Storms 411

Bush And Katrina

This just in: Tape: Tape: Bush, Chertoff Warned Before Katrina.

In dramatic and sometimes agonizing terms, federal disaster officials warned President Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina struck that the storm could breach levees, put lives at risk in New Orleans' Superdome and overwhelm rescuers, according to confidential video footage.

Bush didn't ask a single question during the final briefing before Katrina struck on Aug. 29, but he assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: "We are fully prepared."

The footage - along with seven days of transcripts of briefings obtained by The Associated Press - show in excruciating detail that while federal officials anticipated the tragedy that unfolded in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, they were fatally slow to realize they had not mustered enough resources to deal with the unprecedented disaster.

Remember this quote, four days after the hurricane struck?

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees"

And this, revealed in the ABC Interview:

According to Bush, he didn't realize there was anything wrong with the administration's response until almost four days after the hurricane. The first time he saw newscasts of the situation on the ground was on the morning of Sept. 2, when White House "Counselor [Dan] Bartlett made up a DVD of the newscasts so Bush could see them in their entirety as he flew down to the Gulf Coast the next morning on Air Force One."

Aid plan for US hurricane victims

A $7.5bn (£4.7bn) compensation plan has been announced to help thousands of US residents affected by last year's hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Affected residents could receive up to $150,000 in what Louisiana's governor called "one of the most important programmes our state will ever run".

However, direct relief is still months away and homeowners awaiting the aid could take on more debt in the interim.

About 1,300 people were killed and 170,000 homes destroyed by the storms. [Read more - BBC]

GOP agrees $29B hurricane aid package

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Congressional Republicans agreed Saturday on $29 billion in additional aid for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the other powerful storms that lashed the United States earlier this year, far more than the Bush administration proposed earlier this fall.

"We have a good agreement," said Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who has patrolled the Capitol for days in an effort to coax as much money as possible from lawmakers eager to adjourn for the year.

Officials stressed the additional funds would not add to federal deficits, a priority for conservative lawmakers. They said the hurricane relief, as well as an additional $3.8 billion to help prepare for an outbreak of avian flu, would be offset, in part by a 1 percent cut across a wide variety of federal programs. [Read more - CNN.com]

FEMA overpaid at least $174 million to Katrina victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency issued overpayments of at least $174 million in its rush to distribute emergency payments to Hurricane Katrina victims, a newspaper reported Thursday.

In three Louisiana parishes FEMA issued checks worth at least $70 million, representing more payments than there were households. In 36 parishes and counties in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, FEMA awarded $102 million to at least 51,000 more applicants than local officials said were displaced by the storm, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. [Read more - WWL]

Day 43 – 10/3/05, FEMA Update

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with other federal agencies, continues to respond to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

• Nationwide, there are 863 shelters housing 95,316 evacuees of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita nationwide.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Nutrition Service continues delivering food and facilitating delivery of nutrition assistance programs in affected states. Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, 13.1 million pounds of commodities and two million pounds of baby formula and other baby foods have been obtained or purchased from existing sources. Approximately 5,480,000 pounds of commodities have been ordered to meet the needs of Hurricane Rita victims.
• To date, more than 1.9 million individuals and businesses have registered for disaster assistance from FEMA.
• FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Operations for the State of Louisiana were completed Sept. 30. The search and rescue teams helped 6,582 people reach safety and searched 22,313 structures in New Orleans and additional structures in Louisiana parishes impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to find those trapped or stranded.
• The Army Corps of Engineers has hauled 6,074,271 cubic yards of debris from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
• A total of 35,782 Department of Defense personnel are supporting relief operations for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Day 42 – 10/2/05, Parish President: FEMA Still Fumbling

(CNN) -- The president of St. Tammany Parish accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday of continuing to mismanage the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a charge denied by an agency spokeswoman.

"I met the president personally," Kevin Davis told CNN's "Late Edition."

"I actually drafted a note, and he signed it. It said, 'We are going to help you,'" the parish president said. "I think he was sincere. He hugged me, and I believe in him. There is a disconnect apparently from that point down through the FEMA program."

Davis described as "wonderful" the FEMA people who have been assigned to his parish along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. [Read more - CNN]

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Day 36 – 9/26/05, FEMA Plans to Reimburse Faith Groups for Aid

Civil libertarians object; religious groups ponder what to do

After weeks of prodding by Republican lawmakers and the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said yesterday that it will use taxpayer money to reimburse churches and other religious organizations that have opened their doors to provide shelter, food and supplies to survivors of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

FEMA officials said it would mark the first time that the government has made large-scale payments to religious groups for helping to cope with a domestic natural disaster.

Civil liberties groups called the decision a violation of the traditional boundary between church and state, accusing FEMA of trying to restore its battered reputation by playing to religious conservatives.

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Day 29 – 9/19/05, Feds Approve $700 Million in Parish, State Reimbursements so Far

Louisiana parishes, cities and various departments of state government have already been approved for than $700 million in federal public assistance for expenses responding to Hurricane Katrina, and officials expect that amount to grow exponentially in the years to come.

Mark Smith, a spokesman for the state Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said Sunday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has received reimbursement requests from dozens of parishes and municipalities across the state, and expects all 64 parishes to make requests in the future. He said the amount of public assistance sought will be several billion dollars.

Eight parishes, municipalities and state departments have already received about $218 million in reimbursements, and the remaining approved money should distributed soon, Smith said. He said the federal government has streamlined the reimbursement process, and federal funds are typically distributed a week after local governments submit their requests. Smith said federal officials understand that many local governments do not have the ability to collect taxes, which would severely limit their ability to provide essential services without federal help.

“Everything’s been expedited to the max,” Smith said.

Smith said the funds are used by local and state governments to pay for any Katrina-related expenses that were accrued after the state was declared a disaster area. Those expenses can range from repairs to existing infrastructure, to road clearing and public service restorations costs. In addition, overtime pay for local employees and law enforcement officers will also be covered by FEMA, Smith said.

Follow is a breakdown of the allocation of funds as of Sept. 18:

- New Orleans: $102,837,450
- Louisiana Office of Homeland Security: $70,386,000
- St. Bernard: $31,601,040
- Plaquemine Parish: $4,354,000
- Lafourche Parish: $6,669,000
- Louisiana Department of Transportation: $1,180,075
- Louisiana Department of Public Safety: $348,030
- St. Tammany Parish: $323,609

By Allen Powell II
River Parishes Bureau

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Day 22 – 9/12/05, Bush to get First-Hand Look at New Orleans Damage

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday will get his first up-close look at the streets of New Orleans, flooded nearly two weeks ago after levees protecting the low-lying city broke.

The visit is the president's third to the Gulf Coast region since Hurricane Katrina slammed ashore on August 29.

Two days after the storm hit, Bush surveyed Katrina's destruction from Air Force One on his way back to Washington from Crawford, Texas, where he'd spent a month's vacation. He visited other parts of the region in two subsequent visits.

But this trip will be the president's first ground tour of New Orleans, where officials believe thousands of holdouts have ignored a mandatory evacuation order despite the fetid floodwaters that still cover large parts of the city. [Read more - CNN]

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Day 21 – 9/11/05, Leaders Meet to Plan New Orleans Relief

New federal chief says water removal is 'No. 1 challenge'

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- With floodwaters receding and the body count rising, the Coast Guard officer in charge of the federal government's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts met Saturday with local officials in New Orleans to improve coordination.

Vice Adm. Thad Allen, the Coast Guard chief of staff, said he met with the presidents of eight parishes in the New Orleans area to discuss "the unity that is going to be needed to move this effort forward."

"There are a lot of people trying to help these parishes. You've got FEMA coming in, you've got the National Guard coming in, and Department of Defense people on the ground here with tremendous capabilities." [Read more - CNN]

Again, help the Red Cross help others. Give generously. Thanks!