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Administration Acknowledged
Responsibility For Relief Efforts: The White House effort to shift
the blame for the response to Katrina contradicts its public statements before
the storm hit. An Aug. 27 declaration on the White House website "authorizes the Department of
Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate
all disaster relief efforts." The order
specifies that "FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at
its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of
the emergency." Jane Bullock, former FEMA chief of staff, said, "The moment the president declared a
federal disaster, it became a federal responsibility.… The
federal government took ownership over the response." This is
consistent with the DHS website which states plainly, "In the event of a
terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the
Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility ... for
ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation.
This will entail providing a coordinated,
comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift
and effective recovery effort." (source: American Progress 090605) Pres. Bush being briefed
in Crawford Sunday Aug. 28th about Katrina http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/images/20050828-1_p082805pm-0101-515h.html Despite
damage-control claims otherwise, Louisiana asked for federal help, Sunday, Aug.
28th prior to Katrina landfall (pdf) http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf FOX TV tries but fails to carry false claim “Bush
pleaded w/ NO mayor to evacuate” http://mediamatters.org/items/200509060011 From the Homeland
Security website, color highlights, bold,
mine. kwc “In
the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the
Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response
professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a
coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery
effort. The
new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen
preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes
for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be
given special attention at DHS. http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp |
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