BookSurge Publishing
January 2006
Paperback - 98 pages

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B O O K   R E V I E W

'UNACCEPTABLE': The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina
by Walter M. Brasch

REVIEW BY SCOTT C.. SMITH

Journalism professor, columnist and author Walter M. Brasch examines the Bush Administration’s response – or, rather, lack of a response – to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in his latest book, Unacceptable: the Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina. In this concise volume, Brasch lays out all the ways the Bush Administration failed in responding to Hurricane Katrina, about how the Administration’s focus on the war on terror and the war in Iraq prevented the federal government from being more effective in dealing with the aftermath of Katrina.

Early on, Brasch points out that funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to the tune of $800 million since 2003, has been diverted to other agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, with the funds spent on combating terrorism, and not for preparations to deal with natural disasters. 

Of course, the big issue with FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security was the fact that many of the officials of those agencies had no prior disaster management experience, and were unprepared to deal with something of the magnitude of Katrina. Disaster response to Katrina was also affected by decreased numbers of available National Guard troops, as many were serving in Iraq.

“I don’t think anyone anticipated the breech of the levees,” George W. Bush said on “Good Morning America” on Sept. 1, 2005. Not true, and as Brasch details, computer simulations and experts all agreed that a category 4/5 hurricane hitting New Orleans would breech the levees. Lots of people anticipated the disaster of a hurricane like Katrina. Everyone but the Bush Administration, apparently. Another group that anticipated the breaching of the levees was the Army Corps of Engineers, who wanted to do repair work on New Orleans’ levees, but as Brasch points out, the Bush Administration slashed a budget request from the Corps of Engineers that would have gone to repairs of the levees. Clearly, much more could have been done by the Bush Administration to prepare for, and respond to, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

Unacceptable is essential reading for anyone who wants to know the full story of the federal government’s response to Katrina; the story not told by the mainstream media. This book will definitely open your eyes. Highly recommended.

05/2006