Klarinet Archive - Posting 000148.txt from 2005/09

From: Ed Wojtowicz <ewoj@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Katrina: the first blame
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2005 10:33:24 -0400

=46rom your post, it is implied that the Governor of Louisiana took no =20=

action. According to state documents Governor Blanco of Louisiana =20
issued a state of emergency on Friday August 26, 2005. It can be =20
found in Louisiana State Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005. This =20
declaration was issued to be in effect from Friday through Sunday. =20
The full text of this declaration can be found in the State of =20
Louisiana press release at:

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=3D973

On Saturday, August 27, Governor Blanco forwarded a letter to =20
President Bush in which she asks him to =93declare an emergency for the =20=

State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina.=94 In this letter, she =20
requests aid for the state, continuing =93I am specifically requesting =20=

emergency protective measures, direct Federal Assistance, Individual =20
and Household Program (IHP) assistance, Special Needs Program =20
assistance, and debris removal.=94 This information is available in the =20=

press release of State of Louisiana:

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=3D976

These documents seem to refute your anecdotal information.

Ed

On Sep 14, 2005, at 7:46 AM, R. Williams wrote:

>
> To clear up one other issue, FEMA is a post disaster relief =20
> agency. Operative word here is 'post" as in after it occurs. =20
> Evacuation and disaster planning for evacuation is the sole =20
> responsibility of local and state government. Now can federal =20
> assistance be requested prior to a disaster; yes. Was it offered; =20
> yes and repeatedly by President Bush but Governor Blanco refused =20
> the help. Here is what happened,
>
> Weds prior to the storm hitting President Bush had contacted all =20
> the Governors of the expected areas to coordinate efforts. The =20
> first offer was a Mutual Aid Pact sent to 15 or so Governors =20
> requesting authorization to use National Guard Units in states =20
> outside their home. Fourteen Governors signed it the only one who =20
> did not was Governor Blanco of Louisiana. This would have allowed =20
> NG troops from other states to enter Louisiana. She did not sign =20
> this until the following Weds. On Weds prior she did sign a =20
> request for Federal Assistance limited to councilors for disaster =20
> victims. Following this President Bush took the unusual step of =20
> declaring a Federal Disaster Area prior to the Governor doing it so =20=

> Federal Assistance could start moving.
>
> On Friday after the storm had built up, President Bush sat down =20
> with his legal advisors and FEMA officers to discuss how they =20
> could get additional resources into place, namely Army, Navy, =20
> Marine assets. Posse Comitatus Act prevents such actions. One =20
> possibility discussed but rejected was the Insurgency Act. Instead =20=

> a document was drafted under Presidential Emergency Powers that =20
> would allow Governors to request help by these assets. Two =20
> governors agreed one did not, Governor Blanco.
>
> On Friday afternoon Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center =20
> was alarmed by the total inaction he was seeing in New Orleans. =20
> When a NOAA buoy 250 miles south of New Orleans recorded 68 foot =20
> waves before being destroyed, he called both the Governor of =20
> Louisiana and Mayor Nagin and begged them to order a mandatory =20
> evacuation. They ignored him.
>
> Mayor Nagin who had the primary responsibility of evacuating his =20
> citizens did not implement his disaster plan.
>
> Friday night President Bush called Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco =20
> and asked them repeatedly to order an evacuation as well as asking =20
> Governor Blanco to sign the Mutual Aid Pact and Federal Assistance =20
> Authorization. Mayor Nagin partially agreed by ordering a non-=20
> mandatory evacuation and Blanco did nothing. The next day Fema and =20=

> President Bush made repeated requests to both Nagin and Blanco =20
> which were ignored. Following President Bush's phone call on =20
> Friday, Governor Blanco met with her advisors and decided not to =20
> accept the Presidents offers because it would make the Governor and =20=

> the state look as though they were incapable of handling the =20
> situation.
>
> =46rom Weds thru Monday, resources were stagged around the country =20
> waiting for orders to move. FEMA nor the President or any other =20
> agency has the authority to act unless authorized to do so by the =20
> Governor of the state.
>
> Initially when the storm hit it looked as though New Orleans may =20
> have dodged the bullet, but as the levees breached and the =20
> situation became more serious President Bush met personally with =20
> Nagin and Blanco and repeated his offers. Governor Blanco said she =20=

> needed 24 hours to think about it; this according to Mayor Nagin in =20=

> a TV interview.
>
> Finally after all other options had failed President Bush took the =20
> extraordinary step of Federalizing the rescue and disaster relief =20
> efforts. In other words and non PC terminology, he declared =20
> martial law. In effect he removed the locally elected Governor and =20=

> Government from control. I have to repeat that this is an =20
> absolutely extraordinary step and one I never expected to see in my =20=

> lifetime and it was due to the fact that the Governor of Louisiana =20
> was blocking all reasonable efforts to help save her citizens. =20
> Within 8 hours of this happening 25,000 people had been evacuated =20
> and many of those resources were available to do it "before" the =20
> storm hit.
>
> People could argue that President Bush should have taken this step =20
> earlier but our laws and history speak against it. Yes FEMA in =20
> many ways could have done a better job in Mississippi and Alabama =20
> but it is hard to blame them for Louisiana when they didn't have to =20=

> legal right to do what needed to be done. You can also blame =20
> President Bush for putting two lawyers with no disaster relief or =20
> large organization experience in charge of FEMA, but that wouldn't =20
> have changed one thing that happened in New Orleans.
>
> "The First Blame" In my other posting on this I blamed lack of =20
> will and still do for the levee but the actions of Mayor Nagin and =20
> Governor Blanco transcend anything I would have imagined. Also =20
> don't let any Senator or Congressman or woman sit on their lofty =20
> chair and act innocent. We elect them to oversee these things for =20
> us and they share First Blame as well.
> Best
> RW
>
>
>
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