Bush's Katrina statement contradicted by emerging evidence
{{date|March 2, 2006}}

Recently emerging evidence seems to contradict a statement by [[United States]] President [[George W. Bush]] during [[w: Hurricane Katrina|Hurricane Katrina]]. He stated in an interview with ''[[w:ABC News|ABC]]'' on September 1st that, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees".

One of the first items to emerge, a video obtained by the ''[[w:Associated Press|Associated Press]]'', shows footage of Bush during a video-conference received at his ranch in [[w:Crawford, Texas|Crawford]], [[Texas]], on August 29, 2005, 19 hours before landfall of Hurricane Katrina. During the briefing, Director of the [[w:National Hurricane Center|National Hurricane Center]] [[w:Max Mayfield|Max Mayfield]] warned, "I don't think anyone can tell you with any confidence right now whether levees will be topped or not, but there is obviously a very, very great concern".  

In addition, Michael D. Brown, then director of the [[w:Federal Emergency Management Agency|Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA), reported that he had spoken with President Bush twice in the morning and that the president was asking about reports that the levees had been breached.

Brown would state later on ''[[w:CNN|CNN]] that, "There's no question in my mind he probably had those reports (about breaches in the levees), because we were feeding in the [[w:Homeland Security Operations Center|Homeland Security Operations Center]], into the [[w:White House|White House]] sit room, all of the information that we were getting. So he had to have had that information. Plus, I think the president knew from our earlier conversations that that was one of my concerns, that the levees could actually breach".[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/02/sitroom.03.html]

In July 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency completed an exercise called "Hurricane Pam", which, dealt with the scenario of a direct hit on New Orleans by a hurricane with 120 mph winds (a Category 3).  It resulted in "10 to 20 feet of water within the City of New Orleans," according to January 24 congressional testimony by the president of the company that designed the Hurricane Pam exercise.[http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1138086166226440.xml]  

A report FEMA sent to the White House Situation Room on August 29th, they cited death and destruction anticipated by the "Hurricane Pam" exercise and warned that Katrina was likely to be worse.  "Exercise projection is exceeded by Hurricane Katrina real-life impacts," they stated.  Furthermore, "The potential for severe storm surge to overwhelm Lake Pontchartrain levees is the greatest concern for New Orleans.  Any storm rated Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson (hurricane) scale will likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching. This could leave the New Orleans metro area submerged for weeks or months".[http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1138086166226440.xml]

When the report was released, Hurricane Katrina was thought to be a Category 4 as of landfall (though after analysis, it's power at landfall would be downgraded to a Category 3).[http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL122005_Katrina.pdf]  

White House officials previously clarified Bush's earlier comment, saying that the president was referring to the hours after Katrina swept through and news reports as of August 30th suggested the city had "dodged a bullet", which led to surprise when reports reached them of the levee breaches.[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179790/][http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/tr20050906-secdef3863.html]  Contrasting this was the August 30th broadcast of NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams reported at 7:05 a.m. ET, "There has been a huge development overnight ... the historic French Quarter, dry last night and it is now filling with water. This is water from nearby Lake Pontchartrain; the levees failed overnight."[http://mediamatters.org/items/200509080002#1]

==Sister links==
{{sisters
|w|Hurricane preparedness for New Orleans
|w|Effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
}}
==Sources==
*{{source
|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0603/02/sitroom.03.html
|title=Interview With Former FEMA Director Michael Brown; President Bush's Poll Numbers Head South; Israeli Firm Endorses Dubai Port Deal
|author=
|pub=CNN.com
|date=March 2, 2006}}
*{{source
|url=http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1138086166226440.xml
|title=Federal report predicted cataclysm
|author=Bill Walsh
|pub=New Orleans Times-Picayune
|date=January 24, 2006}}
*{{source
|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL122005_Katrina.pdf
|title=Tropical Cyclone Report, Hurricane Katrina
|author=Richard D. Knabb, Jamie R.Rhome, and Daniel P. Brown
|pub=National Hurricane Center
|date=December 20, 2005}}
*{{source
|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179790/
|title=Meet The Press (Transcript for September 4, 2005)
|author=
|pub=MSNBC.com
|date=September 4, 2005}}
*{{source
|url=http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/tr20050906-secdef3863.html
|title=Secretary Rumsfeld Radio Interview with The Sean Hannity Show
|author=
|pub=United States Department of Defense
|date=September 6, 2005}}
*{{source
|url=http://mediamatters.org/items/200509080002#1 
|title=Media provide forums for administration officials and conservatives to spread falsehoods about hurricane relief efforts (Video Clip of NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams)
|author=
|pub=MediaMatters.org
|date=September 7, 2005}}
*{{source
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4765058.stm
|title=Video shows Bush Katrina warning
|author=|pub=BBC News Online
|date=March 2, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article348805.ece
|title= Video shows Bush was warned before Katrina struck
|author=[[Associated Press|AP]]
|pub=The Independent
|date=March 2, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/free;_ylt=Au62eAie60Ur6gQK9AFofd4Gw_IE;_ylu=X3oDMTBhNXIwMGFqBHNlYwN2cHJvbW8-?ch=68276&cl=297394','playerWindow','width=793,height=608,scrollbars=no'
|title=Katrina, the warnings Bush Received
|author=|pub=AP|date=March 1, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/13992426.htm
|title=AP Exclusive: Video shows Bush, Chertoff clearly warned before Katrina struck
|author=Margaret Ebrahim and John Solomon
|pub=Duluth Superior
|date=March 1, 2006}}
*{{source|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2067125,00.html|title=Tapes reveal Bush knew that Katrina could swamp city|author=Tom Baldwin|pub=The Times|date=March 2, 2006}}

{{publish}}
{{archived}}

[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Louisiana]]
[[Category:Disasters and accidents]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Hurricane season, 2005]]
[[Category:George W. Bush]]
[[Category:Federal Emergency Management Agency]]

[[it:Un video smentisce Bush su Katrina]]
Recently emerging evidence seems to contradict a statement by United States President George W. Bush during Hurricane Katrina. He stated in an interview with ABC on September 1st that, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees".

One of the first items to emerge, a video obtained by the Associated Press, shows footage of Bush during a video-conference received at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, on August 29, 2005, 19 hours before landfall of Hurricane Katrina. During the briefing, Director of the National Hurricane Center Max Mayfield warned, "I don't think anyone can tell you with any confidence right now whether levees will be topped or not, but there is obviously a very, very great concern".  

In addition, Michael D. Brown, then director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), reported that he had spoken with President Bush twice in the morning and that the president was asking about reports that the levees had been breached.

Brown would state later on CNN that, "There's no question in my mind he probably had those reports (about breaches in the levees), because we were feeding in the Homeland Security Operations Center, into the White House sit room, all of the information that we were getting. So he had to have had that information. Plus, I think the president knew from our earlier conversations that that was one of my concerns, that the levees could actually breach".

In July 2004, the Federal Emergency Management Agency completed an exercise called "Hurricane Pam", which, dealt with the scenario of a direct hit on New Orleans by a hurricane with 120 mph winds (a Category 3).  It resulted in "10 to 20 feet of water within the City of New Orleans," according to January 24 congressional testimony by the president of the company that designed the Hurricane Pam exercise.  

A report FEMA sent to the White House Situation Room on August 29th, they cited death and destruction anticipated by the "Hurricane Pam" exercise and warned that Katrina was likely to be worse.  "Exercise projection is exceeded by Hurricane Katrina real-life impacts," they stated.  Furthermore, "The potential for severe storm surge to overwhelm Lake Pontchartrain levees is the greatest concern for New Orleans.  Any storm rated Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson (hurricane) scale will likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching. This could leave the New Orleans metro area submerged for weeks or months".

When the report was released, Hurricane Katrina was thought to be a Category 4 as of landfall (though after analysis, it's power at landfall would be downgraded to a Category 3).  

White House officials previously clarified Bush's earlier comment, saying that the president was referring to the hours after Katrina swept through and news reports as of August 30th suggested the city had "dodged a bullet", which led to surprise when reports reached them of the levee breaches.  Contrasting this was the August 30th broadcast of NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams reported at 7:05 a.m. ET, "There has been a huge development overnight ... the historic French Quarter, dry last night and it is now filling with water. This is water from nearby Lake Pontchartrain; the levees failed overnight."
United States Louisiana Disasters and accidents North America Hurricane season, 2005 George W. Bush Federal Emergency Management Agency