NEWS: Disbelief - Former FEMA Officials Speak Out

Ronald Castleman, the former New Orleans regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and John Copenhaver, also a former regional director, have spoken to the press detailing how FEMA had run simulated hurricane drills for New Orleans that were very successful in all aspects. Both men expressed disbelief and bewilderment after witnessing the agency's dismal response to the crisis. The revelation follows in the footsteps of allegations by people on the ground in New Orleans that FEMA was actively refusing aid and personnel resources that would have helped to alleviate the crisis.



There is definitely something rotten in the State of Denmark. I'm going to come right out and say that everything about FEMA's handling of this disaster stinks of deliberate foul-play; from their knowledge years ago yet apparent ignoring of an impending disaster, tested procedure being in place yet not implemented, through to the reports of the deliberate refusal of aid, as if orders to that effect were being carried out.

FEMA Deliberately Sabotaging Hurricane Relief Efforts

Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard [pictured right] appeared on Meet the Press Sunday and broke down in tears as he described FEMA's criminal activities.

We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines."

Former FEMA officials incredulous at the inaction. Deliberate sabotaging of relief efforts. This is murder on a grand scale and high treason at the very least.

[edit on 8-9-2005 by John bull 1]

[edit on 12-9-2005 by Nerdling]

IF these allegations are true, they speak of population control methods. Not deliberate killing of people, but culling by intentional neglect... which is almost as bad.

and would be a crime under mass murder statutes... for anyone found involved.

but that is a BIG IF

at this time, we have a bunch of critics that would repeat any rumor to win support... this is not the time for truth... this is time to HYPE...
the truth will come out in the next days, as hearts and minds settle to the reality...
advice: listen, but accept that much of what you hear, is possible rumor...

advice: listen, but accept that much of what you hear, is possible rumor...

So true at all times. Worse when emotions and such are riding high.

That said though, if I may use a quote from Teddy Atlas(In regards to a boxing judge's questionable actions) "Regardless on what the trial finds, the fact, the fact is, that either they are incompetent, or corrupt - and we can't use them in either case"

Sort of how I see this entire mess. No need to limit blame, there is enough to go around, but heads(as in multiple) should roll for this.

what do you expect from a party that has spent the past 40 years trying to dismantle the government, turn back civil rights and eliminate a safety net put in place after the disasters of the great depression, the dustbowl and the massive hurricanes of the first part of the 20th century?

I came across numerous reports of "refused aid" while researching my pop-control thread. Can't take time now to find them - but seems to me the stories mainly were suppressed and now are coming out.

Good work WCIP

Originally posted by wecomeinpeace
I'm going to come right out and say that everything about FEMA's handling of this disaster stinks of deliberate foul-play....

This is a pretty irresponsible statement. There were problems and you can bet that changes will be made to correct them, but basically the rules that apply to hurricanes has stood since time immemorial:

Of course, all able-bodied citizens bear the responsibility for evacuating themselves and their families.

www.bestofneworleans.com...

The reponse might have been slow, but it did get there. That response was impeded in no small way by rampant lawlessness and the sheer mangatude of the disaster.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
That response was impeded in no small way by rampant lawlessness and the sheer mangatude of the disaster.

I don't buy this. Personnel with military backgrounds are accustomed to operating under fire and extreme conditions. They still get the job done. Why would NO be different, especially since the 'under fire' was nowhere near 'under heavy fire.'

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong
advice: listen, but accept that much of what you hear, is possible rumor...

That's good advice, LTL, and I mean that, but after watching the video testimony of this man who was there watching events unfold, I personally don't take what he says as "rumor". In the beginning he takes a diplomatic tact stating that heads need to roll for incompetence, but then he lets loose and details examples of deliberate hinderance of relief efforts by FEMA. I'm not crying conspiracy just yet, but these reports constitute very serious charges and need to be seriously assessed.

Direct link for the Meet The Press video

Soficrow wrote:
I came across numerous reports of "refused aid" while researching my pop-control thread.

If you could post those here or in another thread that would be great. If such actions, nay, crimes have indeed been committed, they need to be brought out in the open. Incompetence is one thing...

[edit on 2005-9-7 by wecomeinpeace]

The three men mentioned by wecomeinpeace ( Castleman, Copenhaver, and Broussard ) would all be considered credible witnesses by any court......sounds like they are hardly 'rumor'........we may get a chance to hear them give their accounts under oath, when the formal inquiries begin.

original news source:

www.tallahassee.com
More than a million residents were "evacuated" in the tabletop scenario as 120-mile-an-hour winds and 20 inches of rain caused widespread flooding that supposedly trapped 300,000 people in the city.

Still, Castleman found it hard to square the lessons he and others learned from the exercise with the frustratingly slow response to the disaster that has unfolded in the wake of Katrina. From the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans to the Mississippi and Alabama communities along the Gulf Coast, hurricane survivors have decried the lack of water, food or security and the slowness of the federal relief efforts.

They had already successfully planned and conducted exercises for this exact type and scale of event/disaster in NO [the gulf states]!

FEMA, themselves, have even stated that they had support crews AND SUPPLIES staged in the surrounding areas, prior to landfall!

The exercises they had already/previously performed demonstrated HOW they would/could evacuate 1,000,000 [ yes that's 1 million] from the area, as well as rescuing 300,000 who were/would remain trapped by the flood waters.

I understand that during an exercise, you cannot envision or allow for all possible variables , but come on now . . . aside from some reports of random shots towards rescue vehicles/aircraft and such . . . when the Cavalry , FEMA, etc. ACTUALLY shows up; They come in force and take control. A few miscreants would neither prevent nor hinder the operation, and would be dealt with in a very matter-of-fact manner! FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE!

I believe that any of us as American citizens could/would, considering the scale of such an event, understand a day or two from unforeseen logistics, but a WEEK?!

Had this been a type of catastrophic event that for some unforeseen reason we had never anticipated/planned for/etc., then OKAY . . . holy jeepers Batman what are we gonna do now?!

Sadly, this was not the case by a longshot!

IMO the age old adage of "It will all come out in the wash." will not apply to the incident we will forever remember as Katrina!

Heads will roll?! probably, maybe, who cares?

Do you really think those affected care, seeing as they have lost, for the most part, everything near and dear to them?

Hindsight is always 20/20. Where the fault lies, IMO, is irrelevent at this point. We/They can point our fingers at whomever we/they see fit. The fact of the matter is:

The United States of America failed it's own citizens! Whether that be the national, state, and local government, or a combination of all three . . . it truly doesn't matter at this point.

We are now tasked with doing our damned best to make it right for ALL of those affected/involved, as well as the rest of entire nation!

For now I guess I'm done . . . for now :O/

LINK
When you play a sock puppet, from time to time you are gonna get socked.

[edit on 7-9-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food



This statement, "Though frustrated, Hosler understood the reasons. The goal is to move people out of an uninhabitable city, and relief operations might keep them there." might seem reasonable at first glance, but basically it amounts to forcing people out of the area by starving them out. What about people that can't get out or are immobile? Guess they just have to hope they get noticed by a National Guardsman or something before they starve. The obvious emphasis here, as it appears to have been since day one, is on control rather than relief, as the conspiracy theorists and Constitutionalists have been warning is FEMA's true purpose for years.

[edit on 2005-9-7 by wecomeinpeace]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Of course, all able-bodied citizens bear the responsibility for evacuating themselves and their families.

The reponse might have been slow, but it did get there. That response was impeded in no small way by rampant lawlessness and the sheer mangatude of the disaster.

the Help DIDN"T get there, and I understand that our government doesn't OWE anyone, but should they just sit and let a situation go from bad to worse when they are the only agency that can get in there and stop the dying...
and they didn't... as the mounting pile of bodies testifies...
30 more nursing home residents were found in St barnards parish...dead... NO ONE CAN SAY IT WAS THERE RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAVE!

I suspect that race, and land values, and corrupt politics (the hallmark of NO government) had a hand in why the delayed response...

I still remember Kayne Wests' emotional statement... You could tell his comments were heart felt, and not focused... then when he ran out of words...his Gist came across..."George Bush doesn't care about black people"
maybe not very spokeworthy... but understandable anger...

some questions though...
where is the governor? (not the female, she is the Rep) I have heard almost nothing about him, and he would have been the first word on rescue and security...
what was he thinking when he wasn't calling neighboring states to coordinate national guard efforts...
and what happened to all the money approprioated to upgrade the levies all these many years? is it in the pocket of some corrupt politician?

I don't deny the possibility of FEMA stepping in to slow or even halt certain private or even public efforts to provide supplies and aid to these citizens, but the conspiracist in me wonders about the recent handling of NO and Mississippi by FEMA. I have read quite a few threads in the past where ATS'ers were concerned about the awesome power FEMA is given in dealing with a large disaster; marshall law, prison camps, etc.

Is it possible that FEMA intentionally messed up the handling of NO and southern Mississippi in order to generate a widely-based public sentiment that FEMA should do everything in their power to assist in handling a disaster? This would effectively give FEMA carte blanche for the next disaster. They can pull all the stops and run roughshod over American citizens and if anyone cries foul, they can simply say, "You didn't think we did enough in NO. Now we are "protecting" those affected by disaster with all available means. Which do you want?"

Actually, the word is now out, but not yet on the internet. The Red Cross has confirmed that they were in place and ready to deliver aid to New Orleans and surrounding stricken areas and it was the Louisiana Emergency Management Administration that would not let them go. They were afraid that delivering supplies to those in shelters would encourage them to stay in New Orleans when what the State wanted was for them to leave.

It is as I have said from the beginning. State and local authorities bear the lion's share of the responsibility for the mismanagement of this disaster, not the feds, regardless of what the maniacal harridan Nancy Pelosi has to say about it.

[edit on 2005/9/7 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
The reponse might have been slow, but it did get there. That response was impeded in no small way by rampant lawlessness and the sheer mangatude of the disaster.

Above: Capable of stopping a $500,000,000/day Federal agency PLUS the World's strongest military power.

Give me a goddamn break with that tired feeble excuse! Thousands of American lives are in danger and a few reports of shots fired from criminals is meant to hold up the American army and FEMA for a few days?! What planet are you from?

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Actually, the word is now out, but not yet on the internet. The Red Cross has confirmed that they were in place and ready to deliver aid to New Orleans and surrounding stricken areas and it was the Louisiana Emergency Management Administration that would not let them go. They were afraid that delivering supplies to those in shelters would encourage them to stay in New Orleans when what the State wanted was for them to leave.

It is as I have said from the beginning. State and local authorities bear the lion's share of the responsibility for the mismanagement of this disaster, not the feds, regardless of what the maniacal harridan Nancy Pelosi has to say about it.

[edit on 2005/9/7 by GradyPhilpott]

BS. Let me say it again. BS. The word is out?? Where??? Fox News??
This is so much crap, I can't believe even you would post this. I don't know what makes me more sick, the governments lies, or the morons who believe them.

Is it possible that FEMA intentionally messed up the handling of NO and southern Mississippi in order to generate a widely-based public sentiment that FEMA should do everything in their power to assist in handling a disaster? This would effectively give FEMA carte blanche for the next disaster. They can pull all the stops and run roughshod over American citizens and if anyone cries foul, they can simply say, "You didn't think we did enough in NO. Now we are "protecting" those affected by disaster with all available means. Which do you want?"

EXACTLY as I have stated in prior posts!

A call to Congress, whomever, [after the/an investigation(s) of course] for more funding (FEMA's not even held accountable/reportable to Congress) and more powers [that be] to be allotted. So , as you, and many others have noticed/stated FEMA can/will STEP-IN ?whenever? needed/authorized!

Wanna get more powers [to be], all you have to do is incite fear amongst the public at large.

The entire situation, nationally, is looking sadder by the day.

As I have stated so often before, as well as with regards to the current situation concerning Katrina, when you remove HOPE ( that everlasting human "commodity") [hope for a better life, hope for a better life for your sons/daughters, hope for a better tomorrow] what's left?!

IMO the "soon to be" world as you see it.

Nuf said.

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c
Wanna get more powers [to be], all you have to do is incite fear amongst the public at large.

The whole "gangs shooting at rescue helicopters" preventing rescue efforts came across as a big propaganda spin to me, as Subz has so eloquently emphasized. The purpose of the propaganda? Next time there's a major disaster, the feds sending in troops to maintain order before aid and relief are sent in will be granted wider acceptance. Martial law will be met with open arms by many.

quote: Originally posted by 12m8keall2c
Wanna get more powers [to be], all you have to do is incite fear amongst the public at large.

by wecomeinpeace

The whole "gangs shooting at rescue helicopters" preventing rescue efforts came across as a big propaganda spin to me, as Subz has so eloquently emphasized. The purpose of the propaganda? Next time there's a major disaster, the feds sending in troops to maintain order before aid and relief are sent in will be granted wider acceptance. Martial law will be met with open arms by many.

. . . we're just gonna soffen ya up a bit . . . K?



[edit on 7-9-2005 by 12m8keall2c]

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c

quote: Originally posted by 12m8keall2c
Wanna get more powers [to be], all you have to do is incite fear amongst the public at large.

The whole "gangs shooting at rescue helicopters" preventing rescue efforts came across as a big propaganda spin to me, as Subz has so eloquently emphasized. The purpose of the propaganda? Next time there's a major disaster, the feds sending in troops to maintain order before aid and relief are sent in will be granted wider acceptance. Martial law will be met with open arms by many.

I agree with you here. I read a story on ABCNews where the FAA was quoted saying something like...we are in control of all aircraft in the area, both military and civilian and we have received no reports of shots fired at aircraft in the area.

Aaah...here it is:



. . . we're just gonna soffen ya up a bit . . . K?

ABCNews Story

And the quote:

Laura Brown, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman in Washington, said she had no such report.

"We're controlling every single aircraft in that airspace and none of them reported being fired on," she said, adding that the FAA was in contact with the military as well as civilian aircraft.