Post by cameron on Sept 7, 2005 22:01:57 GMT -8
The idea of blaming the Bush administration and federal relief agencies for the failures of the disaster relief in the after math of hurricane Katrina continues to fall apart. Major Garret of Fox News reported tonight that the Red Cross was prevented from delivering food, water, and hygiene items to the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center by state officials. You can see the video of his report at
The Political Teen
Garret was interviewed on the Hugh Hewitt radio show and said this:
HH: You just broke a pretty big story. I was watching up on the corner television in my studio, and it's headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found out.
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center, needing most acutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuees. But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck nearby. Why don't I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross, immediately after the storm passed.
HH: Okay, so that would be on Monday afternoon.
MG: That would have been Monday or Tuesday. The exact time, the hour, I don't have. But clearly, they had an evacuee situation at the Superdome, and of course, people gravitated to the convention center on an ad hoc basis. They sort of invented that as another place to go, because they couldn't stand the conditions at the Superdome. ...
HH: I also have to conclude from what you're telling me, Major Garrett, is that had they been allowed to deliver when they wanted to deliver, which is at least a little bit prior to the levee, or at least prior to the waters rising, the supplies would have been pre-positioned, and the relief...you know, the people in the Superdome, and possibly at the convention center, I want to come back to that, would have been spared the worst of their misery.
MG: They would have been spared the lack of food, water and hygiene. I don't think there's any doubt that they would not have been spared the indignity of having nor workable bathrooms in short order.
You can read the whole transcript of the interview at
Radio Blogger
The story is confirmed by the Red Cross on their web page here
American Red Cross
The story was also confirmed by Carol Miller a representative of the American Red Cross on NPR's the Diane Rehm show. Diane asks Carol "is it true that the Red Cross offered their services to New Orleans at the beginning of the crises and that the government refused the assistance. That they said if the remaining citizens where given aid they would not evacuate". Carol replied "yes it is." You can hear it for yourself here
The Diane Rehm Show : Wednesday September 7, 2005 The question was asked 35 minutes into the show.
The Political Teen
Garret was interviewed on the Hugh Hewitt radio show and said this:
HH: You just broke a pretty big story. I was watching up on the corner television in my studio, and it's headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found out.
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New Orleans Superdome, and the convention center, needing most acutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuees. But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck nearby. Why don't I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross, immediately after the storm passed.
HH: Okay, so that would be on Monday afternoon.
MG: That would have been Monday or Tuesday. The exact time, the hour, I don't have. But clearly, they had an evacuee situation at the Superdome, and of course, people gravitated to the convention center on an ad hoc basis. They sort of invented that as another place to go, because they couldn't stand the conditions at the Superdome. ...
HH: I also have to conclude from what you're telling me, Major Garrett, is that had they been allowed to deliver when they wanted to deliver, which is at least a little bit prior to the levee, or at least prior to the waters rising, the supplies would have been pre-positioned, and the relief...you know, the people in the Superdome, and possibly at the convention center, I want to come back to that, would have been spared the worst of their misery.
MG: They would have been spared the lack of food, water and hygiene. I don't think there's any doubt that they would not have been spared the indignity of having nor workable bathrooms in short order.
You can read the whole transcript of the interview at
Radio Blogger
The story is confirmed by the Red Cross on their web page here
American Red Cross
The story was also confirmed by Carol Miller a representative of the American Red Cross on NPR's the Diane Rehm show. Diane asks Carol "is it true that the Red Cross offered their services to New Orleans at the beginning of the crises and that the government refused the assistance. That they said if the remaining citizens where given aid they would not evacuate". Carol replied "yes it is." You can hear it for yourself here
The Diane Rehm Show : Wednesday September 7, 2005 The question was asked 35 minutes into the show.