The analysis does some of what I would like to see: Take key events and produce a timeline of how FEMA was informed and what Brown's response was:
The e-mails reveal that Mr. Brown was apprised early on Monday of the levee failure and the
dire consequences for New Orleans. For example, Mr. Brown received the following stream of
e-mails on Monday, August 29:
• At 9:39 a.m., Mr. Brown received a message stating: “Report that the levee in Arabi has
failed next to the industrial canal.”21
• At 9:53 a.m., Mr. Brown received a message stating: “A LEVEE BREACH
OCCURRED ALONG THE INDUSTRIAL CANAL AT TENNESSE[E] STREET. 3 TO
8 FEET OF WATER IS EXPECTED DUE TO THE BREACH … LOCATIONS IN
THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO ARABI AND 9TH WARD
OF NEW ORLEANS”22
• At 10:20 a.m., Mr. Brown received a message stating:
From Marty Bahamonde in the New Orleans EOC (next to the superdome)
- Severe flooding on the St. Bernard/Orleans parish line. Police report water level
up to second floor of two story houses. People are trapped in attics.
- Pumps starting to fail. The city has now confirmed four pumps are off line.
- Windows and parts of the east side of the Amaco building blown out.
- New Orleans shopping center (next to superdome) destroyed.
- Windows and parts of the East side of the Hyatt Hotel have been blown out.
Furniture is blowing out of the hotel.
- Top floors of the Entergy building have been blown out
- Area around the Superdome is beginning to flood.
We should have pictures shortly.23
• At 11:57 a.m., Mr. Brown received a message stating: “New Orleans FD is reporting a 20 foot wide breach on the lake ponchatrian levy. The area is lakeshore Blvd and 17th
street.”
THE E-MAILS OF MICHAEL BROWN
The e-mails indicate that Mr. Brown responded to only one of these messages. At 12:09 p.m., Mr. Brown responded to the 11:57 a.m. report of the “20 foot wide breach on the lake ponchatrain levy” by dismissing the report. He wrote: “I’m being told here water over not a breach.” The e-mails do not indicate who told Mr. Brown this misinformation. There is also no indication in the e-mails that Mr. Brown recognized the seriousness of his mistake or took actions to correct it. There are no further e-mails from Mr. Brown that day about the levees.
