 Hurricane
Rita 2005
|
/Hurricane
Katrina
HURRICANE KATRINA News:
20080831
 John
McCain -  Joe
Biden -  Barack
Obama -  Hillary
Clinton - Hurricane
Katrina -  Weather
- Emergency
-  Investigation
-  Legislation
-  Politics
-  History
-  Federal
-  NY
- New
Orleans -  Louisiana
-  Communications
-  Funds
-  Children
-  Transportation
- 2008
Election
"McCain
To Katrina Victims In 2005: You're On Your Own."
... "It doesn’t really come as a surprise to those of us who have watched
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain over the
years that he's about to make a campaign
stop in New Orleans [Louisiana] after Hurricane Gustav hits this week.
After all, he's been exploiting the troops for years, what's a few hurricane
victims after that?" ... "What does seem odd is that McCain thinks Gulf
Coast residents will forget how he, [Republican President] George W. Bush
and the then-Republican Congress turned their backs on them so many times
in the months after Katrina thundered ashore in 2005." ... "Too bad he
spent the months to follow leading the Republican charge against every
Senate bill that would have actually helped Katrina victims or mandated
investigations on how the Bush administration could have blown disaster
response so thoroughly." ... "[2008 Election] Democratic Vice Presidential
nominee Joe Biden jumped immediately to the aid of hurricane victims in
the week after the 2005 disaster, authoring S.Amdt.
1661 "…to provide emergency funding for victims of Hurricane Katrina.""
... "Biden's legislation would have provided many things including money
to purchase interoperable communications equipment to help first-responders
dealing with the disaster, $10 million "to find, unite, and transport children
impacted by Hurricane Katrina to their parents, legal guardian, or next
of kin" and funding to assist victims of domestic violence in affected
areas." ... "But with John McCain's help, the Republican-led Senate shot
down the funding on a 41-56
vote with McCain voting against, while Biden and Democratic Presidential
nominee Barack Obama voted for the funding." ... "When [New York Democratic]
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY[ Democratic-New York]) proposed the creation
of a Congressional Commission to "examine the Federal, State, and local
response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.. and make immediate
corrective measures to improve such responses in the future," John McCain
was once again exactly where [Republican President] George W. Bush wanted
him to be: On the "nay" side of a straight party-line vote (44-54)
that killed that legislation." ... "And lest you think it was McCain taking
a stand against what might become a Democratic witch hunt on the failures
of his bosses in the White House, the bill called for a wholly bipartisan
panel, stating
specifically of the 10-member group that "not more than 5 members of
the Commission shall be from the same political party."" ... "Unlike McCain,
Barack Obama was one of the cosponsors of that bill and both he and Biden
voted for immediate oversight on the bungled Katrina response." ... "But
that's not all." -By Bob
Geiger
20080806
Hillary
Rodham Clinton -  Dick
Cheney - Halliburton
KBR -  Blackwater
- Corporate
- Government
- Disaster
- Politics
-  Military
-  Peoples
-  Health
- Investigators
- Hurricane
Katrina -  Housing
-  US
-  Iraq
-  Cayman
Islands
"No
Crisis Is Immune From Exploitation Under Bush." ...
[By
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON:] "Tucked away on the Cayman Islands sits Ugland
House, an unassuming, nondescript building of modest scale and size. However,
according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO),
this five-story office building is home to more than 18,000 corporate entities,
nearly half of which have U.S. [United States] ties." ... "In the past
few years, the number of corporations flocking to places like the Cayman
Islands to evade U.S. taxes has exploded. One of these companies, [Republican
Vice President Dick Cheney's] former Halliburton subsidiary KBR, has used
offshore tax havens to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in
federal taxes. To no one's surprise, instead of cracking down on KBR, the
[Republican President] Bush administration has rewarded the company in
April of this year with a 10-year, $150 billion contract in Iraq." ...
"There appears to be no crisis, tragedy or disaster immune from exploitation
under the Bush administration. The examples of the waste, fraud and abuse
are legion -- from KBR performing shoddy electrical work in Iraq that has
resulted in the electrocution of our military personnel according to Pentagon
and Congressional investigators, to the firing of an Army official who
dared to refuse a $1 billion payout for questionable charges to the same
company. In another scam, the Pentagon awarded a $300 million contract
to AEY, Inc. [Incorporated], a company run by a 22-year-old who fulfilled
an ammunition deal in Afghanistan by supplying rotting Chinese-made munitions
to our allies." ... "But the fraud and waste are not limited to the war.
In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, for example, FEMA [Federal Emergency
Management Agency] awarded a contract worth more than $500 million for
trailers to serve as temporary housing. The contractor, Gulf Stream, collected
all of its money even though they knew at the time that its trailers were
contaminated with formaldehyde." ... "While touting fiscal responsibility,
[Republican] President Bush and his administration have lined the pockets
of political cronies like Halliburton and Blackwater. While calling for
earmark reform, the president has allowed no-bid and questionable contracting
throughout the federal government to dwarf earmark spending by a 10-to-1
ratio." -By Hillary Rodham Clinton
-WSJ.com
20080518
-
 WATCH
- John
McCain
- Iraq
- Military
- Disaster
- Hurricane
Katrina - New
Orleans - Louisiana
- US
- Economy
- Politics
-  Author
- 
-  Media
- 2008
Election - "McCain's
YouTube Problem Just Became a Nightmare." [2008 Election
Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain]
[John
McCain]
[YouTube
Video]
-
"According
to Cliff Schecter, author of The
Real McCain: Why Conservatives Don't Trust Him And Why Independents Shouldn't:
"It is dangerous for a democracy when a presidential candidate can lie
with impunity, change positions on a whim, and physically and verbally
threaten others and virtually none of it is reported by a besotted media
eagerly awaiting the next moment when he might slap their backs in friendship."
-TheRealMcCain.com -BraveNewFilms.org
20080401
-
 Alphonso
Jackson
- Criminal
- Federal
- Housing
- Construction
- Money
- Politics
- New
Orleans - Louisiana
- Hurricane
Katrina -  Pennsylvania
- "HUD
Secretary Alphonso Jackson steps down: The [Republican
President] Bush appointee's decision comes amid an investigation for cronyism
in awarding federal housing contracts. His resignation takes effect April
18." ... "Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson resigned
today amid a criminal investigation into favoritism in awarding HUD [Housing
and Urban Development] contracts that critics said was blunting the agency's
effectiveness in dealing with the subprime mortgage mess." ... "The investigation
into Jackson began in 2006, after he publicly disclosed that he had revoked
a contract because the vendor told him he did not like President Bush.
Amid an inspector general inquiry, Jackson told investigators that he had
misspoken." ... "The FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] is looking into
ties between Jackson and a friend who was paid $392,000 by HUD for work
as a construction manager in New Orleans [Louisiana] after Hurricane Katrina.
In addition, Jackson is also being sued for allegedly trying to punish
the Philadelphia [Pennsylvania] Housing Agency for nixing a deal with his
friend, music producer and developer Kenny Gamble." -By
Johanna Neuman -LAtimes
20080317
-
John
McCain
-
 John
Hagee -  Rod
Parsley -  Rudy
Giuliani -  Pat
Robertson
-  Terrorism
- Politics
- Military
- Religion
- Race
- Obama
- 2008
Election - Hurricane
Katrina - New
Orleans - Louisiana
-  Oklahoma
- US
-  Israel
- "The
difference between Jeremiah Wright and radical, white evangelical ministers."
... "Ross Douthat and Ezra
Klein are arguing about whether Jeremiah Wright's statements are comparable
to those of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and John Hagee's." ... "The statement
of Wright's which seems to be causing the most upset -- and it's one of
two singled out by Douthat -- is his suggestion that there is a causal
link between (a) America's constant bombings of and other interference
with Middle Eastern countries and (b) the willingness of some Middle Eastern
fanatics to attack the U.S. [United States] Ever since the 9/11 attacks,
we've been told that positing any such causal connection is a sign of vicious
anti-Americanism and that all decent people find such questions despicable.
This week we learned that no respectable person would subject his children
to a pastor who espouses such hateful ideas." ... "But the idea that America
deserves terrorist attacks and other horrendous disasters has long been
a frequently expressed view among the faction of white evangelical ministers
to whom the Republican Party is most inextricably linked. Neither Jerry
Falwell nor Pat Robertson ever retracted or denounced their view that America
provoked the 9/11 attacks by doing things to anger God. John Hagee continues
to believe that the City of New Orleans [Louisiana] got what it deserved
when Katrina drowned its residents and devastated the lives of thousands
of Americans. And [Oklahoma Republican Senator] James Inhofe -- who
happens to still be a Republican U.S. Senator -- blamed
America for the 9/11 attacks by arguing in a 2002 Senate floor speech
that "the spiritual door was opened for an attack against the United States
of America" because we pressured Israel to give away parts of the West
Bank." ... "John Hagee privately
visits with the highest level Middle East officials in the [Republican
President Bush] White House and afterwards pronounces that they're in agreement.
[2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain shares a
stage with Hagee and lavishes him with praise, as Rudy Giuliani did with
Pat Robertson. James Inhofe remains a member in good standing in the GOP
[GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] Senate Caucus. The Republican Party has
tied itself at the hip to a whole slew of "anti-American extremists" --
people who believe that the U.S. provoked the 9/11 attacks because God
wants to punish us for the evil, wicked nation we've become -- and yet
there is virtual silence about these associations." ... "Nor have the views
of televangelist Rod Parsley, one of McCain's self-proclaimed "spiritual
advisers," received a fraction of the attention generated by Wright. As
both David
Corn and Alan
Colmes, among others, have documented, Parsley espouses views at least
as extreme and radical as Wright, including his proclamation that "America
was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion
[Islam] destroyed." Unlike Wright and Obama -- for whom the former's
controversial views are found nowhere near the latter's public or private
conduct -- both George Bush and John McCain's Middle Eastern militarism
are perfectly consonant with the most maniacal and crazed views of Christian
Rapture enthusiasts such as Hagee, Parsley, Inhofe, and Robertson. Yet
the controversy created over their close ties is virtually non-existent."
... "The Republican Party long ago adopted as a central strategy aligning
itself with, and granting great influence to, the most radical, "America-hating"
white evangelical Christian ministers in the country."
-By Glenn Greenwald -Salon
20080228
-
Barack
Obama
-
 Tim
Russert
- John
McCain
- John
C Hagee - Religious
- Racist
- Political
- Journalist
- 2008
Election - Hurricane
Katrina - Homosexual
- New
Orleans - Louisiana
-  Texas
- "Some
hateful, radical ministers -- white evangelicals -- are acceptable."
... "One of this week's hysterical press scandals was that Minister Louis
Farrakhan praised [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] Barack
Obama's candidacy even though Obama had previously denounced numerous Farrakhan
remarks and the Obama campaign did nothing to seek out the Farrakhan praise.
Nonetheless, [MSNBC TV political journalist] Tim Russert demanded
that Obama jump through multiple hoops to prove that he has no connection
to -- and, in fact, "rejects" -- the ideas espoused by Farrakhan deemed
to be radical and hateful." ... "Yesterday, though, the equally fringe,
radical and hateful (at least) [Reverend] Rev. John Hagee -- a white evangelical
who is the pastor of a sprawling "mega-church" in Texas -- enthusiastically
endorsed [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]] John McCain.
Did McCain have to jump through the same hoops which Russert and others
set up for Obama and "denounce" Hagee's extremism and "reject" his support?
No; quite the opposite. McCain said he was "very honored" to receive
this endorsement and, when asked about some of Hagee's more twisted views,
responded: "all I can tell you is that I am very proud to have Pastor
John Hagee's support."" ... "McCain's sainted supporter, [Connecticut
Independent Democrat Senator] Joe Lieberman, last
year spoke to Hagee's group and lavished him with such obsequious praise
that Lieberman actually compared Hagee, favorably, to Moses. Why is Louis
Farrakhan deemed by our political establishment to be so radioactive as
to not be fit for good company -- black candidates are required to repudiate
his support even when they haven't sought it and denounce his views even
when they've never advocated anything close to those views -- but John
Hagee is a perfectly acceptable figure whom mainstream GOP [GOP=Grand Old
Party=Republican] politicians are free to court without any consequences
or media objections?" ... "From an NPR
interview Hagee gave to Terry Gross in 2006:"
"TG
[Terry Gross]: If you use the Bible as the basis for policy, is
there any room for compromise? And if you use the bible as the basis for
policy, should Muslims use the Koran as the basis for their policy, and
then again, what possible basis is there for compromise at that point?"
... "JH [John Hagee]: There is really no room for compromise between
radical Islam --" ... "TG [Terry Gross]: I'm not talking about radical
Islam. I'm just talking about Islam in general." ... "JH [John
Hagee]: Well Islam in general -- those who live by the Koran have a
scriptural mandate to kill Christians and Jews."
...
"JH
[John Hagee]: All hurricanes are acts of God, because God controls
the heavens. I believe that New Orleans [Louisiana] had a level of sin
that was offensive to God, and they were recipients of the judgment of
God for that." ... "The newspaper carried the story in our local area,
that was not carried nationally, that there was to be a homosexual parade
there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that
parade was that it would was going to reach a level of sexuality never
demonstrated before in any of the other gay pride parades." ... "So I believe
that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know there are people
who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you
violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the
Day of Judgment, and I believe that the Hurricane Katrina was, in fact,
the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans."
"In
the framework of the Russert-led establishment press, white evangelical
Christians are, by definition, entitled to great respect no matter how
radical, extreme and hateful their professed views are." ... "The entire
GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] establishment is permitted actively
to lavish them with praise and court their support without the slightest
backlash or controversy." ... "By contrast, black Muslim ministers like
Farrakhan, or even black Christian ministers like [Reverend] Rev. Jeremiah
Wright, are held with deep suspicion, even contempt." -By Glenn
Greenwald -Salon
20080219
-
Corporate
- Government
- Politics
- Hurricane
Katrina -
 Flood
- Disaster
- New
Orleans - Louisiana
-  University
- Homes
- "Supreme
Court rejects Katrina victims' flood insurance case."
... "The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to offer help to Hurricane Katrina
victims who want their insurance companies to pay for flood damage to their
homes and businesses." ... "The justices rejected appeals from Xavier University
[in New Orleans, Louisiana] and 68 other individuals and businesses seeking
to allow their lawsuits against the insurers to go forward."
-AssociatedPress
20080214
-
Peoples
- Housing
- Safety
- Emergency
- Politics
- Government
-
 Science
- Investigators
- Censorship
- Hurricane
Katrina - Hurricane
Rita - Weather
- "CDC
Confirms Health Risks to Occupants of Trailers."
... "Federal health officials have confirmed that high levels of formaldehyde
gas pose health risks to hurricane victims housed in 38,000 government
trailers on the Gulf Coast, and will recommend that occupants be moved
before temperatures rise this spring and summer, [Republican President]
Bush administration officials disclosed yesterday." ... "The findings cap
nearly two years of internal government deliberation over the housing of
hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors in the trailers, and come 23 months
after FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency ] first received reports
of health problems and test results showing formaldehyde levels at 75 times
the U.S.[United States]-recommended workplace safety threshold." ... "[Mississippi
Democratic Representative] Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of
the House Homeland Security Committee, criticized what he depicted as the
[Repblican President] Bush administration's tardy response." ... "FEMA
announced plans in July to test the occupied trailers after congressional
investigators accused it of suppressing internal warnings about the problem.
Testing finally began in late December." -By Spencer
S. Hsu -WashingtonPost
20071004
-
Alphonso
Jackson
- Government
- Money
- Politics
- Hurricane
Katrina - Housing
- Construction
- Texas
- New
Orleans - Louisiana
-
 SC
- "Questionable
Contracts." ... "In April last year, Housing Secretary
Alphonso
Jackson traveled to Dallas to deliver a speech to a group of minority
real estate executives. The event should have been pretty routine stuff.
But Jackson -- and these are his words -- shot off his mouth by describing
how he believed contracts should be awarded by the Department of Housing
and Urban Developmen [HUD]t. The secretary recalled, for instance, how
he once had killed a contract award because the contractor had disparaged
his friend [Republican] President Bush." ... "Not too long after
his speech, when he was back in Washington, Jackson realized he had blundered.
Democratic lawmakers, citing concerns about political favoritism in HUD
contract awards, called for an investigation by the department's inspector
general. One powerful senator demanded Jackson's resignation. Jackson,
meanwhile, issued an apology: HUD contracts, he said, were never "awarded,
rejected, or rescinded" because of political influence or bias." ... "The
matter, however, didn't end there. HUD Inspector General Kenneth Donohue
launched an investigation. In September 2006, Donohue rendered his verdict
in a lengthy report: Although Jackson had, in fact, urged senior aides
to consider the political views of contractors in doling out department
business, "no direct evidence" linked political favoritism to such awards.
Jackson, it seemed, had dodged a bullet." ... "But perhaps not, because
federal investigators are once again on Jackson's trail. And this time,
the investigation seems more serious. Donohue's investigators are now working
with the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigationv], a federal grand jury in
Washington, and prosecutors from the Justice Department's Public Integrity
Section. The investigation appears to focus, in part, on whether Jackson
misled Congress when he testified earlier this year that he had never intervened
in awarding HUD contracts. "I don't touch contracts," the HUD boss told
a Senate panel on May 3." ... "Investigators are exploring whether Jackson,
despite that testimony, had actually lined up a contract at the HUD-controlled
Housing Authority of New Orleans [Louisiana], or HANO, for a golfing buddy
and social friend from Hilton Head Island, S.C. [South Carolina] The friend,
William
Hairston, was paid more than $485,000 for working at HANO during an
18-month period, according to figures provided by HUD and a former HANO
official. The work was not competitively bid." ... "In an interview, Hairston,
a stucco contractor, said that Jackson had indeed helped him land the job
at HANO. He said that the New Orleans housing agency, which HUD manages
under receivership, was struggling to repair and rehab its housing units
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and needed a construction manager. "The
secretary asked me if I would go to New Orleans and help them out," Hairston
told National Journal." -By Edward T. Pound
-NationalJournal
20070905
-
US
- Iraq
- Military
- Hurricane
Katrina - Historical
-
 Secrets
- Archive
-  Electronic
- Messages
- Presidential
Records Act - Government
-  E-Mail
- Politics
- "White
House sued again over e-mail." ... "The [law]suit
by the National Security Archive, a private group, is the latest effort
to find out whether the [Republican President] Bush administration lost
millions of electronic messages." ... ""The period covers the period beginning
with the Iraq war until the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; it doesn't
get more historically valuable than that," said Tom Blanton, director of
the private organization, which advocates public disclosure of government
secrets." ... "The Federal Records Act and the Presidential Records Act
require that e-mail be preserved." -By Pete Yost
-AP via -SeattlePI
20070829
-
New
Orleans - Louisiana
-
 Mississippi
- Storm
- Flood
- Hurricane
Katrina - Disaster
- Rebuilding
- Politics
- Federal
- Money
- "An
Angry New Orleans Remembers Katrina: Upset Over Lack
Of Progress Since Devastating Storm, Protests And Memorials Mark 2nd Anniversary."
... "On the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, anger over the stalled
rebuilding was palpable throughout a city where the mourning for the dead
and feeling of loss for flooded homes, schools, snow cone stands, old-time
hairstylists and hardware stores doesn't seem to subside." ... "Hurricane
Katrina made landfall south of New Orleans at 6:10 a.m. Aug. 29, 2005,
as a strong Category 3 hurricane that flooded 80 percent of the city and
killed more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi. It was the
worst natural disaster in the history of the United States." ... "[Republican]
President Bush commemorated Hurricane Katrina's devastating blow Wednesday
with a somber moment of silence. Across town, in a symbol of a federal-city
divide that persists two years after the killer storm, New Orleans Mayor
Ray Nagin marked the levee-breach moment with bell-ringing." ... "The front
page of The Times-Picayune advertised a scathing editorial above the masthead:
"Treat us fairly, Mr. President." It chided the Bush administration for
giving Republican-dominated Mississippi a share of federal money that it
said was disproportionate to the lesser impact the storm had there than
in largely Democratic Louisiana. "We ought to get no less help from our
government than any other victims of this disaster," it said." (1, 2)
-AP -CBSNews
20070813
-
Hurricane
Katrina - Real
Estate - Disaster
- Politics
-
 Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Government
-Construction
- Legislation
- "Katrina
aid goes toward luxury condos." ... "With large swaths
of the Gulf Coast still in ruins from Hurricane Katrina, rich federal tax
breaks designed to spur rebuilding are flowing hundreds of miles inland
to investors who are buying up luxury condos near the University of Alabama's
football stadium [in Tuscaloosa, Alabama]." ... "About 10 condominium projects
are going up in and around Tuscaloosa [Alabama], and builders are asking
up to $1 million for units with granite countertops, king-size bathtubs
and 'Bama decor, including crimson couches and Bear Bryant wall art." ...
"And they intend to take full advantage of the generous tax benefits available
to investors under the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005, or GO Zone, according
to Associated Press interviews with buyers and real estate officials."
... "The GO Zone contains a variety of tax breaks designed to stimulate
construction in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama." ... "The GO Zone was
drawn to include the Tuscaloosa area even though it is about 200 miles
from the coast and got only heavy rain and scattered wind damage from Katrina."
... "Locals say Tuscaloosa was included in the GO Zone through the efforts
of Republican [Alabama Senator] Sen. Richard Shelby, who is from Tuscaloosa,
graduated from Alabama and sits on the powerful Appropriations Committee.
But Shelby aides said Tuscaloosa made the cut because it was classified
as a disaster area by the government after Katrina, not because of the
senator's influence." -By Jay Reeves -AP
via -USATODAY
20070809
-
 Maine
- Texas
- New
Orleans - Louisiana
- Hurricane
Katrina - History
- "Bush
on track to become the vacation president." ... "On
Thursday, [Republican President] Bush left for a weekend in Kennebunkport,
Maine, and his family's summer compound, Walker's Point. On Monday, he
heads to his Crawford [Texas] retreat, where he has spent all or part of
418 days of his presidency, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS News White
House correspondent and meticulous record-keeper." ... "Bush's August sojourn
will be his 65th trip to Crawford, according to Knoller." ... "The presidential
vacation-time record holder is the late Ronald Reagan, who tallied 436
days in his two terms." ... "Even so, this year's August vacation for Bush
is a contrast to previous years such as 2005, when he dragged out vacation
in Texas to five weeks. That was also the year Bush remained on vacation
immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit." -By Julie
Mason -Chron
|
|
Hurricane
Katrina News Websites and Special Reports
|
HURRICANE
KATRINA QUOTES:
|
RedCross.org
FEMA.gov
"Medical
Readiness Responsibilities and Capabilities: A Strategy for
Realigning and Strengthening the Federal Medical Response." -By Jeffrey
Lowell, MD -The AP has a [PDF]
copy of the January 3, 2005 official
report. -AP
Special
Reports:
ABCNews
"Hurricane
Katrina: State of Emergency."
BBC
/News
"Hurricane
Katrina."
CBSNews
"Disaster
on the Gulf Coast."
CNN
Hurricane
Katrina
HoustonChronicle
Hurricane
Katrina
LATimes
"Complete
Coverage: Hurricane Katrina."
MSNBC
"Katrina's
Devastation."
SFGate
Hurricane
Katrina
USATODAY
Hurricane
Katrina
WashingtonPost
"In
Katrina's Wake."
Hurricane Katrina PHOTOS
ABCNews
"A
National Disgrace."
CBC.ca
"Hurricane
Katrina Damage."
CBSNews
"Critters
and Katrina."
CNN
"Hurricane
Katrina: Returning to Jefferson Parish."
SFGate
"Hurricance
Katrina Photos."
|
""At
this point, we would have expected a sharp, crisp response to this terrible
tragedy," Collins said. "Instead, we witnessed what appeared to be a sluggish
initial response."" -Susan Collins, R-Maine -USATODAY
"The
only way to ensure that all levels of our government are held accountable
to the people is to take this process out of the hands of politicians with
a vested interest in the outcome," said Senate Democratic leader Harry
Reid of Nevada. -Reuters
"It
is difficult to understand the lack of preparedness and the ineffective
initial response to a disaster that had been predicted for years and for
which specific dire warnings had been given for days," said Senator
Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and chairwoman of the Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs Committee, which will conduct one of the main
inquiries. -NYTimes
"Overall,
it was a very good response." Laura Bush, President George Bush's wife.
-MSNBC
""What
I'm hearing which is sort of
scary
is they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.
And so many of the people in the arenas here, you know, were underprivileged
anyway. This [she chuckles slightly] is working very well for them."
Barbara Bush, , President George Bush's mother.
-EditorAndPublisher
"Brownie,
you're doing a heck of a job." President George Bush speaking of FEMA
director Michael Brown. -SFGate.com
"I
don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." President
George Bush on the breach of the New Orleans, Louisiana levees.-BBC
/News
More
Quotes:
"Stupid
Quotes About Hurricane Katrina: 25 Mind-Numbingly
Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath." -By
Daniel Kurtzman -About.com
|
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Hurricane Katrina News Sources:
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20050915
Hurricane
Katrina - New
Orleans - Louisiana
- Disaster
- "President
Discusses Hurricane Relief in Address to the Nation."
[Below are selected portions of US President George W. Bush's speech from
New Orleans, Louisiana]: ... "The Department of Homeland Security is registering
evacuees who are now in shelters and churches, or private homes, whether
in the Gulf region or far away. I have signed an order providing immediate
assistance to people from the disaster area. As of today, more than 500,000
evacuee families have gotten emergency help to pay for food, clothing,
and other essentials. Evacuees who have not yet registered should contact
FEMA or the Red Cross. We need to know who you are, because many of you
will be eligible for broader assistance in the future. Many families were
separated during the evacuation, and we are working to help you reunite.
Please call this number: 1-877-568-3317 -- that's 1-877-568-3317 -- and
we will work to bring your family back together, and pay for your travel
to reach them."
...
"Within
the Gulf region are some of the most beautiful and historic places in America.
As all of us saw on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty
in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial
discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America.
We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore
all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy
of inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new businesses,
including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When the houses
are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses. When the
regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the jobs
being created."
...
"And
to help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better
lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under
this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal
government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge,
through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with
either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for
Humanity. Home ownership is one of the great strengths of any community,
and it must be a central part of our vision for the revival of this region."
...
"Four
years after the frightening experience of September the 11th, Americans
have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency.
When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I, as President,
am responsible for the problem, and for the solution. So I've ordered every
Cabinet Secretary to participate in a comprehensive review of the government
response to the hurricane. This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane
Katrina. We're going to review every action and make necessary changes,
so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil
men, that could threaten our people." -President George W. Bush -WhiteHouse.gov
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