Clarification : Katrina -Video story
Eds: Subscribers who used BC-NA-GEN–US- Katrina -Video of March 1
and 2 may wish to use the following, which explains how risks of
levee breaches were discussed among federal disaster officials and
President George W. Bush.
WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a March 1 story, The Associated Press
reported that federal disaster officials warned President George W.
Bush and his homeland security chief before Hurricane Katrina
struck that the storm could breach levees in New Orleans, citing
confidential video footage of an Aug. 28 briefing among U.S.
officials.
The Army Corps of Engineers considers a breach a hole developing
in a levee rather than an overrun. The story should have made clear
that Bush was warned about floodwaters overrunning the levees,
rather than the levees breaking.
The day before the storm hit, Bush was told there were grave
concerns that the levees could be overrun. It wasn’t until the next
morning, as the storm was hitting, that Michael Brown, then head of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Bush had inquired
about reports of breaches. Bush did not participate in that
briefing.