In the days leading up to Katrina, former FEMA Director Michael Brown sent jocular e-mails to colleagues about his clothing, finding a dog-sitter and asking if he could quit, an investigation revealed.
The House panel investigating the government’s slow response to the storm has released pages of internal e-mail dating from before Katrina hit on Aug. 29 in which Brown appears focused on issues other than the catastrophe at hand.
Brown resigned as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sept. 12 after being made the main scapegoat for the government’s lack of preparedness for Katrina, which killed more than 1,000 people.
Shortly after 7 a.m. on the morning of the storm, a FEMA public affairs official sent Brown an e-mail complimenting him on the outfit he wore during a national television briefing. In response to the e-mail, whose subject was “Re: New Orleans update,” Brown said, “I got it at Nordstroms,” then added, “Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?”
Hours later, Brown received e-mails about levee breaches and pieces falling off the roof of the New Orleans Superdome, used as a shelter during the storm.
Casual responses at a critical time
On Aug. 31, FEMA official Marty Bahamonde sent Brown a desperate e-mail from New Orleans, calling the situation “past critical.” Describing patients in temporary emergency shelters, Bahamonde wrote, “Estimates are many will die within hours.”
He also wrote, “We are out of food and running out of water at the dome, plans in works to address the critical need.”
Brown’s reply to the e-mail was: “Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?”
A few days after Katrina’s devastation, FEMA aide Sharon Worthy sent an e-mail to Brown suggesting he roll up his sleeves when making television appearances.
“Even the President rolled up his sleeves to just below the elbow,” the e-mail reads. “In these crises and on TV you just need to look more hard-working.”
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