Friday, August 26
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
IN LOUISIANA: [Office of the Governor]

GULF COAST STATES REQUEST TROOP ASSISTANCE FROM
PENTAGON: At a 9/1 press conference, Lt. Gen.
Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force
Katrina, said that the Gulf States began the
process of requesting additional forces on
Friday, 8/26. [DOD]

Saturday, August 27
5AM - KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE [CNN]

GOV. BLANCO ASKS BUSH TO DECLARE FEDERAL STATE
OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA: "I have determined
that this incident is of such severity and
magnitude that effective response is beyond the
capabilities of the State and affected local
governments, and that supplementary Federal
assistance is necessary to save lives, protect
property, public health, and safety, or to
lessen or avert the threat of a disaster."
[Office of the Governor]

FEDERAL EMERGENCY DECLARED, DHS AND FEMA GIVEN
FULL AUTHORITY TO RESPOND TO KATRINA:
"Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify,
mobilize, and provide at its discretion,
equipment and resources necessary to alleviate
the impacts of the emergency." [White House]

Sunday, August 28

2AM - KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

7AM - KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE [CNN]

MORNING - LOUISIANA NEWSPAPER SIGNALS LEVEES MAY
GIVE: "Forecasters Fear Levees Won't Hold
Katrina": "Forecasters feared Sunday afternoon
that storm driven waters will lap over the New
Orleans levees when monster Hurricane Katrina
pushes past the Crescent City tomorrow."
[Lafayette Daily Advertiser]

9:30 AM - MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES FIRST EVER
MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NEW ORLEANS: "We're
facing the storm most of us have feared," said
Nagin. "This is going to be an unprecedented
event." [Times-Picayune]

4PM - NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SPECIAL
HURRICANE WARNING: In the event of a category 4
or 5 hit, "Most of the area will be
uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. … At
least one-half of well-constructed homes will
have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs
will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged
or destroyed. … Power outages will last for
weeks. … Water shortages will make human
suffering incredible by modern standards."
[National Weather Service]

AFTERNOON - BUSH, BROWN, CHERTOFF WARNED OF
LEVEE FAILURE BY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER
DIRECTOR: Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the
National Hurricane Center: "'We were briefing
them way before landfall. … It's not like this
was a surprise. We had in the advisories that
the levee could be topped.'" [Times-Picayune;
St. Petersburg Times]

LATE PM - REPORTS OF WATER TOPPLING OVER LEVEE:
"Waves crashed atop the exercise path on the
Lake Pontchartrain levee in Kenner early Monday
as Katrina churned closer." [Times-Picayune]

APPROXIMATELY 30,000 EVACUEES GATHER AT
SUPERDOME WITH ROUGHLY 36 HOURS WORTH OF FOOD
[Times-Picayune]

Monday, August 29


7AM - KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

8AM - MAYOR NAGIN REPORTS THAT WATER IS FLOWING
OVER LEVEE: "I've gotten reports this morning
that there is already water coming over some of
the levee systems. In the lower ninth ward,
we've had one of our pumping stations to stop
operating, so we will have significant flooding,
it is just a matter of how much." [NBC's "Today
Show"]

MORNING - BUSH CALLS SECRETARY CHERTOFF TO
DISCUSS IMMIGRATION: "I spoke to Mike Chertoff
today - he's the head of the Department of
Homeland Security. I knew people would want me
to discuss this issue [immigration], so we got
us an airplane on - a telephone on Air Force
One, so I called him. I said, are you working
with the governor? He said, you bet we are."
[White House]

MORNING - BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP
WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN [White House]

11AM - BUSH VISITS ARIZONA RESORT TO PROMOTE
MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: "This new bill I signed
says, if you're a senior and you like the way
things are today, you're in good shape, don't
change. But, by the way, there's a lot of
different options for you. And we're here to
talk about what that means to our seniors."
[White House]

LATE MORNING - LEVEE BREACHED: "A large section
of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it
connects to the brand new 'hurricane proof' Old
Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday
morning in Bucktown after Katrina's fiercest
winds were well north." [Times-Picayune]

11:30AM - MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY REQUESTS THAT
DHS DISPATCH 1,000 EMPLOYEES TO REGION, GIVES
THEM TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE: "Brown's memo to
Chertoff described Katrina as 'this near
catastrophic event' but otherwise lacked any
urgent language. The memo politely ended, 'Thank
you for your consideration in helping us to meet
our responsibilities.'" [AP]

2PM - BUSH TRAVELS TO CALIFORNIA SENIOR CENTER
TO DISCUSS MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: "We've got
some folks up here who are concerned about their
Social Security or Medicare. Joan Geist is with
us. … I could tell - she was looking at me when
I first walked in the room to meet her, she was
wondering whether or not old George W. is going
to take away her Social Security check." [White
House]

9PM - RUMSFELD ATTENDS SAN DIEGO PADRES BASEBALL
GAME: Rumsfeld "joined Padres President John
Moores in the owner's box…at Petco Park."
[Editor & Publisher]

Tuesday, August 30


9AM - BUSH SPEAKS ON IRAQ AT NAVAL BASE CORONADO [White House]

MIDDAY - CHERTOFF FINALLY BECOMES AWARE THAT
LEVEE HAS FAILED: "It was on Tuesday that the
levee-may have been overnight Monday to
Tuesday-that the levee started to break. And it
was midday Tuesday that I became aware of the
fact that there was no possibility of plugging
the gap and that essentially the lake was going
to start to drain into the city." [Meet the
Press, 9/4/05]

PENTAGON CLAIMS THERE ARE ENOUGH NATIONAL GUARD
TROOPS IN REGION: "Pentagon spokesman Lawrence
Di Rita said the states have adequate National
Guard units to handle the hurricane needs."
[WWL-TV]

MASS LOOTING REPORTED, SECURITY SHORTAGE CITED:
"The looting is out of control. The French
Quarter has been attacked," Councilwoman Jackie
Clarkson said. "We're using exhausted, scarce
police to control looting when they should be
used for search and rescue while we still have
people on rooftops." [AP]

U.S.S. BATAAN SITS OFF SHORE, VIRTUALLY UNUSED:
"The USS Bataan, a 844-foot ship designed to
dispatch Marines in amphibious assaults, has
helicopters, doctors, hospital beds, food and
water. It also can make its own water, up to
100,000 gallons a day. And it just happened to
be in the Gulf of Mexico when Katrina came
roaring ashore. The Bataan rode out the storm
and then followed it toward shore, awaiting
relief orders. Helicopter pilots flying from its
deck were some of the first to begin plucking
stranded New Orleans residents. But now the
Bataan's hospital facilities, including six
operating rooms and beds for 600 patients, are
empty." [Chicago Tribune]

3PM - PRESIDENT BUSH PLAYS GUITAR WITH COUNTRY SINGER MARK WILLIS [AP]

BUSH RETURNS TO CRAWFORD FOR FINAL NIGHT OF VACATION [AP]

Wednesday, August 31


TENS OF THOUSANDS TRAPPED IN SUPERDOME;
CONDITIONS DETERIORATE: "A 2-year-old girl slept
in a pool of urine. Crack vials littered a
restroom. Blood stained the walls next to
vending machines smashed by teenagers. 'We pee
on the floor. We are like animals,' said Taffany
Smith, 25, as she cradled her 3-week-old son,
Terry. … By Wednesday, it had degenerated into
horror. … At least two people, including a
child, have been raped. At least three people
have died, including one man who jumped 50 feet
to his death, saying he had nothing left to live
for. There is no sanitation. The stench is
overwhelming."" [Los Angeles Times, 9/1/05]

PRESIDENT BUSH FINALLY ORGANIZES TASK FORCE TO
COORDINATE FEDERAL RESPONSE: Bush says on
Tuesday he will "fly to Washington to begin
work…with a task force that will coordinate the
work of 14 federal agencies involved in the
relief effort." [New York Times, 8/31/05]

JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY DIRECTOR SAYS FOOD
AND WATER SUPPLY GONE: "Director Walter Maestri:
FEMA and national agencies not delivering the
help nearly as fast as it is needed." [WWL-TV]

80,000 BELIEVED STRANDED IN NEW ORLEANS: Former
Mayor Sidney Barthelemy "estimated 80,000 were
trapped in the flooded city and urged President
Bush to send more troops." [Reuters]

3,000 STRANDED AT CONVENTION CENTER WITHOUT FOOD
OR WATER: "With 3,000 or more evacuees stranded
at the convention center - and with no apparent
contingency plan or authority to deal with them
- collecting a body was no one's priority. …
Some had been at the convention center since
Tuesday morning but had received no food, water
or instructions." [Times-Picayune]

5PM - BUSH GIVES FIRST MAJOR ADDRESS ON KATRINA:
"Nothing about the president's demeanor… - which
seemed casual to the point of carelessness -
suggested that he understood the depth of the
current crisis." [New York Times]

8:00PM - CONDOLEEZZA RICE TAKES IN A BROADWAY
SHOW: "On Wednesday night, Secretary Rice was
booed by some audience members at 'Spamalot!,
the Monty Python musical at the Shubert, when
the lights went up after the performance." [New
York Post, 9/2/05]

9PM - FEMA DIRECTOR BROWN CLAIMS SURPRISE OVER
SIZE OF STORM: "I must say, this storm is much
much bigger than anyone expected." [CNN]

Thursday, September 1


8AM - BUSH CLAIMS NO ONE EXPECTED LEVEES TO
BREAK: "I don't think anybody anticipated the
breach of the levees." [Washington Post]

CONDOLEEZZA RICE VISITS U.S. OPEN: "Rice, [in
New York] on three days' vacation to shop and
see the U.S. Open, hitting some balls with
retired champ Monica Seles at the Indoor Tennis
Club at Grand Central." [New York Post]

STILL NO COMMAND AND CONTROL ESTABLISHED: Terry
Ebbert, New Orleans Homeland Security Director:
"This is a national emergency. This is a
national disgrace. FEMA has been here three
days, yet there is no command and control. We
can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami
victims, but we can't bail out the city of New
Orleans." [Fox News]

2PM - MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES "DESPERATE SOS" TO
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: "This is a desperate SOS.
Right now we are out of resources at the
convention centre and don't anticipate enough
buses. We need buses. Currently the convention
centre is unsanitary and unsafe and we're
running out of supplies." [Guardian, 9/2/05]

2PM - MICHAEL BROWN CLAIMS NOT TO HAVE HEARD OF
REPORTS OF VIOLENCE: "I've had no reports of
unrest, if the connotation of the word unrest
means that people are beginning to riot, or you
know, they're banging on walls and screaming and
hollering or burning tires or whatever. I've had
no reports of that." [CNN]

NEW ORLEANS "DESCEND[S] INTO ANARCHY": "Storm
victims were raped and beaten, fights and fires
broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and
rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers
were shot at as flooded-out New Orleans
descended into anarchy Thursday. 'This is a
desperate SOS,' the mayor said." [AP]

CONDOLEEZZA RICE GOES SHOE SHOPPING: "Just
moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue,
Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several
thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes
(we've confirmed this, so her new heels will
surely get coverage from the WaPo's Robin
Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the
absurdity of Rice's timing, went up to the
Secretary and reportedly shouted, 'How dare you
shop for shoes while thousands are dying and
homeless!'" [Gawker]

MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY LEARNS OF EVACUEES IN
CONVENTION CENTER: "We learned about that
(Thursday), so I have directed that we have all
available resources to get that convention
center to make sure that they have the food and
water and medical care that they need." [CNN]

Friday, September 2


ROVE-LED CAMPAIGN TO BLAME LOCAL OFFICIALS
BEGINS: "Under the command of President Bush's
two senior political advisers, the White House
rolled out a plan…to contain the political
damage from the administration's response to
Hurricane Katrina." President Bush's comments
from the Rose Garden Friday morning formed "the
start of this campaign." [New York Times, 9/5/05]

9:35AM - BUSH PRAISES MICHAEL BROWN: "Brownie,
you're doing a heck of a job." [White House,
9/2/05]

10 AM - PRESIDENT BUSH STAGES PHOTO-OP
"BRIEFING": Coast Guard helicopters and crew
diverted to act as backdrop for President Bush's
photo-op.

BUSH VISIT GROUNDS FOOD AID: "Three tons of food
ready for delivery by air to refugees in St.
Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the
Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon
as air traffic was halted because of President
Bush's visit to New Orleans, officials said."
[Times-Picayune]

LEVEE REPAIR WORK ORCHESTRATED FOR PRESIDENT'S
VISIT: Sen. Mary Landrieu, 9/3: "Touring this
critical site yesterday with the President, I
saw what I believed to be a real and significant
effort to get a handle on a major cause of this
catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot
again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it
became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a
hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential
photo opportunity; and the desperately needed
resources we saw were this morning reduced to a
single, lonely piece of equipment." [Sen. Mary
Landrieu]

BUSH USES 50 FIREFIGHTERS AS PROPS IN DISASTER
AREA PHOTO-OP: A group of 1,000 firefighters
convened in Atlanta to volunteer with the
Katrina relief efforts. Of those, "a team of 50
Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight
headed for Louisiana. The crew's first
assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he
tours devastated areas." [Salt Lake Tribune;
Reuters]

3PM - BUSH "SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSE": "I am
satisfied with the response. I am not satisfied
with all the results." [AP]

Saturday, September 3


SENIOR BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL LIES TO
WASHINGTON POST, CLAIMS GOV. BLANCO NEVER
DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY: The Post reported
in their Sunday edition "As of Saturday, Blanco
still had not declared a state of emergency, the
senior Bush official said." They were forced to
issue a correction hours later. [Washington
Post, 9/4/05]

9AM - BUSH BLAMES STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS:
"[T]he magnitude of responding to a crisis over
a disaster area that is larger than the size of
Great Britain has created tremendous problems
that have strained state and local capabilities.
The result is that many of our citizens simply
are not getting the help they need." [White
House, 9/3/05]


____________________________________________________________________________


And this is just through Saturday...


If I listed all the examples of where FEMA
either sat on its ass, or when it did arrive, it
screwed up things negatively, I'd be here all
day."


--
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.
Edward Abbey (1927-1989)