Banner Left
Banner Right

Bush tours storm-ravaged New Orleans as emergency chief Michael Brown quits

Bush tours storm-ravaged New Orleans as emergency chief Michael Brown quits

NEW ORLEANS – President George W. Bush toured storm-wrecked New Orleans for the first time on Monday, as the heavily-criticised head of the federal agency overseeing disaster relief quit.

Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina turned the city into a festering swamp, the gruesome job of recovering bodies gathered pace and the confirmed death toll rose above 500 in the Gulf Coast states hit by the storm. Seeking to counter criticism of his handling of the disaster, Bush toured the flooded city by motorcade, open military truck and helicopter to see the disaster zone for himself.Bush had previously flown over New Orleans but not seen the devastation from the ground.He later went to a suburb that was badly hit by the August 29 storm and to Gulfport, Mississippi.The mounting criticism has seen Bush’s approval ratings slump to their worst levels since he took office in January 2001.Under intense pressure and a torrent of criticism over the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s sluggish response to Katrina, Michael Brown announced he was quitting as head of the agency.”The best thing for me to do is step out of the way and let the people do their job to help those disaster victims,” the former FEMA director told ABC News.Reports had accused Brown of lacking emergency relief experience before he joined the agency as a Bush appointee in 2001 and said there were discrepancies in his official resume and a White House press release from 2001.David Paulison, a former Miami fire chief with 30 years in the emergency services and experience of Florida’s devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, was announced as Brown’s replacement.Bush appeared initially not to know about the resignation, but his spokesman later said the decision to go had been Brown’s.Critics were delighted.”Michael Brown’s departure from FEMA is long overdue, and his resignation is the right thing for the country and for the people of the Gulf Coast states,” said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives.Brown had been called back to Washington on Friday and replaced as the pointman on the ground by Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen.Bush had stood up for under-fire Brown in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, telling him: “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”Bush has refused to identify any specific failures in Washington’s response to Katrina but flatly dismissed critics who have noted that most of those unable to flee the city were black.”The storm didn’t discriminate, and neither will the recovery effort.”He also rejected any suggestion that National Guard deployments in Iraq had cost the rescue effort valuable time.- Nampa-AFPSeeking to counter criticism of his handling of the disaster, Bush toured the flooded city by motorcade, open military truck and helicopter to see the disaster zone for himself.Bush had previously flown over New Orleans but not seen the devastation from the ground.He later went to a suburb that was badly hit by the August 29 storm and to Gulfport, Mississippi.The mounting criticism has seen Bush’s approval ratings slump to their worst levels since he took office in January 2001.Under intense pressure and a torrent of criticism over the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s sluggish response to Katrina, Michael Brown announced he was quitting as head of the agency.”The best thing for me to do is step out of the way and let the people do their job to help those disaster victims,” the former FEMA director told ABC News.Reports had accused Brown of lacking emergency relief experience before he joined the agency as a Bush appointee in 2001 and said there were discrepancies in his official resume and a White House press release from 2001.David Paulison, a former Miami fire chief with 30 years in the emergency services and experience of Florida’s devastation in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, was announced as Brown’s replacement.Bush appeared initially not to know about the resignation, but his spokesman later said the decision to go had been Brown’s.Critics were delighted.”Michael Brown’s departure from FEMA is long overdue, and his resignation is the right thing for the country and for the people of the Gulf Coast states,” said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives.Brown had been called back to Washington on Friday and replaced as the pointman on the ground by Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen.Bush had stood up for under-fire Brown in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, telling him: “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.”Bush has refused to identify any specific failures in Washington’s response to Katrina but flatly dismissed critics who have noted that most of those unable to flee the city were black.”The storm didn’t discriminate, and neither will the recovery effort.”He also rejected any suggestion that National Guard deployments in Iraq had cost the rescue effort valuable time.- Nampa-AFP

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News