and then turned violent prisoners and inmates loose on the population in a city that's well-known for its violence and gangs. And after the storm and flooding, the remaining citizens of New Orleans preyed upon one another instead of pulling together and helping each other.

5) The mayor locked the elderly, mothers, babies and children, the poor, the helpless and the disabled, in a sports stadium together with several hundred, if not several thousand, violent criminals and with no food, water, medicine, sanitation, clothing or security. You treat your dogs better than that. Even had the Constitution not been violated due to decades of liberal politics, many of them could not have afforded personal weapons for self-protection. Many would not have been strong enough to wield them in any case.

6) Because of the storm, access to the city was impeded in several ways, including by air, by land and by sea. Runways, roads and ports needed to be cleared first. Doing such work takes time. Most roads and railways into the region are impassable and will remain that way for some time to come. All communications networks at the local level were almost completely destroyed. An immediate large-scale response was almost impossible regardless of learning where to deploy (and then implementing plans about where to deploy) needed resources. All of this was very obvious from news reports.

7) Several decades of liberal and partisan politics and laws also impeded an immediate response by federal authorities and caused an immediate rise in oil, natural gas and fuel prices (price gouging not included).

8) The mayor screams and cusses at everyone but takes no blame for his own actions, or lack thereof. (He showed great composure, personal accountability, honesty, honor, integrity and solid leadership. Just the kinda guy I want in charge when things go to hell in a handbasket.)

(The list is actually longer and involves political and social ills caused by both sides of the metaphorical "aisle.")

And many pundits blame it all on one man - some guy named Bush - and everyone asks why hasn't the government done more and more quickly?

Including the prevention of a Category 5 hurricane?

Have people gone insane?

Whatever you want to say about ol' G.W. Bush, Skull and Bones, The New world Order, global warming, HAARP and ELF, the Jesuits, the Masons, the Christian right, or the left-wing extremists - the mayor of New Orleans dropped the ball.

He was smart, though. He didn't waste any time in pointing the finger at someone else. Personally, I think that he put on a helluva show. He's sure to be re-elected.