Look how the Administration 'handled' pre-disaster matters

[brickcitybrother]

CHRONOLOGY

Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration. Read it and weep:


January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.


April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."


2001: FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country."


December 2002: After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy and former college roommate, Michael Brown, who has no previous experience in disaster management and was fired from his previous job for mismanagement.


March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.


2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.


Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it."


June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."


June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.


August 2005: While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain, plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in the Rose Garden.


So: A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.

Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size of Katrina would definitely hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.

I'm just waiting for Haliburton to win a 'no-bid pre-paid' contract to 'rebuild' the devastated areas.


~Brickcitybrother~

Majority of research by K. Drum.

P.S. While Arron Broussard was tearfully begging for help from the Bush Whitehouse. See http://www.hungangels.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=3965. Condi Rice was literally on Broadway watching 'Spamalot' and could not explain exactly what the next step of the Administration's plans would be when caught in an impromptu interview.

I just thought I'd add some OBJECTIVE FACTS into a very moving subject.

[brickcitybrother]

I doubt many will read - but here's an AP quote.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 - Facing extensive damage by Hurricane Katrina to naval installations in Mississippi, the Navy turned immediately to the Halliburton Company's KBR subsidiary for tasks like restoring electricity, repairing roofs and clearing debris at bases that are urgently needed for response efforts.

[tsluver247]

CHRONOLOGY

Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration. Read it and weep:


January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.


April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."


2001: FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country."


December 2002: After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy and former college roommate, Michael Brown, who has no previous experience in disaster management and was fired from his previous job for mismanagement.


March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.


2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.


Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it."


June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."


June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.


August 2005: While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain, plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in the Rose Garden.


So: A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA. Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation and planning functions were taken away.

Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size of Katrina would definitely hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush administration in a nutshell.

I'm just waiting for Haliburton to win a 'no-bid pre-paid' contract to 'rebuild' the devastated areas.


~Brickcitybrother~

Majority of research by K. Drum.

P.S. While Arron Broussard was tearfully begging for help from the Bush Whitehouse. See http://www.hungangels.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=3965. Condi Rice was literally on Broadway watching 'Spamalot' and could not explain exactly what the next step of the Administration's plans would be when caught in an impromptu interview.

I just thought I'd add some OBJECTIVE FACTS into a very moving subject.

EXCELLENT POST

[happyjack]

for all of the idiots who buy into the blame BUSH game...what would Condeleeza Rice do about any of this?she is the secretary of state.What did the local and state govt of new orleans and LA do to prevent this?nothing.and some money was moved around in the budget to be used for homeland security to protect bigger targets.Maybe somebody in new orleans should have evacuated the city early?

[chefmike]

for all of the idiots who buy into the blame BUSH game...what would Condeleeza Rice do about any of this?she is the secretary of state.What did the local and state govt of new orleans and LA do to prevent this?nothing.and some money was moved around in the budget to be used for homeland security to protect bigger targets.Maybe somebody in new orleans should have evacuated the city early?

to protect bigger targets? you must get your news from the fox (we distort, you decide) channel..have you read any statistics re harbor/port security? or border security?... see fahrenheit 911...idiots? ... look in the mirror and say baaahh, i'm a sheep...

[happyjack]

you see fahrenheit911 and call me a sheep?you are a boob...so you listen to that idiot of a mayor in N.O. saying"i dont know whos problem this is,maybe its the gov,maybe its the president,somebody should do something"..ewhat about him?what about leaving the shithole corrupt city when you had the chance.it is a shame what is going on,and i dont want to seeany7 harm to anyone,but the first the to happen ,is blame george bush

[brutus]

for all of the idiots who buy into the blame BUSH game...what would Condeleeza Rice do about any of this?she is the secretary of state.What did the local and state govt of new orleans and LA do to prevent this?nothing.and some money was moved around in the budget to be used for homeland security to protect bigger targets.Maybe somebody in new orleans should have evacuated the city early?

Uh yea, and she was also Bush's National Security Advisor from 2001-2004....

[happyjack]

and that means what?she should have known that a hurricane would hit the gulf coast in 2005?you are another dim-wit...no offense...just think about things and stop blaming somone.should the clown from FEMA get fired?yes.should someone have been able to do something more,yes.stop looking to blame and lets help somehow..

[happyjack]

and that means what?she should have known that a hurricane would hit the gulf coast in 2005?you are another dim-wit...no offense...just think about things and stop blaming somone.should the clown from FEMA get fired?yes.should someone have been able to do something more,yes.stop looking to blame and lets help somehow..

[speck]

CHRONOLOGY


I just thought I'd add some OBJECTIVE FACTS into a very moving subject.[/b][/color][/size]

If this is your idea of either objective or fact, I would question your ability to be openminded on anything.

The way I see it:

Mayor of New Orleans deserves the greatest amount of blame in this. He had the ability to offer those who wanted to leave and could not a way out. He had a fleet of public school buses and could have offered indigent individuals a way out of the city. He could have asked the governor of Louisiana, as well as the governors of other nearby states to open emergency housing at their state run college campuses. This all seems to me like an absolute no brainer. I should also note that City of New Orleans emergency plans include evacuation by means of public transportation. Since this was not actually used, only the Mayor can be at fault here.

The Governor of Lousisiana shares blame in this and ought to have had the National Guard ready to help evacuate people after the storm subsided in much greater numbers than actually did. The Governor is also extrodinarily remiss in not having a large scale evacuation of the Superdome as soon as the storm subsided.

FEMA's response sucked big time. It is clear that the head of FEMA does not understand large scale emergency response. He should be fired. Bush deserves significant culpability in that he hired the person responsible and relyed on that person, while that irresponsible person just kinda shrugged things off until it was too late. Expect a few people to be fired, and FEMA to be reorganized.