Mixed Reviews For FEMA's Kentucky Response

Top State Officials Say Obama Administration Sent Necessary Help, Local Workers Not So Sure

(CBS/AP)  In the first real test of the Obama administration's ability to respond to a disaster, senior Kentucky officials are giving the federal government good marks for its response to a deadly ice storm.

Yet more than 300,000 residents remained without power Monday and some areas had yet to see aid workers nearly a week after the storm, a fact not lost on some local authorities.

The winter blast turned out to be the worst natural disaster in Kentucky's history, reported CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan. More than 5,000 utility workers were working around the clock to get people back online.

"We haven't seen FEMA. They haven't been here," said Jaime Green, a spokeswoman for the emergency operations center in Lyon County, about 95 miles northwest of Nashville, Tenn.

Federal authorities insisted they responded as soon as the state asked for help and promised to keep providing whatever aid was necessary.

FEMA has been under the microscope since the Bush administration's botched response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which Barack Obama and other Democrats made a favorite topic on the presidential campaign trail. FEMA was reorganized and strengthened after that, and it has avoided the onslaught of negative feedback Katrina generated.

The agency hasn't been tested the same way it was after the hurricane, however.

Gov. Steve Beshear raised Kentucky's death toll to 24 on Monday, meaning the storm has been blamed in at least 55 deaths nationwide. And while it also knocked out power to more than a million customers from the Southern Plains to the East Coast, it's still considered a medium-sized disaster, the kind FEMA has traditionally been successful handling.

The Kentucky disaster will be closely watched, said Richard Sylves, professor of political science at the University of Delaware, particularly because Obama hasn't yet named the top FEMA officials, many of whom must go through Senate confirmation.

"If it's perceived not to be handled very well, or if there's a sense that there's insensitivity at the federal level to the plight of people suffering, I imagine the people President Obama has appointed to senior positions in FEMA will be grilled in their confirmation hearings," said Sylves, who has written four books on federal disaster policy.

Beshear asked Obama for a disaster declaration to free up federal assistance Thursday, two days after the storm hit, and Obama issued it hours later. Trucks loaded with supplies began arriving at a staging area at Fort Campbell, Ky., on Friday morning, said Mary Hudak, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

On Saturday, Beshear ordered all of the state's Army National Guardsmen into action to distribute supplies, many of which came from FEMA. Sreenivasan reported that the 4,600-strong force was checking on rural residents door-by-door.

Beshear has consistently praised Obama, a fellow Democrat, for the attention he's devoted to the disaster.

"We have had tremendous and quick response from President Obama and his administration," Beshear said Monday. "I don't think any of our folks that have dealt with disasters before ever recall as quick a response as we got last Wednesday."

Trina Sheets, executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, based in Lexington, Ky., said that from what she's heard, FEMA's response has been very good so far. Her group represents emergency management directors from all 50 states.

"The governor's declaration request for an emergency was turned around very, very quickly by FEMA and the White House," said Sheets, who just had her power restored Monday after four days without it. "And President Obama has spoken with the governor of Kentucky on several occasions throughout the event."

Sheets said she hadn't heard any complaints so far about the federal response.

"FEMA and the Kentucky National Guard are doing everything they can to get things back up and running," Sen. Jim Bunning said.

By Monday, FEMA officials were checking in on supply distribution points in some rural areas. FEMA official Don Daniel stopped by to ask emergency management officials in Grayson County, who had criticized FEMA's absence late last week, what they needed.

More generators, they told him, to keep essential services such as hospitals and water supplies running.

"If they need more, they'll get them," Daniel said. "That need has to be met."

Federal authorities hadn't made it everywhere yet, however.

Brocton Oglesby, director of emergency management in Hopkins County, said he has seen virtually no contribution from FEMA in the county, where more than half of the 27,000 homes remained without electricity.

"They need to be here - at least a presence, a liaison to work with us, to start feeding information and gearing up for the next stage," Oglesby said. "That's where they're going to be needed the most."

Oglesby's seen FEMA show up after other disasters to assess the damages and write checks. Beshear asked for FEMA to have a role on the front end this time, though, and Oglesby said that hasn't happened.

"As soon as they want to come in and start working, we're ready to go," he said.

Oglesby said he would like FEMA to bring in outside electricians to help go door to door to make sure the electricity is operational in each house once it comes back on.

"Right now, mom and pop are going to have to fend for themselves and find an electrician," Oglesby said. "This is where we're needing FEMA's presence."

[pamoglesby20]

obviously, a lot of people do not get how bad it has been the last few weeks in ky. the roads were undrivable, every tree in our area has suffered major damage, hardly a powerline was undamaged. people could not get fuel, food, most were without anyway to keep warm. we had to open shelters, generators, food, gasoline, kerosene, were in very short supply, gasoline stations, grocery stores, restaurants were unable to open. we were doing everything we could to help people and there comes a point where you have tofget outside help. FEMA declared it a disaster for municipalaiies, cites, governments, etc. they have not yet declared it a disaster for individuals within out county. we were one of the worst hit counties. There were somewhere around 93-94 of the 120 counties in the state of Kentucky declared disasters. That in itself is enough to drain a states budget. let alone a county with high unemployment. everyone has tried to pitch in and work together. we are used to doing things for outself. we proved that a few years ago when a major tornado hit our area.

as for FEMA, we have not seen anyone from there yet. sure, they have been requested, but they are not on site yet.

[charmed_1953]

My sister and my daughter live in Leitchfield and Caneyville, Kentucky. Neither FEMA nor Red Cross have been in either of their areas. They are still without power, water, food etc. As of yesterday my sister finally had electric turned back on, my daughter and her children still are without power. This is a disgrace to our government FEMA sucks. They should be cut from the program because they are never where they are needed, just putting the money in their pockets and laughing all the way to the bank. These people have pleaded for help in these two towns with no reply or help. The only ones who have come are The National Guard, and Chicago sent 100 ComEd trucks on Sunday. No telling how many are dead back in the rural areas, because of all the trees being down. I have pictures that my daughter mailed to me and I sent them to NBC Brant Miller here in Chicago. So the Governor is lying when he said they had help. Probably in his town yes but not the one that was declared a total disaster LEITCHFIELD.

[rrozsa-2009]

Posted by bunwiper at 11:06 AM : Feb 03, 2009 - Thank you for your post! I couldn''t have said it better myself.

[jsd330]

LFR01200w

I re read the article three times and couldn''t find anything about people dying, except for the original count of 55 and 24 in Kentucky. And if you read the article trucks were arriving at Fort Cambell KY. on Friday with relief supplies.From there they have to be distributed through out the area,s, which takes time. Everything can''t be done overnight.

[nvorr]

It sucks to be a libssuckk! LOL!

Posted by libssuckk at 12:13 PM : Feb 03, 2009

[jocro12]

know you all took quit a bashing when Bushie was prez but you are grasping at straws here...just a bunch of sore loosers...
--------------------------------------
-
Posted by jocro12

Sore losers - people are dying in Kentucky right now and you only play party politics. The lack of leadership with this problem is clearly evident and as an American had hoped for a lessonj to be learned from Katrina - not relive some of the same problems.

Posted by LFR012008 at 11:04 AM : Feb 03, 2009

In using that same logic your old pal Bushie sent many of our young men and women into a needless war with many of them loosing their lives...how come you so quickly forget about those folks?

[renonv5]

So what your trying to say is the Bush administration could of reached into that giant sespool we call new orleans and pulled the plug and drained the water out of the place. They intentially left all the water there so they could kill a few thousand people.

And you don''''t think the people with out power in kentucky could use assistance with food water and other vital supplies.


Posted by mccain08nc

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***?? Did you even read this article???

[samael2014]

Posted by mccain08nc at 11:01 AM : Feb 03, 2009

If you could indicate where in this story you''re seeing evidence that people are not getting the assistance with food, water and other supplies as needed, than you''re going to have to provide that as a reference to your comment that can be cross-referenced.

Because the only people I see making a fuss are those people working to restore power, WHOSE JOB IT IS TO DO THAT and they don''t seem to be asking for anything but money or someone else to do their job for them. Emergency Generators federal taxpayers can provide, timely emergency rescue assistance (being rescued from a darkened home and not otherwise exposed to life-threatening circumstances like being stranded on a rooftop in a flood really doesn''t count here -- see my comment about New York City losing a power grid under non-life threatening circumstances)-- electricians to restore power to each and every household, that should be under contract.

If dead people in wheel-chairs or other floating dead human remains are showing up outside a federal building in Kentucky while looting and armed "survivor" types are wading through, than we are talking Bush like response here.

[mollydtt]

I''ve dealt with power outages in the past, due to ice storms. There is only so much that non-electricians can do.
They can clear out the brush, chop down trees that are impeding the restoration of electrical lines, etc.
But getting the electrical lines back in service is only left to qualified electricians.
Usually, other non-affected power companies will share their workmen in a crisis. But if the whole area is without power, there isn''t much else you can do.
And, that last link to your house? That is your responsibility with your local electrical company.
There have been many times when a tree in someone''s back yard falls on their electrical line to their house, and that is when their local power utility has to reconnect you. Not the federal government.

Most of the time, however, the problem lies with the larger electrical lines that connect the whole neighborhood.

[samael2014]

Oglesby said he would like FEMA to bring in outside electricians to help go door to door to make sure the electricity is operational in each house once it comes back on.

"Right now, mom and pop are going to have to fend for themselves and find an electrician," Oglesby said. "This is where we''''re needing FEMA''''s presence."

See, this is completely RIDICULOUS.

Providing emergency generators for hospitals, schools and other service providers during a crisis -- YES.

Providing electricians to make sure the power is running to each household after power is restoreed -- ABSO*******LUTELY NOT. This would be provided by your electricity provider, PARTICULARLY IF THEY ARE A CONTRACTED PRIVATE INDUSTRY UTILITY PROVIDER.

You must be in*******ing-sane to believe federal taxpayers are here to subsidize Kentucky''''s electricity utility companies with services they should be providing under contract.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by samael2014 at 10:49 AM : Feb 03, 2009

Can you even FREAKING imagine what it would be like in the event of a major electric grid blackout in New York City, if you expected FEMA to provide electricians to ensure electricity was restored to each and every residence in downtown Manhatten?