Comments on: New book on the Katrina response http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/ News and analysis of critical issues in homeland security today. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:33:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Homeland Security Watch » New Katrina docs on ‘Disaster’ website http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-10408 Homeland Security Watch » New Katrina docs on ‘Disaster’ website Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:17:26 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-10408 [...] The website for the new book Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security (mentioned in this post last week) contains links to a number of primary documents related to the response to Hurricane Katrina that until now haven’t seen the light of day (or perhaps have been overlooked). These includes e-mails sent from the White House Homeland Security Council, complete transcripts of key video teleconferences, and a Senate HSGAC interview with former HSOC chief Matthew Broderick where he admits that DHS didn’t realize that the Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center were different sites until Thursday: Q: At 7:00 p.m. or sometime thereafter on Wednesday night, CNN was reporting 3,000 people at the convention center. Was there any awareness on Wednesday night, to your recollection, of 3,000 plus people at the convention center? [...] […] The website for the new book Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security (mentioned in this post last week) contains links to a number of primary documents related to the response to Hurricane Katrina that until now haven’t seen the light of day (or perhaps have been overlooked). These includes e-mails sent from the White House Homeland Security Council, complete transcripts of key video teleconferences, and a Senate HSGAC interview with former HSOC chief Matthew Broderick where he admits that DHS didn’t realize that the Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center were different sites until Thursday: Q: At 7:00 p.m. or sometime thereafter on Wednesday night, CNN was reporting 3,000 people at the convention center. Was there any awareness on Wednesday night, to your recollection, of 3,000 plus people at the convention center? […]

]]> By: Marie marcal http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9903 Marie marcal Fri, 04 Aug 2006 20:46:37 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9903 I have an invitation to a review of the new book on August 11 and look forward to attending. As president of one of the older neighborhood associations, I have attended many presentations about what we should expect from a direct hit by a major hurricane. All of these talked about the water from Lake Pontchartrain being pushed over the levees into the bowl we call home. None of them that I've seen ever suggested the levees would break. I guess we had more confidence in American engineering than it deserved. I have an invitation to a review of the new book on August 11 and look forward to attending.

As president of one of the older neighborhood associations, I have attended many presentations about what we should expect from a direct hit by a major hurricane. All of these talked about the water from Lake Pontchartrain being pushed over the levees into the bowl we call home. None of them that I’ve seen ever suggested the levees would break. I guess we had more confidence in American engineering than it deserved.

]]> By: EmergencyTech.org » New Book on Homeland Security’s Failures During Hurricane Katrina http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9717 EmergencyTech.org » New Book on Homeland Security’s Failures During Hurricane Katrina Thu, 03 Aug 2006 16:01:22 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9717 [...] I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing yet but I am anxiously awaiting my copy especially with endorsements like this one from HLSW: Block is one of the top DHS beat reporters, and Cooper came to the WSJ from the Times-Picayune, so I’m expecting the whole book to be a worthwhile read, in terms of synthesizing the narrative of the response to Katrina. [...] […] I haven’t had a chance to read the whole thing yet but I am anxiously awaiting my copy especially with endorsements like this one from HLSW: Block is one of the top DHS beat reporters, and Cooper came to the WSJ from the Times-Picayune, so I’m expecting the whole book to be a worthwhile read, in terms of synthesizing the narrative of the response to Katrina. […]

]]> By: Claire B. Rubin http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9550 Claire B. Rubin Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:04:43 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9550 Thanks for posting this. The excerpt was very interesting. I have the book on order. Thanks for posting this. The excerpt was very interesting. I have the book on order.

]]> By: William R. Cumming http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9544 William R. Cumming Tue, 01 Aug 2006 09:01:48 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2006/07/31/new-book-on-the-katrina-response/#comment-9544 Typical of DHS they were only one-man deep where it really counted. Broderick went home to sleep exhausted on Monday night and there was no one he had to replace him that was competent or authorized to act. Nor did he observe the basics of briefing in detail those who might have realized his errors in judgement. The story is an old one. A brave competent fire commander has become a battalion chief in a large city. A full-box alarm has been called and when he arrives becomes catatonic at the scale and dimensions of a fire that is beyond anything he has seen. He is carried off and someone else has to replace him. Clearly, the DHS leadership were not ops guys and did not get it. Now the critical personnel are David Paulison and George Foresman in DHS and they don't get it. But then why should they when we don't have a President or Vice President that have had to face the reality of military operations even in peacetime at a junior level when they are the front line. Typical of DHS they were only one-man deep where it really counted. Broderick went home to sleep exhausted on Monday night and there was no one he had to replace him that was competent or authorized to act. Nor did he observe the basics of briefing in detail those who might have realized his errors in judgement. The story is an old one. A brave competent fire commander has become a battalion chief in a large city. A full-box alarm has been called and when he arrives becomes catatonic at the scale and dimensions of a fire that is beyond anything he has seen. He is carried off and someone else has to replace him. Clearly, the DHS leadership were not ops guys and did not get it. Now the critical personnel are David Paulison and George Foresman in DHS and they don’t get it. But then why should they when we don’t have a President or Vice President that have had to face the reality of military operations even in peacetime at a junior level when they are the front line.

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