http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_washingtonWASHINGTON - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff or another top official should have been a "central focal point" of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, congressional investigators asserted Wednesday, saying the lack of a clear chain of command hindered relief efforts.
The Government Accountability Office also found that the government still lacks sufficient plans and training programs to prepare for catastrophic disasters like the Aug. 29 storm that devastated much of the Gulf Coast area.
"We need to be able to have somebody who is clearly responsible and accountable to the president, who has the authority of the president to deal with the overall response," said GAO Comptroller General David M. Walker, who presented the report to a special House investigative panel.
"You've got to cut through all the layers and bureaucracy and red tape," Walker added.
The report, which marks the first congressional conclusions about the much-criticized federal response to Katrina, offered a harsh assessment of the government's preparations and reaction to catastrophic disasters. It also singled out Chertoff in several shortcomings.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
