U.S.

Department of Homeland Security

500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472

JUN 1 4 2006

Ms. Melanie Sloan

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
11 DuPont Circle
N.W., 2ndFloor
Washington, DC 20036

RE: Freedom of Information Act Request

FOIA Case Number: 05-263

Dear Ms. Sloan:

This letter is a partial response to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request dated
September 7,2005. In your request you asked for the following recordslinformation:

1. What portion of the $3.1 billion appropriated to DHS in fiscal year 2005 for
emergency preparedness to "support the Nation's ability to prepare for, mitigate
against, respond to and recover from natural and marmade disasters" was spent to
prepare for potential hurricanes on the Gulf Coast of the United States and on
potential flooding in New Orleans;
2. The amount of money diverted from emergency preparedness for and response to
natural disasters to emergency prepzedness for and response to acts of terrorism
and the rationale behind any such diversion;
3. Studies, assessments, presentations, or scenarios of the potential devastation a
powerful hurricane could wreak on the Gulf Coast, including, but not limited to
the eight-day tabletop exercise conducted in July 2004 and intended to prepare
FEMA for a catastrophic hurricane in New Orleans;
4. Plans created regarding the federal government's response to any such scenarios;
5. The potential breaching of the levees that would lead to Lake Pontchartrain
flooding New Orleans and the response to such breaches; and
6. Communications from anyone employed by or associated with the Army Corps of
Engineers regarding the problems with and weakness of the levees surrounding
New Orleans, the potential breaching of the levees and the consequences of such
breaches, as well as proposed repairs or other construction to the levees.

In addition, your letter stated that "CREW further seeks all memoranda, comn=unications
and records of any kind and from any source, regardless of format, medium, or physical
characteristics, from August 26,2005 through the present, discussing or mentioning in
any way:

1. Requests for emergency assistance from local government officials in Mississippi

and Louisiana in response to Hurricane Katrina;
2. Requests from local government officials in Mississippi and Louisiana for
assistance in preparing for Hurricane Katrina, including, but not limited to
communications requesting assistance in evacuating residents of Mississippi and
Louisiana from the areas in the hurricane's path;
3. Communications between the White House and FEMA regarding the preparation
for and response to the damage caused by hurricane Katrina;
4. Communications regarding the conditions in the New Orleans Convention Center;
5. Communications regarding the need for transportation to evacuate victims of the
hurricane from the city of New Orleans as well as communications regarding the
need for food and water for victims stranded in New Orleans;
6. Communications from Congressman Charles W. Boustany Jr. (R-LA) requesting
federal assistance and any response to Congressman Boustany;
7. Communications regarding offers by corporations and foreign governments to
assist the victims of the Hurricane Katrina and FEMA's responses to such offers;
8. Communications between FEMA Director Michael Brown and cabinet officials
either before or after the hurricane regarding the potential and actual devastation
wrought by the hurricane and the federal government's response to the
devastation;
9. Communications regarding the plan to evacuate victims of the hurricane to
Charleston, South Carolina and the misrouting of the plane carrying the evacuees
to Charleston, West Virginia;
10. Communications regarding the deployment of the National Guard to New Orleans
to assist in evacuation and relief efforts;
11. Communications regarding the inclusion of Operation Blessing, a Virginia based
charity run by evangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, on
FEMA's primary list of charities to which people were asked to donate money to
assist hurricane relief efforts; and
12. Communications regarding the limitations placed on journalists and
photographers, including, but not limited to, efforts to prevent photographers from
taking pictures of the corpses of hurricane victims in Louisiana and Mississippi.

In responding to a FOIA request, the US Department of Homeland Security

(DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) search will include
responsive records in its control on the date the search began. FEMA's search began
September 24,2005.

The enclosed two pages are released in full at no cost to you. These pages are responsive
to item number 2 of the first part of your request.

FEMA will continue to search for additional documents that may be responsive to your
request. Because of the broad scope of your request, responsive records may be located
at various offices within FEMA. Each office will respond via separate correspondence
with their respective records.

For your information, your FOIA request including your identity, the information made
available, is releasable to the public under subsequent FOIA requests. In response to
these requests, FEMA does not release personal privacy information, such as home
address, telephone numbers or Social Security Numbers all of which are protected from
disclosure under FOIA exemption 6.

Thank you for your interest in FEMA's programs and policies.

Sincerely,

-
Bruce D. Redcay
Acting, Deputy Chief Financial Officer

Enclosures
 Status of Obligations:
ESTIMATED UNOBLIGATED BALANCE, START OF YEAR

2004 SUPPLEMENTAL
LESS T W S F E R FOR IG
ESTIMATED UNOBLIGATED EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
ACTUAL RECOVERIES

Less: TOTAL OBLIGATIONS (gross):

UNOBLIGATED BALANCE:

Status of Allocations:
FUNDS ALLOCATED:

UNOBLIGATED ALLOCATION:

2001-2 Net Total

2003 Allocations 2003 Oblisations Oblioations Oblioations
Terrorist Attacks:
New York
Virginia
New Jersey
Homeland EST
FEMA ERTiEST
Other
Surge & Regions
Total
Allocations: Funds set aside for declarations based on estimated needs for next 30
days.
Obligations: Recorded against ailocated funds when contracts signed, grants awarded,
trips taken, mission assignments signed, etc.

R:\2003execut\04 DRF quick status.xls

 Status of Obligations: DirecUSu~~ort Emem. R e s ~
CURRENT APPROPRIATION AVAILABLE:
TOTAL OBLIGATIONS (net):
Obligations-FY '04 Recoveries
Less: TOTAL OBLIGATIONS (gross):
UNOBLIGATED BALANCE:

Status of Commitments:
Less: TOTAL COMMITMENTS
UNCOMMlllED BAIANCE:

Status of Allocations:
FUNDS ALLOCATED: 570.616 92,739 28.107 691,462
Less: TOTAL OBLIGATIONS (gross): 460,638 8,071 0 468,709
UNOBLIGATED ALLOCATION: 109,978 84,667 28,107 222,752

Amount UndistributedfUnallocated: $2,659,277 $57,261 $0 $2,716,538

2004 2004 200 1/03 Net Total
Allocations Obliaations Obli~ations Obliaations
Terrorist Attacks:
New York 9,139 8.019 8,619.750 8,627,769
Virginia 62 41 29,072 29.1 13
New Jersey 0 0 88,020 88,020

Terrbrism Activity
Homeland Security EST 0 285 285
FEMA ERTIESTS- o 0 4,229 4,229
Other 83,538 11 92,492 92,503
Surge & Regions 0 Z! 9.612 9,612
Total 92.73; 8,071 8,843,460 8,851,531

R:\2003execut\04 DRF quick status.xls