Hurricane Center Dir. Tells Paper He Briefed Brown and Chertoff on Dangers

[expatriot]

Hurricane Center Director Tells Paper He Briefed Brown and Chertoff on Danger of Severe Flooding

Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, told the Times-Picayune Sunday afternoon that officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security, including FEMA Director Mike Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, listened in on electronic briefings given by his staff in advance of Hurricane Katrina slamming Louisiana and Mississippi--and were advised of the storm’s potential deadly effects.

[Sabriel]

1. But, but..they said no one had told them!

Gee, I hardly know who to believe anymore!

[bpilgrim]

13. BBC: NORTHCOM was alerted and started staging relief before katrina hit!

http://news.globalfreepress.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-2010

download link...
http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/katrina/BBC_Katrina.mpg

psst... pass the word :bounce:

peace

[54anickel]

28. We were ready, but we HAVE to wait for the President to give the order.

And what was the President doing before the storm hit? Sheesh, is everything LIHOP with this idiot?

[54anickel]

33. That interview needs to be aired by US MSM. Wonder when LC Sean

Kelley will be forced to clarify his statement.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. They pin their hopes on a subtle distinction now

Chertoff, on NBC Meet the Press, said that the break in the levees was completely unexpected since they hadn't broken by time the storm passed. He quoted headlines like "Dodged a Bulllet".

Doesn't let him off the hook. In other words, he thought the danger was over so he went back to sleep. Didn't occur to him that levees can be weakened by storms and weaknesses get worse over time. Didn't occur to him that the storm moved upstream along the River, dumping rain all the way, and where would that rain flow? Nope, he was dreaming of sex in the oval office and his glory days.

[nolabels]

25. Only your kitchen and living room are on fire, it hasn't reached.........

the bedroom, so go back to sleep :boring:

How in the hell does such a clueless individual get a job like that? It's all beyond comprehension for me :crazy:

[klyon]

39. me too ......mind boggling

Bush has never achieved anything on his own except screwing up

KL

[FlaGranny]

29. That tries to explain NO, but

how does that explain the lack of quick response outside the city and in MS and AL? Supposedly they were staged and ready to go there too - but they didn't show up in those places until Thursday (I believe).

[Gman]

38. But no one could have predicted how bad this would be

or even that no one could have predicted that people would fly planes into the WTC.

[misscoko34]

2. well well the truth comes out afterall

I knew ole mike was lyin when he claimed he was taken by surprised. big liar he is.

[Purrfessor]

11. Funny, huh. Mike Brown was briefed straight from the horses mouth

eom

[Olney Blue]

35. LOL

With an "Arabian" connection?!

[klyon]

40. he must have gone to the bathroom and missed that part

drinks tea you know

KL

[aquart]

Why did the cadaverous idiot even bother?

[Straight Shooter]

3. I'm sure Dr. Mayfield doesn't want people to think he wasn't doing his job

Sooner or later the bush gang would be pointing their fingers at him. Mayfield is doing a little pre-emptive damage control. Good for him. He understands that "The Excuse Administration" believes that the best way to evade accountability is to find a scapegoat.

[Sabriel]

14. I hope his colleagues follow suit.

There had better be some major CYAing if the rest of them don't want to get burned.

[FlaGranny]

30. Mayfield is on video BEFORE

the hurricane struck (and more than once) saying what would happen in NO. His butt is covered.

Edit: On second thought, the Nero administration is adept at denying what you see and hear with your own eyes and ears.

[bmcatt]

4. This needs to be on MSM...

Talk about "catapulting the propaganda". Somehow, this has to get in the face of everyone that the flood issue *wasn't* a surprise to TPTB.

Kick / recommended.

[bunny planet]

27. just sent this page link to Randi Rhodes and Keith Olbermann.

I know Randi will cover it, I hope KO does too. Might try and find Oprah's email addy, she's doing a show on this on Tuesday, and she's got 20 million viewers.

[caligirl]

5. 3rd vote and this should get to MSM. Part of the record against Bush et al

[goforit]

6. LOL......Keep hiding behind your lies Chertoff/Brown.

[Gloria]

7. 4th vote--this is critical info, really nails them....on MTP, Chertoff

mentioned "electronic" communications or meetings, I think. Probably what was mentioned in the article. He repeated that even though they were informed, they still were "surprised" by the breech of the levees.

He says it with such earnestness....

[Justice]

8. Haley Barbour said Mayfield called him, and said it would be as

bad as Camille. I assumed that if Mayfield called Barbour, he called Brown/Chertoff.

[sam sarrha]

9. they missed the Moyers documentary with the 30 foot pole...

[speedoo]

12. Would be good to know WHEN the briefings occurred. n/t

[Spazito]

20. There is no specific date spelled out but it does say this:

"We were briefing them way before landfall," Mayfield said. "It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped."

"WAY BEFORE LANDFALL" says to me it was more than early enough for them to have gotten their act together.

[SuniSurf]

10. Hey BushCo - Just Keep On with the Lies

All of the BushCo crooks are hammering the nails in their own coffins with their lies and finger pointing. All of the times we have asked them to do their jobs, this time they have done it. Just makes our job easier to bring them down!

DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, and DOCUMENT. SAVE ARTICLES. CROSS REFERENCE. I know I am.

[catzies]

44. Welcome to DU, SuniSurf!

:hi:

I'm with you - if Bushco wants more rope, I'm all for letting them have it.

[countmyvote4real]

15. Repeat: “No one could have envisioned (insert forewarned disaster here.)”

With so much evidence to the contrary, how can they continue to deny it? I guess the bigger question is why have they not learned anything or if it is willful ignorance?

Once again, all things * are opposite of their perceived mission. Homeland Security? I think not.

If the balance of power doesn’t change real soon, the entire country will witness first-hand the strife of NOLA come 2009. We’ve already been put on notice that the terrorists plan to strike big time sometime in September or October. Can’t say if that’s here or Iraq, but honestly, what is stopping them from attacking here?

By 2009 we’ll be in a peak oil situation, the corporations will take us back to a feudal state and we’ll know for the third presidential election in a row that our votes don’t count. And there will be no sanctuary or justice found in the SCOTUS.

So, envision this and deny it. More importantly, don’t let it happen.

[Az_lefty]

16. there's no doubt in my mind the pro's were doing their job

it's this fucked up administration that dropped the ball, probably intentionally.

[Spazito]

17. I have always respected Mr. Mayfield, he strikes me as an honest,

caring man and this proves it even more, imo. He is not letting the bush admin get away with their lies.

[Erika]

18. MSNBC now talking about dead infants and elderly

Two babies at one location, dehydration - no help. Blacks, of course.

[pacifictiger]

21. the right-to-life fundie logic:

must deny stem cells because a developing embryo is life, and besides that they get fed from the mother - doesn't cost anything. Once born, they're on their own, screw them.

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. The NOAA advisory from 08/28/05 is quite clear

WWUS74 KLIX 282139
NPWLIX

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...EXTREMELY DANGEROUS HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA...
...DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED...

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT
LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL
FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY
DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.
PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD
FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE
BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME
WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A
FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH
AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY
VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE
ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE
WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN
AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING
INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY
THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW
CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE
KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR
HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARE
POSSIBLE WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS.

LAZ038-040-050-056>070-MSZ080>082-290300-
ASSUMPTION-HANCOCK-HARRISON-JACKSON-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON-
LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE-
ORLEANS-ST. CHARLES-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST. TAMMANY-
TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON-UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-
UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
PERSIST FOR THE NEXT 26 TO 28 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL
ONSET AROUND MIDNIGHT NEAR THE COAST AND BY 3 AM CLOSER TO THE NEW
ORLEANS METRO AREA AND PERSIST FOR 9 TO 15 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND GUSTS
AROUND 175 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA BY DAYBREAK MONDAY.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET!

$$

LAZ034>037-039-046>049-MSZ068>071-077-290300-
AMITE-ASCENSION-EAST BATON ROUGE-EAST FELICIANA-IBERVILLE-
PEARL RIVER-PIKE-POINTE COUPEE-ST. HELENA-WALTHALL-WASHINGTON-
WEST BATON ROUGE-WEST FELICIANA-WILKINSON-
413 PM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

...INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

HURRICANE KATRINA CONTINUES TO APPROACH THE AREA. TROPICAL STORM
FORCE WINDS ARE CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE COASTAL MARSHES AND WILL
SREAD NORTHWESTWARD INTO THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA AND
SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI LATER THIS EVENING. TROPICAL STORM FORCE
WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO ONSET AROUND 9 PM TONIGHT AND PERSIST
FOR 22 TO 26 HOURS. HURRICANE FORCE WINDS WILL ONSET AROUND
DAYBREAK AND PERSIST FOR ABOUT 5 TO 10 HOURS. MAXIMUM WIND
GUSTS OF 80 TO 90 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN EAST-CENTRAL LOUISIANA
AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI.

DO NOT VENTURE OUTDOORS ONCE TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ONSET


http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/raw/ww/wwus74.klix.npw...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4490806

[pinniped]

23. If they were told the exact longitude and latitude right down to the...

second, they would have acted.

[malaise]

24. Every sane person knows this

Further Mayfield was all over the media telling them that a catastrophe was on the way. The bottom line is that political hacks with no experience cannot be in charge of life saving national agencies.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

26. How much longer

is this who'd-a-thunk-it excuse going to be allowed to play and how much more damage is going to result? Too bad they didn't have Katrina's seat number.

[Turbineguy]

31. Bush has a degree in history

but he didn't listen in class either.

[Evergreen Emerald]

32. If he honestly was caught by surprise he is in the wrong profession

Chertoff was given that position as quid-pro-quo. He has no experience in emergency management and apparently a complete lack of imagination with regard to potential fallout from a hurricane. Every contingency--every possibility should have been considered and planned for. His excuse that he was caught by surprise does not let him off the hook.

Either he knew and did nothing, or he did not know. Either way his ineptness borders on criminal. And he stood on Meet the Press and made excuses and blamed others while people die behind him. Typical of this administration: great at politics--sucks at the job.

[SoCalDem]

34. I love Max mayfield.. He's the ONLY one to trust when it comes to

hurricanes.. I was so angry when most of the stations went to the weather-bunny and weather-kens instead of the guy with the experience..

[iverglas]

36. how 'bout Ivor Van Heerden? -- LSU Hurricane Centre

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050829/NEWS/508290318/1001/BUSINESS

Published in the Asbury Park Press 08/29/05

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

When Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans today, it could turn one of America's most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released from the city's legendary cemeteries by floodwaters.

Experts have warned for years that the levees and pumps that usually keep New Orleans dry have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm.

That's exactly what Katrina was as it churned toward the city. With scouring winds — whose speed hit 175 mph on Sunday — and the power to lift sea level by as much as 28 feet above normal, the storm threatened an environmental disaster of biblical proportions, one that could leave more than 1 million people homeless.

"All indications are that this is absolutely worst-case scenario," Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center, said Sunday afternoon.

Van Heerden was interviewed on MSNBC yesterday (by a very strange blonde woman who does seem to grow on one -- we're deprived of the CBC coverage we would have liked to be getting for the last week, for a more objective and honest picture than we expect from US media, because the CBC has locked its employees out, and we've been paying more attention to MSNBC).

He reported on a meeting with local and state and federal officials -- including representatives of FEMA and the White House -- quite a while ago; long before Katrina. (He said they'd been saying these things since 1999, actually.) They were all told exactly what to expect if the double disaster hit -- hurricane + levee breach. The LSU Hurricane Centre knew from public opinion surveys that 30% of the population would not have left the city, and they presented the officials there with a CD showing an animation of the hurricane and a document telling them all about it.

He said he expected to wake up Tuesday morning and see the sky filled with helicopters. I know I did.

He had advised the FEMA rep that they would have to be prepared with tents on site to accommodate evacuees. Her very sarcastic response, he said, was "Americans don't live in tents". (Maybe it was his British accent that set her off.)

When asked how he would respond now if he saw her now, he said he would wring her neck.

[iverglas]

37. the story - "exercise last year that mostly predicted what happened" in NO

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9178501/

Was FEMA ready for a disaster like Katrina?
Critics cite shift in priorities following the 9/11 attacks

... A government document obtained by NBC News shows just how radically the focus shifted to terrorism. It is dated July 2004 and lists 222 upcoming FEMA and homeland security exercises scheduled to prepare for national emergencies. Only two involve hurricanes.

... What's more, it appears that the federal government did not follow up on an exercise last year that mostly predicted what happened in New Orleans - devastating flooding and hundreds of thousands stranded.

The scenario was dubbed Hurricane Pam: 120 mph winds, a massive storm surge, 20 feet of water in the city, 80 percent of buildings damaged, refugees on rooftops, possibly gun violence that would slow the rescue.

"What bothers me the most is all the people who've died unnecessarily," says Ivor Van Heerden, a hurricane researcher from Louisiana State University who ran the exercise.

Van Heerden says the federal government didn't take it seriously. "Those FEMA officials wouldn't listen to me," he says. "Those Corps of Engineers people giggled in the back of the room when we tried to present information."

One has the impression, from the outside up here, that the Homeland Security department is essentially a pork barrel.

[Twist_U_Up]

41. and Clinton was impeached for a blowjob....

lying liars

[sam sarrha]

45. Bu$h will be impeached for a BLOWN job..

[Imagevision]

46. which I still find mind boggling

[Twist_U_Up]

42. we must get these records

In the days before Katrina hit, Mayfield said, his staff also briefed FEMA, which under the Department of Homeland Security, at FEMA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., its Region 6 office in Dallas and the Region 4 office in Atlanta about the potential effects of the storm. He said all of those briefings were logged in the hurricane center’s records.

[cyr330]

43. Sounds familiar

I'm sure he briefed them the same way Condoleeza Rice was briefed and then briefed ** that "Al Queda determined to strike in USA." We'll hear nothing but denials and spin. I have no faith that they'll be caught in this lie; they always get away with it.

[cynatnite]

47. Well, hell...I guess the 'I didn't know' defense just went out the window

:sarcasm: