New Orleans City Council President reportedly overslept Hurricane Ernesto briefing and FOX interview

RAW STORY
Published: Sunday August 27, 2006

Earlier today on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace said that one of his scheduled guests, New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas, had "apparently overslept" and missed his scheduled appearance as well as a briefing on Hurricane Ernesto, which could potentially menace the city a year after Katrina.

"We promised you an interview with New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas, but he apparently overslept this morning," said Chris Wallace after interviewing Democratic Senator Joe Biden.

"Not only did he not make it to our studio for this interview, but we also understand that he missed a briefing on Hurricane Ernesto this morning," added Wallace.

Forecasters are predicting that Ernesto could strengthen as it heads "toward the Gulf of Mexico, where it could menace a wide swath of coastline including New Orleans," reports the Associated Press.

"The National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm could grow by Thursday into a hurricane as strong as Katrina, which struck the city a year ago Tuesday," the A.P. reports.

Earlier today, the Alabama Associated Press bureau reported that "[t]op Homeland Security Department and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials in Washington have gathered for the first of a series of videoconference briefings to put responders on high alert for Tropical Storm Ernesto."

"In 1994, [Oliver] Thomas was elected Councilmember for District B. Reelected in 1998, he is currently serving his second term," reads Thomas' biography at the New Orleans city council's website.