DUmmies unable to read a CALENDAR!

Get the word out. Today Michael Brown lied through his teeth when he told the Katrina hearing that Blanco NEGLECTED to include NOLA and adjacent parishes in the disaster relief request. And then, Rep Stephen Buyer R-IN, repeated it. Boldface Lie ! Here is the proof…..UNCOVERED BY BRILLIANT DU'ers!!! BRAVO....

WHAT BLANCO ASKED FOR: SHE INCLUDED ALL PARISHES http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pd...

WHAT BUSH ISSUED…HE LEFT OUT NOLA AND ADJACENTS Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.

The Blanco statement DU keeps quoting was dated, cough cough, August 28, 2005 while the Bush statement was dated, cough cough, August 26, 2005; two days EARLIER. I think Governor Blanco has some explaining to do about the two day discrepancy!

Actually, I don't know if the DUmmies are quoting the wrong document on this particular issue, but from looking at all the documents available at both the White House and Louisiana governor's website, it looks like the DUmmies premise may be correct.

Much of the confusion on this issue arises over the fact that there were two different declarations requested and accepted (first for a federal emergency declaration and later for a federal disaster declaration). Also, both Blanco and Bush issued their emergency declaration documents on one date but made them effective the previous day.

Here's what I have found:
--On August 27, Blanco asked for a federal emergency declaration, commencing on August 26. In that request, she writes "I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina."

--On that same day of August 27, President Bush responded to that request by declaring a federal emergency, commencing on August 26. In his response, he says the Feds will provide assistance "to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn."

Here's the problem: Looking at a map of Louisiana, none of those parishes is in the southeastern part of the state where the hurricane was going to hit, and where Blanco asked for the emergency declaration. It doesn't include Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, etc. I have no idea why that is, but that's what the two documents say.

FYI, the disaster declaration was requested by Blanco on August 28. President Bush responded on August 29 by making the declaration. I think you have mixed the two separate requests together--Blanco's August 28 disaster request with Bush's August 27 (effective August 26) emergency request.

"Here's the problem: Looking at a map of Louisiana, none of those parishes is in the southeastern part of the state where the hurricane was going to hit, and where Blanco asked for the emergency declaration. It doesn't include Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, etc. I have no idea why that is, but that's what the two documents say."

I covered this with someone else before. The reason that the southern parishes were excluded was because this was a positioning order. This was an order to have equipment and personnel in place to move in immediately after the hurricane. One does not place those valuable assets in the direct path of a hurricane; instead, they are moved away. Remember, at the time of the order, it was still believed that Katrina would make a direct hit on Louisana, and specifically New Orleans, at Category 5 strength. It would have been foolish to place rescue assets in the direct path of the hurricane. So, instead, they were ordered to brace for impact inland, and then be as close as safety permitted to move to the coast as quickly as possible.

In the event, of course, the hurricane took a late turn to the east and hit Mississippi instead, but no one really held that to be the path at the time the order was issued.

Someone seems to lack reading comprehension for their own sources:

(Sorry, I don't know how to properly do links here)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4944296#4945106

The August 27 declaration was, in Bush's own words intended, "to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard...."

It excluded Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, etc., and it wasn't about naming the parishes where relief was to be positioned. But, as usual, freepers can't read.

Perhaps, Friday's Child, you should more carefully read that screen shot that you have posted from the White House page:

"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding."

Sorry, Friday's Child, but this is exactly what I said it was: a mobilization order to have FEMA staff and equipment at the ready for after the hurricane hit.

Yet again, * is not toast, and there are no legs. No matter how many ways you try to slice it, this was a state and local matter, and the governor and the mayor blew it bigtime.

I covered this with someone else before. The reason that the southern parishes were excluded was because this was a positioning order. This was an order to have equipment and personnel in place to move in immediately after the hurricane. One does not place those valuable assets in the direct path of a hurricane; instead, they are moved away.

That's utterly ridiculous. It was a request for an emergency declaration for a specific area, and it was granted for an entirely different area. Did FEMA position assets in all those other parishes in advance of the hurricane, in accordance with your interpretation of the declaration? No. Here is how the presidential declaration begins: "The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina." It then goes on to leave out the parishes the governor said were in the path of the hurricane. Big boo-boo.

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