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Good news: Brownieโ€™s off the case. MSNBC is reporting:

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, government sources said Friday. Government sources disclosed the move but spoke on condition of anonymity because the change hadnโ€™t been officially announced. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff was expected to announce the change at a 1:45 p.m. ET news conference. Brown will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad Allen, who earlier this week was named his deputy to oversee relief and rescue efforts.

Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, La. He was the primary official overseeing the federal governmentโ€™s response to the disaster.

Previous Comments

Lott’s response to Brownie’s transfer: WASHINGTON, D.C. รฑ U.S. Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi issued the following statement on the decision to relieve FEMA director Michael Brown of his responsibilities of managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts: รฌSomething needed to be done. While I have been hesitant to publicly criticize Michael Brown, my staff and I had already concluded that FEMA was overwhelmed, undermanned and not capable of doing its job. My office has been successful in working directly with Administration officials in Washington, instead of FEMA, to bring relief to Mississippians impacted by Hurricane Katrina. And we have worked with generous corporations, businesses and charities in funneling targeted relief to Mississippians where it is needed. Something needed to happen. Michael Brown has been acting like a private, instead of a general. When youรญre in the middle of a disaster, you canรญt stop to check the legal niceties or to review FEMA regulations before deciding to help Mississippians knocked flat on their backs. FEMA needs to just say รซyesรญ and get it done. Iรญm hopeful weรญll see some changes in that direction after todayรญs announcement.รฎ


This is the damn Quote o’ the Week, thanks to Sen. Lott When youรญre in the middle of a disaster, you canรญt stop to check the legal niceties or to review FEMA regulations before deciding to help Mississippians knocked flat on their backs. Amen, brother.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.