Just one more example of the incompetence of the Louisiana government and the lies of those who prefer to blame Bush.

A ranking Louisiana health official turned down federal offers to help move or evacuate patients as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, a newly released document shows.

But the state's top medical officer said Louisiana coordinated with the federal Health and Human Services Department in evacuating hospitals and nursing homes after Katrina hit.

A ranking Louisiana health official turned down federal offers to help move or evacuate patients as Hurricane Katrina bore down on New Orleans, a newly released document shows.

But the state's top medical officer said Louisiana coordinated with the federal Health and Human Services Department in evacuating hospitals and nursing homes after Katrina hit.

And what's more, state officials admitted their overall lack of disaster preparedness as the storm pointed itself towards New Orleans.

The committee also released a Senate interview of Louisiana Transportation Secretary Johnny Bradberry, during which he told investigators "we have done nothing to fulfill this responsibility" of ensuring evacuation plans are in place for at-risk populations.

"We put no plans in place to do any of this," Bradberry said in the Dec. 21 interview, 12 pages of which were released by the Senate committee.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the panel, called the documents "disturbing findings that our investigation will examine very closely." The committee is scheduled to examine evacuation procedures in a hearing Tuesday.

The Senate panel is expected to issue its findings in mid-March. A separate House committee is concluding its own investigation, with a report due Feb. 15.

So what we are finding out is that the government that is supposed to be the primary responder in time of disaster -- the state government -- was not prepared to respond and rejected assistance when it was offered. Could you explain to me again how that adds up to a failure of the Bush administration?

Posted by: Greg at 11:32 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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