Heck of a job: The bad rap FEMA has taken over it’s abysmal response to Hurricane Rita must be galling to the thousands of good guys and gals at the relief agency – especially the professionals who were in the disaster region after the storm, trying to do their jobs.
— Email to FEMA staff
One such FEMA pro is Marty Bahamonde. After the levees broke in New Orleans, Bahamonde was holed up in the Superdome with 30,000 evacuees, no plumbing or power, and very little food and water.
He was tasked with serving as the eyes and ears of FEMA’s then-director, Michael Brown. But now Bahamonde has come forward to say that Brown ignored his dire pleas for help – and appeared to be more concerned about having a relaxing dinner in a Baton Rouge restaurant than he was about citizens under his protection in New Orleans who were dying in attics and living in filth with no help in sight.
From “Countdown” with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC:
KEITH OLBERMANN: Mr. Brown‘s e-mails during the crisis show there were failures at every level. And they have pricked the conscience of a top FEMA aid who has broken ranks and testified to Senate investigators.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA MYERS, NBC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wednesday, August 31st, much of New Orleans is underwater. A FEMA official inside the Superdome sends an urgent Blackberry message to his boss, Director Michael Brown.
Marty Bahamonde, said to be Brown‘s eyes and ears within the city, writes: “The situation is past critical. Hotels are kicking people out. Thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Estimates are many will die within hours.”
Bahamonde tells Senate investigators, he doesn‘t remember getting a response to that e-mail but later was forwarded this one. Brown‘s press secretary [fretting] about Brown‘s dining plans for that evening. “It‘s very important that time is allowed for Mr. Brown to eat dinner, she writes, given that Baton Rouge is back to normal, restaurants are getting busy. He needs much more than 20 or 30 minutes.”
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS [(R)], MAINE: That is just appalling.
MYERS: Senator Susan Collins says Brown‘s inner circle seemingly failed to grasp the urgency of Bahamonde‘s warnings.
COLLILNS: There is this extraordinary disconnect between what he is reporting and the reaction back in Washington.
MYERS: Bahamonde expressed his frustration about the dinner e-mail writing: “Oh, my God!!!!!!!! Just tell her that I just ate MRE and went to the bathroom in the hallway of the Superdome along with 30,000 other close friends, so I understand her concern about busy restaurants.”
(on camera): Bahamonde also says officials at all levels of government failed to act on his early warnings that this key 17th Street levee had failed. He says local and FEMA officials had 16 hours to warn the public and no one sounded the alarm.
I heard in another report today that Bahamonde
alerted Brown that the 17th Street levee had just failed. According to the report, Brown response was ” I’m calling the White House right now.”
This was about 16 hours BEFORE the White House has been saying they became aware of the levee break. Sounds like their response was even worse and even more delayed than we’ve heard.
Plus, doesn’t it suggest that they’ve lied about when they were alerted to the levee crisis?
Can someone else verify this scenario? I can’t remember if I read it or heard it on the radio this morning.
It’s clear that Drownie just doesn’t have what it takes.
Back when he was Governor of Texas, Bush would spend less than 15 minutes considering whether somebody on death row should live or die then have a 2-hour lunch. Until Drownie can reach that sort of standard there’s no hope of him ever becoming President. Unless Cheney does the perp walk, Bush appoints Drownie as veep and then Bush gets impeached.
Brownie is still being paid as a consultant by FEMA
I, read on this web site that MR> BROWNIE is still working for FEMA as a consultant, his contract was just extended for another 30 day he is still looking for thet great RESTAURANT. THIS REALY BURNES ME AS A TAXPAER. WE HAVE TO GET RID IF BUSH SOME HOW. I DO NOT THINK MR. FITZGERALD wil bring any one to BAR OF JUSTICE, HE IS A REPUBLICAN,AND SO IS HIS BOSS I THINK MR. FITZGERALD WILL LEAVE THE STAGE VERY QUITELY,IN THE NIGHT. SO WE HAVE TO GET BUSH OUT OF OFFICE SOME HOW. LIKE IMPEACH HIM! some how. THE WEB SITE ABOUT BROWNIE IShttp://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com H.D.
New Orleans is a crime scene..
This administration is the perpetrators.
Bahamonde’s story is absolutely devastating. The major news media should be all over this one, and Drownie should be cut off from his consultancy.
I can’t believe there are people whi still call themselves republicans after all this.
Boggles the mind.
Micheal Chertoff should be fired. When I looked at who had the responsiblity for overseeing the response, it was head of homeland security, Micheal Chertoff. He was the one who was to make initial response actions to be taken by FEMA. He did not. He was also the individual responsible for insuring employes had the Knowledge, experiance,the capabiliy,and the personality to handle the large disasters that might occur under his whatch. Micheal Chertoff either cave in under pressure to hire cronies or he did not check out the mans back ground. Either way Mr. Chertoff did not preform his duties as director.
Many of times when I worked in the corporate world I was ask to do things that was agasnt the rules, illegal, or not morally proper. I refused to ruin my reputation and even threaten to quit be to keep my integrety.
Fire Micheal Chertoff now because he is not qualified for the job. To stand up for what is right must be part of the qualifications especially when so many lives are involved.
Also, an investigation should be started into how and why such an incompedent individual like Micheal Brown was hired.
does anyone really think the whitehouse is gonna fire any of fema’s or homeland securities departments?they fit right in with all the other bootlickers bush put in just about every office in washington
This is criminal behaviour. The prosecutors in NOLA are running around charging nursing home owners with homicide for deserting the residents during the storm, yet nothing has been done to charge those responsible for deserting the nursing home owners who had no way to save the residents and fled for their own lives. Victims of the storm face criminal charges, while those who were out of harms way, yet responsible for a dare I say, response, walk away scot free. They freaking lounged in restaraunts as people died and they are a-okay with their own actions and our government is too?
Don’t you understand that FEMA did exactly as planned? They caused havoc, cut communication lines, turned away water, refused help. The reason for this is to have an excuse to turn everything over to the military. The plan is to turn us into a police state and it has almost been accomplished.
we are a police state bush republicans and the democrats are the same party one party of big business supporting insurance companies,health care companies welfare corps and big business in oil and study infowars.com
We have been stolen our freedoms patriot act should be called the anti freedom act!!!