Bob Harris on his eponymous blog notes an interesting breakdown of which LA parishes were mentioned in Bush’s pre-Katrina declaration of emergency.

If you have an explanation for it, let him know. It is rather…amazing. We’re looking at incompetence on a grand scale. Or something much, much worse.

I’m trying to put together a timeline of various events related to the Katrina/levee disaster. This is wildly incomplete, of course: most of the items that stick in my mind (and that I’ve tracked down links for) have been on the government side, and most of the local events are NO-centric. If you have anything to add (with links, if possible), leave them in Comments.

Update: Josh Marshall also has a timeline. And Duncan Black (Atrios) has collected some timelines from NPR.

Date	Local	Government
January 2001		Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.
April 2001		Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush administration’s goal of privatizing much of FEMA’s work. In May, Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: “Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program….” he said. “Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level.”
Pre 9/11 2001		FEMA designates the “three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country”: a hurricane in New Orleans, a massive earthquake in San Francisco, and a terrorist attack in New York City.
December 2002		After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy, Michael Brown, who, like Allbaugh, has no previous experience in disaster management.
March 2003		FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.
? 2003		Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA’s preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.
Summer 2004		FEMA denies Louisiana’s pre-disaster mitigation funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: “You would think we would get maximum consideration….This is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for it.”
June 2004		The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: “It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay.”
June 2005		Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.
Friday, August 26		Louisiana declares a state of emergency.
Saturday, August 27	Greyhound closes its bus station in New Orleans.	Mississippi declares a state of emergency. President Bush declares a state of emergency in Louisiana. “The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts…”
Sunday, August 28	NO Mayor Nagin orders a mandatory evacuation of the city. The Superdome opens as a shelter for New Orleans residents.	The City of Chicago offers the Feds help. The Feds decline.
Monday, August 29	Hurricane Katrina, now Cat 4, makes landfall near New Orleans. The levees break in the early morning.	Governor Blanco requests assistance from FEMA. (Can’t find the source for this.)
Tuesday, August 30		President Bush delivers a speech on the 60th anniversary of V-J Day. He spends two paragraphs talking about Katrina. At Naval Base Coronado, Bush plays guitar. Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, learns mid-day that the levees have broken, approximately 36 hours after they did. Louisiana and Mississippi request military specialists and equipment from other states.
Wednesday, August 31	The Astrodome in Houston opens to refugees of Hurricane Katrina. 18-year-old Jabbor Gibson either finds or steals a bus (depends who’s telling the story) and takes 100 refugees to the Astrodome. Early reports say he will be arrested.	President Bush cuts his 5 week vacation short by 2 days to fly back to Washington. He flies over the Gulf but doesn’t stop. LA Gov. Blanco organizes a “moment of prayer” — during which all relief efforts stop.
Thursday, September 1	11amCST: New Orleans police are ordered to leave search-and-rescue missions and concentrate on restoring law and order, because nothing’s getting done with people getting shot at and carjacked. Evacuation of Charity Hospital stops because of a sniper. The Astrodome closes its doors.	New Orleans Mayor Nagin gives a radio interview blasting the relief effort. In an incredible display of compassion and timing, House Speaker Dennis Hastert wonders whether New Orleans should be rebuilt. He doesn’t suggest where all the residents should go or whether they should be compensated in any way. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff says, “The critical thing was to get people out of there before the disaster. Some people chose not to obey that order. That was a mistake on their part.” FEMA Head Mike Brown tells Wolf Blitzer, “Well, I think the death toll may go into the thousands. And unfortunately, that’s going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the evacuation warnings. And I don’t make judgments about why people choose not to evacuate.” President Bush claims, “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” Um, no. The Navy hires Halliburton to rebuild several Gulf-area naval bases. Condi Rice goes shoe shopping. Takes in a show. Can’t a girl just relax?
Friday, September 2	Rapes and murders inside the Superdome are reported. The sanitation hasn’t worked for days.	FEMA Head Mike Brown claims to Ted Koppel that, really and truly, they just found out about the people at the NO convention center. Koppel not only doesn’t believe him, but says so out loud. FEMA Head Brown gives President Bush a briefing. He uses a five day old map of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush tells FEMA head Brown: “You’re doing a heck of a job.”
Saturday, September 3	The National Review suggests the Republicans hold their 2008 Convention in New Orleans.	The National Guard arrives in New Orleans.
Sunday, September 4	There are still people at the Superdome.

(The FEMA timeline taken from an e-mail I received. If anyone has any corrections for that, lemme know!)

Please do not let this be true:

It is reported that black hurricane victims in New Orleans have begun eating corpses to survive. Four days after the storm, thousands of blacks in New Orleans are dying like dogs. No-one has come to help them.

The only thing that’s keeping me from going out and buying an AK-47 at this point is the phraseology, “It is reported.” Nice passive phrasing, no attribution. So we don’t know how true it is.

But the fact that it’s believable really brings into stark relief how fucked up and fucking awful this Administration and government and response has been. WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL THERE?