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01/26/2006:

"White House 'stonewalling Katrina response inquiry'"

US senators yesterday accused President Bush of stonewalling a congressional inquiry into the government response last year to Hurricane Katrina, despite earlier promises to cooperate.

The senators said the White House had failed to make key officials available to the inquiry or turn over documents on internal government communications in the days before and immediately after the storm hit New Orleans and the Gulf coast on August 29.

One document leaked this week showed the White House situation room was warned the same day that Katrina would "likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching". On September 1, however, President Bush told reporters: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
guardian.co.uk