From
NPR
FEMA Official Says Agency Heads Ignored
Warnings2005 · In the days before Hurricane Katrina hit land, Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff, FEMA Director Michael Brown and other top
Homeland Security officials received e-mails on their blackberries warning
that Katrina posed a dire threat to New Orleans and other areas. Yet one
FEMA official tells NPR little was done.Leo Bosner, an emergency management specialist at FEMA headquarters in
Washington, D.C., is in charge of the unit that alerts officials of
impending crises and manages the response. As early as Friday, Aug. 26,
Bosner knew that Katrina could turn into a major emergency.In daily e-mails — known as National Situation Updates — sent to
Chertoff, Brown and others in the days before Katrina made landfall in the
Gulf Coast, Bosner warned of its growing strength — and of the particular
danger the hurricane posed to New Orleans, much of which lies below sea
level.But Bosner says FEMA failed to organize the massive mobilization of
National Guard troops and evacuation buses needed for a quick and effective
relief response when Katrina struck. He says he and his colleagues at FEMA’s
D.C. headquarters were shocked by the lack of response.“We could see all this going downhill,” Bosner said, “but there was
nothing we could do.”
You can view the emails that Bosner sent at the links below. This makes it
sound like Bush wasn’t the only one on vacation and not wanting to be disturbed.
It also has the eerie resemblance to the August 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing
that said “Bin Laden determined to attack”. This administration talks a good
game about protecting the country but in reality has made us less safe.
FEMA National Situation Updates