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An Angry 'Times-Picayune' Calls for Firing of FEMA Chief and Others in Open
Letter to President On Sunday
By E&P Staff
Published: September 04, 2005 10:40 AM ET
NEW YORK - The Times-Picayune of New Orleans on Sunday published its third print
edition since the hurricane disaster struck, chronicling the arrival, finally,
of some relief but also taking President Bush to task for his handling of the
crisis, and calling for the firing of FEMA director Michael Brown and others.
In an "open letter" to the president, published on page 15 of the 16-page
edition, the paper said it still had grounds for "skepticism" that he would
follow through on saving the city and its residents. It pointed out that while
the government could not get supplies to the city numerous TV reporters, singer
Harry Connick and Times-Picayune staffers managed to find a way in.
It also cited "bald-faced" lies by Michael Brown. "Those who should have been
deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to
reach," the staffers pointed out. "We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be
angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped
dry."
Here is the text.
***
We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the
Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we’re going to make it right."
Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you.
But we have good reason for our skepticism.
Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It’s
accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was
easy to reach in 1718.
How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and
bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered
trucks.
Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s bureaucrats spent days
after last week’s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they
could neither rescue the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and
medical supplies.
Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The
Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection.
On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers
headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.
Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets.
Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus
of a "Today" show story Friday morning.
Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to
quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops
were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.
We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and
surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many
who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.
Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other
alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We
still don’t know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the
Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have been higher. The
toll may even have been exponentially higher.
It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome
would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr.
President. So why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned
seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn’t suitable
as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would
happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning,
overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?
State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn’t have but
two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency
Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.
In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn’t
known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest
N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the
next morning and said, "We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention
Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day."
Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.
Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You’re doing a
heck of a job."
That’s unbelievable.
There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront
is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof
that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.
We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the
Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We’re no less important than those
from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.
No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced.
Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be
reached.
Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved
communities work right once again.
When you do, we will be the first to applaud.
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What kind of creature in such a crisis lies about feeding people he hasn't
really fed?
Jake
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