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Katrina Response - Another Quick Observation

By Bill West

It's becoming increasingly clear the Federal response in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina has been less than stellar. It finally seemed to be getting underway in a major way as of Friday. The inevitable inquiries, investigations and reviews will undoubtedly pick this apart for months to come...and rightfully so. Since the hurricane response has a direct correlation to the Government's ability to deal with the aftermath of a major terrorist attack, we should all be paying close attention to what is happening along the Gulf Coast. We can bet our terrorist adversaries are.

There was at least one notable exception to the lethargic institutional Federal reaction to the hurricane disaster, and that was the United States Coast Guard. As soon as the weather conditions allowed, the Nation saw those orange Coast Guard choppers rescuing victims from the flood waters. And those efforts have continued relentlessly throughout the crisis. One recent report noted the Coast Guard rescued an incredible 10,000 victims.

Having worked with the Coast Guard on many occasions during my Federal law enforcement career, I was always impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm of their members. That has clearly come through in this latest disaster. All Americans should be very proud of the men and women of the United States Coast Guard and how they have courageously and swiftly responded to this crisis. And a special salute should go to the Coast Guard commanders who immediately launched their rescue missions without waiting to first clear foolish bureaucratic hurdles. Those decisions and actions no doubt saved many lives.

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