Posted on 10/27/2005 6:24:47 PM PDT by Libloather
La. Gov. Blamed for Slow Removal of Bodies
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, left, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, background center, and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco leave a meeting where they addressed the immediate, post-hurricane priorities for the New Orleans hospitality industry, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Cheryl Gerber)
WASHINGTON — Bodies of people killed by Hurricane Katrina went uncollected for more than a week in the New Orleans area as the federal government waited for Louisiana's governor to decide what to do with them, according to memos released Thursday by a Republican-led House committee.
The 38 pages of e-mail between FEMA representatives and Pentagon officials contradict the contention by Louisiana's Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco, two weeks after Katrina hit on Aug. 29, that the federal government was moving too slowly to recover the bodies.
They also underscore ongoing political tensions between the Republican Bush administration and Democratic state and local officials over the botched response to Katrina, which killed more than 1,000 people in Louisiana. They were released by a House panel that many Democrats have shunned, chaired by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., that is investigating the government's sluggish preparations and reaction to the storm.
The memos indicate that morgues were not ready to receive bodies until Sept. 7 — two days after the first memo complaining about Blanco's inaction, and nine days after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.
"Number 1 issue is body collection," Army Col. John J. Jordan, the military assistant to former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown, wrote in a Sept. 5 e-mail to various Pentagon officials.
"This issue must be addressed, and frankly, there is operations paralysis at this point," Jordan wrote. "FEMA is pushing state to see what they want to do, and indications are that governor is involved in some of the decisions," especially regarding burial.
"Believe organized collection must begin today once morgue is operational or it will become evident to media that plan for collection is not in place," Jordan wrote in the e-mail, which was sent to Brown and Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore, the military coordinator for the disaster.
But the morgue did not open until two days later, according to the Sept. 7 e-mail from Jordan.
"First morgue site is fully operational," Jordan wrote to the Pentagon officials. "...Believe media and family member interest will continue to cause security concerns."
Nearly a week later, on Sept. 13, Blanco lashed out at the federal government, accusing it of moving too slowly in recovering the bodies and saying it was disrespectful to wait so long.
Blanco spokesman Bob Mann said Thursday it was FEMA's responsibility for removing bodies, which was delayed because the agency failed to sign a contract with Houston-based Kenyon International Emergency Services to do so.
Blanco "was almost literally jumping up and down and screaming about FEMA's failure to execute the contract with Kenyon," Mann said. "There were few things during that period that were more important and more urgent to the governor than doing something about this body removal. It was important to her that these people be treated with dignity, that these bodies not be allowed to lay out in the street."
"Yes, there was paralysis, but it was on the part of FEMA," Mann said.
Kenyon International's president Robert Jensen said in a telephone interview Thursday night that it was his company's decision not to sign a contract with FEMA. He declined to give reasons, other than to say that money was not the issue. Kenyon later accepted a contract with the state.
Officials have said they were more focused on rescuing Katrina's survivors immediately after the storm hit than in picking up bodies.
"For that first week following the storm ... all efforts were focused almost exclusively on rescuing the victims who were still alive," said Bob Johannesen, a spokesman for Louisiana's Department of Health and Hospitals.
Davis spokesman David Marin said the issue "offers further evidence that state and local officials were utterly overwhelmed."
Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the federal government must be better prepared to quickly step in disasters of Katrina's size.
"Finger pointing does not provide answers to grieving relatives," said Thompson, D-Miss.
The memos describe what federal officials called a decision by Blanco to not enforce a mandatory evacuation order in New Orleans. They also note that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin "is not prohibiting residents from returning."
"Since FEMA did not anticipate reversal of decision for mandatory evacuation, crisis-action planning is now underway to provide this support," Jordan wrote in the Sept. 5 e-mail.
Mann said more than 1 million people evacuated New Orleans by the eve of Katrina's arrival, and that Blanco encouraged people to lave town through a major public information effort.
Forcibly removing people or threatening arrest for those who chose to stay behind were not realistic options, Mann said. "I don't know how you enforce a mandatory evacuation order," he said.
___
Associated Press Writer Kevin McGill in New Orleans contributed to this report.
___
October 27, 2005 - 4:23 p.m. PDT
I doubt she could read it. She doesn't look like the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
I guess her staff didn't read it to her at bedtime, or buy her a copy of the Cliff's Notes.
Un-freaking-believable
"FEMA is pushing state to see what they want to do, and indications are that governor is involved in some of the decisions ... "
Why wasn't the governor involved in all of the decisions? Was she too busy getting her hair done for her endless photo ops?
Is Mitch Landrieu queer? My "gaydar" just went off looking at his picture.
This was a no bid contract and the amount of the contract was not revealed when it was announced.
Hmmmm,,makes me want to go google this company. Wonder who owns it and how they are related to people in power.
Interesting, on the dead pelican, Blancos approvals are sunk and disapprovals up in the high fifties. Landrieu's approvals have sunk too but not as much. Vitters are still high, approvals in the high fifties.
So it looks like Blanco and Landrieu may be toast.
Tour of Dallas' Hurricane Katrina Evacuee Facilities
I toured the Reunion Arena and Convention Center evacuee facilities with Louisiana's Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, his wife Cheryl, and Dallas Convention and Visitor's Bureau Director Phillip Jones.
Blanco publicly complained when FEMA refused to sign with Kenyon, then did it herself.
Kenyon gets $119,000 per day in a contract that runs 2 months.
http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=3851853
The key questions here are:
1. Why was Blanco so insistent that Kenyon get the contract?
2. Why did Blanco want Kenyon to sign with FEMA and not contract with Louisiana?
3. Why did Kenyon refuse to sign with FEMA?
4. Why did FEMA refuse to sign with Kenyon?
We have enough information to know that something is very wrong, but not enough to see exactly what it is.
What connection, if any, does Kenyon have with The Shaw Group? It has been reported that Blanco's husband "Coach" has "connections" with The Shaw Group.
"Is Mitch Landrieu queer? My "gaydar" just went off looking at his picture."
I don't know, but I wouldn't ask sister Mary! She's frustrated and has been looking to punch someone for quite a while now...
I'm from up north.
When I first looked at the title I saw: "snow removal..."
I thought she had a vision of a better New Orleans.
Maybe it's just a vision of a smellier New Orleans.
We learned at girl scout camp not to hold a candle under our chin. Oh, the ugliness!
Just wondering (since you've spent HOURS or maybe DAYS around campsites) - if the candle is under your chin, wouldn't the predominant light source fill your extra large nostrils with some sort of illumination?
(From the tiny size of that flame's foot candles, I smell a Big Media photo-op.)
LOL
Maybe she wanted the bodies above ground long enough to get up and vote Democrat a few times first. Isn't that traditional?
Huh? I'm really hoping the writer didn't mean to imply the "botched response killed 1000 people.
/happyflowersunshine worldview
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