Hurricane Katrina

[snuffbox 0]

A couple weeks ago my tiny town in Wisconsin was smashed by a tornado...the townspeople have cleaned up, but FEMA appears to be completely impotent. When disasters come the people need the help RIGHT AWAY, not after a few months of paperwork.

 

And dont respond with 'logistics people...it takes time to figure out what to do'. This is not the first natural disaster in America. The leaders in this country should know damn well by now what to do to save peoples lives immediately.

[Ripper 0]

And i think that this much time passing is a little over the "immediately" line. Its been HOW long now. I would expect SOME help by now. (and they are finally getting some, but still...it took long enough.)

[The Czech Republic 0]

A couple weeks ago my tiny town in Wisconsin was smashed by a tornado...the townspeople have cleaned up, but FEMA appears to be completely impotent. When disasters come the people need the help RIGHT AWAY, not after a few months of paperwork.

Stoughton?

[snuffbox 0]

A couple weeks ago my tiny town in Wisconsin was smashed by a tornado...the townspeople have cleaned up, but FEMA appears to be completely impotent. When disasters come the people need the help RIGHT AWAY, not after a few months of paperwork.

Stoughton?

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The 'other one'...Viola. Stoughton was worse, and still the entire state struggles for some relief money. There are homes, businesses and nearly every tree gone in Viola. Some uninsured and most with holes in their policies that dont cover vehicle or yard damage. But, FEMA etc feel it is more important to get a nice trail of paperwork going and take a couple weeks before even visting the people in town.

[SuperJerk 0]

If you're shooting cops and looting a dangerous flooded city, you're poor and uneducated, no matter how much money you have and where you went to college.

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Thank you, Mr. Figurative.

[Guest El Satanico]

And dont respond with 'logistics people...it takes time to figure out what to do'.

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It does take time, but they should've started the weekend prior to landfall. This event clearly wasn't seriously prepared for before landfall.

 

Goverment officials saying "hurricanes aren't something you can prepare for", is bullshit. You can't stop a hurricane, but you can prepare for the aftermath. It taking four days to get a military convoy with food, shows they weren't well prepared. Those trucks should've been waiting ready to load Friday.

[Fökai 0]

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday that he thinks the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies have done a "magnificent job" under difficult circumstances, citing their "courage" and "ingenuity."

 

Insisting that aid is coming as fast as possible, Chertoff said, "You can't fly helicopters in a hurricane. You can't drive trucks in a hurricane."

 

...we probably shouldn't take his word for it, when the mayor, the governor of the state and every news network is questioning what FEMA has done so far.

[The Czech Republic 0]

A couple weeks ago my tiny town in Wisconsin was smashed by a tornado...the townspeople have cleaned up, but FEMA appears to be completely impotent. When disasters come the people need the help RIGHT AWAY, not after a few months of paperwork.

Stoughton?

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The 'other one'...Viola. Stoughton was worse, and still the entire state struggles for some relief money. There are homes, businesses and nearly every tree gone in Viola. Some uninsured and most with holes in their policies that dont cover vehicle or yard damage. But, FEMA etc feel it is more important to get a nice trail of paperwork going and take a couple weeks before even visting the people in town.

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Ah, the viola. Always second.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

I say this knowing full well I could be flamed for bringing it up. But my girl is down there. She is about 3 hours north of NO. I have been dead inside for days having not heard from her til she called this afternoon. I cannot tell you the horror I have felt not knowing how she is. Fortunatley she is out of the way and so far everything is... well not good. She has lost some family members and she and a few others are going back out to search for more of her kin. It took everything I had to not insist she come home to New Hampshire, but she has to find the rest of her family. I'm just going to have to understand. But I do NOT fucking want to! I just have to wait for her to call me later and maybe she'll have some good news.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

If anyone flames you for that, fuck em

 

It's good she's alive n safe man

[imajackoff? 0]

wow.... ive never seen the fed govt drop the ball in such a catastrophic way in my lifetime. truely sad.

[iliketurtles 0]

.

[snuffbox 0]

wow.... ive never seen the fed govt drop the ball in such a catastrophic way in my lifetime.  truely sad.

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You just violated the Patriot Act.

[chaosrage 0]

3:07 P.M. - BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- U.S. Sen. David Vitter said FEMA's efforts to deal with the hurricane have been completely ineffective, and he called the federal government's response a failure.

 

"I think FEMA has been completely dysfunctional and is completely overwhelmed, and I don't know why. This situation was utterly predictable," said Vitter, R-Metairie. "It seems like there was no coherent plan, which I don't understand because this precise scenario has been predicted for 20 years," he said.

[2GOLD 0]

Bus of survivors just flipped over in Baton Rouge I think it was. More good news all around.

[teke184 0]

Bus of survivors just flipped over in Baton Rouge I think it was. More good news all around.

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That may explain the 15 ambulances I saw racing west on I-10 on my way home...

 

(I work in downtown BR)

[chaosrage 0]

WWL: 7:03 P.M. - CNN's Barbara Starr reports that there is "no indication" the convention center in New Orleans is secure. She reports there is still much unrest.

 

FNC: 30,000 people about to riot at the Convention Center, still looking for buses that have been promised for 5 days.

[chaosrage 0]

6:26 P.M. - WASHINGTON (AP): Thousands of people stranded in two swamped parishes south of New Orleans are just as desperate for food, water and supplies as those trapped in the city, but they can't get the attention of federal disaster relief officials, Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., said Friday.

 

And to make matters worse, Melancon said in a telephone interview, he was unable to deliver that message to President Bush during his visit to New Orleans on Friday because the president's security detail couldn't clear him in to meet with Bush on Air Force One.

 

After waiting 90 minutes while a U.S. marshal using a satellite phone repeatedly tried, and failed, to contact Bush's plane -- located just 300 yards away at New Orleans' Armstrong airport -- a disgusted Melancon left.

 

"After an hour and a half of that, and two hours to get down there, I am now back on my way, without seeing the president, not accomplishing anything in my mind today. I've wasted time while people are dying in South Louisiana," he said. "It's not personal to the president. It's just that this whole thing has been handled terribly."

 

Melancon said the communications problems that kept him from meeting with Bush are symptomatic of the problems that have plagued the slow-moving federal response to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

[snuffbox 0]

Did anyone see Bush's classic Goldwaterian speech in New Orleans a couple hours ago?

[Vampiro69 0]

If this was the so called Apocalypse we would see the entire US in ruins not just a few states.

 

Haven't people been saying that FEMA did a good job of responding to Florida when it was hit by Katrina? I thought that I haev heard on various stations say that they did a good job there. However, how can you get supplies into NO when the water is so deep? Vehicles can operate in 10 ft of water.

[bob_barron 0]

Amber Tamblyn has cancelled Christmas to help those in NO:

 

I am here to say, that the Tamblyn household has officially cancelled it's Christmas/Holiday this year, due to the devastation and disaster in the South.

It would be absolutely selfish and pointless to add another year on of product and "fun stuff", when the body of our country has just had its proverbial leg blown off.

We are losing a ton of blood, with no real help in rescue.

With no sign of a mass effort or front, to salvage the now homeless and suffering, we MUST do what WE can, to help.

 

So though we are not “surgeons”, we can be aid with some pain relief.

 

We will be giving all the money that normally goes into our Christmas, to Red Cross and other organizations to support New Orleans, and the surrounding cities.

 

I encourage anyone to discuss this gesture with their own families, and think about what the Holiday season really stands for.

 

Even with children in the family, it is a great way to open their young eyes to the importance of support within our own country and abroad, by taking away some of the toys this year, and donating that money for food and clothing.

Explain to them why it is important.

Sponsor a family that now has nothing, not even their health, with the money you were going to buy your husband a new satellite dish with.

You know what I’m sayin?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I bet if GWB were running for re-election in a few years, this would have been handled better.

[Vampiro69 0]

Halloween will be cancelled as well down there since what is going there is scarier then any ghost or goblins could be.

[Slayer 0]

Amber Tamblyn

Who?

[bob_barron 0]

Joan of Joan of Arcadia

[chaosrage 0]

If this was the so called Apocalypse we would see the entire US in ruins not just a few states. 

 

Haven't people been saying that FEMA did a good job of responding to Florida when it was hit by Katrina?  I thought that I haev heard on various stations say that they did a good job there.  However, how can you get supplies into NO when the water is so deep?  Vehicles can operate in 10 ft of water.

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Boats, helicopters.

 

Buses have been going through the area so supply trucks should be able to find a way.

 

The same way they got supplies into NO today, but it should have been done few days ago. The water hasn't gone down from what it was days ago.

[Slayer 0]

...who?

[The Czech Republic 0]

I bet if GWB were running for re-election in a few years, this would have been handled better.

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I'd like to think he wants to spare his party and country from having to hear "if you voted for Gore, New Orleans would be okay!"

[bob_barron 0]

The show about the girl who talked to God. She was the girl who talked to God.

[Vampiro69 0]

Cancelled CBS series is where she is from.