1989 - A year for catastrophes.

On September 22, 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston,SC. It then hit Columbia and turned north and smacked Charlotte.

FEMA screwed the hell out of everything. It was a harbinger of things to come. here are the highlights:

Charleston was in ruins, supplies were scarce, people were scared, and U.S. Sen. Fritz Hollings wanted to know why the Federal Emergency Management Agency was missing in action. "I called FEMA and said, 'We've got to have assistance down here immediately," recalled Hollings, now retired.

1-"(Acting director Robert) Morris said they had to advertise in local newspapers for two weeks, and then state newspapers before they could deliver supplies. I said, 'Are you serious? We need help.' "

2-It was seven days after Hurricane Hugo plowed through South Carolina before FEMA opened its first disaster center in the state. It was a bureaucratic mistake the agency would pay dearly for making. Hollings lit a fire under the federal government, calling FEMA officials "a bunch of bureaucratic jackasses." On the Senate floor.

3-Hollings had used his clout to help the state before the storm even hit, calling on his old friend Colin Powell to send in Marines to help keep order, stop looting and help folks dig out of the mess -- despite the assurances from some state officials that the National Guard could handle it all.
4-Even the Marines became embroiled in the FEMA mess. The agency said it would not pay for chain saws used to cut away fallen trees because the Marines did not keep a log of each saw's serial number along with the particulars of where and when they were used.

5-Charleston Mayor Joe Riley was another critic of FEMA's slow response, and has often told the story of the response he got when he turned to a FEMA official to ask for advice. "You need to make sure you're accounting for all of your expenses," the bureaucrat replied.

Hollngs immortalized FEMA with those words: "a bunch of bureaucratic jackasses"

George HW Bush was the Prez. It must run in their genes.

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/sep/21/angry-words-for-fema/

This is why if you told me FEMA was coming to help, I'd run for the hills. Bush 41 was too busy with Panama.

Loma Prieta was next. When FEMA bungled its relief efforts after the 1990 Loma Prieta, California earthquake, Congressman Mineta concluded that FEMA "could screw up a two-car parade."

That set the stage.