| Author | Thread |
|
|
09/02/2005 02:45:56 AM · #1 |
With what has been going on for the last couple of days in New Orleans one can ony think of the movies Escape From NY and LA.
New Oreans on Thursday
When Ivan hit here last year the response from FEMA and the National Guard was welcome to say the least. But it was also late. Our public water system shup down and the roads were impassable. By the time any emergency aid from the outside came in we had pretty well figured things out for ourselves. Power trucks and cable repairs teams converged on the town days before any government agency presence was noticed.
When a disaster hits relief should be forthcoming within 48 hours if it is to be effective, not five days after the fact.
I hear they are working as fast as they can. Somehow in this situation that is not fast enough. Some military relief and presence seems to be showing itself in parts of New Orleans as I post this, and the effort of these soldiers and sailers is a welcome sight. How many effected areas that are not in the national headlight at the moment do you think are even getting the sluggish response that New Orleans is? Few. People are helping out people, and local governments do what they can, but all of this will take much more and it should have been forthcomeing before now.
In the coastal towns along Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound people who are down there said trucks started to arive with ice and water on Thursday. No food or tents yet. The hurricane hit on Monday.
I'm heading back down there with a pickup bed full of canned goods, a tent, a few sleeping bags and bottled water at first light. One pickup load won't save the world, but I have to do something. I just hope I'm not getting in the way.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:25:06 AM · #2 |
| Your compassion is heartwarming. You won't save the world by yourself, but there's no way to do it but one person at a time. Blessed be. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:36:55 AM · #3 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
I'm heading back down there with a pickup bed full of canned goods, a tent, a few sleeping bags and bottled water at first light. One pickup load won't save the world, but I have to do something. I just hope I'm not getting in the way. |
i sincerely applaud your efforts, martin, and i was anywhere near there, i'd be driving my truck right behind you. you got any like-minded neighbors you can convoy with? when you get back, you might want to hit up some of the local preachers to start spreading the word and coordinating some of this effort, maybe even get the local walmart manager to call bentonville to see what they can do... |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:40:30 AM · #4 |
Don't go alone.
Don't become a body. They have enough there.
Good luck. You are a brave person.
Document. Please.
Godspeed. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:45:11 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
you got any like-minded neighbors you can convoy with? when you get back, you might want to hit up some of the local preachers to start spreading the word and coordinating some of this effort, maybe even get the local walmart manager to call bentonville to see what they can do... |
In my oppinion organizing something like this will only slow things down. The Federal Government is one of the most "organized" entities in the world and look at it.
The local churches are all doing something at this very momment to help. From setting up hot meals to finding homes for refugees there is enough for anyone who wants to get involved to do. I may be more effective as part of a church group or part of a team, but I'm not too good at that type of thing. I'll do what I can in my own way. Thanks for the thoughts.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:47:40 AM · #6 |
PS: Don't tell my mom I went. She freaked when my sister told her I was down there on Tuesday.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:49:10 AM · #7 |
Good on you Martin. I applaude your compassion and thoughtfulness. As someone who is thousands of miles away i feel completely helpless. It is good to know people like you exist in this world :)
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 03:54:30 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
In my oppinion organizing something like this will only slow things down. The Federal Government is one of the most "organized" entities in the world and look at it...snip...I'll do what I can in my own way. Thanks for the thoughts. |
you're welcome. just remember, there's a huge difference between organizing a bucket-brigade and government.
here's one perspective on the blame.
basically, i think we're all to blame for not holding our elected officials accountable at the local level. rather than roll up their sleeves and work, they want to get on tv and whine about what's not being done by others and how they don't have enough means and support. the sad thing is, the constituents think that that is what the elected officials are supposed to do--get them (the constituents) more, rather than figuring out how to DO more with what they have. there are a lot of tough lessons to learn here, and i hope these lessons don't get lost in the sea of finger-pointing...
Message edited by author 2005-09-02 03:54:56. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 05:04:24 AM · #9 |
Col. Terry Ebbert, director of homeland security for New Orleans, concurred and he was particularly pungent in his criticism. Asserting that the whole recovery operation had been "carried on the backs of the little guys for four goddamn days," he said "the rest of the goddamn nation can't get us any resources for security."
"We are like little birds with our mouths open and you don't have to be very smart to know where to drop the worm," Colonel Ebbert said. "It's criminal within the confines of the United States that within one hour of the hurricane they weren't force-feeding us. It's like FEMA has never been to a hurricane." FEMA is the Federal Emergency Management Agency. - New York Times
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 05:53:32 AM · #10 |
i'm sorry if the following gets this thread move to rant, but this looks like the thread to post this to. i just sent the following email to a friend of mine, and thought i'd share it:
Don't know why, just can't sleep. Not anything bothering me to keep me from it, just feel awake.
I'm really pissed at this whole Katrina thing. Most people just don't get it. This is THE WORST event our country has ever seen. 9/11 is NOTHING compared to this. San Fran in '06 will pale in comparison. People mistakenly evalutate disasters based on immediate death tolls. The two biggest things they are missing is the overall economic impact this is going to have. The WTC took out TWO BLOCKS and they haven't rebuilt that after 4 years. Richmond's flood A YEAR AGO ripped through less than 5% of the city, and sat on an area 3 blocks by 10 blocks, AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T FINISHED REBUILDING!!! Here, we're talking about an area that includes one of the top 25 largest metropolitan areas in the country...
The other thing that is being overlooked is just how f#$@*d up our government is, and how far away what we have today is from what our founding fathers envisioned. Our people have been lead to believe that the government will take care of them, but they have no idea what their own personal responsibilities are. They believe a civic leader is doing their job by trying to get them something rather than trying to do something. We are losing the ability to take care of ourselves, and putting our faith in a system that corruptly tells us we are being taken care of all the while knowing that it can't deliver. I hate saying these things, but damn, look at what has happened. A catastrophic event of major proportions, and New Orleans winds up looking no better than Somalia or any other Third World country governed by warlords. HOW THE HELL WAS THIS ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?!? Because there's no accountability of elected officials.
Sorry for ranting, hope it doesn't ruin your morning. I'm going to get back to editing pictures from a happier time, and hopefully spend some time trying to figure out what I can do to make a difference...
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 06:04:24 AM · #11 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
i'm sorry if the following gets this thread move to rant... |
You want to hear a rant? Go down to the coast and mention FEMA to anyone stranded in these areas. What you posted was tame.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 06:09:37 AM · #12 |
this catastrophy brings back memories to me cause me and my family were
involved in the flut of the river elbe here in germany in august 2002
our house was flooded with oil-stinky water there was no electricity,
only cold water and it was really hot but we stayed in our flat and tried to save as much stuff as possible.when the water was gone after
5 days and we began to dispose most of our furniture and stuff we noticed that we can never manage that alone.and suddenly a few unknown poeple came and helped us without asking any questions.without that brave guys we never would have manage that hopeless situation,so i know how thankfull people are for the support they gave them in such a moment without any hope and perspective.thanks |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 06:26:11 AM · #13 |
You really are a wonderful person. We are very fortunate that we do not get natural disasters like that in South Africa. If one day it does happen, i only wish i could have your courage and determination to help others in any way i can.
I pray God's Blessing onto you.
Message edited by author 2005-09-02 06:31:24. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 07:37:19 AM · #14 |
Im going to play the devil's advocate here...
Though I do sympathize with them on the largest level...They were told a week in advance not to be there when the storm hit...I was in Florida when Andrew hit...we went to georgia for a few days, came back and had 3 palm trees in our living room. Stubborn people always want to ride the storms out because they think its just not going to be that bad.
Im pretty sure that New Orleans is a lost cause, get people out...stop sending more people in...the Earth is constantly changing, islands form...ice caps melt, the overall sea-level rises... Trying to pump out and re-build a city below sea-level is silly.
And for all the complaining that we arent sending people in...I dont blame them. I would'nt go in either. If the police and military are being shot at and assaulted, why on earth would the red-cross or FEMA want anything to do with being in an area like that.
Yes, the government has a responsibility, but at the same time, the people in crisis have personal responsibility for what happens as well...Everyone wants to sit in the 'Dome and wait for help, when one of my local reporters is sitting less than 10 miles away on dry land, thats a bit of a walk, but its managable, then they could get to proper lavatories and food...it wouldnt be easy, but they need to put forward an effort help themselves rather than feeling sorry for themselves and only seeing themselves as the helpless victims...
Im not blaming this all on the people...mob-mentality will tend to take over in the initial panic...but we're past the initial problem...and people are going to have to prove that they want help and are willing to try to help themselves before everyone else rushes in to help them.
Comparing this to the tsunami is silly...there is a major difference there, there was no warning with the tsunami, no evacuation calls...just BOOM and the get hit...we watched this storm for weeks before it hit...and it was ignored...
edit ...
After reading through that article, and others...Am I the only one seeing a media bias and ramping-up of the situation in the news accross the board? Though they wont say it themselves, they will quote everyone as saying we arent sending help...and never correcting it. I live in chesapeake, va, right near Norfolk Naval Base...we are sending a Carrier (USS Truman) and 3 LPD/LHD (amphibious marine/supply ships) down there, and there is already an LHD down there working, thats over 10,000 sailors headed that way...the truman is going to be acting as an active airport for supplies, with the amphibs getting the supplies to shore....
Message edited by author 2005-09-02 08:36:37. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 07:49:51 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by nsbca7:
PS: Don't tell my mom I went. She freaked when my sister told her I was down there on Tuesday. |
Please be careful. My thoughts will be with you.
Message edited by author 2005-09-02 07:50:12.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 10:13:53 AM · #16 |
i think FEMA's response to this has been a joke, and yesterday the FEMA director tried to pin a lot of the blame about this on people who "ignored" the mandatory evacuation order.
first of all: katrina made landfall at dawn on monday. as best as i can tell, the "mandatory" evacuation order wasn't made until late saturday. when you consider that they started getting hit with the storm's effects midday on sunday, that doesn't sound like a lot of time to move 500,000 people.
secondly: lots of the people who stayed behind because they had no way to get out. the city's evacuation efforts were to move people into shelters (like the superdome). that worked out really well. what about the people who didn't have cars or who were dependent on electricity for oxygen and the like? what about people who didn't have money for gasoline for their cars or for hotel rooms? as the NYT pointed out yesterday, this hit just before the end of the month. lots of people don't get paid or get government-assistance checks until the end of the month. how were they supposed to fuel up and get out if they're living check-to-check?
thirdly: again, as someone else pointed out, why weren't there supplies at the ready in case of a levee break? once the levee has started leaking is NOT the time to try and scrounge up sandbags and concrete barriers. those should have been on standby, the same way supplies are at the ready in case of an oil spill.
Originally posted by rjm1982:
we are sending a Carrier (USS Truman) and 3 LPD/LHD (amphibious marine/supply ships) down there, and there is already an LHD down there working, thats over 10,000 sailors headed that way...the truman is going to be acting as an active airport for supplies, with the amphibs getting the supplies to shore.... |
and, fourthly: it's 4 days sailing time from VA to LA. why were those ships not dispatched until yesterday? they could have moved down the east coast behind the storm after it crossed florida and then moved into the gulf as soon as the storm left. while it will certainly be helpful to have the troops and supplies, getting them there 7 or 8 days after the storm hit seems like too little too late to me.
---
nsbca7 good for you, although i do hope you aren't in the way. still, you can't be more underfoot than all of the reporters are.
it's important for the press to be there so that they can document this mess both for our use now and for the future, but it does seem like a pack of vultures descending on the area. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 10:16:39 AM · #17 |
this is very thoughtful of you nsbca7. i saw some of the people on tv who are stranded asking why citizens who live in the surrounding areas that weren't hit as hard, "Why wouldnt they come down and try to help with food, a ride, or clothing?" I know people are scared of the rapists and armed men, but if you can make the difference in one persons life, that good for you! Another lady was crying because people were leaving hotels with big SUV's & trucks, and they were too worried about taking their luggage rather than helping a family get to safety. It's pretty pathetic.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 10:45:30 AM · #18 |
Good for you nsbca7!!! It's interesting reading all of the different perspectives on the situation in NO. Muckpond has brought up several issues that I think many of us are overlooking and I agree with most of what was said, however, I feel there are a few GLARING mistakes that were made.
First, we knew the Gulf coast was going to get hit with a Category 5 hurricane sometime at the beginning of the week. This information was known 4-5 days BEFORE it hit. Now without going on a rant, it seems to me that once a storm of that magnitude is within the confines of the gulf, it is a CERTAINTY that it will hit SOMEWHERE. It may be Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, or Texas, but it is GUARANTEED to hit somewhere. My question is why weren't efforts made by FEMA and other national agencies during this 4-5 days to prepare for the eventual catastrophe? They had time to prepare and be ready to mobilize to WHERE EVER the hurricane happened to hit... As it happened, Katrina hit in the WORST possible location, and probably no amount of preparation could have been enough, BUT, some would have been better than waiting until after the fact.
It is true that there are MANY people who could not evacuate for various reasons. No one could have had the foresight to send busses down the week before and evacuate the entire city (as they are doing now) and hindsight is always 20/20, but there is another painfully obvious fact that can not simply be overlooked. There are MANY violent groups of looters and pillagers roaming the city. If they are able bodied enough to rape, pillage, and destroy, it seems to me that they are able bodied enough to have evacuated when the order was given. I'm not talking about the people who are making HONEST efforts to obtain food and clothing for self preservation, but the ones who are shooting at RESCUE helicopters. If they are capable of this behavior, then they have NO RIGHT to complain about the situation (IMHO). I realize I probably just pushed this thread into the realm of rantism and for that I'm sorry, but I can't sit back and say nothing when those who are going to help strangers are being shot at by people who should have evacuated when they had the chance. I could go on all day, but I simply don't have the energy. For those who read this and take offense, I'm sorry but it's how I feel. There is no need to start a huge political debate on the subject, I'm just venting my opinion.
Anyway... again I applaud you nsbca7 and my thoughts and prayers are with you on your journey.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 10:49:01 AM · #19 |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 10:56:51 AM · #20 |
FINALLY!
New York Times
Airlines to Fly Up to 25,000 Refugees Out of New Orleans
By MICHELINE MAYNARD
Published: September 2, 2005
The nation's airlines have been mobilized to fly up to 25,000 refugees out of New Orleans beginning today, under an emergency plan put into effect for the first time by the Department of Homeland Security.
Under the department's national response plan, 15 airlines, including 10 major commercial carriers, will transport up to 25,000 refugees from Louis Armstrong Airport outside New Orleans to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, airlines taking part in the plan said this morning.
The airlines are volunteering their aircraft and crew for the program, which is scheduled to begin at noon and run until this evening. The airlifts also will take place tomorrow and Sunday, the airlines said.
The Transportation Security Administration will secure the airport, according to a memo sent to the airlines. But airlines are being told to "bring everyone and everything you need," the memo said. They were told the status of jet fuel at the airport is "unclear" while power is intermittent.
The airlines have been asked to provide narrow-bodied planes, like Boeing 737 and Airbus A-320 models. The T.S.A. will screen passengers, as it normally does at airports, and it will create passenger lists for the airlines.
The airlines are donating their services without charge, participants said. It is the first time that the Department of Homeland Security has activated the plan, which is being supervised by Michael Jackson, a former Transportation Department official who is the assistant secretary for homeland security. Airlines have been told the airport can handle seven to nine flights per hour, and that the airport will operate under visiual flight rules. That means that flights must take place in relatively good weather, so that pilots can see the airport from a distance as they approach.
Some airlines said this morning that they were not even aware of the plan's existence. It is the first time the department has mobilized the airlines. The Pentagon has a program called the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, in which airlines contract to transport troops and materiel in peace time in return for the use of their planes during war time. However, that program pays the airlines millions of dollars a year in reimbursements.
The airlines participating in the New Orleans air lift include Alaska, American, United, ATA, AmericaWest. JetBlue, US Airways, Southwest, Northwest, Continental, Delta and American, as well as some charter carriers. Many of those carriers participate in the CRAF program, but JetBlue is not known to have participated in a government program before.
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 11:09:55 AM · #21 |
We had a couple of plane loads sent here to Atlanta yesterday. Delta also sent some flights and I heard on the news that they were offering to fly the victims anywhere they needed to go for free. FINALLY, a tiny ray of some hope for some of these poor people. It really saddens me to see how long it is taking to get things even the slightest bit organized. I hate to say this, but it kind of makes me lose some trust/hope in the powers that be if something of this magnitude should ever happen again. I always thought we'd be taken care of......
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 11:23:03 AM · #22 |
| I don't want this moved to the rant,so all I'll say is,if the reporters and Harry Connick,Jr. can get in without a problem,WHY IN GOD'S NAME CAN'T FOOD AND WATER BE TAKEN IN?? We have a natural disaster in the Gulf States,but we also have an ELECTED DISASTER in our National Government.. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 11:28:20 AM · #23 |
Muckpond... Thanks for that ray of hope!!! Good read!
|
|
|
|
09/02/2005 11:30:49 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by jenesis:
It really saddens me to see how long it is taking to get things even the slightest bit organized. I hate to say this, but it kind of makes me lose some trust/hope in the powers that be if something of this magnitude should ever happen again. I always thought we'd be taken care of...... |
Another possible catastrophe is looming and has heatlth officials in the US very worried. Avian Bird Flu could hit this country this coming fall and winter and carry with it a mortality rate as high as 50%. Considering that much of our resources and reserves will go into handling the current catastrophe, as well as, into the situation in Iraq, your fears are well founded. |
|
|
|
09/02/2005 11:32:43 AM · #25 |
Some random thoughts...
there is no substitue for personal responsibilty. in NO as elsewhere is there is a large 'welfare mentality' that someone will take care of everything. "The Gov't needs to do this....or that....". Get off your sorry lazy a@@ and do it yourself.
The End Is Near.
If you believe in any of the End of the World Scenarios it is very near (less than 7 years by several accounts). If so, then this is just a glimplse of what is coming, so get your own gun, figure out how to live without gasoline, electricity or government.
3 days of 'emergency' food and water is not enough sometimes.
C and C - Command and Communication - it is a joke apparently. No one, and i do mean NO ONE is in charge of anything in NO. There is no communication (the hospitals were thought to have been evacuated for exapmple). If you are one of the unlucky ones still in NO, there is no TV for sure, and possibly to radio - so you sit alone and wait...tjere was talk of dropping pamphlets, but the way the gov't works and this disaster relief is working they'd be dropping christmas cards.
They need to declare mashall law, and get the army or NG in there. Shoot the looters. If you got a gun, the army should shoot you on sight. Sorry that is has come to that, but how does this differ from Iraq at this point? Oh yeah - there is more organization in Iraq.
Lastly - Come November - Do no vote for any Republicans. they run the Oval office and congress...time for a change folks.
|
|
