20 October 2005

You did a heck of a job, Brownie.


Excerpts of newly-released emails from FEMA officials
during Hurricane Katrina:


To: FEMA Director Michael Brown
From: Marty Bahamonde, regional director
for New England
August 31, 11:20 am CDT

Sir, I know that you know the situation is past
critical. Here some things you might not know.

Hotels are kicking people out, thousands gathering in
the streets with no food or water. Hundreds still
being rescued from homes.

The dying patients at the DMAT tent being medivac.
Estimates are many will die within hours.
Evacuation in process. Plans developing for dome
evacuation but hotel situation adding to problem. We
are out of food and running out of water at the dome,
plans in works to address the critical need.

. . .

To: Cindy Taylor, FEMA deputy director
of public affairs & others
From: Sharon Worthy, Brown’s press secretary
August 31, 2:00 pm CDT

Also, it is very important that time is allowed for
Mr. Brown to eat dinner. Gievn [sic] that Baton Rouge
is back to normal, restaurants are getting busy. He
needs much more that [sic] 20 or 30 minutes. We
now have traffic to encounter to get to and from a
location of his choise [sic], followed by wait service
from the restaurant staff, eating, etc.

. . .

To: Cindy Taylor & Michael Widomski, public affairs
From: Marty Bahamonde
August 31, 2:44 pm CDT

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! No won't go any further, too easy
of a target. Just tell her that I just ate an MRE and
crapped in the hallway of the Superdome along with
30,000 other close friends so I understand her
concern about busy restaurants. Maybe tonight I will
have time to move my pebbles on the parking
garage floor so they don't stab me in the back while
I try to sleep.