Report Blames Katrina Response on Chertoff

The Government Accountability Office, an independent agency of Congress, said in its preliminary report that Chertoff had failed to move quickly to mobilize resources despite advance warnings that Katrina was likely to be a devastating storm. And, the report said, Chertoff's failure to name an individual to spearhead the response was a prime factor in the delays and confusion that followed.

Until now, Chertoff had not been a target of direct criticism, though the Federal Emergency Management Agency and most other federal units responsible for responding to Katrina are under his jurisdiction.

In particular, the GAO faulted Chertoff for not immediately designating Katrina a "catastrophic event," a technical step that would have permitted federal officials to take the initiative in the emergency. Federal agencies instead had to wait for state and local agencies to request specific kinds of assistance, said David M. Walker, who as comptroller general heads the GAO.

Such requests from overwhelmed local agencies were slow in coming and often uncoordinated.

For months, officials at all levels of government -- and often along partisan lines -- have blamed each other for poor response to the hurricane, which claimed more than 1,300 lives and caused billions of dollars in damage.

At a news conference releasing the report, Walker said the lack of a single federal decision-maker meant there were "way too many layers, way too many players

Homeland Security press secretary William R. "Russ" Knocke called the report "premature and unprofessional" and said "catastrophic event" declarations were reserved for disasters in which federal officials had little warning or time to pre-position supplies.

The GAO is continuing its investigation and is expected to issue a final report, including a response from Chertoff, this year. But its initial findings were sharply critical.

The department Chertoff has headed since early 2005 was assembled after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks from 22 separate agencies and made responsible for border security, emergency response and other functions.