Katrina Odds and Ends

• FEMA head Michael Brown resigns. It’s for the best, though no one has been able to point out any specific FEMA blunder.

Michael Brown's resignation came after he was recalled to Washington from New Orleans on Friday amid allegations that his agency had responded slowly and ineptly to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Although the White House had allowed him retain his title, Brown said he decided to leave now "to avoid further distraction from the ongoing mission of FEMA."

• President Bush takes responsibility for any blunders in federal disaster relief because that’s what real leaders do, whether they are personally responsible or not.

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government," Bush said at a joint White House news conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

"And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong," said Bush.

• Unreasonable critics of the federal government's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts will kick New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to the curb now. (No link yet.)

“My experiences with the president was [sic] any time I spoke to him personally and he promised to do something, he did it.”

President Bush must have done some of that white-man mind control on him.

• Thirty-four bodies were found in a New Orleans nursing home. The owners are charged with negligent homicide.

The owners of St. Rita's Nursing Home in Chalmette "were asked if they wanted to move (the patients). They did not. They were warned repeatedly that this storm was coming," Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti said. [SNIP]

The owners had an evacuation plan as required under state law and a contract with an ambulance service to evacuate the patients, but they did not call the company, Foti said.

They also turned down an offer from St. Bernard Parish officials who asked if the nursing home wanted help evacuating, he said. The home is about 10 miles southeast of New Orleans in an area of heavy devastation.

Watch out for grandma and grandpa. Don’t let them have to entrust their lives to those who care nothing about them.

KATRINA RELIEF: Walmart

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — More than 1,300 Hurricane Katrina victims have signed up for items they need through a new hurricane gift registry at Wal-Mart stores and online at Walmart.com.

"So many friends and family members want to help hurricane victims in a tangible, personal way, and this registry is helping," said Pam Kohn, senior vice president for Wal-Mart. "Storm victims list items that they really need, and friends or family members can buy items for them at our stores or online." According to a news release, the registry opened last Thursday.