Something of which much will be made - though possibly not untill the Congressional Hearings get under way - is that assets and resources had been arranged reasonaby well in advance (as these things go) of the catastrophe - prepositioned or alerted, as applicable. Among the way things work are the requirements and protocols surrounding Disaster Aid, particularly that involving military participation and aid afforded by another state or by the Federal Government. The Governors of the affected states must formally request the aid. A silly rule, yeah, mebbe. None the less, it is/was the rule; it may get changed, prolly should get changed, but the fact remains, the official routine, with which all Governors should be familiar (and Bianco and Nagin were aware of and had in last year's excersize,
"Hurricane Pam", followed the correct form) was not followed, and while that's no excuse, it is, understanding the way bureaucracies work, a very plausible (though again not entirely exculpatory) reason for the chaos, confusion, and delay of the first 48 hours following Katrina's strike on the Gulf Coast.
Case in point (and but one of many such blunders):
Quote:Firefighting gear stockpile unused
From CNN Producer Mike M. Ahlers
Saturday, September 3, 2005; Posted: 6:09 a.m. EDT (10:09 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Nine stockpiles of fire-and-rescue equipment strategically placed around the country to be used in the event of a catastrophe still have not been pressed into service in New Orleans, five days after Hurricane Katrina, CNN has learned.
Responding to a CNN inquiry, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Marc Short said Friday the gear has not been moved because none of the governors in the hurricane-ravaged area has requested it.
A federal official said the department's Office for Domestic Preparedness reminded the Louisiana and Mississippi governors' offices about the stockpiles on Wednesday and Thursday, but neither governor had requested it ...
Certainly no excuse, whatsoever - but a reason - a systemic bureauocratic flaw which demands remedy.
Interesting as well, reference the earlier mentioned "Hurricane Pam" excercize, is that the hypothetical situation postulated a relatively slow moving Category 3 hurricane, and it was known well in advance Katrina was a relatively slow moving Category 4/5 hurricane. Among the recommendations drawn from the excerize - evacuation of the city prior to the onset of the hypothetical Category 3 storm was deemed an urgent necessity, and that New Orlean's public transit assets, city and school buses (assets unused over the weekend approach of Katrina, and now themselves casualties of the flooding), would need to be pressed into service in order to effect the timely evacuation of those many tens of thouands in the city who lacked adequate transportation of their own.
