From the American Red Cross website:

Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?

* Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.

* The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

* The Red Cross has been meeting the needs of thousands of New Orleans residents in some 90 shelters throughout the state of Louisiana and elsewhere since before landfall. All told, the Red Cross is today operating 149 shelters for almost 93,000 residents.

You know, seeing the angry, starving, dying people in New Orleans over the past couple of days, this FEMA policy just has me baffled. Do they really think that people are hanging out at the convention center because of the good food?

Of course, maybe part of the problem is who's in charge, Michael Brown. War and peace notes:

What was he doing before getting pulled into FEMA by the Bush administration in 2003? He was an estate planning lawyer in Colorado and of counsel for the International Arabian Horse Association Legal Department. And yes, it is the same Michael D. Brown.

(via DreamOfPeace on Our Word)

So we learned this week that Bush is an oil man and Brown is a horse lawyer. Any questions?

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