Federal Government didn't have to wait for local authorities!

[Halliburton]

According to their own damn action plan that they wrote last December.
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/NRPbaseplan.pdf


It's a pretty large document but Larry Johnson basically sums it up at TPM: http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/4/171811/1974

<snip>
Guiding Principles for Proactive Federal Response
Guiding principles for proactive Federal response include the following:
■ The primary mission is to save lives; protect critical infrastructure, property, and the environment; contain the event; and preserve national security.
■ Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of
catastrophic magnitude.
■ Identified Federal response resources will deploy and begin necessary operations as required to commence life-safety activities.
■ Notification and full coordination with States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources. States are urged to notify and coordinate with local governments regarding a proactive Federal response.
■ State and local governments are encouraged to conduct collaborative planning with the Federal Government as a part of "steady-state" preparedness for catastrophic incidents.

Implementation Mechanisms for Proactive
Federal Response to Catastrophic Events
The NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement (described in the Catastrophic Incident Annex) addresses resource and procedural implications of catastrophic events to ensure the rapid and efficient delivery of resources and assets, including special teams, equipment, and supplies that provide critical lifesaving support and incident containment capabilities. These assets may be so specialized or costly that they are either not available or are in insufficient quantities in most localities.

The procedures outlined in the NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement are based on the following:
■ The pre-identification of Federal assets and capabilities;
■ The strategic location of pre-identified assets for rapid deployment; and
■ The use of pre-scripted mission assignments for Stafford Act declarations, or individual agency authority and funding, to expedite deployment upon notification by DHS (in accordance with procedures established in the NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement) of a potential catastrophic event.

Agencies responsible for these assets will keep DHS apprised, through the HSOC, of their ongoing status and location until the JFO is established. Upon arrival at the scene, Federal assets will coordinate with the Unified Command, the SFLEO, and the JFO (or its forward elements) when established. Demobilization processes, including full coordination with the JFO Coordination Group, are initiated either when the mission is completed or when it is determined the magnitude of the event does not warrant continued use of the asset.
<snip>

[bettyellen]

1. These assets may be so specialized or costly that they are either.....

not available or are in insufficient quantities in most localities.

makes ense.
since when is homeland's motto every man for himself.
since they fucked up.

[Igel]

2. You're right, they didn't need to.

But if * had stepped in and told Blanco that FEMA was in charge and she wasn't, there'd have been hell to pay.

Ultimately, not overriding local authorities may be the biggest screw up. But that remains to be seen. I can't tell if (a) state folk screwed up, (b) if the interface between state/FEMA was awry, or (c) if FEMA screwed up per se.

I started off with (c). In the last two days I've started to favor (a) or (b) for some of the botch ups.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. I will add this to the activism thread, thanks

------------------------------------------------------
Save New Orleans, then save the nation!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[SillyGoose]

4. Well, well, well....what little gem do we have here?

***Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of
catastrophic magnitude.


Maybe Chertoff doesn't know about this part because it wasn't in the newspaper. :sarcasm: