Slowness of recovery of Katrina dead criticized (Blanco criticizes FEMA)

[UpInArms]

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-09-13T184411Z_01_N13577469_RTRIDST_0_KATRINA-DEAD.XML

BATON ROUGE, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Louisiana's governor condemned the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday for moving too slowly to recover the dead from New Orleans and has signed a contract directly on behalf of the state with the recovery company originally hired by FEMA.

"I have taken action today to resolve a matter that involves life, death and dignity," Kathleen Blanco told reporters at a meeting of state elected officials.

"I can not stand by while this vital operation is not being handled appropriately."

Blanco said she has signed a contract with Kenyon International Emergency Services after the company threatened to pull out of the state because it had not yet signed a formal contract with FEMA.

Asked about the issue, FEMA spokesman David Passey said: "From what I understand, Kenyon had some questions about the contract."

...more...

edited to add Bloomberg link:

Louisiana Hires Kenyon to Help Recover Bodies, Governor Says

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=aVhpOo50hL.I&refer=top_world_news

Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said the state hired Kenyon International Emergency Services to recover bodies left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, saying she had given up on the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

``In recent days, I have spoken with FEMA and administration officials to convey my absolute frustration regarding the lack of urgency and the lack of respect of our people whose lives were lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina,'' Blanco told reporters in Baton Rouge today.

Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff said the agency that runs FEMA created a ``system of recovery'' a week ago and is responsible for the recovery of bodies, Blanco said, adding that even the highest government officials couldn't ``break through the bureaucracy to get the coordination done.''

``I cannot bear to wait any longer,'' Blanco said.

...very short blurb...

[malaise]

1. Good for her

She has received a lot of backing today.

Keep your own body count as well Gov.
"This report closes the book on the Bush Administration's attempts to evade accountability," Conyers said in a statement. "The Bush Administration was caught napping at a critical time."

Check Rawstory.
edit - add sentence.

[MaineDem]

2. I'm glad she's taken action

But I wish it was with a firm without ties to Bush.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KyndCulture]

4. Care to tell us what that's supposed to mean?

:popcorn:

[DELUSIONAL]

14. Sounds like someone is listening to O'Lie-alot (O'Reilly)

this has been O'Lie-alot's spin (probably directive from white house).

[MaineDem]

5. Yeah, what are you trying to say? (nt)

[...of J.Temperance]

6. Hey, you leave Governor Blanco alone, she's done a GREAT job

It's FEMA that's been doing their best to fuck everything up, with the help of the waste of human skin that's squatting in the WH.

[KyndCulture]

7. *crickets* hit n run I guess... nt.

[...of J.Temperance]

10. *crickets*...yeah, strangely I'M hearing that chirping too ;) n/t

[ernstbass]

8. Yea she's doing a lot for the starving animals in NO (not!!)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4742186

[KyndCulture]

11. I think she's got some HUMAN problems on her hands right now.

Sorry about the pets, but I expect the gov. to handle the human crisis right now.

[ernstbass]

12. The pets still have a chance

the dead don't. We expect * to do more than one thing at a time and I expect the gov to also.

[...of J.Temperance]

13. I LOVE animals too, but cut the Governor some slack please

She's got thousands of people still in TERRIBLE circumstances, in trauma, possibly some even suicidal and thousands of dead people who need to be collected, DNAd and returned to their families.

Governor Blanco can't do everything, I'm sure that there are other people in Louisiana that will be in charge of the animals. Also, the Coast Guard HAVE been rescuing animals...and I recall that Mayor Ray Reagan (sic) told them NOT to rescue the animals and somebody went over his head and said DO rescue the animals.

[ernstbass]

9. Welcome Annamaria!

[Annamaria]

16. Thanks

Thanks for the welcome, ernst. Guess I hit a nerve with my first post but I don't think Blanco handled things as well as she should have, both before and after Katrina. Yes, the federal response was slower than it should have been but if NO had been evacuated using only the city and school busses available there would have been at least 30K fewer people left in the city. Guess that's a moot point now though, huh? :shrug:

[...of J.Temperance]

18. The school buses was Mayor Ray's fault and NOT Governor Blanco's...oh

And don't think people were personally attacking you. It's just that a lot of people around here are pretty wound up at present.

So welcome :hi: stick around a while.

[Kailassa]

27. evacuation

I'm not saying you're wrong, but what co-operation would they have had with the rest of the country providing a destination?
You can't just bus 100.000 people to nowhere, somebody has to provide a place and care.

[Bob3]

15. if they recover the bodies too quickly it will make * look worse

better to let the number rise slowly - like in Iraq.

[triguy46]

17. Contract? What's that? Halliburton just bellies up to the feed trough n/

[maddezmom]

19. kick to combine

[DeepModem Mom]

20. Bloomberg:Blanco Hires Contractor to Help Recover Bodies(gives up on FEMA)

Louisiana Hires Contractor to Help Recover Bodies
Sept. 13 (Bloomberg)


-- Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said the state hired a contractor to recover bodies left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, saying she had given up on the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"In recent days, I have spoken with FEMA and administration officials to convey my absolute frustration regarding the lack of urgency and the lack of respect of our people whose lives were lost as a result of Hurricane Katrina,'' Blanco told reporters in Baton Rouge today during a meeting with state officials.

Blanco said Kenyon International Emergency Services, a Houston-based unit of Service Corp. International that has worked on Asian tsunami recovery effort, will find the corpses left after Katrina roared ashore on the U.S. Gulf Coast Aug. 29. The storm killed thousands, caused an estimated $100 billion in damage and left 80 percent of New Orleans submerged in water....

***

Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff said the agency that runs FEMA created a "system of recovery" a week ago and is responsible for the recovery of bodies, Blanco said, adding that even the highest government officials couldn't "break through the bureaucracy to get the coordination done." She also blamed the agency for not committing enough workers to the effort.

Respect

"I cannot bear to wait any longer," Blanco said today during a meeting with state officials. "In death as in life our people deserve more respect than they have received."...


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=addOntqk3YEA&refer=top_world_news


Reuters: Slowness of recovery of Katrina dead criticized
Tue Sep 13, 2005

....Blanco said she has signed a contract with Kenyon International Emergency Services after the company threatened to pull out of the state because it had not yet signed a formal contract with FEMA.

Asked about the issue, FEMA spokesman David Passey said: "From what I understand, Kenyon had some questions about the contract."...

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-09-13T184411Z_01_N13577469_RTRIDST_0_KATRINA-DEAD.XML

[rzemanfl]

21. Trouble is that she hired a bunch of crooks and Bush cronies. n/t

[Syncronaut Seven]

22. I can't help but think that was the goal all along.

Privatization baby.

[Kurt Remarque]

24. yep, let's show them just how shitty a job gov't can do

[Liberty Belle]

23. RawStory piece on scandals involving the contractor,

whose parent company, SCI, has been involved in multiple body-dumping and desecration scandals:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1778107

[gulfcoastliberal]

25. Disgusting

I read about them at RawStory. I can't believe Blanco would stoop to hire an agency that FEMA correctly balked at signing a contract with, given their horrific reputation and scandals. :puke:

[applegrove]

26. I'm okay with them waiting a while to outsource recovery of bodies -

JUST SO LONG AS THEY DON"T WAIT THE NEXT TIME TO SAVE VICTIMS!

Actually - I hear this company his pretty creepy.