Brown Dined While People Died

Ken AshfordDisastersLeave a Comment

I thought Katrina-related Michael Brown stories were soooo September 2005, but I was wrong.  The amount of indifference and incompetence is scary:

Later, on Aug. 31, [FEMA regional director] 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."

Oh my God.