posted November 03, 2005 09:54 PM              

---

'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged
E-mails give insight into Brown's leadership, attitude
Thursday, November 3, 2005; Posted: 3:44 p.m. EST (20:44 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Louisiana congressman says e-mails written by the government's emergency response chief as Hurricane Katrina raged show a lack of concern for the unfolding tragedy and a failure in leadership.
Rep. Charlie Melancon, whose district south of New Orleans was devastated by the hurricane, posted a sampling of e-mails written by Federal Emergency Management chief Michael Brown on his Web site on Wednesday.
The Democratic lawmaker cited several e-mails that he said show Brown's failures. In one, as employees looked for direction and support on the ravaged Gulf Coast, Brown offered to "tweak" the federal response.
Two days after Katrina hit, Marty Bahamonde, one of the only FEMA employees in New Orleans, wrote to Brown that "the situation is past critical" and listed problems including many people near death and food and water running out at the Superdome.
Brown's entire response was: "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?" (Copies of e-mails posted by critic -- PDF)
On September 12 Brown resigned, 10 days after President Bush told him, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
Brown is still on the federal payroll at his $148,000 annual salary. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, saying Brown's expertise was needed as he investigated what went wrong, agreed to a 30-day extension when Brown resigned. Chertoff renewed that extension in mid-October.
Brown took over FEMA in 2003 with little experience in emergency management. He joined the agency in 2001 as legal counsel to his college friend, then-FEMA director Joe Allbaugh, who was Bush's 2000 campaign manager. When Allbaugh left FEMA in 2003 Brown assumed the top job.
Before joining the Bush administration, Brown spent a decade as the stewards and judges commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association.
The e-mails Melancon posted, a sampling of more than 1,000 provided to the House committee now assessing responses to Katrina by all levels of government, also show Brown making flippant remarks about his responsibilities.
"Can I quit now? Can I come home?" Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane.
A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."
"In the midst of the overwhelming damage caused by the hurricane and enormous problems faced by FEMA, Mr. Brown found time to exchange e-mails about superfluous topics," including "problems finding a dog-sitter," Melancon said.
Melancon said that on August 26, just days before Katrina made landfall, Brown e-mailed his press secretary, Sharon Worthy, about his attire, asking: "Tie or not for tonight? Button-down blue shirt?"
A few days later, Worthy advised Brown: "Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt, all shirts. Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more hard-working."
On August 29, the day of the storm, Brown exchanged e-mails about his attire with Taylor, Melancon said. She told him, "You look fabulous," and Brown replied, "I got it at Nordstroms. ... Are you proud of me?"
An hour later, Brown added: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god," according to the congressman.
The e-mails came from Chertoff, who oversees FEMA, following a request by Melancon and Rep. Tom Davis, R-Virginia, chairman of a House committee appointed to investigate what went wrong during Katrina, Melancon said.
Brown resigned amid accusations that FEMA acted too slowly after Katrina hammered Louisiana and Mississippi, killing more than 1,200 people. He defended the government's response and blamed leaders in Louisiana for failing to act quickly as the hurricane approached.
He acknowledged he made some mistakes as FEMA's director, but he stressed that the agency "is not a first responder," insisting that role belonged to state and local officials.
Brown could not be reached for comment Wednesday night on the e-mails and Melancon's charges.
Although Chertoff has not turned over all the documents requested by the committee, Melancon charged that the material received so far contradicts testimony by Brown before the committee in which he described himself as an effective leader. (Melancon's analysis of e-mails -- PDF)
Melancon used an e-mail sent September 2, four days after the hurricane hit, to illustrate his point. On that day, Brown received a message with the subject "medical help." At the time, thousands of patients were being transported to the New Orleans airport, which had been converted to a makeshift hospital. Because of a lack of ventilators, medical personnel had to ventilate patients by hand for as long as 35 hours, according to Melancon.
The text of the e-mail reads: "Mike, Mickey and other medical equipment people have a 42-foot trailer full of beds, wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators, etc. They are wanting to take them where they can be used but need direction.
"Mickey specializes in ventilator patients so can be very helpful with acute care patients. If you could have someone contact him and let him know if he can be of service, he would appreciate it. Know you are busy but they really want to help."
Melancon said Brown didn't respond for four days, when he forwarded the original e-mail to FEMA Deputy Chief of Staff Brooks Altshuler and Deputy Director of Response Michael Lowder.
The text of Brown's e-mail to them read: "Can we use these people?"
Melancon also charged that few of the e-mails from Brown show him assigning specific tasks to employees or responding to pressing problems.
On September 1, FEMA officials exchanged e-mails reporting severe shortages of ice and water in Mississippi. They were to receive 60 trucks of ice and 26 trucks of water the next day, even though they needed 450 trucks of each.
Robert Fenton, a FEMA regional response official, predicted "serious riots" if insufficient supplies arrive.
Brown was forwarded the series of e-mails about the problem, but no response from him is shown in the e-mails provided to the committee, Melancon said.
Katrina came ashore along the Louisiana-Mississippi state line, after being downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm. It flooded 80 percent of New Orleans. It was followed about a month later by Hurricane Rita, which caused more damage and flooding.
Melancon and several other Democrats from districts directly affected by Katrina were invited to participate as a ex-officio members of the Katrina investigative committee, though they have no formal role. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi refused to appoint any Democrats to the panel after GOP leaders rebuffed Democratic demands for an independent probe.
This is the second time a congressional committee had dealt with e-mails relating to FEMA's Katrina response. A complete transcript of Brown's e-mail traffic during the Katrina crisis has not been released by the Department of Homeland Security.

IP: Logged

posted November 03, 2005 09:58 PM              

---

its pretty much common knowledge that the US administration doesn't care about other ppl in the world (particularly muslims) dying (in fact would like to humiliate them--iraqi prisoners?)

but what amuses me to no end is their treatment of the own american people. really its crazy.

my personal favorites from the above article:

quote:

---

Before joining the Bush administration, Brown spent a decade as the stewards and judges commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association

---

LOL thats super relevant experience

quote:

---

"Can I quit now? Can I come home?" Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane

---

mommy! im tired

quote:

---

A few days later, Worthy advised Brown: "Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt, all shirts. Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more hard-working."
On August 29, the day of the storm, Brown exchanged e-mails about his attire with Taylor, Melancon said. She told him, "You look fabulous," and Brown replied, "I got it at Nordstroms. ... Are you proud of me?"
An hour later, Brown added: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god," according to the congressman.

---

need i say more LOL im literally roflmfao

Love
SG

IP: Logged

Posts: 4415
From: Pleasanton, CA
Registered: Apr 2009

posted November 03, 2005 10:35 PM            

---

I saw an article about this today, too.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 07:55 AM              

---

Makes me sick

IS THERE NO HONOR LEFT IN THE WORLD??!!

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 10:16 AM              

---

I read all of his emails yesterday on cnn. It really did kinda make me sick. Such uncaring. So not to concerned, just a pain in the ass job. And in the face of a national disaster larger than any in the history of our country..didn't this govt. employee have enough common sense to realize the national attention this would bring. I was overwhelmed by this idiot. In my company, issues that are but a pin dot compared to this ,are treated with more human professionalism and sincerity. Let that duff hang.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 10:22 AM              

---

Yeah, I was struck by pretty much everything you highlighted, SG...especially his prior experience.

What? You may ask.
Horses weigh a good deal more than people, so must be a much greater (or at least equal, considering the relative numbers) responsibility - let's give ol' Brownie the job!

For fun, go look at the report that FOX has up on it.

*stifles giggle*

"Uh, the Democrats say that Brown may be in trouble. He worried about his image."

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 11:13 AM              

---

The sad part is he won't be hung. He'll get a nice check and a pat on the back for a job well done. And in truth, it was. He was the perfect man for the job.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 11:17 AM              

---

What exactly is he being questioned for? I don't really know. TINK what do you mean perfect for the job? I am less concerned about his backround than i am about what he did to handle the situation. I don't like to hold people to their past. Its too limiting.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 11:56 AM              

---

I'm not to into judging someone on their past on a personal basis, either.

But, I'm sorry - when we're talking about an appointed position in which a person has the potential to save or lose thousands of lives, I'd like to see some semblance of proven efficacy/competence in a similar background or field.

Perhaps there are some other former Commissioners of Horse Associations that would make swell directors of Emergency Management...but this dude wasn't one of them.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 12:17 PM              

---

I mean he fufilled his mission. I can't believe he was given this job because someone thought he would do well. He was given the job because someone thought he would do poorly. And he did. So Bush was right. Bush slips all the time, but his supposed stupidity is such a good cover we mostly miss it.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 12:25 PM              

---

Y'know, Jase says the same thing.

He likes to point out that Bush made very few of his famous Bush-isms in speeches immediately after 9/11.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 01:11 PM              

---

I don't think there would be a person on this planet who would not have been overwhelmed by the total devastation that took place so its hard for me to feel that there would have been a qualified person. The only thing left at that point, is how are you going to conduct yourself now that the mess has occurred. He failed miserably.
He was a political apointee only and those emails proved it.

IP: Logged

Posts: 4415
From: Pleasanton, CA
Registered: Apr 2009

posted November 04, 2005 03:03 PM            

---

I think a well-trained military officer is an excellent choice for running that agency, and I was glad that that was what happened when Brown took off.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 03:33 PM              

---

I was actually going to say something along those lines, AG...though, of course, there is then the slightly scary merging of interests.

thirteen - I'm still going to have to disagree with you here.

If Bob, the manager of the local PetSmart, became overwhelmed, flat-footed, and self-pitying when a fire broke out, resulting in the store being burnt to the ground with a massive loss of inventory and animals, I'd cut him a break.
Most would.
Managing a crisis isn't his job.
Managing his store is.

It, however, should be a prerequisite that the person appointed to be the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency be able to focus his energies and thoughts in a disaster/emergency so that s/he's not overwhelmed.

Extra props to those who can be overwhelmed and then martial themselves to conduct themselves well, but I still don't think that they necessarily have a place as the head of this particular agency.

I do agree with his being a political appointee - once you get to this level of government people kinda all are - but that's also why God made the Department of the Interior: to appoint your (semi-competent) political lackey who'll be hands-off as its head as a reward for service unto the President so that the people who actually have a career invested can do their jobs.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 03:48 PM              

---

"though, of course, there is then the slightly scary merging of interests."

slightly ???

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 04:13 PM              

---

Its never my intention to have discussion here at GU to get people to agree with me. Everyone's points are valid and I am certainly open minded enough to know that. If Im wrong, Im wrong !

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 04:14 PM              

---

Yeah, probably more than slightly.

The problem is, you need someone with the management skills that come from being a military officer...just without some of the other possible...skills.

Yeah.

But, hey - if you want to talk about not judging someone based on their past, or even their identity (being in the military), we could talk about Colin Powell.

He's very much a military man, but he strikes me as also being a genuinely good man.
(I chose to ignore what happened to him under Bush; to me, that seems an instance of a man trying to serve his country and finding, to his dismay, that he was expected to be a toadie.)

Actually, on that - I've seen the statistic (along with proof) brought up on this site that there are more military vets on the Democratic side of the aisle in Congress than on the Republican. Take that for what it's worth (if they're all corrupt, it doesn't matter), but to me that says that surface expectations don't always hold true.

Could you get a military man who's political lackey in the position of power of Director of FEMA?
Sure you could (and it'd probably be more worrisome than having just a plain, old lapdog - this guy would know how to manage people and play politics and may do so for dubious ends); but you could also end-up with a person of genuine character and demonstrated competence.

Eh, that's enough rambling for now.
I'm not sure if I got out what I meant to get out, but I've got some work to get done before the Megster wakes from her nap.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 04:15 PM              

---

thirteen - It can also be used for good natured debate

Breathe
I really didn't mean it to seem like I was attacking you.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 04:23 PM              

---

well ill be honest, your sarcasm rubs me but I enjoy this forum and will continue to do so.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 04:45 PM              

---

Willful obliviousness rubs me, especially when someone seems intelligent enough for that to not to have to be the case, but eh.

(I don't see where I'm being especially sarcastic in the above posts.
Flippant?
Yes, I'm just flippant person sometimes.)

C'est la vie

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 04:57 PM              

---

AH!

I think I've figured it out!

You're being defensive about your beliefs and so have taken my flippantness as sarcasm!

Well.
Hm. I've been in that position before, and such stuff can be difficult to make-out on a forum such as this.

If that's the case, then, I really, truly, honestly didn't mean to step on yer toes - I'm just in a light and jumpy mood today

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 05:01 PM              

---

Wow, words as weapons, you are very good at it. Trust me its a useless talent. Im done here.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 05:09 PM              

---

Prox: I am being a bi____ today. I am sorry. I don't mean to single you out either. I have to leave the office now so I don't have time to show you the sarcastic comment. It was way earlier in this topic. My sister is sarcastic and you remind me of her. Dont worry, we get along..ha ha, really.
Ill get on later this weekend to clarify. Don't let this fester, i love all you guys.

IP: Logged

posted November 04, 2005 06:22 PM              

---

Im home now. I guess what happened here was i took something you said as sarcasm and really it was pushing buttons in me that go deep. I won't bore you with details but understand that it wasn't you. It was me pushing down some feeling from my past. Im sorry that I had to get rude, especially since you were the catalyst for me to realize something i needed to.(oh yes
ive had quite the insights on the car ride home) Anyway i guess a thank you is in order.You helped me grow today and resolve something.
P.S. The only time i get that impression with you is in g.u. Its something about the way you debate. I wouldn't worry about it because like I say we all have a personailty, thats what is supposed to happen. Have a good weekend.

IP: Logged

posted November 05, 2005 08:56 AM              

---

Earlier in this thread I wondered if there might be any honor left in the world ....

thirteen, those last two posts were impressive. It takes balls to do that. Most would rather stand their ground and fight just to save face.

big balls

IP: Logged