Emerging National Emergency

[BIGSAGE136]

4 days is in NO WAY acceptable. The Dept of Homeland Security was created to establish direct rapid response. If I can chart a huricane so can they. Staging should have been done days in advance. Woulda Shoulda Coulda yada yada yada....

Understand something...Your neighborhood may be next. And since this is not about the poor, what you are saying is that you have no problem with your emergency services taking 4 and half days to come to your aid.

OK. But to me that sucks.

 

[Randy43068]

It does suck. No question about it. I'm not here to defend any of the agencies actions for the most part, but give 'em a break. No one, and I mean NO ONE could have known how much damage this thing was going to let behind. Keep in mind that life is dangerous at times. Government has limits as to what they can do, but they're doing the best they can I believe. Is it a perfect response to the situation? No, it's not, but it's a response with as much effort as can be had at the moment.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Break given. I have family on those lines.

 

[Wildcard]

Homeland security is just that. It's primary function is not disaster response. FEMA under Homeland security does that. News reports are now coming out that guard units were ready to roll but were not requested by the states.

 

[BIGSAGE136]

Homeland security is just that. It's primary function is not disaster response. FEMA under Homeland security does that. News reports are now coming out that guard units were ready to roll but were not requested by the states.

Yeah. Sort of keeps bringing back that nagging question....

 

[fmw625]

I saw a report yesterday about Red Cross shelters in north LA. People were coming but no shelters were open. The director of the LA Red Cross got on the TV and stated she could not open shelters with out authorization from a higher source. One community, Farmerville, LA, opened there shelter without the authorization of the Red Cross. The report told of hundreds of people in local camp grounds looking for shelter. Seems like someone needs to get off their *** and in the field to get these shelters open.

 

[freefall2]

I finally found a disaster story on cnn that didn't break my heart. Here is a list of countries who have offered help:
Qatar offers $100m to relief fund

Another happy note in just 2 days the members of our adventure motorcycle forum/smugmug/digital grin forum raised $16,505 and the owner matched all our donations for a total of $33,010.00 going to hurricane relief efforts!!

 

[Wildcard]

Like so many disasters, money is pledged but never delivered. Like Qatar can afford 100 million. The thought is nice though....Iran earthquake a few years back, some unreal amouant of cash was pledged hundreds of millions, thay got 27 million. I am very glad to see countries stepping up to the plate after the US has given so much to them.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Interesting quote from the article ...

As of Friday, the White House had not accepted any offers, but Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the State Department was "working very closely with the Department of Homeland Security to match up what is available with what is needed."

The question that comes to mind is "why hasn't our government accepted any of this offered help?"

Seems like, in particular, the offers of drinking water and medical teams could be put to immediate use ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Wildcard]

It requires more in logistics to accept donations, move donations, stage donations then distribute donations than it does to go to distribution centers and load up a truck and then deliver it. You have to be licensed in the US to practice medicine here.