Congress sees room for improvement in FEMA

The lack of disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Katrina were "a failure of the public sector," said Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) in a hearing. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met to discuss how disaster relief went after hurricanes Ike and Gustav.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said that while there were major improvements in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), some aspects of the response were not good enough. She said that 1,000 of the poorest citizens were put on buses with no idea where they were going before Hurricane Gustav hit. She said that FEMA and the Red Cross were unprepared for a "large-scale disaster."

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said that preparations for Hurricane Gustav were an improvement on Hurricane Katrina. She said that 97.5 percent of the population evacuated New Orleans this year while only around 90 percent were evacuated before Katrina. He also said that New Orleans was repopulated only four days after the disaster. However, he did mention that the city ran out of supplies that FEMA was supposed to provide including water and food. He said the United States was still playing "Russian roulette" with the lives of its citizens in the New Orleans region.

Deputy FEMA administrator Harvey Johnson said that Hurricanes Gustav and Ike posed "a worst nightmare scenario." Johnson said the response by FEMA as well as state governments restored the confidence of U.S. citizens in disaster relief.

Republican Jewish Coalition and Susan G. Komen raise money for Hurricane Gustav relief

Nearly 300 Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) members joined together in downtown Minneapolis to raise around $30,000 to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Hurricane Gustav relief.

Hadassah Lieberman headlined the program, speaking to the members-only crowd. CEO and President Hala Moddelmog of Susan G. Komen for the Cure also addressed the group. Press secretary Suzanne Kurtz said the RJC considers national security, a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, and energy top priorities.

The Jewish people traditionally support the Democratic Party, but the RJC believes the trend is changing. "John McCain will continue the inroads that the Republican Party is making in the Jewish community," Kurtz said.

Monday Morning Conference Call with Rick Davis, McCain Campaign Manager

Senator John McCain (R - AZ) campaign manager Rick Davis held a conference call Monday morning to discuss the schedule for the week and fundraising. An information center has been established in the Xcel Energy Center for delegates and participants to monitor the weather in the southern states.

Campaign manager Rick Davis said Laura Bush will introduce a video and Cindy McCain will address the delegates following todays official events. The speech will be mostly non-political and will ask for hurricane relief.

The McCain campaign, in conjunction with Target and FedEx, is also creating 80,000 "comfort packages" that will go to the regions impacted by Hurricane Gustav. The packages will be assembled at the convention site beginning Wednesday morning. Volunteers interested in helping to pack the contents of the packages will be accepted then.

McCain's campaign has begun a fundraising effort together with five governors from the affected region. They will identify charitabble organizations able to assist those impacted by the hurricane. In addition to working with those at the convention to raise money, the campaign has also set up a phone bank at the Minneapolis Hilton manned by a team of volunteers. These efforts will concentrate on reaching out to McCain's previous donors.