GAO Report on Accountability for Hurricane Response

From the New York Times: "No one from the federal government was clearly in charge of the response to Hurricane Katrina, Congressional investigators said Wednesday, and in the absence of clear leadership the general federal approach was 'to wait for affected states to request assistance.'

"In a preliminary report, the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, criticized Michael Chertoff, the homeland security secretary, for waiting until Tuesday, the day after the storm hit, to designate Hurricane Katrina an 'incident of national significance,' a status that more clearly put his department in charge."

The full report is available on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) website: "Statement by Comptroller General David M. Walker on GAO's Preliminary Observations Regarding Preparedness and Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita."

Sources: "Congressional investigators blame Bush, Chertoff for Katrina response." Missoulian February 2, 2006. A5.
"Investigators Criticize Response to Hurricane." New York Times February 2, 2006.