FEMA has been the focus of much anger and criticism since Hurricane Katrina severely damaged New Orleans. It's former director came under intense pressure, was relieved of his command in New Orleans and then resigned a few days later.
In Congressional testimony, former FEMA director Michael Brown called Louisiana's leadership before, during and after Katrina "dysfunctional." Congress and the press jumped all over him for saying that and accused him of attempting to shift blame away from FEMA.
Hold the phone.
Enter Hurricane Rita.
Texas, unlike Louisiana a month earlier, did precisely what it was supposed to. The mayors of Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles and Port Arthur enforced mandatory evacuation orders DAYS ahead of time and used all available resources, including those offered by the governor and FEMA.
The governor of Texas took to the airwaves and clearly communicated to the public the threat that Hurricane Rita posed to communities along Rita's projected track. He declared states of emergency early and requested federal help. And he COMMUNICATED with the mayors AND with President Bush, unlike his Louisiana collegue.
In Louisiana a month earlier, the President declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm and freed up millions of federal dollars to assist Louisiana. Governor Bianco didn't move on it until after the hurricane hit and New Orleans was underwater.
FEMA is designed to support local and state officials in their efforts to bring relief to those whose lives are in danger. The model worked in Texas; it failed in Louisiana because the elected government in Louisiana and in New Orleans collapsed for three critical days.
People in New Orleans were asking "Where's FEMA? Where's FEMA?" They should have been asking "Where's Mayor Nagin? Where's the Governor?" Nagin left hundreds of buses sitting in their parking lots (which subsequently flooded) that could have been used to get more people OUT of the city and OUT of the path of the hurricane. Who the hell cares where the buses would have gone? That's not the point. That's a distraction from Mayor Nagin's shameful handling of the crisis.
And it should be pointed out that he sacked the only man (his police chief) in his administration who DID HIS JOB in keeping his shattered police command working.
The Governor of Louisiana was inept. She didn't want federal troops before the storm, didn't use the federal money to get more buses into New Orleans or other threatened cities, didn't communicate clearly and was at the top of the food chain down there.
The ACTUAL first responders failed: the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana. So before they go pointing fingers at FEMA further, they should get their own houses into order and DO THEIR JOBS!
FEMA failed because those two people failed first, and then FEMA's own major problems kicked into high gear.
The proof is in the pudding: FEMA failed in Louisiana, FEMA succeeded in Texas one month later. The experts are saying that's too soon for any changes to have taken effect. What was different?
Um....could it have something to do with a strong Texas governor and strong Mayors showing the very leadership that the Louisiana people failed to show? Could it have something to do with the Texas folks using FEMA as it was intended to be used? They did SOMETHING right.
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