Brown now accepts greater share of blame

Former FEMA Director Michael Brown on Wednesday accepted a greater share of the blame for the government's failures after Hurricane Katrina, saying he fell short in conveying the magnitude of the disaster and calling for help.

"I should have asked for the military sooner. I should have demanded the military sooner," Brown told a gathering of meteorologists at a ski resort in the Sierra Nevada.

"It was beyond the capacity of the state and local governments, and it was beyond the capacity of FEMA," said Brown, former head of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Brown's remarks Wednesday stood in contrast to his testimony at a congressional hearing in September, when he blamed most of the government's failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin — both Democrats.

He specifically targeted them for failing to evacuate New Orleans, restore order and improve communication.

"These are not FEMA roles," Brown told the congressional committee. "FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications."

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He also told the gathering of broadcast and
National Weather Service meteorologists that he failed to delegate responsibility, saying he tried to attend to the details himself.

"It was the largest natural disaster ever to strike the United States — 92,000 square miles. Logistics were falling apart," he said.

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