[StBernard] Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's letter to Vice Admiral Thad Allen regarding Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita

[Westley Annis]

Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco's letter to Vice Admiral Thad Allen
regarding Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita

September 20, 2005

Vice Admiral Thad Allen
U.S. Coast Guard
Principal Coordinating Officer
Baton Rouge, LA

Subject: 	Hurricane Katrina/Rita

Dear Vice Admiral Allen:

While still engaged in active response to the catastrophic effects of
Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita is fast approaching on a destructive path
towards the State of Louisiana. As we respond to Hurricane Rita, in the
midst of responding and recovering from Hurricane Katrina, separating both
incidents would exhaust our efforts towards response and recovery.

State, regional and national resources have been stretched to the limit
responding to Hurricane Katrina that struck Louisiana only a few weeks ago.
Our attention now is directed to responding to Hurricane Rita. In order to
properly respond to these two events, we must make maximum use of existing
resources for our joint response and recovery effort. 

Therefore, due to the catastrophic damages generated by these overlapping
events, I formally request that both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita be
consolidated into one incident. By doing so, the State will continue to
undertake response and recovery efforts in a simultaneous and efficient
manner. 

Thank you for your immediate consideration to this request.


Sincerely,



Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Governor


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