DAMN - Diasaters

[Terry Schultz]

Do away with FEMA and install DAMN ( Disaster Aid,Military & News ). With the news media able to enter & report the news ( not a bad thing ) so timely, why not attach a military company, about 200 personel, with them. One news service has support, another has MP's, another has medical, anothe has a quatermaster company, another has helicopters, etc.



Report problems and have solutions at the same time !!!! If the results are not desirable, the media can report that they failed. If the news can get there, and have access, before anyone else; let them bring help too.



Terry

 

[Gypsy me]

:lol: Tsss , that would about cover it

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

TSSS, what's wrong with the locals setting up for their own protection and relief? They can call on the State and the State can call on the Feds if the disaster is too large. The BUCK may stop at the White House, but it STARTS with the INDIVIDUAL.



Lessons learned:



o Don't build below sea level.

o Don't elect an incompetent Mayor or Governorn.

o The money that the state collects and receives should go to public works, not the politicians pocket.

o Hire only police that will not quit during a crisis. Duncan donuts is not to be confused with Police Headquarters.

o If you are in Congress, make sure that the people you confirm to and appointed position have the qualifications to do the job.

o If you are the President, don't respond to disasters based on the state's electorial vote.

o Everything is not racially motivated.

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

Well said MikeC....

 

[Bill V]

Mike C--



You forgot one--



Don't put the counterterrorism branch of your government (Homeland Security) in charge of managing natural disasters (FEMA). They'll never get the required priority under that umbrella.



Also, I have to ask--the police that were not working in New Orleans (and elsewhere) shortly after the hurricane: Do you really think they were in a Duncan Donuts? Many of them chose to be with their families, and decided to prioritize their families ahead of their jobs. Whether you agree with that prioritization or not, I have difficulty faulting anyone who would make that choice.



--Bill

 

[Bill V]

If FEMA responded well, Mike Brown would not have been 'reassigned'. Any attempt to say that they 'responded very well' is truly using rose-colored glasses. I'm definitely not saying that they're the only ones at fault, or even that they are the primary fault--but it is clear that they did not function as smoothly as they should have.



When FEMA was more independent, they had the ability to look at the resources available to them to determine how they would be best used to manage an emergency--of any type. But when FEMA was made part of Homeland Security after 9/11, Homeland Security saw (and correctly so) their main task as being the prevention and management of terrorist attacks, using the resources available to them--including FEMA and their resources. This caused them to siphon (sp?) much of FEMA's work force and budget specifically toward counterterrorism, thus lessening the preparedness for disasters of a non-terrorist nature.



I would not be surprised if one of the results of the hurricane is that FEMA will be made independent once again, so that they can concentrate on what they're intended to do.

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

Bill V, when you agree to take on the a job you agree with its responsibilities. If you are in the Armed forces, ya can't just quit cause we are going to war. The same is true for the police. If AFTER the crisis is over, you feel that you can't give your commitment to the job, then you should quit, not before. If I were an ambulance driver, should I sit and collect my pay until someone calls for an ambulance. Then quit because I may get hurt driving through the city. Police get hazard equivalent pay. Why, because their jobs could be hazardous. Some of you folk out there are going to say that they don't get hazard pay. If you consider that many in the coastal states get $60K-$70K PLUS full retirement pay after 20 years. If you start at 25 years of age and live to 85 you will be getting $180K to $210K for each year worked. Ok, maaybe only $120 -$140K if you die young. Donuts do have a lot of cholesterol.



I'm not blasting the police, most are doing a great job, but then again they don't usually quit during a chrisis.

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

Q, if you read FEMA's charter, they are there to coordinate all disaster relief when a state and federal emergency is declared. A state emergency was declared on the previous Friday and the Federal emergency was declared the next day on Saturday. In their defense, the local and state lines of communications were drastically screwed up. FEMA is NOT the first responder, but when called they have the task to coordinate the effort as required.



Remember the National guard is under the Governor's command unless she agrees to federalize them during the disaster.

 

[Chops]

Here's another side of the story:

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/katrina/pdf/083105/a5.pdf

 

[Bill V]

Firstly, they aren't supposed to manage emergencies.

Huh? What exactly do you think the "EM" in "FEMA" stands for?

 

[Gary L]

Well Said mike C and B V .Rose- colored Glass:lol::lol:

 

[Michael Cacioppo]

In 1988, the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206, was enacted to support State and local governments and their citizens when disasters overwhelm them. This law, as amended, establishes a process for requesting and obtaining a Presidential disaster declaration, defines the type and scope of assistance available from the Federal government, and sets the conditions for obtaining that assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), now part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security, is tasked with coordinating the response.



This link spells out their mandate. You can judge for yourself if they did or did not properly respond. If it is not here, then it was not their job and someone else dropped the ball. If it was their responsibility and they didn't do it, then you can rightfully blame FEMA.



As a side note, I think that being shot out was not in their job description.

 

[Gypsy me]

They didn't get relief to the people soon enough. The Mayor of NO shares in the fact he himself could have done better to assist the people of NO. but, Let's not forget this fact. ... it was FEMA that showed up and cut the LOCAL Governments emergency phone lines to get their own phone lines working. When that happened, the Local Government had no control to contact anyone to get more help. Keep in mind, FEMA was there for DAYS before people got any assistance at all.



Federal Emergency Manangement Agency could have been given sooner. They are suppose to organize and assess the situation. They knew the storm was coming and they knew what devistation it did as soon as News Cameras could air it. FEMA could have done a way better job than wait days later to get help when and where it was needed most. m And it is my op that since THE WORLD knew the Levy would not hold up. FEMA should have even been better prepared for that How difficult is it for anyone to understand that if a City is below sea level then how could it not be flooded and wipe out homes in a storm such as this one was.



This shows just another typical sign of how orginized FEMA is right now:



Even recently, I spoke a desk clerk at the hotel where I am staying for the Dallas meet. She told me two families - both related but seperate famlies showed up with vouchers from FEMA for stays.



She said these vouchers are valid by the holding person's zip code. The two related families lived 2 blocks from each other in N. O. Both families lost everything they owned. The Families zip codes were different. Both families had vouchers for room stays.



Guess what?



Only one family could get a room, the other ones zip code was not on the authorized list. (yet FEMA gave the voucher anyway) Kindly, the hotel let them all stay in the same room. 3 adults and 4 children until they could get this sorted out. I posted this so you can read about yet another true story. This took place on 9/7/05.





The Local and State Government failed their citizens, & FEMA did fail their job as well. I think they slowed the process down even. When the news reported the shooting and looting going on, That's when Bush decided to send the Troops in to Serve and Protect, The Police department did what they could do, however they also had a few cops that even fled N. O. during crisis time (in their police cars.) Last time I heard Houston PD had 11 NO police cars in their impound for safe keeping. (Probably returned to NO by now)



As a tax payer I expect FEMA to spend my dollars proactively and approprietely in a response time that is demanded in situations such as what the people of New Orleans. That is what the agency was put in place for.

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

So, when is soon enough? 1 Day? 12 Hours? 3 Hours? It takes time to mobilize the aid and relief that was needed for this disaster. Planned staging areas were inundated with water. You can expect all you want, but unless things change, your expectations will go unrealized.



I am 27 and long ago I realized that I sould not expect ANYTHING from the government expect to tax me to death. I do not and never will rely on the government to keep me or my family alive. I have a garden, I have rifles to hunt with and for protection. I have had training in first aid, CPR, survival and emergency preparednes.



I am not a SHTF person, but I do know that it my responcibility to protect my family at all costs, not wait for the 9 most dreaded words I could ever hear:



"I'm from the Government and I'm here to help"



The only thing worse would be:



"I'm from the U.N. and I'm here to help"



FEMA is a typical bloated government bureacracy. Take care of yourself and your family and you won't have to worry about how fast FEMA gets in. What happened in the 1920's when hurricanes hit? People were SOL and preety much depended on the goodness of others. Today, the goodness of others was shown when they broke into your store and stole all the TV's on the shelf.

 

[Fred]

But they needed those TVs to survive. :wacko: They're really good people, and I want MORE of my tax dollars to be sent to them. They DESERVE it.

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

After all, they need an Xbox 360 to go with that new 60" HD Plasma Surround Sound TV.