Former FEMA head Brown- Louisiana is a 'dysfunctional' state, Feds did no wrong... - Darkforum.com - Dark Stories, Dark Art, Poetry, Photography, Debates and Discussions

Sixgun_Symphony

Quote:

WASHINGTON (Sept. 27) - Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and put much of the blame for coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.

"My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," two days before the storm hit, Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.

The storm slammed into the Gulf Coast on Monday, Aug. 29.

Brown's defense drew a scathing response from Rep. William Jefferson, D-La.

"I find it absolutely stunning that this hearing would start out with you, Mr. Brown, laying the blame for FEMA's failings at the feet of the governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans."

Brown, who for many became a symbol of government failures in the natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people, rejected accusations that he was too inexperienced for the job.

"I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.

Brown resigned as the head of FEMA earlier this month after being removed by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff from responsibility in the stricken areas.

Brown, who joined FEMA in 2001 and ran it for more than two years, was previously an attorney who held several local government and private posts, including leading the International Arabian Horse Association.

Brown in his opening statement said he had made several "specific mistakes" in dealing with the storm, and listed two.

One, he said, was not having more media briefings.

As to the other, he said: "I very strongly personally regret that I was unable to persuade Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin to sit down, get over their differences, and work together. I just couldn't pull that off."

Both Blanco and Nagin are Democrats.

"The people of FEMA are being tired of being beat up, and they don't deserve it," Brown said.

The hearing was largely boycotted by Democrats, who want an independent investigation conducted into government failures, not one run by congressional Republicans.

But Jefferson -- who is not a committee member -- accepted the panel's invitation to grill Brown.

Referring to Brown's description of his "mistakes," Jefferson said: "I think that's a very weak explanation of what happened, and very incomplete explanation of what happened. I don't think that's going to cut it, really."

Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., cautioned against too narrowly assigning blame.

"At the end of the day, I suspect that we'll find that government at all levels failed the people of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and the Gulf Coast," said Davis.

Davis pushed Brown on what he and the agency he led should have done to evacuate New Orleans, restore order in the city and improve communication among law enforcement agencies.

[bold]Brown said: "Those are not FEMA roles. FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications."
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In part of his testimony, Brown pumped his hand up and down for emphasis.

Brown said the lack of a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans before the storm was "the tipping point for all the other things that went wrong." Brown said he had personally pushed Louisiana Gov. Blanco to order such an evacuation.
[bold]
He did not have the authority to order the city evacuated on his own, Brown said.[/bold]

When asked by Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky, whether the lack of an ordered evacuation was "the proximate cause of most people's misery," Brown said, "Yes."

Brown is continuing to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay, with his Sept. 12 resignation not taking effect for two more weeks, said Homeland Security Department spokesman Russ Knocke.

Knocke said Brown agreed to stay at FEMA up to four weeks after he resigned to advise the department on "some of his views on his experience with Katrina." He said Brown, who is in a "transition" period, does not have any decision-making or management responsibilities.

"There is an important public benefit to ensuring that any pending projects, initiatives, commitments or records be properly passed off to staff," Knocke said.

Brown ran FEMA for more than two years.

Alot of people have been bashing president Bush over the debacle in New Orleans after the storm. Yet many of them don't comprehend state soverienty, meaning that it was Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin (both Democrats) were the ones with authority to evacuate the city.

I should also point out that the looters were urban negroes and thus a Democratic voting base. They were taking things like jewelry and electronics rather than food. Yet the newspapers and others still blame Bush for the actions of Democrats.

Billy the Kidd · 09-27-05

Cue the picture of 200 NOLA city school busses submerged underwater, and that asshole Nagin begging the rest of the country to send transportation. Fucking hypocrites.

Synikul · 09-27-05

I was glad to finally see someone setting things straight.

Sin · 10-11-05

I think its ridiculous to place blame for "how things were handled" on Bush, he is one man.... I'm not a Bush fan by any means, but lets keep realistic here...

I don't think the statement can be made that Nagin & Blanco needed to "work out their differences" because they were both very much insistent on evacuation of the city & getting those levees repaired & trying to get help to the people who were in trouble.

As far as that "lack of ordered evacuation" --They did order evacuation of the city, and the people who could comply, did. Some people (like 2 good friends of mine) could not, because their car was in the shop & the time frame was certainly not long enough for them to plan pack & vacate.

Quote:

Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., cautioned against too narrowly assigning blame.

"At the end of the day, I suspect that we'll find that government at all levels failed the people of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama and the Gulf Coast," said Davis.

That's a good quote, right there. A situation like this isn't something where the finger can be pointed at one singular level of government, or even during one time frame. If we wanted to get really nitpicky, we could start blaming the government levels that even let New Orleans be built in the first place, knowing it was in amazingly high risk for flooding.