A Tale of Two Hurricane Seasons

From email newsletter of the Institute of Southern Studies, Facing South, September 9, 2005 - Issue #114

INSTITUTE INDEX - A Tale of Two Hurricane Seasons

Amount of aid President Bush immediately requested after hurricanes hit Florida in September 2004: $12 billion

Number of hours after Hurricane Charley made landfall in Florida that Bush authorized federal assistance: 1

Date in September that a FEMA consultant wrote a memo suggesting steps to ensure the Florida hurricanes not become a "liability" for the president's re-election: 2

Days after the memo that FEMA announced the pre-storm deployment of "a powerful list of disaster response personnel, equipment and supplies" in Florida for Hurricane Frances, including 100 truckloads of ice and water: 2

Amount of Florida hurricane aid that government investigators later concluded was "questionable," including housing disbursements to families that had not asked for it: $31 million



Number of hours after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast that FEMA authorized dispatching employees to the region: 5

Number of days they were allowed to take before arriving there: 2

Number of days after Hurricane Katrina struck that administration was "still assessing" amount of aid to request: 4

Amount that the administration requested for Hurricane Katrina, the worst in history, after four days: $10 billion

All sources on file at the Institute.