I know this is way the heck OT, but...........

[Rod]

Australia, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

THANK YOU!

 

[elevmike]

AK,
I too am greatly disappointed the media is now focusing on the politics rather then the immediate problem.

However I give them kudos for bringing the pressure to bear to get something done about the stranded souls that were trapped for 5 days. I truly believe if it were not for the media people on the ground in N.O. there would be a lot more stranded dead and dying left stranded without food & water. If the Mayor hadn’t gotten airplay (get off your a$$es) I don’t think it would have happened the very next day.

FEMA is supposed to be the guys in charge of this type of an emergency. This guy was either unwilling or unable to assume the leadership roll necessary to deal with this. An emergency of this magnitude cannot be run by committee. It seems now that they have a military guy running the show..finally.

Enough of that...
DTE sent down 400+ Line crews. The plan is to start working in from the outer parameter of the damaged area so that they will have working infrastructure at their backs enabling a re-supply as they move inward. They took all there own supplies, including poles, cable, tools, food, water, tents etc.. so as not to put further pressure on the limited local resources. These guys are in for a long tough haul. Hats of to the IBEW brothers who are jumping in to the front lines with both feet.

As much as we want to we cant all go down there at once. Unless you have a necessary skill to offer for the immideate needs you'll just be in the way. Tonight CNN is holding a special "What you can do to help" Please watch it. They will be listing what's needed and not needed. In the meantime all we can do is give a generously as possable. Just a buck will buy a couple bottles of water which will make a big difference to many.

Thanks...

 

[Johnny T]

On the subject of this latest disaster. I wondered if anyone else has noticed the amount of weather related stories on the news recently.

I can never remember it being this bad around this little rock of ours.

The other night whilst watching the news with reports of flooding in many countries in Europe, drought in Portugal and the imminent Katrina, it brought to mind the start of the film "The Day After Tomorrow", where the Gulf Stream stops and the world plunges into climatic disarray.

Please don't take this post as light hearted. My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by the recent tragedy (I've even donated myself to the fund). But knowing what we know about the power of nature, I wonder if these recent events will make political leaders around the world take conservation a bit more seriously.

Looking after the planet is generally the lowest priority on any political agenda but one thing that politicians do understand is money. And when ruining the planet starts costing lots of it maybe they will begin to take notice.

DISCLAIMER: This post is just a thought I had and not intended in any way to offend anyone or belittle the very real suffering that is going on at the moment...

 

[akreel]

As much as we want to we cant all go down there at once. Unless you have a necessary skill to offer for the immideate needs you'll just be in the way

My company put out a call for FEMA related work. It said that this was a minimum 60 day deployment. I didn't like that part (bad timing), but I really want to be useful somehow.

I can't see doing a 60 day deployment. But, I KNOW that I can probably do something useful (that uses my abilities). So, I put my name out there. I'm hoping to get a call for something that fits my skill set.

AK

 

[Rick Densing]

.

I can never remember it being this bad around this little rock of ours.

You have never lived in the 24hr news cycle era before either.

 

[Rick Densing]

Interesting read about the drill they did last year.


link

The state of Louisiana had resources to operate shelters for three to five days, and plans were made for how federal and other sources could replenish those

This appears to be where the gap formed- those resources were either comprimised by the storm or not used.

 

[goxx]

from my small town in georgia, we are filling up trucks and sending them down the road. the little grocery store where my daughter works sent 4 pallets of water and some food. my company asks for donations and whatever we donate, they match. also did the same for the tsuami, 9/11, etc...

when the rescuers are on TV wearing flack jackets, something is wrong. i know people found out that it would be easier to evacuate by loading up your car with your belongings and getting away, compared to dragging them thru a flooded street in a hefty bag. i think those are the 2 major problems for the recovery.

this could have been a good excuse to bring the troops home from iraq, to assist with the help/recovery. i know they will leave them over there for the next election, so the parties will be using the "i will bring the troops home" platform.

this fella i been working with for 15 years found out his son was killed by a roadside bomb this week. he may agree with me, tho a little too late.

 

[jvdcande]

What strikes me is this: we have three medical teams (30 people complete with a completely self-sustained field hospital, including supplies for more than one month) standing by since 5 days, but they are still waiting for the 'Go' signal from the US. So far they are not allowed to start their mission.

BTW, all Belgians donate in advance to any disaster that may come wherever in the world. Our Air Force is constantly on stand-by for relieve actions. It is that way because they are no good at fighting I think . I know because I did my tour of duty (or whatever it is called) there in 1981-82. In any case, you have my deepest sympathy, and my donation is waiting (for that go-signal) to come your way.

Kind regards,

 

[Johnny T]

From what I've read in the paper (so it's 50-50 whether its true) we have our Army Royal Engineers on standby. The REME are well used to repairing bridges, sewage systems etc. Usually in war torn places but the devastation over in New Orleans is exactly the same.

Apparently the Ministry of Defence are waiting to be formally asked for help before diverting Navy and Army resources to the area.

The request for help has not yet come.

I would guess there is a lot of pride, stubborness and political point scoring going on behind the scenes of this tragedy.

Its all pretty sickening really how, whenever their is a tragedy like this, in whatever country, a lot of governments first question is... how can I turn this situation to my advantage?



I spent nine years myself in the military over here and I know first hand what we, and other countries, are capable of when the brown stuff hits the fan. It just seems like the response to this effort, at least for the first week, was half-hearted to say the least.

 

[Johnny T]

You have never lived in the 24hr news cycle era before either.

Rick, maybe it is just a case of there's a lot more news nowadays so we hear about a lot more of the natural disasters going on in the world than we used do. Hence, it appears that there are more of them than ever?

I don't know.. I'm sure some boffin somewhere with the facts and figures would be able to shed light on it. I still think, IMHO, that the climate, and the disasters it causes, seems to be far more unstable than 10 or 20 years ago...

 

[jstolaruk]

I would guess there is a lot of pride, stubborness and political point scoring going on behind the scenes of this tragedy.

Possibly. I don't ever recall in our nation's recent history of calling for foreign aid on our soil. That, and some NSA think tank has dreamed up some wild scenario that would suggest a threat to national security.

 

[Rick Densing]

I still think, IMHO, that the climate, and the disasters it causes, seems to be far more unstable than 10 or 20 years ago...

With regard to hurricanes, experts have been warning that we have had a unusually quiet period for the last 25 years. They said to expect more storms as things get back to normal.

 

[elevmike]

Johnny T, & Jean Pierre,

Unfortunately 1) The US Constitution forbids the presents of foreign forces on US Soil. 2) It also forbids the use of our military to engage in police actions against US Citizens. 3) The Federal Government didn’t realize the gravity of the situation until the N.O. Mayor got on the radio and started screaming & swearing. 4) The resources to evacuate were here, but there was a serious leadership vacuum that prevented mustering them and putting them into immediate action.

Without proper leadership providing coordination it would be just a bunch of people running around a dark room bumping into each other.

In reality it may be less then a matter of pride but a matter of logistics. Where would foreign aid set up shop? Who would direct them? What about the language barriers? One airport is totally wiped out and the other airport is partially underwater and now overcrowded with DPs and evacuation flights. By the time foreign aid would get here and setup shop the immediate dire situation might likely already be under control (as it appears to be now).

IMO, (un-educated one at that), the time for foreign aid search & rescue or field hospitals etc.. seems to have past. Maybe not when it comes to rebuilding thou....

Thank you.

 

[MarkTTU]

When I lived in the NO area (Mandeville, across the lake from NO) I was a kid, but I do remember vividly how corrupt everything was... I'm not saying that the corruption was related to the slowness of the response, but when you have a bunch of corrupt "leaders" and you suddenly need them to actually lead can you really expect anything to get done right?

I'll also point out that according to the laws we have over hear (right or wrong) the state government can't 'invade' a city without being asked by the city (ie the mayor) and likewise the federal government can't 'invade' a state or city without being asked to by the state and city... I found it interesting that when the mayor of NO was interviewed the other day (the one where he's screaming and cursing) the question came up of has anyone in LA asked the federal government for help? His answer was 'I don't know'... It would seem to me that given our laws on how aid must come about that the first thing the mayor would have done is call the governor and the president to ask for help, not assume that someone else would do it (which is what he said in the interview).

So maybe we as a nation should re-evaluate and/or change some of our laws regarding aid... and/or maybe we as a nation should stop worrying so much about who's going to sue who if proper procedures aren't followed and actually just get **** done.

Again this is just my (mostly un-educated) opinion, but it is food for thought.

 

[dale1627]

I've sat here biting my tongue about a few of the things said here. MiKe said that foriegn forces are not alowed on US soil, amazing then how I managed to party and hang out with quite a few Brits that were in the Southern states for Operation Purple Star back in '95 or '96. I know that I trained with ROK Marines in southern California before. Also have heard it said that US federal forces cannot be used agianst US citizens. Amazing how we stood in the middle of LA with a loaded M-16 during the Rodney King riots. Amazing how I patrolled the LA forest and Joshua Tree National Park looking for meth labs (and found a few). We were put on the Mexican border with our ground radar sets watching for illegals and drug runners. Had to call Border Patrol and told not to make contact with the people unless it was self defense. And yes, quite a few of the NCO's had ammo. Remember the uproar when the young local was taking potshots with his 22 at the Marines and ended up getting hisself shot?
I have heard that it took so long for federal troops to arrive because of the logistics involved. Bull. They can put a Marine Expeditionary Unit anywhere on the globe within 72 hrs. There is one MEU on each coast, which they have now pulled forces from for support. They can put an expeditionary airfield together in a day for aircraft.
I'm not trying to bash our military, just the higher echelon leadership that claimed ignorance to the gravity of the situation. The morning after the storm everyone knew that they were in deep ****.
Dale