Is it true that the Governor of La. failed to request federal aid from the feds?

[Peregrine Took]

A conservative person I know is defending Bush and FEMA regarding Katrina saying that the feds can't come into a state to assist unless the governor formally requests assistance and she didn't do this. They can only come in to help without this request after a 3 day period.

I've googled this for a while but can' seem to hit on the right search terms.

Is this correct re: the request?

Somehow this doesn't seem right.

[Sequoia]

1. Yes, I remember that as being true.

[ceile]

2. Post this in GD n/t

[Peregrine Took]

7. Thanks, that couldn't have been stated in a more polite way if you tried.

[Ava]

3. NO! that person is either full of shit or else misinformed

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/politics/blanco.asp

Blanco declared a state of emergency for the state of Louisiana on the 26th August of. Part of the reason this false information spread was because of a washington post article that was absolutely wrong. they later issued a correction to their article, noting that "A Sept. 4 article on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina incorrectly said that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) had not declared a state of emergency. She declared an emergency on Aug. 26."

also, on Saturday (27 August), blanco requested that President Bush "declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina." The White House responded to Governor Blanco's request that same day (Saturday) by declaring the emergency and authorizing FEMA "to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency." the rest we all know.. FEMA mishandled the hell out of it, bush ate cake with mccain, and "heckuva job brownie!"

[Peregrine Took]

8. Thanks so much. I should have known to go to Snopes. n/t

[SacredCow]

4. FEMA and Bushco certainly weren't models of effective administration...

but our governor at the time was also a dismal failure... As was the mayor of NOLA. Katrina was a debacle from the very start, on ALL levels. Really, it continues to be not much better....

A friend of mine works for FEMA, and was stationed here (in Baton Rouge) for about a year after Katrina so I got a good bit of firsthand gossip from him. He readily admitted that FEMA could not effectively manage the crisis, but caveated that admission with the opinion that if it had happened PRIOR to FEMA being placed under Homeland Security, it would have been an entirely different story. He felt that most people didn't even realize FEMA existed until Katrina, and that was because prior to Homeland Security, it was one of the most (if not the most) efficiently-run federal agency. But putting it under Homeland Security added levels upon levels of red tape and bullshit that was impossible to navigate.

[democracyindanger]

5. No.

Blanco made her request on August 27th; Bush declared a state of emergency in LA the same day. Katrina hit LA on the 28th.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Hurricane_Katrina

[CottonBear]

6. Gov. Blanco requested federal aid but Bush wanted to give it to LA with unacceptable conditions.

Bush basically wanted control of the state in return for aid.

Blanco said hell no.

[SacredCow]

10. That's a pretty good short summary.....

I'm by no means a fan of Blanco and what she did here, but she did get put into the proverbial "between a rock and a hard place" situation.

Katrina was a major political screw-up that crossed party lines. For someone to try to use it as a badge of accomplishment makes absolutely no sense.

[LSK]

9. see my thread from that time

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=22597

[crimsonblue]

11. so bush can spy on us and detain people without limitation...

but try and HELP people and he is hampered by pesky law? Give me a break. Since it was a multi-state disaster, it was automatically a federal matter. He could have told the La Gov to suck it, and send in help.