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Washington, Sep 23 - When Red Tape
Trumped Common Sense
By BOBBY JINDAL
September 8, 2005; Page A19
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Over the past few days,
America has been both moved and disturbed by
television footage of Hurricane Katrina's
aftermath. But for those of us in Louisiana
still struggling to cope, the troubling images
are of opportunistic politicians playing the
blame game while there is so much real work to
do.
Rather than point fingers, we should be fixing
the situation on the ground. And that will
include taking steps to ensure that red tape
doesn't stifle the continued security and
rebuilding efforts.
There have already been a number of instances in
which an overly inhibitive bureaucracy prevented
an appropriate response to the disaster. For
example, on Wednesday of last week a company
called my office. With only three hours before
rising waters would make the mission impossible,
they were anxious to send a rescue helicopter
for their stranded employees. They wanted to
know who would give them a go-ahead.
We could not identify the agency with authority.
We heard that FEMA was in charge, that the FAA
was in charge, and that the military was in
charge. I went in person to talk with a FEMA
representative and still could not get a
straight answer. Finally we told the company to
avoid interfering with Coast Guard missions, but
to proceed on its own. Sometimes, asking for
forgiveness is better than asking for
permission.
This is not the only story of red tape
triumphing over common sense. After so many
years of drills and exercises, we were still
unprepared for Hurricane Katrina.
A mayor in my district tried to get supplies for
his constituents, who were hit directly by the
hurricane. He called for help and was put on
hold for 45 minutes. Eventually, a bureaucrat
promised to write a memo to his supervisor.
• Evacuees on a boat from St. Bernard Parish
could not find anyone to give them permission to
dock along the Mississippi River. Security
forces at one port, they say, were prepared to
turn them away.
• A sheriff in my district office reported being
told that he would not get the resources his
office needed to do its job unless he emailed a
request. The parish was flooded and without
electricity!
• Unbelievably, first responders were hindered
by a lack of interoperable communications. Do
you recall how New York police and fire
departments on 9/11 could not talk with each
other? Four years later, despite billions spent
on homeland security, state, federal, and local
officials in Louisiana had the same problem.
My office became so frustrated with the
bureaucracy that we often turned to private
companies. They responded more quickly and
flexibly.
After our staff visited communities to assess
local needs, Budweiser delivered truckloads of
water and ice. Ford provided vehicles for search
and rescue. Every company we contacted provided
goods and services without compensation.
Though things are far from perfect, we have seen
an improvement in the response effort as the
military increased its presence and created a
more unified chain of command. However, the
problems that existed before still resonate.
That's why we need, in the future, a single,
strong leader with the power to override the
normal process restrictions and get things done.
That individual must be identified from the very
beginning. But below that person, others up and
down the line need to know they can make obvious
and sensible calls in an emergency.
Spending my days on the ground in Louisiana last
week, I did not see much television. But I
understand that some media let the violent and
destructive acts of a few overshadow the many
acts of compassion and heroism.
Contrary to the pictures you may have seen, the
vast majority of New Orleanians did not take to
the street with weapons -- far more risked their
own safety to help neighbors and strangers.
When first responders said they needed more flat
boats to pick people out of the water, they were
overwhelmed by the line of volunteers. When
people at a shelter in Baton Rouge announced
they needed drinks, within hours they were
flooded with more Gatorade than they could
possibly use.
Churches throughout Louisiana opened their doors
to take in evacuees. Individuals organized a
network to open their homes to strangers, using
phone trees and the Internet to link up those in
need with those who care. Evacuation centers
were inundated with volunteers and supplies.
Many rescue and relief workers, themselves
victims of Katrina, have not left their posts
for days. Health-care staffers have
hand-ventilated patients. Law enforcement
officials braved high waters and violence.
People from all over the nation are contacting
me, especially people in areas recently
devastated by their own tragedies, to offer
assistance.
The first responders, in combination with our
military forces, saved 9,500-plus lives,
assisted 102,800 people, and evacuated 22,000
refugees. More then 9.9 million Meals Ready to
Eat and 6.6 million gallons of water were
distributed. As I write this column, 1,200 buses
are in transit taking refugees to shelters
across the country.
In coming days, there will be many more such
stories, both tragic and heroic. There will be
stunning examples of depravity, in which lives
were needlessly lost and permanently damaged.
But there will be inspiring examples of
individuals who sacrificed all so that others
might live.
There will also be situations in the future when
people will rely on massive government support
and help. We'll have to do better delivering it.
As I struggle to explain to my three-year-old
daughter why her prayers that the hurricane
spare our hometown were unanswered, we as a
nation must make sure that we learn from our
initial mistakes and cut through the red tape to
help people rebuild their homes, their hopes and
their lives.
Mr. Jindal is a Republican congressman from
Louisiana.
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