When the government itself admits it had a “failure of leadership,” the nation has a serious problem. A congressional report released this week said exactly that; it called the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina “a national failure, an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare.”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, now-disgraced former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Dan Brown’s boss, also admitted at a press conference Monday that his agency fell short in its response.
The failures outlined by the Katrina report include a delayed response time in addressing the disaster, insufficient lines of communication to the president and a lapse in planning for what was known to be a potential disaster.
The committee compiled the report also offered suggestions for how the government can better react to future national catastrophes – instigating a National Action Plan. Such a plan would mandate that the federal government take action in a time of distress, whether or not such action is formally requested. Considering that the government’s primary role is looking after the safety and livelihood of its citizens, there is no reason that the U.S. government must be specifically told to do its job every time a situation of national distress occurs.
Chertoff said the DHS will “create a 21st century logistics management system” to allow real-time tracking of relief supplies.
We can only hope that in the future this will help prevent fraud and misuse of federal relief like that of recent months; audit results released Monday by congressional investigators found that up to 900,000 of the 2.5 million applicants who received emergency cash assistance did so with false information. The Department of Justice has charged 212 people with scams relating to recent hurricanes.
Among the improper activities discovered by the Government Accounting Office were relief recipients using $2,000 government debit cards to buy a $450 tattoo, a $1,100 diamond engagement ring and $150 worth of products at “Condoms to Go.”
These and other egregious rip-offs related in the report call into question the basic ability of our government to help its citizens. Residents of rural Waveland, Miss., for example, returned to the beach-front town northeast of New Orleans to find utter destruction. Months after the hurricanes, it and other areas are still in disrepair as citizens, church groups and volunteer organizations fend for themselves. If we can fight a global war on terrorism, it seems we should be able to rebuild our own cities.
Moreover, the Congressional report accurately states that if the United States aims to protect itself from a future terrorist attack, preparedness is key. If the DHS can’t coordinate delivering trailers to homeless Americans, it is unclear how it will uncover and prevent terrorism – violent acts that most likely won’t have warnings broadcast on national television.
Although Bush has been lauded for making a “personal plea” to New Orleans residents to leave their city before the storm hit, there is no reason that that personal plea should not have been translated into a plan of action within the executive branch. Should another national disaster occur, the Department of Homeland Security should be prepared to quickly appoint a point-person for the incident and coordinate efforts.
They should remember that although gross fiscal inefficiency may cause frustration, negligence and delay can cost lives.