As Seen On TV . . . NOT!

In an AP story you are not likely to see in the Left-stream media, it turns out that Louisiana health officials rejected offers of assistance from the federal government . . . two days BEFORE Katrina hit:

Two days before the Aug. 29 storm, HHS was told by the state's health emergency preparedness director that the help was not needed, according to an e-mail released Monday by a Senate panel investigating the government's response to Katrina.

But wait! There's more! The article goes on to say that the federal government was helping Louisiana officials even before Katrina hit:

But in an interview Monday night, Louisiana Medical Director Dr. Jimmy Guidry said HHS was helping state health officials plan for evacuating hospitals and nursing homes by the eve of the storm. The federal department also stayed after Katrina hit to help the state coordinate transportation assets, like ambulances and military vehicles, Guidry said. "They sent people to help us out," Guidry said of HHS officials in Louisiana. "They helped us get all those assets lined up."

And that's not all! Apparently, state officials had been kicking the can down the road:

The committee also released a Senate interview of Louisiana Transportation Secretary Johnny Bradberry, during which he told investigators "we have done nothing to fulfill this responsibility" of ensuring evacuation plans are in place for at-risk populations. "We put no plans in place to do any of this," Bradberry said in the Dec. 21 interview, 12 pages of which were released by the Senate committee. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chairwoman of the panel, called the documents "disturbing findings that our investigation will examine very closely."

It seems Louisiana's emergency preparedness policy was NIMBY .