Commentary: What others say

New Orleans CityBusiness, Jul 30, 2007

The New York Times, 'FEMA runs for cover,' editorial, July 22

How many times can the federal government let down the victims of the hurricanes that ravaged the Gulf Coast two years ago?

More than 66,000 of the victims still live in FEMA trailers, unable to return home. In a sickening twist to their woeful tale of neglect, it appears that their trailers have been poisoning them. FEMA, which knew of the problem for more than a year, ignored warnings from its own staff and avoided addressing it because it was worried about being sued.

A Congressional investigation discovered that in March 2006, FEMA was made aware that trailers housing hurricane evacuees contained levels of formaldehyde up to 75 times the recommended safety threshold. Exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to vision and respiratory problems, allergies in children and cancer.

The agency received numerous complaints from occupants of the trailers. In June 2006, a man who had complained about formaldehyde fumes was found dead in his trailer.

Still, FEMA resisted performing a systematic investigation because, according to FEMA lawyers, this could make the agency liable for health problems.

FEMA says it has replaced 58 trailers because of concern about formaldehyde and has moved five families into rental housing. The agency also announced that it had asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to test the air quality in occupied trailers.

But calling that decision woefully late is an understatement. If its response to the current crisis is any guide, FEMA's approach to crises consists of ducking for cover.

MSNBC.com, 'Hurricane Katrina wake-up call,' commentary, July 24

It's been nearly two years since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and the surrounding area, destroying houses and lives and capturing the world's attention.

By now, however, there's no question that most people's thoughts have moved on. The Katrina Foundation for Recovery is hoping to shock people into turning their attention back to the storm-ravaged region.

"Bin Laden would be smart to hide where the U.S. pays the least attention - New Orleans," reads one of five advertisements prepared for the nonprofit, which raises money to supply clothing, shelter and other services in the area.

In another, the group plays on people's obsession with celebrity news.

"Brad and Angelina brought a house in New Orleans (that's a coastal city in Louisiana, in case you've forgotten)."

Others depict scenes of happy normalcy, such as a school bus full of kids or a church, held up against a scene of Katrina-wrought destruction.

Kathy Reeg, president of the Katrina Foundation for Recovery, admits she was a little hesitant when the advertising agency first approached her with the donated Osama Bin Laden ad.

"I'm very patriotic myself, and I just felt like it might be pretty controversial - we live in the conservative South here," she said.

But while she didn't want to turn people off, Reeg did like the shock value.

"We have a bad habit of moving on with our lives and leaving something behind," she said.

USA Today: 'Poll: Little hurry in hurricane zones,' July 24

Nearly one-third of residents in U.S. coastal areas vulnerable to hurricanes say they won't obey orders to evacuate if a major storm threatens, according to a new survey on preparedness.

Despite the nightmare experience of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the poll also found that almost two-thirds of New Orleans residents don't know the location of an evacuation shelter. More than half have not prearranged with their family where to meet after a storm. In other states, lack of a post-storm meeting plan is even higher: 66 percent.

"Our surprise was we thought the power of Katrina would leave a longer legacy," says project director Robert Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health. His team surveyed 5,046 adults within 20 miles of the coasts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas and Texas.

In a survey last year, only one-fourth of hurricane-zone residents said they would not evacuate.

Blendon says safety and security concerns rank highest among those unwilling to flee. More than half fear overcrowded roads. One- third fear danger during evacuation and theft or damage of property left behind. Two-thirds of respondents think shelters would be unsanitary, too crowded and short of water.

Among those reluctant to leave, three-quarters say their houses are sturdy enough to withstand hurricanes - even residents of mobile homes.

MSNBC.com: 'Ex-FEMA chief profiteering on Katrina?' July 23

In the traumatic days after Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco turned to one of the most respected names in emergency management: James Lee Witt, the so-called Master of Disaster. But an eight-month investigation by NBC News into the performance and billing practices of Witt's firm, James Lee Witt Associates, raises questions about profiteering, cronyism and possible falsification of records by one of Witt Associates' subcontractors.

As director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Clinton administration, Witt won widespread praise for his handling of crises such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 1993 Midwest floods. At the same time, he was credited with turning a moribund federal bureaucracy into an efficient and proactive agency.