The Disaster Center
6921 Weimer
Anchorage, AK 99502
907-248-8363
August 5, 2005
Expedited Processing Requested
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Office of General Counsel
500 C Street, SW, Room 840
Washington, DC 20472
FOIA/PA Specialist
202-646-3051
Fax 202-646-4536
Dear FoIA Office,
I am requesting that copies of the Daily Situation Reports being generated as a result of FEMA’s involvement in Hurricane Katrina response be made available to me on a timely basis, except for those parts which the agency determines to exempt for reasons of national security or for the protection of privacy.
The basis of this request is that a disaster is taking place in the central southern part of the United States, as a result of the impact of Hurricane Katrina, and the information contained in these reports would be helpful to citizens living in the area as well as business both within and outside of the area.
As the lead Federal agency in charge of the Federal Response, FEMA is in the position to provide the public with a picture of the conditions of the infrastructure, and response efforts that no other single agency can provide. It is a standard practice among Professional Emergency Response Agencies to prepare a daily situation report, which is a compilation of the activities of "the Agency," subordinate agencies, deployments, actions, a summary current activity, consequences of the disaster, and the condition of the infrastructure.
I am the owner of the Disaster Center web site and have been providing information to the general public about Federal and states response efforts. It is my intention to make such portions of the situation reports available to the public so as to assist them, in rebuilding their lives and resuming their normal business activities. As such I am requesting a waver of any fees incurred by the agency in complying with this request and am also requesting it be expeditiously processed, as there is an urgent and exceptional need, that the public have access to this information as soon as possible. Please contact me by phone or email at: host@disastecenter.com if there is to be any delay in responding to this request.
Yours truly,
The Disaster Center