The lack of disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina were “a failure of the public sector,” said Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) in a hearing. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met to discuss how disaster relief went after hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said that while there were major improvements in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), some aspects of the response were not good enough. She said that 1,000 of the poorest citizens were put on buses with no idea where they were going before Hurricane Gustav hit. She said that FEMA and the Red Cross were unprepared for a “large-scale disaster.”

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said that preparations for Hurricane Gustav were an improvement on Hurricane Katrina. She said that 97.5 percent of the population evacuated New Orleans this year while only around 90 percent were evacuated before Katrina. He also said that New Orleans was repopulated only four days after the disaster. However, he did mention that the city ran out of supplies that FEMA was supposed to provide including water and food. He said the United States was still playing “Russian roulette” with the lives of its citizens in the New Orleans region.

Deputy FEMA administrator Harvey Johnson said that Hurricanes Gustav and Ike posed “a worst nightmare scenario.” Johnson said the response by FEMA as well as state governments restored the confidence of U.S. citizens in disaster relief.

At a hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) delivery of relief donations, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says FEMA must move away from stubborn requests and must proactively identify problems on the ground. Landrieu says FEMA should be more collaborative and that Americans deserve a better FEMA. (0:49)

 

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Almost three years after Hurricane Katrina, the government is still discovering critical governmental flaws, according to Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) at a hearing before the Joint Homeland Security Committee to discuss the delivery of donated goods to catastrophe survivors. Thompson said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not properly manage and distribute the donated supplies after Hurricane Katrina. (more…)

At a hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) post-catastrophe housing needs, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says that the Homeland Security Committee called 325 witnesses, 838 000 pages of documentation and 22 public hearings after Hurricane Katrina. She says the government thought it was a good foundation to give FEMA a head start to come up with strategies to implement for post-catastrophe housing but all that FEMA produced was a late report with blank pages. (1:09)

 

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At a hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) post-catastrophe housing planning, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says that it is hard not to conclude that someone instructed details not to be filled in the report. Landrieu says the law required FEMA in clear terms to come up with strategies but FEMA merely turned in a late report with blank paper. (0:46)

 

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) submitted a strategy plan which was a year overdue to the Disaster Recovery Subcommittee, according to Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Landrieu added that not only was the strategy late but key annexes of the report, required by Congress, were nothing but blank pages. (more…)

Chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) describes her frustration with bureaucratic tediousness that prevents disaster victims from receiving aid.(0:45)

 

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At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee hearing on FEMA’s progress after Katrina, FEMA’s Deputy Administrator, Admiral Harvey E. Johnson, says the Administration is working hard to remove bureaucratic red tape. He says FEMA released a national response framework to create more streamlined, efficient responses. (0:54)

 

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The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery held a hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) performance in handling disasters since Katrina. Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said there have been 169 major disasters and 250 federal emergencies since Katrina. (more…)

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing on “Nuclear Terrorism: Providing Medical Care and Meeting Basic Needs in the Aftermath – The Federal Response.” Chairman of the Committee, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), said that although preventing a nuclear terrorist attack is the top priority, the is risk is so real that serious preparations must be made for an attack on an American city. (more…)