Pre-Katrina Emergency conference calls revealed to NPR

NPR has obtained exlusive audio tapes of the disaster planning meetings between all facets of state, local, and regional emergency managers in the days leading up to Katrina. They reveal an already strained, and poorly prepared team that struggled to set direction, right up to the storm's breach.

As emergency preparations gave way to coordinated actions and pleas for equipment, the recorded calls depict an emergency command center in Baton Rouge that became a center of frenzied activity.

As late as Saturday morning -- 48 hours before the storm struck -- officials were debating how best to handle an evacuation. At one point, Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans brought up a troubling issue: If community leaders simultaneously told residents to leave, gridlock could result.

Check out the audio clips along the left side of the page.
NPR : Conference Calls Detail Katrina Concerns, Failings