Reidblog [The Reid Report blog]

Another blogster noticed something quite interesting---that the parishes declared under FEMA watch before Hurricane Katrina hit Lousiana were all in north and west Louisiana...so I did some more checking:

In the official President's letter of Aug. 28, 2005 declaring "an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and (the President has) 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 actual Louisiana parishes that are then officially listed as parishes on which FEMA will concentrate "to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe" are all Louisiana parishes north and west of the Mississippi Delta region (north and west of Baton Rouge), not those Louisiana parishes in southeast Louisiana that were hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Then, when one reads the official request from Gov. Blanco to the White House for FEMA assistance before Katrina hit, her letter states: "Parishes expected to receive MAJOR DAMAGE (my emphasis) based on the anticipated track of Hurricane Katrina are: Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, and Washington."

Strange. None of these Louisiana parishes were listed in the official White House declaration issued in response to Gov. Blanco's request.

Louisiana Gov. Blanco's request divided the state's parishes into three categories: 1) major damage (14 parishes), 2) significant damage (17 parishes) and 3) parishes for evacuation purposes (33 parishes).

All 33 parishes in no. 3 appeared in the President's declaration. 6 parishes from no. 2 appeared in the President's declaration while 11 didn't. None of the parishes in the no. 1 (major damage) category appeared in the President's declaration authorizing FEMA action.

Very,very strange.

Then look at the President's declarations for Mississippi and Alabama. All the counties listed were directly in the path of Hurricane Katrina and probably suffered "major damage." They are also all located in southern Mississippi and Alabama, not like most of the Louisiana parishes listed in the President's official declaration which are located in northern Louisiana.

In other words, what if, per official Presidential order, FEMA efforts in Louisiana were directed toward the least endangered parishes, while the most vulnerable parishes apparently were forgotten, or overlooked, by whoever composed the official White House response to Gov. Blanco's request for federal assistance prior to Hurricane Katrina reaching land? But a Presidential order is a Presidential order, so FEMA was ordered to go help the least endangered parishes in Louisiana.

This might explain why federal relief efforts were visible in southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, while they appeared largely invisible in southern and eastern Louisiana, and especially in New Orleans. [emphasis added]

Just wondering...how many Republicans it takes to screw in a lightbulb?

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.

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.