When did Admin know about Katrina?

[DocDiggs]

White House Got Early Warning on Katrina

By Joby Warrick
Washington Post Staff Writer


In the 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, the White House received detailed warnings about the storm's likely impact, including eerily prescient predictions of breached levees, massive flooding, and major losses of life and property, documents show.

A 41-page assessment by the Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC), was delivered by e-mail to the White House's "situation room," the nerve center where crises are handled, at 1:47 a.m. on Aug. 29, the day the storm hit, according to an e-mail cover sheet accompanying the document.

The NISAC paper warned that a storm of Katrina's size would "likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching" and specifically noted the potential for levee failures along Lake Pontchartrain. It predicted economic losses in the tens of billions of dollars, including damage to public utilities and industry that would take years to fully repair. Initial response and rescue operations would be hampered by disruption of telecommunications networks and the loss of power to fire, police and emergency workers, it said.

In a second document, also obtained by The Washington Post, a computer slide presentation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, prepared for a 9 a.m. meeting on Aug. 27, two days before Katrina made landfall, compared Katrina's likely impact to that of "Hurricane Pam," a fictional Category 3 storm used in a series of FEMA disaster-preparedness exercises simulating the effects of a major hurricane striking New Orleans. But Katrina, the report warned, could be worse.

The hurricane's Category 4 storm surge "could greatly overtop levees and protective systems" and destroy nearly 90 percent of city structures, the FEMA report said. It further predicted "incredible search and rescue needs (60,000-plus)" and the displacement of more than a million residents.

The NISAC analysis accurately predicted the collapse of floodwalls along New Orleans's Lake Pontchartrain shoreline, an event that the report described as "the greatest concern." The breach of two canal floodwalls near the lake was the key failure that left much of central New Orleans underwater and accounted for the bulk of Louisiana's 1,100 Katrina-related deaths.

The documents shed new light on the extent on the administration's foreknowledge about Katrina's potential for unleashing epic destruction on New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities and towns. President Bush, in a televised interview three days after Katrina hit, suggested that the scale of the flooding in New Orleans was unexpected. "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did anticipate a serious storm," Bush said in a Sept. 1 interview on ABC's "Good Morning America."

The reports echo warnings given around the same time by Max Mayfield, head of the National Hurricane Center, who began sounding the alarm when forecasters first placed Katrina on a collision with the Gulf Coast on the evening of Aug. 26. But the FEMA and NISAC reports provided much more detail and covered a wider range of possible consequences, from damaged ports and oil terminals to spikes in energy prices.

The White House declined to comment yesterday on the specifics of the reports but noted that the president has repeatedly acknowledged his displeasure with preparations for Katrina. "No one was pleased with the response by the government -- federal, state or local," spokesman Trent Duffy said. "We have already taken steps to be better prepared for future hurricanes, as you saw in the response to the hurricanes that followed Katrina."

The disclosure of the reports comes as the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee prepares to convene new hearings today into the federal government's performance during Katrina. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), the committee's ranking Democrat, responded to the documents in a statement saying the administration's failure to fully heed the warnings of its analysts "compounded the tragedy."

"Two to three days before Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, it became clear that it would be the 'Big One' everyone has been talking about for years," Lieberman said.




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...referrer=email

[KBay84]

Too bad that the state knew and did nothing. Even after Pres Bush called the state and city. The state has to "invite" or request federal relief efforts, and when the call for assistance was made, it was already too late. Maybe La will think twice before squandering funds meant for levee reinforcement next time.....

[BrianK]

I hope the writer of the article didn't get to much money for the effort of writing what I knew two days ahead of Katrina hitting. Only people isolated without communication of any kind would probably be the only ones that didn't know that Katrina was going to do extensive damage.

As for the federal gov. and the response, I only had to see hundreds of school buses under water to understand who was wrong in not taking Katrina seriously. Anyone without the physical ability; not motorized or mechanical to get out of town are the only people that I think deserve the consideration of pitying their plight. Those that could walk could have and didn't made a choice. Thousands of people walking would have drawn national attention to the mayors lack of using available transportation.

The FEMA director at the time was incompetent. That is a reflection on Pres. Bush for appointing him. It is also a reflection on Pres. Bushes staff for not making a recommendation that was competent. Easy to see all this after the fact. But if a Katrina had never happened the thought of something worse being mis handled at a another time reminds me that some good comes out of every bad.

[Woodmonkey]

Originally Posted by KBay84

Too bad that the state knew and did nothing. Even after Pres Bush called the state and city. The state has to "invite" or request federal relief efforts, and when the call for assistance was made, it was already too late.

I agree, Bay. If the city had know about Katrina, then Mayor Nagin would have used those 700/800 school buses to evacuate people instead of leaving them to sit in toxic water. Geez, the big bad federal government hit again!

Here's the old saw about everything being the responsibility of the federal governement. Some don't want to face the fact that it starts with the citizens involved and it is up to them to start being proactive. Bad hurricane coming (and it was all over the news), then get out! The city is next and the city officials have responsibilities, then comes the county (Parish) and they are supposed to implement their plans, then comes the state. Everyone should know by now that the state has to invite the federal government in. Because of Posse Comitatus (I hope I got that right), the federal government cannot just show up in a state.

Those with an agenda however, can't admit that the city, the Parish, and the state of Louisiana failed their citizens and bear the brunt of the blame.\

Originally Posted by KBay84

Maybe La will think twice before squandering funds meant for levee reinforcement next time.....

Yeah, right! That place is so corrupt.