FEMA Inefficiency Delays Implementation of Aid From Other Countries In Katrina's Wake

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, other countries immediately came forward and offered millions of dollars worth of aid and assistance in such areas as rescue efforts and water purification assistance. Still, more than one week after the offers, the requests have yet to be acted on due to bureaucratic delays in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) according to a story published in today's 'Washington Post.'

Offers from foreign countries included a Swedish water purification team, two rescue ships offered by Canada and a German cellular telephone network.

Mirit Hemy, an executive with the Netherlands-based New Skies Satellite told the 'Washington Post,' 'FEMA? That was a lost cause. We got zero help, and we lost one week trying to get hold of them.'

Canada offered four rescue vessels and two helicopters nearly a week ago. Their offer of aid has finally been accepted but due to bureaucratic delays by FEMA, the ships will not arrive in the Gulf Region until this coming Saturday. They spent a week waiting for the go ahead in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Natalie Rule, a spokeswoman for FEMA, defended the agency's actions.

'There has been that common thought that because [offers of aid] are not tapped immediately, they're not prudently used,' Rule said. 'We are pulling everything into a centralized database. We are trying not to suck everything in all at once, whether we need it or not.'

Claes Thorson, press counselor at the Swedish Embassy in Washington expressed frustration with the situation. 'As far as I know, it's still on the ground,' he said ,referring to an airplane with much needed water purification equipment. 'We are ready to send our things. We know they are needed, but what seems to be a problem is getting all these offers into the country. We don't know exactly why, but we have a suspicion that the system is clogged on the receiving end,' he said. 'But we keep a request alive all the time, so we are not forgotten.'

The delay in accepting this much needed aid may have cost thousands of American lives. The failure of the federal bureaucracy to act efficiently and intelligently in the wake of Katrina has had catastrophic results. It appears thousands have died waiting for aid that was available but not yet 'accepted' by FEMA's bureaucracy.