Marty Bahamonde, a FEMA regional director, told a Senate panel investigating the government's response to the disaster that he gave regular updates to people in contact with then-FEMA Director Michael Brown as early as Aug. 28, one day before Katrina made landfall.
...on Aug. 31, Bahamonde frantically e-mailed Brown to tell him that thousands are evacuees were gathering in the streets with no food or water and that "estimates are many will die within hours."
"Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical," Bahamonde wrote.
Less than three hours later, however, Brown's press secretary wrote colleagues to complain that the FEMA director needed more time to eat dinner at a Baton Rouge restaurant that evening. "He needs much more that (sic) 20 or 30 minutes," wrote Brown aide Sharon Worthy.
"We now have traffic to encounter to go to and from a location of his choise (sic), followed by wait service from the restaurant staff, eating, etc. Thank you."
Two things:
One: Gotta love an aide with such a unique connection to literacy.
Two...who else remembers the scene from The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King where Pippin...who knows the situation is past critical...watches Denethor eat dinner? And sings:
Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
Through the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shape
Hope shall fade
Hope shall fail
1 comment:
I don't cry every time (though I think I teared up in the theater), but that is one of my favorite scenes.
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