Red Cross Kept Out By La. Officials According to CNN state officials in Louisiana refused request by the American Red Cross to enter New Orleans with relief supplies following Katrina. "Concerns over logistical difficulties" was cited as the reason.

Col. Jay Mayeaux, the deputy director of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, (an appointee of the Louisiana Governor, NOT the federal government) asked the Red Cross to wait.

"The national president of the American Red Cross, Marsha Evans, first made the request to undertake the operation during a visit to the state on September 1, three days after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local Red Cross chapter official said."
"We had adequate supplies, the people and the vehicles," [a Red Cross rep] said."It was the middle of a military rescue operation trying to save lives. We were asked not to go in, and we abided by that recommendation."  ¶ Friday, September 09, 2005