Ever wonder about the behind the scenes emails at FEMA? You know, how Mickey Brown defended his incompetence and total dorkhood with the excuse of the ages, “I didn’t know.” Or “it wasn’t my job.”
The LA Times has published some excerpts of emails that were flying around the cyberwaves during the early days of hurricane Katrina’s post-catastrophic mess. It is priceless to behold. And most important, we know that Michael Brown got to eat his dinner while others lacked even a sip of uncontaminated water.
E-mails among FEMA officials, excerpted but otherwise unedited (”the US” in the Aug. 30 e-mail means “the undersecretary,” director Michael D. Brown):
Marty Bahamonde is the regional director for New England
From: Bahamonde
To: Nicol Andrews, FEMA spokeswoman
What is happening with the US (he is referring to Michael Brown) travel this morning. When is he coming to New Orleans. The area around the Superdome is filling up with water, now waist deep. The US can land and do a presser but then have to leave, there will be no ground tour, only flyover.
Aug. 31, 11:20 a.m.
From: Bahamonde
To: FEMA director Michael D. Brown
Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical. Here some things you might not know.
Hotels are kicking people out, thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Hundreds still being rescued from homes.
The dying patients at the DMAT tent being medivac. Estimates are many will die within hours. Evacuation in process. Plans developing for dome evacuation but hotel situation adding to problem. We are out of food and running out of water at the dome, plans in works to address the critical need.
Aug. 31, 2 p.m.
From: Sharon Worthy, Brown’s press secretary
To: Cindy Taylor, FEMA deputy director of public affairs, and others
Also, it is very important that time is allowed for Mr. Brown to eat dinner. Gievn that Baton Rouge is back to normal, restaurants are getting busy. He needs much more that 20 or 30 minutes. We now have traffic to encounter to get to and from a location of his choise, followed by wait service from the restaurant staff, eating, etc.
So now we know the priorities. Michael Brown must eat his dinner and at a liesurely pace, and we have to allow for traffic and other important incidentals. While the people in New Orleans are wallowing in sludge, have no food and water, or a home, Michael Brown’s dinner takes top priority. Do we need any further information about the workings of FEMA? Hey Brownie, you’re doing a heckofa job? Hope you enjoyed your dinner!
Bahamonde’s response to that dribble about poor Mickey’s dinner is priceless.
Aug. 31, 2:44 p.m.
From: Bahamonde
To: Taylor and Michael Widomski, public affairs
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! No won’t go any further, too easy of a target. Just tell her that I just ate an MRE and crapped in the hallway of the Superdome along with 30,000 other close friends so I understand her concern about busy restaurants. Maybe tonight I will have time to move my pebbles on the parking garage floor so they don’t stab me in the back while I try to sleep.
In an email dated Sept 3, Bahamonde stated that “the leadership from top down in our agency is unprepared and out of touch”…. and that he was “horrified at some of the cluelessness and self concern that persists.”
LA Times
