Experts: Homeland Security Was Off Guard

[DoYouEverWonder]

Sun Sep 4,10:34 PM ET

WASHINGTON - The Homeland Security Department spent the past four years focused on averting the next terrorist attack and was unprepared to decisively respond to the overwhelming devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, former officials and experts say.

The agency, created after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was still struggling days after Katrina battered the Gulf Coast to coordinate federal rescue and relief efforts and communicate with emergency workers on the ground. The fractured federal response left critics questioning whether the department is prepared to deal with the aftermath of a terror attack.

"I can't tell you that we're lock, stock and ready to go," said former Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Adm. James Loy, who left the department earlier this year. He called the issue "a very, very legitimate question," and said the agency's front-burner issue has been preventing and preparing a response to terrorism.

"Because of the focus in the last four years, we would be better prepared for" terrorism, Loy said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_homeland_security


Wow, caught of guard? What if this was a terrorist attack? They had three days warning that Katrina was coming. You think the terrorists are going to be polite and call ahead of time?

[Burried News]

1. Homeland Insecurity - where we put people last.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Hey FReepers, feeling any safer?

:rofl: What a joke!

[Missy M]

3. Now bush will have to create a new agency to oversee the agency...

that was created to oversee all the other agencies.

[Crunchy Frog]

4. What if terrorists had blown up the levees?

Are they saying that we would have been prepared for that?

[fasttense]

5. That makes no sense.

If they were prepared for the aftermath of a terror attack, why couldn't they use those same resources to help the victims of Katrina sooner? A terrorist attack gives no warning. Katrina gave everyone warning. A terrorist could easily place several dirty bombs in a large city and still get the same results. A terrorist could have just bombed several flood walls in NOL and you would have had very similar results.

No they weren't ready (and still aren't) for a terrorist attack. They were ready for a few small incidents, that's all. We are wide open to any attack that might be coming and the feds are going to wait around five days before they bother to help us. Make plans now folks because this country doesn't have your back.

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. This is because BushCo only cares about property

they could care less for people.

That is why their planning is so miserably inadequate.

[opihimoimoi]

7. They are so full o0f shit...its pathetic

[Hubert Flottz]

12. The Top Terraist upstairs, is pissed!

Gawd is upset, because the Bushcos have broken every commandment in the book and wiped their asses on the rule of any form of law! Now Gawd is starting to terra-ize the terra-ists for their ungodly sh*t! The war in Iraq a dud, The killer storms, the decay of the American infrastructure, due to the tax breaks for the rich, the always getting caught up in their lies and the falling numbers in the polls. The Bird of Paradise is pissed at the Chickenhawks, like he was about the bad government in Egypt back when Moses was a long haired protester. Plagues and natural disasters are Gawd's way of whooping ass! Bushco is about as Evil as Evil gets and the Top Terminator in the sky is starting to get some pay-back!

[opihimoimoi]

13. Caught off guard??? Full of Pig Shit. More like NAPPING< WATCH MY

DRIVE? 3 hour Lunches?

Can these guys even think before they make these Lame Excuses?

The Gods of the Thundra/ the Tuva/ the Jungle/ the Ice Realm, and the Dry Deserts are so pissed at BushCo....Its the WRATH OF MAN SET UPON HIMSELF.....The ALAMIHI SYNDROME

[Hubert Flottz]

14. Gawd of Syphilis, Gonorrhea and Gout, put a Curse on ____and...

let the whole damned truth come out...May the bloody piles adorn him and may his head fall through his asshole and break his mother f***ing neck! May his offspring for the next 3454323478898765 generations be infested with Crabs the size of horse turds and may they be forever plagued with ball boils and warbles the size of number three wash tubs until the end of time, if not longer...

Don't ever let it be said, that old Hubert didn't pray for the royal shit-ass!

Come, we pass the plate for some serious beer money!

[izzie]

8. Storms are not 'sexy' so to speak. No men running around with

high tech stuff or dragging people off to prison or no guns sent to the White House that you can show off and no jackets you can wear to talk to people. Cowboying is fun but all the hard work up to is not.

[Hubert Flottz]

9. The blind misleading the blind!

Wexler Calls for FEMA Director's Resignation
Letter to President Requests Brown's Dismissal for Fraudulent Payments Made by FEMA After Hurricane

(Washington, DC) - Today, Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) sent the following letter to President George Bush requesting that he immediately remove Michael Brown from his position as head of the Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Under Secretary Brown's agency disbursed over $30 million in disaster relief money, which was allocated to over 10,000 Miami-Dade claimants after Hurricane Frances, which made landfall more than 100 miles away and there was no more than a heavy rainstorm. According to several news accounts by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "FEMA has written checks to cover new wardrobes, cars, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, furniture and thousands of televisions, microwave ovens, stoves, air conditioners and other appliances." In addition, the Sun-Sentinel sites that FEMA paid $4,500 for one resident's funeral, even though the county medical examiner recorded no storm-related deaths. Another Sun-Sentinel article stated that two residents received aid for "dental treatments due to dental injuries received during the disaster." In six other cases, FEMA reimbursed residents for damage caused by "ice/snow."

On Monday, January 11, FEMA held a news conference acknowledging that they made $12 million in overpayments to 3,500 individuals - blaming these overpayments on a "computer glitch." FEMA, however, continues to deny additional systematic problems and cites the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to prove that there were legitimate hurricane conditions in Miami-Dade. Yet, according to the Sun-Sentinel, NOAA has refuted the weather maps FEMA claims to have obtained from them. As the head of FEMA, Under Secretary Brown oversees federal disaster response and recovery operations, and it is negligent of him to refuse to accept responsibility for its agency mistakes.

"Rather than taking responsibility for FEMA's mishaps and moving expeditiously to correct the problems, Under Secretary Brown has further undermined his agency's reputation by stymied investigations and inquiries into fraud allegations. FEMA's massive misallocation of recovery aid is a gross waste of taxpayer monies, which must be immediately addressed by the Bush Administration," Wexler said. More...

http://www.wexler.house.gov/news.php?ID=26

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. But on Monday Brown thought everything was going great

August 29, 2005

Meanwhile, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the government has known for a long time how vulnerable New Orleans would be in a major hurricane like Katrina.

Michael Brown said Louisiana went through a table-top drill a year ago and is doing a good job responding right now. He also said the government is preparing supplies and response teams to move wherever Gulf state governors need them once the weather allows.

Brown praised emergency responders he said are "leaning out of the foxhole," putting their lives in jeopardy to help others in the storm's path. Recovery could be a long-term thing. Brown added restoring electricity could become a "block to block, house to house" reconstruction effort, and some people may be without power for weeks.

http://www.wdsu.com/news/4909184/detail.html

[Hubert Flottz]

11. I think Mr. Brown says exactly what Karl Rove tells him to say.

Total Toolism is a requirement for the entire Bush goon squad! Looks like Brown's only qualifications to be a Made Member of the Bush Crime family, are his stealing skills and his unflappable flip flopability...

[opihimoimoi]

15. Brown and his boss the Bush dude should be taken to the nearest

Natto Tower, strung up and fed Natto till they rot

[alcibiades_mystery]

16. The ground conditions for a major terrorist attack would be the same

That's an utter bullshit response, but funny as new spin.

Sure, we can't coordinate anything, but we'd be better at terrorism than a flood! Bullshit. The only difference from a major terrorist attack would be more bodies. Gimme a break. That's fucking weak as spin goes. Is this what they're down to now?

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. Terrorist don't usually give you a 3 - 5 day warning.

08/28/05 National Weather Service Advisory - Katrina Deterimined to Strike the US.

BTW: Who was the Repug who wanted to privatize the National Weather Service? Now you know why.