I am not writing in defense of the federal government’s slow response. They deserve the blame for their part. But, having family who have delt with FEMA in the past, there is a history of poor response. Now, by reading your staff opinion, I feel the need to address how you seem to only blame the Bush administration. The blame starts at the local and state level. Step back and take a look at how states like Florida, Texas and North Carolina have,and are, prepared for a major force such as a very powerful hurricane. The mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana contributed to the problem. They hesitated to make many crucial desisions. All I ask is that you do a little more homework and realize that this was a major snafu from local, to state, to the federal government. Now all we can hope for is that enough was learned to prevent such poor responses from happening again. And yes, it is a crying shame to have to learn at the expense of so many.

Sonny Wells