NEW YORK (AP) -- The former FEMA director who became a lightning rod for the sluggish federal response to Hurricane Katrina blamed state officials for the delays, according to a newspaper report.
Michael Brown told The New York Times that within hours of Katrina's attack on New Orleans he told the White House that Louisiana officials lacked an organized response, leading to an ''out of control'' situation.
Brown said he called Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and White House chief of staff Andrew Card to let them know the situation was out of control.
His account suggests the White House knew right away that the storm was leaving the coast in shambles.
A top administration official told the Times that White House officials remember Brown's calls, but don't think they had the urgency he recalls.
Brown resigned Monday, three days after being removed from command of the Katrina mission.
