Hurricane Katrina: A Chronology of Failures
(thanks to dailykos.com)
(Also see the Daily Show's Timeline by clicking here)
3/1/02
Dept of Homeland Security takes over. 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.
2/4/05
Innovative Emergency Management or IEM is tasked with "the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)"
7/23/04
Staff from the LSU Hurricane Center participated in the “Hurricane Pam Exercise,” a 10-day event designed to help emergency officials develop a response plan should a major hurricane threaten the greater New Orleans area. From the exercise it was determined that "cause flooding that would leave 300,000 people trapped in New Orleans, many of whom would not have private transportation for evacuation," and recommended that a plan be developed "assisting people without transportation." FEMA would later apply the Bush administration's philosophy of blaming the victims by saying, "they didn't heed our warnings to evacuate," instead of facilitating their evacuation.
It should be noted, Mr Bush, that part of the exercise above incorporated a scenario in which the levees were breached.
8/25/05 Thurs AM
Katrina hits Florida, and heads for the Gulf where it is expected to rapidly gain strength. None are left dead in it's path. The Gulf temperature is almost two full degrees on average, warmer than normal, and has been churning out larger and stronger hurricanes than usual. Bush still needs more time to consider whether or not global warming is real while on a long vacation that spanned more than 30 solar revolutions around the Earth.
8/25/05
When asked about his latest record setting vacation, Bush replies, "I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy, and part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live, and will do so."
Later, White House spokesperson David Almacy denies Bush is on vacation claiming the reason that Bush is in Crawford is "due to the renovation of the West Wing of the White House." This is clearly false, as Bush took a similar long vacation in 2001 just before 9/11 and also in other years.
8/26/05 9am EST
The White House declares Louisiana a disaster area before the
storm even gains significantly more strength. It then orders the DHS and FEMA "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 measure."
8/26/05
Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force Katrina, acknowledges in Special Defense Department Briefing held on Sept. 1 that a request from the state governors in Louisiana, Mississippi was requested a week earlier Friday Aug. 26. This directly contradicts any bullshit from the White House insisting that Louisiana never followed the guidelines of asking for Federal assistance. (I wonder if that has anything to do with the governor of LA's political affiliation?). Honore's exact words are as follows:
"The process starts, sir, in this particular event, with a request Friday of last week, as the approximate date for defense coordinating offices to be established in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Those were established in those states over Friday and Saturday."
8/26/05 11pm EST
Bush is still not on vacation in Crawford where he is living his life. NOAA Windspeed/category: 110 MPH / 2 Barometer 965 "forecast to become Category 3 in the next day or two." Center of most likely landfall: Gulfport, MS to New Orleans, LA.
8/27/05
Bush remained on the grounds of his ranch behind a security perimeter and made his case for the Iraq occupation in his Saturday radio address. NOAA predicts Katrina "could become a category 4 hurricane." President Bush officially declares that a "state of emergency" exists in Louisiana and orders Federal aid to the affected areas to complement state and local relief efforts.
8/27/05 5pm EST
Amtrack & Greyhound stop service for the night. Choices for evacuation include driving your own car, of which 130,000 New Orleanians don't own, hitchhiking, skateboaring, or pogo-sticking your family and belongings up to Ohio.
8/28/05
CBS news reports that Governor Kathleen Blanco makes a preemptive request to President Bush for disaster relief. Bush declares an expedited major disaster for the state. From his Texas ranch where he was not on vacation Bush warned, "We cannot stress enough the danger this hurricane poses to Gulf Coast communities. We will do everything in our power to help the people and the communities affected by this storm."
Later, Bush pressed for an emergency declaration in Alabama, which would allow federal operations in. Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were already declared disaster states.
"These declarations will allow federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts with state and local officials," Bush said.
8/28/05
'All indications are that this is absolutely worst-case scenario,'" Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, said Sunday afternoon.
Bush is still not on vacation at his Crawford ranch. He holds a press conference in a helicopter hanger at his Crawford Texas Ranch taking a moment to urge Gulf Coast residents to evacuate before hailing the Iraqi draft constitution an inspiring success.
8/29/05 6am EST
Katrina makes landfall. Electrical power at the Superdome failed at 5:02 a.m., but the backup power runs only reduced lighting and cannot run the air conditioning. Entire neighborhoods were submerged up to the roofs. Numerous people had to be rescued from rooftops and attics as the floodwaters rose higher and higher.
President Bush hits the road to promote prescription-drug plan. His first stop is Arizona, where
he eats birthday cake with Senator John McCain and talks to senior citizens in Phoenix at a golf resort. In late afternoon, there are early reports of broken levees. The National Weather Service reported that a levee broke on the Industrial Canal near the St. Bernard-Orleans parish line. President Bush travels to Southern California to talk to more seniors about changes to Medicare. He also plays golf. He spends the evening in San Diego to prepare for a Tuesday speech commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War Two and comparing Iraq to it.
8/29/05 Late Morning
Levee breach floods Lakeview, Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park - "A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new 'hurricane proof' Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest winds were well north." Out West at the Country Club, Bush is now 3 over par.
8/29/05 11am EST
Five hours after Katrina makes landfall, FEMA chief Michael Brown asks Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff for permission to dispatch 1000 Homeland Security employees to the Gulf Coast region. He gives them two days to arrive. His memo tells employees that among their duties, they will be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public."
8/29/05
FEMA director Brown tells outside fire and rescue departments not to enter disaster area unless invited - Brown urges local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster area without explicit requests for help from state or local governments. Brown says it is vital to coordinate fire and rescue
efforts.
It is reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune that the 17th St. levee broke late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest winds were well north The Federal Emergency Management Agency went into disaster mode as it and other federal agencies prepared to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President George W. Bush joins Arizona Senator John McCain in a small celebration of McCain's 69th birthday.
8/30/05
FEMA refuses to allow volunteer firefighters into New Orleans - A team of volunteer firefighters with experience helping after hurricanes who also had special expertise with oil infrastructure and repairs arrives outside of New Orleans and is refused entry into the city by FEMA who will not let them in until "the National Guard has secured the city." When the teams asks if they should help out in other communities along the Gulf Coast impacted by the storm, they are told no, because their special expertise is needed in New Orleans. However, FEMA turns down any advice or help from them, and after waiting in a parking lot until Saturday, Sept 3, the expert team finally gives up and returns home to Houston.
The AP reports that President Bush will cut short the vacation he wasn't on to focus on the storm damage.
8/31/05 Mid-morning
B.C. urban rescue team headed to Louisiana - Canada was prepared to send aid directly to Louisiana, "after Louisiana officials asked for help". However, they were reportedly blocked
from doing so by the Department of Homeland Security. ' Canadian agencies are saying that foreign aid is probably not being permitted into Louisiana and Mississippi because of "mass confusion" at the U.S. federal level in the wake of the storm.'
Louisiana Gov. Blanco issues order authorizing the commandeering and use of buses for evacuation and relief efforts (see public document).
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Chief Chertoff claims in media interviews that relief and evacuation efforts are "going well."
8/31/05
"Gov. Kathleen Blanco Friday night called on President Bush to order the expeditious return to the state of the 256th Brigade Combat team of the National Guard which is now serving in Iraq because they are needed in Hurricane Katrina cleanup and rescue efforts."
8/31/05 Afternoon
The Forest Service has offered fixed plane aircraft used to fight forest fires to help extinguish blazes in New Orleans, according to two congressional sources. But the sources said the planes, which can pour large amounts of water on fires, remained grounded in Missouri Friday because the Department of Homeland Security hasn't authorized their use."
8/31/05 Evening
18-yr-old hero helps 100 escape New Orleans ordeal - The first 100 refugees to arrive at the
Houston Astrodome from flooded New Orleans are evacuated not be FEMA but by 18-year-old Jabbor Gibson who commandeers an abandoned school bus and drives his fellow citizens seven hours to the refuge of the Houston Astrodome collecting passengers as he goes until the bus is full. Gibson has never before driven a bus. Included in the evacuees is an 8-day-old infant. When the bus first arrives at the Astrodome, the refugees are not welcomed. Finally, however, they are allowed inside. Gibson, however, may be charged with stealing the bus.
9/1/05 Morning
Halliburton awarded Navy contract for storm cleanup - U.S. Navy announces it has hired Halliburton to "restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina. No mention is made of whether the contract was bid out, but due to the limited time-frame, competitive bidding is unlikely.
The (suburban Chicago) Daily Herald reports that House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert says rebuilding New Orleans "doesn't make sense to me."
9/1/05 Evening
Rescues by California swift water rescue teams halted - Hundreds of people in Orleans and Jefferson parishes are rescued by swift water rescue teams from California. However, at the end of the day, FEMA halts further rescues due to supposed security concerns, though no security incidents involving the teams are reported by CNN journalist Rick Sanchez who was embedded with the teams during the rescues.
9/1/05 Evening
Bush rushed back from the vacation he wasn't just in time for an interview with Diane Sawyer.
Despite what is now mountains of evidence to the contrary, Bush states, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
On Nightline, Michael Brown tells Ted Koppel “We just learned of the convention center -- we being the federal government -- today.” Video here proves otherwise.
9/2/05 Morning
In front of reporters and with a backdrop of Federal officials, Bush praises Mike Brown and FEMA's relief effort by saying, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
9/3/05
News breaks that the Red Cross has been kept out of New Orleans by the Department of Homeland Security -Media reports and an announcement on the American Red Cross's own website (page created Friday, September 2nd) explains that the Red Cross has stayed out of New Orleans and not provided food and water to New Orleans residents dying of heat exhaustion and hunger on orders of the Department of Homeland Security. Local American Red Cross CEO, Tom Foley, states to KWY Newsradio in Philadelphia: "The state Department of Homeland Security in Louisiana asked the Red Cross not to go into the city because they want that message to be, 'You need to leave the city. This isn't going to be a sheltering spot.' "
9/4/05
The Washington Post prints an article announcing that Louisiana Governor Blanco had not declared a state of emergency (later, it printed a correction, noting that she had, in fact, made the declaration on August 26)
In other news, on Meet the Press, Homeland Security Advisor Michael Chertoff says, "I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged The Bullet.'" (You can search the day's newspaper headlines here thanks to AmericaBlog, and tell me which paper the Chertoff family gets delivered.)
9/5/05 Mid-morning
During her tour of the Astrodome, the President's mother and former First Lady said, "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
9/5/05
News breaks that FEMA blocked aid to Jefferson Parish, New Orleans - Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, New Orleans, announces on Meet the Press that FEMA blocked life-saving aid to Jefferson Parish. FEMA prevented the delivery of three trailer trucks of water donated by Wal-Mart, forbade the Coast Guard from donating 1000 gallons of diesel fuel that happened to be on a Coast Guard vessel docked in Jefferson Parish, and cut all emergency communication lines out of the parish. The communication lines were repaired and put under armed guard. Mr. Broussard then broke down as he described how the mother of the head of emergency management in the parish was trapped in a nursing home and phoned her son every day asking when help would come. The son tried to reassure her that help was coming, but the woman died Friday evening (after President Bush's flyby) when she drowned to death.
(Also see the Daily Show's Timeline by clicking here)
3/1/02
Dept of Homeland Security takes over. 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.
2/4/05
Innovative Emergency Management or IEM is tasked with "the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)"
7/23/04
Staff from the LSU Hurricane Center participated in the “Hurricane Pam Exercise,” a 10-day event designed to help emergency officials develop a response plan should a major hurricane threaten the greater New Orleans area. From the exercise it was determined that "cause flooding that would leave 300,000 people trapped in New Orleans, many of whom would not have private transportation for evacuation," and recommended that a plan be developed "assisting people without transportation." FEMA would later apply the Bush administration's philosophy of blaming the victims by saying, "they didn't heed our warnings to evacuate," instead of facilitating their evacuation.
It should be noted, Mr Bush, that part of the exercise above incorporated a scenario in which the levees were breached.
8/25/05 Thurs AM
Katrina hits Florida, and heads for the Gulf where it is expected to rapidly gain strength. None are left dead in it's path. The Gulf temperature is almost two full degrees on average, warmer than normal, and has been churning out larger and stronger hurricanes than usual. Bush still needs more time to consider whether or not global warming is real while on a long vacation that spanned more than 30 solar revolutions around the Earth.
8/25/05
When asked about his latest record setting vacation, Bush replies, "I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy, and part of my being is to be outside exercising. So I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live, and will do so."
Later, White House spokesperson David Almacy denies Bush is on vacation claiming the reason that Bush is in Crawford is "due to the renovation of the West Wing of the White House." This is clearly false, as Bush took a similar long vacation in 2001 just before 9/11 and also in other years.
8/26/05 9am EST
The White House declares Louisiana a disaster area before the
storm even gains significantly more strength. It then orders the DHS and FEMA "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 measure."8/26/05
Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force Katrina, acknowledges in Special Defense Department Briefing held on Sept. 1 that a request from the state governors in Louisiana, Mississippi was requested a week earlier Friday Aug. 26. This directly contradicts any bullshit from the White House insisting that Louisiana never followed the guidelines of asking for Federal assistance. (I wonder if that has anything to do with the governor of LA's political affiliation?). Honore's exact words are as follows:
"The process starts, sir, in this particular event, with a request Friday of last week, as the approximate date for defense coordinating offices to be established in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Those were established in those states over Friday and Saturday."
8/26/05 11pm EST
Bush is still not on vacation in Crawford where he is living his life. NOAA Windspeed/category: 110 MPH / 2 Barometer 965 "forecast to become Category 3 in the next day or two." Center of most likely landfall: Gulfport, MS to New Orleans, LA.
8/27/05
Bush remained on the grounds of his ranch behind a security perimeter and made his case for the Iraq occupation in his Saturday radio address. NOAA predicts Katrina "could become a category 4 hurricane." President Bush officially declares that a "state of emergency" exists in Louisiana and orders Federal aid to the affected areas to complement state and local relief efforts.
8/27/05 5pm EST
Amtrack & Greyhound stop service for the night. Choices for evacuation include driving your own car, of which 130,000 New Orleanians don't own, hitchhiking, skateboaring, or pogo-sticking your family and belongings up to Ohio.
8/28/05
CBS news reports that Governor Kathleen Blanco makes a preemptive request to President Bush for disaster relief. Bush declares an expedited major disaster for the state. From his Texas ranch where he was not on vacation Bush warned, "We cannot stress enough the danger this hurricane poses to Gulf Coast communities. We will do everything in our power to help the people and the communities affected by this storm."
Later, Bush pressed for an emergency declaration in Alabama, which would allow federal operations in. Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi were already declared disaster states.
"These declarations will allow federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts with state and local officials," Bush said.
8/28/05
'All indications are that this is absolutely worst-case scenario,'" Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, said Sunday afternoon.
Bush is still not on vacation at his Crawford ranch. He holds a press conference in a helicopter hanger at his Crawford Texas Ranch taking a moment to urge Gulf Coast residents to evacuate before hailing the Iraqi draft constitution an inspiring success.
8/29/05 6am EST
Katrina makes landfall. Electrical power at the Superdome failed at 5:02 a.m., but the backup power runs only reduced lighting and cannot run the air conditioning. Entire neighborhoods were submerged up to the roofs. Numerous people had to be rescued from rooftops and attics as the floodwaters rose higher and higher.
President Bush hits the road to promote prescription-drug plan. His first stop is Arizona, where
he eats birthday cake with Senator John McCain and talks to senior citizens in Phoenix at a golf resort. In late afternoon, there are early reports of broken levees. The National Weather Service reported that a levee broke on the Industrial Canal near the St. Bernard-Orleans parish line. President Bush travels to Southern California to talk to more seniors about changes to Medicare. He also plays golf. He spends the evening in San Diego to prepare for a Tuesday speech commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War Two and comparing Iraq to it.8/29/05 Late Morning
Levee breach floods Lakeview, Mid-City, Carrollton, Gentilly, City Park - "A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new 'hurricane proof' Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest winds were well north." Out West at the Country Club, Bush is now 3 over par.
8/29/05 11am EST
Five hours after Katrina makes landfall, FEMA chief Michael Brown asks Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff for permission to dispatch 1000 Homeland Security employees to the Gulf Coast region. He gives them two days to arrive. His memo tells employees that among their duties, they will be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public."
8/29/05
FEMA director Brown tells outside fire and rescue departments not to enter disaster area unless invited - Brown urges local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster area without explicit requests for help from state or local governments. Brown says it is vital to coordinate fire and rescue
efforts.It is reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune that the 17th St. levee broke late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest winds were well north The Federal Emergency Management Agency went into disaster mode as it and other federal agencies prepared to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President George W. Bush joins Arizona Senator John McCain in a small celebration of McCain's 69th birthday.
8/30/05
FEMA refuses to allow volunteer firefighters into New Orleans - A team of volunteer firefighters with experience helping after hurricanes who also had special expertise with oil infrastructure and repairs arrives outside of New Orleans and is refused entry into the city by FEMA who will not let them in until "the National Guard has secured the city." When the teams asks if they should help out in other communities along the Gulf Coast impacted by the storm, they are told no, because their special expertise is needed in New Orleans. However, FEMA turns down any advice or help from them, and after waiting in a parking lot until Saturday, Sept 3, the expert team finally gives up and returns home to Houston.
The AP reports that President Bush will cut short the vacation he wasn't on to focus on the storm damage.
8/31/05 Mid-morning
B.C. urban rescue team headed to Louisiana - Canada was prepared to send aid directly to Louisiana, "after Louisiana officials asked for help". However, they were reportedly blocked
from doing so by the Department of Homeland Security. ' Canadian agencies are saying that foreign aid is probably not being permitted into Louisiana and Mississippi because of "mass confusion" at the U.S. federal level in the wake of the storm.'Louisiana Gov. Blanco issues order authorizing the commandeering and use of buses for evacuation and relief efforts (see public document).
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Chief Chertoff claims in media interviews that relief and evacuation efforts are "going well."
8/31/05
"Gov. Kathleen Blanco Friday night called on President Bush to order the expeditious return to the state of the 256th Brigade Combat team of the National Guard which is now serving in Iraq because they are needed in Hurricane Katrina cleanup and rescue efforts."
8/31/05 Afternoon
The Forest Service has offered fixed plane aircraft used to fight forest fires to help extinguish blazes in New Orleans, according to two congressional sources. But the sources said the planes, which can pour large amounts of water on fires, remained grounded in Missouri Friday because the Department of Homeland Security hasn't authorized their use."
8/31/05 Evening
18-yr-old hero helps 100 escape New Orleans ordeal - The first 100 refugees to arrive at the
Houston Astrodome from flooded New Orleans are evacuated not be FEMA but by 18-year-old Jabbor Gibson who commandeers an abandoned school bus and drives his fellow citizens seven hours to the refuge of the Houston Astrodome collecting passengers as he goes until the bus is full. Gibson has never before driven a bus. Included in the evacuees is an 8-day-old infant. When the bus first arrives at the Astrodome, the refugees are not welcomed. Finally, however, they are allowed inside. Gibson, however, may be charged with stealing the bus.9/1/05 Morning
Halliburton awarded Navy contract for storm cleanup - U.S. Navy announces it has hired Halliburton to "restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina. No mention is made of whether the contract was bid out, but due to the limited time-frame, competitive bidding is unlikely.
The (suburban Chicago) Daily Herald reports that House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert says rebuilding New Orleans "doesn't make sense to me."
9/1/05 Evening
Rescues by California swift water rescue teams halted - Hundreds of people in Orleans and Jefferson parishes are rescued by swift water rescue teams from California. However, at the end of the day, FEMA halts further rescues due to supposed security concerns, though no security incidents involving the teams are reported by CNN journalist Rick Sanchez who was embedded with the teams during the rescues.
9/1/05 Evening
Bush rushed back from the vacation he wasn't just in time for an interview with Diane Sawyer.
Despite what is now mountains of evidence to the contrary, Bush states, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."On Nightline, Michael Brown tells Ted Koppel “We just learned of the convention center -- we being the federal government -- today.” Video here proves otherwise.
9/2/05 Morning
In front of reporters and with a backdrop of Federal officials, Bush praises Mike Brown and FEMA's relief effort by saying, “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”
9/3/05
News breaks that the Red Cross has been kept out of New Orleans by the Department of Homeland Security -Media reports and an announcement on the American Red Cross's own website (page created Friday, September 2nd) explains that the Red Cross has stayed out of New Orleans and not provided food and water to New Orleans residents dying of heat exhaustion and hunger on orders of the Department of Homeland Security. Local American Red Cross CEO, Tom Foley, states to KWY Newsradio in Philadelphia: "The state Department of Homeland Security in Louisiana asked the Red Cross not to go into the city because they want that message to be, 'You need to leave the city. This isn't going to be a sheltering spot.' "
9/4/05
The Washington Post prints an article announcing that Louisiana Governor Blanco had not declared a state of emergency (later, it printed a correction, noting that she had, in fact, made the declaration on August 26)
In other news, on Meet the Press, Homeland Security Advisor Michael Chertoff says, "I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged The Bullet.'" (You can search the day's newspaper headlines here thanks to AmericaBlog, and tell me which paper the Chertoff family gets delivered.)
9/5/05 Mid-morning
During her tour of the Astrodome, the President's mother and former First Lady said, "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
9/5/05
News breaks that FEMA blocked aid to Jefferson Parish, New Orleans - Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, New Orleans, announces on Meet the Press that FEMA blocked life-saving aid to Jefferson Parish. FEMA prevented the delivery of three trailer trucks of water donated by Wal-Mart, forbade the Coast Guard from donating 1000 gallons of diesel fuel that happened to be on a Coast Guard vessel docked in Jefferson Parish, and cut all emergency communication lines out of the parish. The communication lines were repaired and put under armed guard. Mr. Broussard then broke down as he described how the mother of the head of emergency management in the parish was trapped in a nursing home and phoned her son every day asking when help would come. The son tried to reassure her that help was coming, but the woman died Friday evening (after President Bush's flyby) when she drowned to death.
posted by Jeremy at 7:34 AM
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