Bush says government ready for Rita

Preparations much better for Rita
Democratic critics said the preparations for Rita seemed to exceed those for Katrina, and called anew for an independent panel to investigate why.

“It’s nice to have the Bush administration recognize the importance of a federal response to Rita, but why weren’t they proactively mobilizing and organizing like this for Katrina?” said Rebecca Kirszner, a spokeswoman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

“These are the questions that need to be asked by an independent commission,” Kirszner said.

The supplies, rescue teams and military support arrived as President Bush declared a state of emergency in Florida.

In his speech, Bush reiterated that “we’re going to stay as long as it takes” to help the communities battered by Katrina recover.

“It’s an opportunity to bring new life to neighborhoods that were suffering before the storm,” he said.

Education fees waived
On Wednesday, Bush signed legislation allowing the Education Department to waive requirements for repaying Pell Grant and other federal student grants for students forced to withdraw because of the disaster. He also signed a measure to extend certain welfare programs, expiring at the end of the month, and give states more funds and flexibility in spending money to address the needs of families affected by Katrina.

He promised a big role for the federal government but, with conservatives’ alarm growing at the fast pace of disaster spending, promised to “make sure your money is spent wisely.” In his speech to the Republican Jews, Bush also pledged to keep focused on fighting terrorists.

“They’re the kind of people that look at Katrina and wish they had caused it,” Bush said.

The majority of response aid for Katrina was deployed after Bush declared an emergency in Louisiana on Aug. 27, Homeland Security Department officials have said.

Those supplies — meals, water, ice, cots, blankets — began arriving in Gulf Coast states on Aug. 28, the day before Katrina struck, and several days worth of sustenance also was dispatched to the New Orleans Superdome as the storm blew in. But flooding that followed Katrina prevented additional supplies from getting into the city, Homeland Security officials have said.

Troops mobilizing to respond to Rita
Pentagon officials also moved to get out front of Rita. An estimated 319,000 National Guard troops nationwide were available to respond to Rita should the need arise, the Defense Department said. About 1,100 National Guard troops from Texas who had been serving in the Katrina-ravaged region returned to their home state to be available for duty if Rita strikes there. Several Navy amphibious assault ships were deployed offshore to assist relief efforts in Rita’s wake.

By comparison, 10,000 National Guard troops were dispatched across the Gulf Coast three days before Katrina’s landfall, numbers that peaked at 50,000 Guard members and 17,000 active-duty military scattered across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

The Navy directed its hospital ship, the USNS Comfort, to the Katrina-battered coast on Sept. 2, four days after that hurricane hit. The ship was still in the region Tuesday and poised to help response operations for Rita.

Paulison said the federal response to Rita would depend “much more heavily” on the Pentagon and the National Guard than it did initially for Katrina. But he said the biggest difference in comparing the government’s response between the two storms would be stepped-up communications among state, local and federal authorities — which was riddled with problems when Katrina hit.

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