We knew Hurricane Katrina was coming. But there was no proper evacuation plan. No back up communications system. No coordination between national and state government. As a result hundreds of lives were lost and billions of dollars of property and infrastructure were damaged. We need to find out why.
But up on Capitol Hill, so much finger pointing is taking place that no hard questions are being asked. No answers found. The need is urgent. A natural disaster or a terrorist attack can occur at anytime, so we need answers now. A natural disaster or a terrorist attack can occur at anytime, so we need to understand where and how the failures occurred, so they are not repeated.
Today we
ask you to join a growing number of citizens in calling on the
the President and
Congress to appoint an independent, nonpartisan commission modeled on the bipartisan 9-11 Commission to investigate government's response to the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina.
We believe it is critical that the commission be appointed soon. While the foremost priority now must be the recovery of the affected areas and, especially, the dislocated residents, it is important that questions raised about government's response at all levels be addressed. Because a natural disaster or a terrorist attack can occur at anytime, now is the time to ensure that government is ready to respond more quickly and effectively than it did following Katrina.
So, please
join our campaign for an independent commission by
signing our petition today by going to the following link:
http://www.commoncause.org/DemandIndependentKatrinaCommissionA congressional investigation into the failed government response to Hurricane Katrina is not adequate. We need a commission that is independent of Congress, the Executive Branch, and of state and local governments. We do not believe it is possible for those who led this demonstrably failed response to conduct a credible investigation. We need investigators without a political stake in the outcome.
The commission should be modeled on the 9-11 Commission, which worked in a nonpartisan manner, carried out a thorough investigation and presented (and advocated for) a set of recommendations.
Thomas Kean, a Republican and co-chair of the 9-11 Commission, recently suggested Congress may be too partisan to win public confidence in any legislative probe of the disaster, and recommended an independent commission like the panel he oversaw. Kean
compared the response to this disaster to the response to 9-11:
This is not a terrorist incident, but it brings into play all of the same issues and shortcomings ... What makes you mad is that it's the same things we saw on 9-11. Whoever is responsible for acting in these places hasn't acted. Are they going to do it now? What else has to happen for people to act?
Furthermore, we need an independent commission that will pay special attention to the oversight role of Congress and the executive branch in the spending of billions of dollars in federal aid for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. We are already seeing many similarities between the reconstruction of Iraq and New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast area. Given the waste, fraud and abuse that occurred in Iraq due to a lack of independent oversight, it is important to have an independent, nonpartisan commission in place that will investigate and recommend ways to ensure that federal funding is spent effectively. So, please join us in calling for an independent commission concerning the government's response to Katrina today.
The commission should cover the full range of issues that have been raised, including but not limited to communications, legal issues, bureaucratic organization, evacuation and relocation plans, especially for those without easy access to transportation, and medical care. So
sign the petition and then
forward it to your friends and family.
It is critical that the Congress and the President hear a large public demand for this Commission or vital questions about our preparedness for a national disaster or terrorist attack won't be asked or answered.
Our call for this independent-nonpartisan commission is part of a new watchdog campaign,
Eye on the Gulf, aimed at holding Congress, the Administration, and state and local governments accountable for actions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Thank you again for all you do to hold power accountable.
