The dust has finally settled. Not only has all the information been turned in and examined, but the recent House report explains where failures occurred in the current administration’s and Homeland Security’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
We now know that 1,300 people died in this disaster and that thousands have been displaced from homes which, in many cases, now don’t exist. In response to the House report on the catastrophe, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says that he “has spent a lot of time thinking about things that might have been done differently.�

I don’t know why Americans aren’t protesting in the streets, demanding the resignations of Mr. Chertoff and his superior, President Bush, for complete incompetence and dereliction of duty. Mr. Chertoff has no experience pertinent to emergency management. Experts in the emergency management field disdain the current Federal Emergency Management Agency because there is no one with the appropriate pertinent background in the agency.
Mr. Bush said a lot of very nice things about rebuilding New Orleans, and he promises to create processes so this type of disaster never happens again. He has not implemented them. As a matter of fact, he has pushed and received, via party lines, a cut in funds to FEMA. So nothing has changed. There still is not a dedicated communication system for emergency crews and agencies to use during an emergency. Our National Guard is still overseas in numbers that make it impossible to mobilize them for a domestic emergency. Processes for management of funds and help in the case of emergencies have not been established.
I could go on. But all we really need is to get efficient, effective leadership so this does not happen again. And it starts at the top.
I call for the removal of Michael Chertoff and President Bush from office.
— Joanne Fields, Ventura
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