Chertoff Vows to Help Calif. With Levees

[DoYouEverWonder]

March 17, 2006, 9:26 PM EST

SAN FRANCISCO -- Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff pledged Friday that the government would help California patch its fragile levee system, but stopped short of promising the pre-emptive federal disaster declaration that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger seeks.

"We obviously do want to stand with the state in terms of getting engineering assistance and the money to help the state do what it has to do," Chertoff said. "And we want to make sure we can cut through red tape in terms of getting it done."

Bush administration officials said privately that such an extraordinary disaster declaration -- before any levees failed -- was unlikely. But they said the federal government was exploring other ways to help, including assembling response plans and possibly tearing down bureaucratic rules that some believe are hampering the repairs.

"If tomorrow we have a levee break, we need to have a plan in place," Chertoff said at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. "We're doing that as we speak."

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-schwarzenegger-chertoff,0,4635160.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

Ah excuse me, Mr. Chertoff, but you still haven't fixed the levees in Louisiana?

[MadMaddie]

1. Hey you CA folks don't hold your breath....

They are just now addressing the levee problem....it's a little late isn't it?

They are so muddled in Red Tape...if there was a true leader the leader would say to hell with the Red Tape get the job done....

<snip>
"If tomorrow we have a levee break, we need to have a plan in place," Chertoff said at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. "We're doing that as we speak."
<snip>

[Zhade]

8. We'll HAVE to hold our breath!

How else will we keep from drowning in the wake of 'improvements' by these 'incompetent' (read: willfully negligent) maniacs?

[Liberty Belle]

2. Sounds familiar? Boxer asked feds to declare disaster before the wildfires

of 2003, to get funds for removing dead trees. The feds refused; a couple of days later the worst wildfires in Calif. history left thousands homeless.

Not to mention refusing to repair New Orlean's levees before a major hurricane left the city underwater.

This is penny-wise, pound foolish "planning."

:kick:

[shance]

6. Another 'un-natural' disaster that government officials financially

benefit from?

Is anyone else noticing a pattern here?

[shance]

3. God help us. Stay away from California Michael Chertoff.

We've seen your help in New Orleans. Murder,Eminent Domain/Mass condemnation of property and militarization is not our idea of help.

[cboy4]

4. He's not going to do jack shit here in Calif...even for his buddy Arnold

:spank:

[shance]

5. He might do something, but not in the form of help. Look at what

he has accomplished: Katrina's intentional devastation and it is apparent he was present to aid in the cover up of September 11th.

[TahitiNut]

7. Well, flood insurance should go up by 50% with that announcement.

:eyes: