As diaried over at TPM Cafe
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/4/171811/1974
Everybody in the blogosphere should become well-versed in the National Response Plan (NRP) - PRONTO.
On page 43 of the NRP the section is titled, "Proactive Federal Response to Catastrophic Events"
This like the August 6th PDB and all of the endless documented reports and news that the Bushies overlooked on their way to eat cake and buy shoes ARE HARD FACTS THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED.
The National Response Plan was accepted and implemented by Bush Administration
in December 2004.
The specific chapter I reference above is as follows:
The NRP establishes policies, procedures, and mechanisms for proactive Federal response to catastrophic events. A catastrophic event is any natural or manmade incident, including terrorism, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale, and/or government functions. A catastrophic event could result in sustained national impacts over a prolonged period of time; almost immediately exceeds resources normally available to State, local, tribal, and private-sector authorities in the impacted area; and significantly interrupts governmental operations and emergency services to such an extent that national security could be threatened. All catastrophic events are Incidents of National Significance.
Implementation of Proactive Federal Response Protocols
Protocols for proactive Federal response are most likely to be implemented for catastrophic events involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or high-yield explosive weapons of mass destruction, or large magnitude earthquakes or other natural or technological disasters in or near heavily populated areas.
Guiding Principles for Proactive Federal Response
Guiding principles for proactive Federal response include the following:
■ The primary mission is to save lives; protect critical infrastructure, property, and the environment; contain the event; and preserve national security.
■ Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited or, under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of
catastrophic magnitude.
■ Identified Federal response resources will deploy and begin necessary operations as required to commence life-safety activities.
■ Notification and full coordination with States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources. States are urged to notify and coordinate with local governments regarding a proactive Federal response.
■ State and local governments are encouraged to conduct collaborative planning with the Federal Government as a part of "steady-state" preparedness for catastrophic incidents.
Implementation Mechanisms for Proactive
Federal Response to Catastrophic Events
The NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement (described in the Catastrophic Incident Annex) addresses resource and procedural implications of catastrophic events to ensure the rapid and efficient delivery of resources and assets, including special teams, equipment, and supplies that provide critical lifesaving support and incident containment capabilities. These assets may be so specialized or costly that they are either not available or are in insufficient quantities in most localities.
The procedures outlined in the NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement are based on the following:
■ The pre-identification of Federal assets and capabilities;
■ The strategic location of pre-identified assets for rapid deployment; and
■ The use of pre-scripted mission assignments for Stafford Act declarations, or individual agency authority and funding, to expedite deployment upon notification by DHS (in accordance with procedures established in the NRP Catastrophic Incident Supplement) of a potential catastrophic event.
Agencies responsible for these assets will keep DHS apprised, through the HSOC, of their ongoing status and location until the JFO is established. Upon arrival at the scene, Federal assets will coordinate with the Unified Command, the SFLEO, and the JFO (or its forward elements) when established. Demobilization processes, including full coordination with the JFO Coordination Group, are initiated either when the mission is completed or when it is determined the magnitude of the event does not warrant continued use of the asset.
So there it is folks. Coordination need not DELAY efforts to save lives and protect infrastructure.
Can anybody say - Evacuation and Levee repairs stalled for 5 days?
My husband's cousin is a federal government worker in Miami. Kendall to be exact. Before Katrina even blew through there, the community was advised, and advised, and advised WHERE all of the FEMA stations were going to be staged so that they could find food, water and possible evaucation points. And there were several throughout a city that is much larger than New Orleans.
In New Orleans before I left, I knew that that superdome was being resources with MRE's and Water to supply 15,000 for 3 days. I'm sure Miami's supply was way more adequate than 15,000 meals.
As you can recall from the Bush walk through of Biloxi - he was telling victims to go to shelters that people knew didn't exist.
I argued with a friend who stubbornly stayed in New Orleans that waiting for appropriate bureaucracy to get taken care of is unacceptable and I knew somewhere there had to be some sort of documentation on that. Well, her it is.