And another thing: remember former FEMA fat cat Michael Brown ranting to legislators earlier this week? Remember how he claimed that FEMA’s post-Katrina efforts went smoothly in Mississippi but tanked in Louisiana because of the state’s “dysfunction”? Well, not only does Brown conveniently overlook the fact many Mississippians expressed anger at FEMA in the days following the storm, but Brown’s critique also fails to take into account the fact that the two states suffered in very different ways.
It’s like comparing mangoes and papayas: Mississippi, like parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa Parishes in Louisiana, saw storm surge, which receded fairly quickly. New Orleans, however, experienced floodwaters that took weeks to pump out, forcing evacuations that otherwise might have been unnecessary. Clearly, neither FEMA nor the city nor the state were ready for that. For Brown to say that his minimal efforts should have worked under the extreme conditions in New Orleans when they barely worked in Mississippi and on the Northshore is disingenuous to the point of absurdity.
Instead of comparing states, Brown should be comparing situations. FEMA seems to rank in the C to C+ range for its response in most parts of the region, but he gets a D- or an F for New Orleans. Not that Nagin and Blanco don’t share some of the blame, mind you, but for Brownie to lay it entirely at their feet is ridiculous.
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