Homeland Security Chief Failed In Katrina Response.

Knight Ridder is reporting that it was Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, not the former head of FEMA Michael Brown, who had the authority to mobilize the federal response to Hurricane Katrina. Internal records show that Chertoff failed to give Brown the authority to react until 36 hours after the storm hit the Gulf Coast.

The Knight Ridder report found that Chertoff could have ordered federal agencies into action with any request from state and local officials, even before the Katrina reached landfall. This according to the procedures laid out in the National Response Plan.

Additionally, Knight Ridder has obtained an internal memo that indicates that Chertoff might have been confused about his lead role in the disaster response.