A US House of Representatives committee has released 23 pages of internal e-mails offering additional evidence of a confused and distracted government response to Hurricane Katrina.
The e-mails show that Michael Brown, the former head of Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), had been planning to step down from his post when the storm struck.
They also reveal Mr Brown was preoccupied with his image on television even as one of the first Fema officials to arrive in New Orleans, Marty Bahamonde, was reporting a crisis situation of increasing chaos to agency officials.
"My eyes must certainly be deceiving me. You look fabulous - and I'm not talking the make-up," writes Cindy Taylor, Fema's deputy director of public affairs to Mr Brown at 7.10 am local time on August 29th.
"I got it at Nordstroms," Mr Brown writes back, referring to an upmarket department store. "Are you proud of me? Can I quit now? Can I go home?"
An hour later, Mr Brown adds: "If you'll look at my lovely Fema attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god."
AP
