FEMA failed to use trucks, boats, planes, and security officers to rescue Katrina victims

Newly released documents prove what Louisianians already knew--that FEMA failed to give hundreds of trucks, boats, and planes the go-ahead to rescue missions in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The federal agency also called off its search and rescue mission on September 1, three days after Katrina hit.

The Department of the Interior alone offered to send 300 dump trucks and other vehicles, eleven aircraft, and 400 law enforcement officers, but FEMA did nothing to utilize the offer, despite its complaint that security was the reason for calling off the search and rescue mission.