Brown Says He Erred at FEMA

Former FEMA Director Michael D. Brown said Monday that he should have acted more quickly in seeking help from the Pentagon after Hurricane Katrina hit, and he accused state and local officials of constant infighting during the crisis, according to congressional aides.

Brown is continuing to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay, with his Sept. 12 resignation not taking effect for two more weeks, said Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke.

Knocke said Brown agreed to stay at FEMA to advise the department on “some of his views on his experience with Katrina.” He said Brown, who is in a transition period, does not have any decision-making or management responsibilities.

Brown spoke to congressional aides from both parties a day before he is to testify before a House panel investigating the government’s response to the disaster. Brown “acknowledged that he made mistakes,” a Republican staff member said.

Brown came to symbolize the halting federal efforts to rescue victims of the storm and flooding, in which more than 1,000 people died in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. He was criticized as a Bush political appointee without deep emergency management experience, and he left amid accusations that he had padded his resume, which he vehemently denied.