Agencies swing into action on Hurricane Rita response

From CongressDaily CongressDailyAM September 22, 2005

President Bush made plans to fly to Texas Friday to review the preparations for Hurricane Rita, which is expected to hit the state's Gulf Coast by Saturday.

"We have resources there to help the federal, state and local officials to respond swiftly and effectively," said Bush, the Associated Press reported.

The Pentagon and other federal agencies are continuing to gear up for Rita, reflecting the federal government's efforts to avoid criticism that it once again was too slow to respond to an impending disaster.

Lt. Gen. Robert Clark, commander of the 5th Army, was tapped Thursday to head the military task force for Hurricane Rita. The military also began moving communications teams equipped with satellite phones and radios into Texas, days ahead of similar moves during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

About 600-800 National Guard troops from Florida and up to 450 from Illinois were preparing to deploy to Texas. Six Navy ships are in the Gulf Coast region waiting to move in behind the storm, and 26 helicopters were being sent in to aid with search and rescue and medical evacuations.

The Bush administration Wednesday declared Hurricane Rita an ``incident of national significance,'' officially releasing a massive federal response to the destruction now expected to exceed state and local capabilities.

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  • Ole George isn't going to take a chance with Texas but he didn't mind ignoring the misery the folks in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama went thru and what they are still going thru. I guess he just ignored everything like he did the warning about not going into Iraq. This time he couldn't find an excuse for KATRINA and the whole administration failed the american people, except the guys and gals with "boots on the ground" as RUMSFELD is so fond of quoting. Take note that George has already put the military in charge of the important tasks ahead if they arise; the rest of them jokers are just paychecks standing around doing nothing. Charlie Posted September 22, 2005 10:17 PM
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The court battle over new personnel rules at the Homeland Security Department continues as department officials continue to push for implementation of the new system.

At 12 p.m. EST on Wed., Sept. 28, National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley will respond to your questions and comments about the war over personnel changes at DHS, as well as federal employees' participation in Hurricane Katrina relief and rescue efforts. You can submit your questions early or during the live online discussion.