The incompetent write memos.
KR Washington Bureau | 09/13/2005 | Chertoff delayed federal response, memo shows:
Chertoff – not Brown – was in charge of managing the national response to a catastrophic disaster, according to the National Response Plan, the federal government’s blueprint for how agencies will handle major natural disasters or terrorist incidents. An order issued by President Bush in 2003 also assigned that responsibility to the homeland security director.
But according to a memo obtained by Knight Ridder, Chertoff didn’t shift that power to Brown until late afternoon or evening on Aug. 30, about 36 hours after Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi. That same memo suggests that Chertoff may have been confused about his lead role in disaster response and that of his department.
“As you know, the President has established the `White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina Response.’ He will meet with us tomorrow to launch this effort. The Department of Homeland Security, along with other Departments, will be part of the task force and will assist the Administration with its response to Hurricane Katrina,” Chertoff said in the memo to the secretaries of defense, health and human services and other key federal agencies.
I’m not sure which applies — plan your work then work your plan, or failure to plan is planning to fail — but it doesn’t seem like much has been learned since 9/11, when everything changed.
Technorati Tags: incompetence, katrina, ongoing victory, the blame game