9/11 chairmen: Bush should have seen the catastrophe earlier

KR Washington Bureau | 09/14/2005 | 9/11 chairmen: Bush should have seen the catastrophe earlier: "Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration should have realized that Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophe of national proportions and have mobilized federal troops and equipment even before the storm struck, the co-chairmen of an independent investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said Wednesday.

“Anyone watching that storm knew it was going to affect Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana,” said Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. “This is not a disaster for the mayor of New Orleans to deal with.”"