Friday, September 9, 2005
Red Cross Blocked Before Levee Break
Red Cross workers arrived in New Orleans with enough food, water and blankets for thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims the night before levees broke and flooded the city, but were prevented from delivering the aid to stranded citizens by state officials.
"I'm told that they were ready as soon as the winds died down and the roads were passable, which means before the levees broke," Fox News Channel's Major Garrett reported Thursday.
"They were there, they were ready ... when there clearly were lots of people already at the Superdome, because that's where they were told to go," Garrett told ABC Radio's Sean Hannity.
Though democrats have insisted that the Bush administration was responsible for delays in getting relief to flood victims, Red Cross officials told Garrett it was the state who blocked their aid convoy.
"The state of Louisiana said, 'Look, our plans call for those people to be moved out. We want them to be moved out. And if [the Red Cross] comes in, they won't move out. So we're not letting you in.'"
Appearing an hour later on Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Brit Hume," Red Cross President Marty Evans confirmed the stunning development, saying, "We were ready from literally the time the storm blew through. We were ready to go. We just were not given permission to go in."
Red Cross workers arrived in New Orleans with enough food, water and blankets for thousands of Hurricane Katrina victims the night before levees broke and flooded the city, but were prevented from delivering the aid to stranded citizens by state officials.
"I'm told that they were ready as soon as the winds died down and the roads were passable, which means before the levees broke," Fox News Channel's Major Garrett reported Thursday.
"They were there, they were ready ... when there clearly were lots of people already at the Superdome, because that's where they were told to go," Garrett told ABC Radio's Sean Hannity.
Though democrats have insisted that the Bush administration was responsible for delays in getting relief to flood victims, Red Cross officials told Garrett it was the state who blocked their aid convoy.
"The state of Louisiana said, 'Look, our plans call for those people to be moved out. We want them to be moved out. And if [the Red Cross] comes in, they won't move out. So we're not letting you in.'"
Appearing an hour later on Fox News Channel's "Special Report with Brit Hume," Red Cross President Marty Evans confirmed the stunning development, saying, "We were ready from literally the time the storm blew through. We were ready to go. We just were not given permission to go in."
