Where is the help that N.O. needs?

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Just to edit what I meant as far as the shoot to kill, it is meant only on the snipers that are shooting at medical, military, reporters and law inforcement. As we watch the news, there are bullets flying all over and these reporters have become targets themselves also.
They are acting like terrorists! It has gone past being scared and hungry, it has become a game to them.
 
Claire Wrote:

For example, has anyone ever heard of a duck? There are fleets of them for tourism use in Florida, Arkansas, and Wisconsin, and the ones even in Wisconsin could have been there by now, the ones in Arkansas and Florida within 48 hours. Whoever owns these "odd ducks", Shame On You.

I understand what youre saying Claire. I have been on The Ducks up in Wisconsin..... I LOVE them!:blush:
Anyhew, those machines are upwards of 60 years old. They require constant maintenance and very hard to get replacement parts. They just arent in the condition to go and drive a 1000 plus miles AND operation in a rescue mission. They would be more of a hinderance than a help. Its like taking a 1945 tank into combat.
And its funny, we think alike. I thought of that too. :LOL:
 
Unfortunately none of us will ever know why the relief effort was held up for so long.

From my experiences over here (Cyclone Tracey & Darwin amongst others), public servants are really shy about pressing the "go button" in case their superiors go off their nut. Empire builders do not like others pinching or usurping their authority and these people will be found out.

It is with great saddness that we still hear of the unfortunate dying as they wait and hoodlums & thugs firing on rescue personnel.

The individuals & authourites who refused to allow access to heavy vehicles, machinery and buses all of which could have been be used to get people out in the early hours & days after the storm should be held accountable for the suffering of the innocent, the young and the frail.

Every hour of every day I pray and think of all those who are in distress. I think of those who I have held in comfort in the past, not being able to do anything else but to try and ease their distress. Flashbacks are terrible.

Interviews with people still in N.O. say that they can't understand why their Country has foresaken them. Individuals (not their Country) have foresaken them by holding back the miles & miles of buses waiting to get in and ferry people out. The truckloads of relief supplies that extend out of sight are only now being allowed to trickle in. The air should be filled with helicopters & light aircraft moving food & relief personnel into N.O.

I am really upset and angry, and I apologise to anyone I may have upset.
 
I can really see the need to focus on what is really important in our lives and pay less attention to the rest. In our area we don't usually get the brunt of a hurricane, but the tragedy of La, Miss and Ala, and also the panhandle of Florida has made me start thinking about how senseless it is to be so attached to mere "things". Should a major storm come our way, I want to be able to grab only what can't be replaced and take off to safer territory. We still have a lot of hurricane season left and I'm certainly hoping it will be very mild from here on.
 
It was interesting that on the list of help offered (shown in a previous post, the uk's name was missing - but according to a Washington paper, 1 september, the UK HAD offered help.

Last update: September 1, 2005 at 1:39 PM
Two dozen nations offer aid
Associated Press
September 1, 2005 KAT0902.FOREIGN


WASHINGTON — In a dramatic turnabout, the United States is now on the receiving end of help from around the world as some two dozen countries offer post-hurricane assistance.

Venezuela, a target of frequent criticism by the Bush administration, offered humanitarian aid and fuel. Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. pledged a $1 million donation for hurricane aid.

With offers from the four corners of the globe pouring in, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has decided "no offer that can help alleviate the suffering of the people in the afflicted area will be refused,'' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday.

However, in Moscow, a Russian official said the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had rejected a Russian offer to dispatch rescue teams and other aid.

On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to President Bush and said Russia was prepared to help if asked.

Boats, aircraft, tents, blankets, generators, cash assistance and medical teams have been offered to the U.S. government in Washington or in embassies overseas.

Offers have been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, NATO and the Organization of American States, the spokesman said.

Still, Bush told ABC-TV: "I'm not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn't asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy and perhaps some will send cash dollars. But this country's going to rise up and take care of it.''

"You know,'' he said, "we would love help, but we're going to take care of our own business as well, and there's no doubt in my mind we'll succeed. And there's no doubt in my mind, as I sit here talking to you, that New Orleans is going to rise up again as a great city.''

Historically, the United States provides assistance to other countries experiencing earthquakes, floods and other disasters.

Germany, which was rebuilt after World War II largely by the U.S. Marshall Plan, offered its help in a telephone call to Rice.

"The German Government is prepared to do all that is humanly possible,'' the German embassy said. In his call, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer assured Rice of Germany's solidarity with its American friends in a difficult time, the embassy said.

Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon called Wednesday at the State Department to offer condolences and assistance. Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. aid, about $2.2 billion a year.

From http://www.startribune.com/stories/125/5591456.html


This morning's news bulletin showed RAF planes loaded with camp beds and army 24-hour supply packs being loaded in answer to the US's request to the european union for Assistance. Mind you, our Army rations ARE rubbish in comparison to the much more tasty US ones.... but they will keep the wolf from the door for some of those poor refugees.
 
Hey Ishbel, I think at the time of the post that information had not yet come to light.

I know that many people I have spoken to in Texas are very grateful for the outpouring of offers to help.

It is wonderful to know that in spite of all the political machinations, we really ARE all there to help one another through trouble.
 
Here is an update on what the USDA Forest Service is doing to support the citizens effected by Katrina. Note the message about the solar flares. We also had trouble with our GPS units late last week. IMT's are incident management teams.


USDAForest Service
Fire and Aviation Management
Briefing Paper

Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2005 Time: 8:00 am


Topic: USDA Forest Service Non-Fire Emergency Management
Issue: Interagency Hurricane Support

Background: Category 4 Hurricane Katrina made landfall with 140 mph winds on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle Monday morning August 29, 2005.

Key Points

  • There are 33 Type 2 crews, 23 Type 2 IA crews, 1 Type 1 crew, and 41 camp crews (98 crews total), 5 aircraft, and 1800 overhead totaling approximately 4,500 personnel on the incident.
  • Currently the Forest Service has $220 million in spending authority.
  • Today, for the first time since Katrina battered the Gulf Coast on August 29, limited passenger service is scheduled to begin at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans.
  • Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Teams are in place and available to incident personnel.
  • Meridian Staging Area camp personnel are sharing sack lunches with those evacuees displaced by the hurricane and much needed fuel (36,000 gallons to date) to 11 hospitals and one blood center.
  • IMT (Wilcock) is shipping out as many trailers as it is receiving. Staffing increases have helped the tam increase the numbers of trailers received and distributed. All sites continue to receive hundreds of trailers, shipping those that meet requirements as soon as possible. The team is continuing to plan its staff for 24 hour coverage.
  • IMT (Pincha-Tully) is now supporting three base camps and a staging area. The base camp is supporting NASA employees and their families, Army Corps of Engineers, Army National Guard, US Navy, various county and state assets from MS, FL, TX, U.S. Navy, Nextel, Motorola, Urban Search and Rescue Teams and FEMA. The staging area is one of the largest air operations in the storm-affected area. The crews unload, refuel and store ten to twelve 747 plane loads of commodities every day. The four camps served 13,000 meals yesterday.
  • IMT (Custer) Two caterers have provided around 82,000 meals in the last 12 days. Two on-site laundries are providing services to 500-1,000 people per day and three shower units are providing hot showers to approximately 2,000 people. Three sleeping areas totaling around 45,000 square feet and capable of holding 1,000 people are in place, as is once covered dining area capable of seating 1,000 The team is providing on-site GIS assistance radio and satellite communications, repeaters, and other types of data and voice communications support.
  • IMT (Philbin) is managing an evacuation center in Phoenix. Many evacuees have been placed in temporary housing and many have found jobs. All agencies are working to together in a concerted effort to help in the transition from the center to temporary (if not permanent) situations.
  • IMT (Lineback) is supporting a 24-hour per day supply distribution process including warehousing baby food and MREs. They have processed approximately 3,350 semi-truckloads of materiel since 8/28. Fuel depot has pumped 100,000 gallons to date. The team provided a Type 3 Incident Command Team to the Kisatchie National Forest due to multiple fires occurring.
  • IMT (Thomas) supported 436 first responders and other personnel last night. Personnel are from the American Red Cross, Meridian Hospital Group, US Marines, Hospital Construction Group, Mental Health Workers, Coastal Regional Health workers, base police and camp staff.
  • A hurricane watch remains in effect from the Santee River, South Carolina to Cape Lookout North Carolina. Early this morning, Ophelia was reported as near stationary with a slow movement toward the north/northwest is expected later today. Maximum sustained winds are near 70 mph with higher gusts.
  • Seven solar flares have occurred since last Wednesday, including two on Saturday. Solar activity is continuing and satellites have been affected with the possibility of even more serious effects predicted for this week. Some agencies are reporting impacts to electrical power systems, high-frequency communications, and GPS systems due to the strong to severe solar activity.
 
This is a list of all our Teams, what their role is and where they are. As you can see the Forest Service has many personnel helping. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't have any major wildfires. But I am glad that we have been able to send folks to help.

AREA COMMAND -WILLIAMS-RHODES
Incident Coordination
Atlanta, GA

Incident Management Team (T1) - Quesinberry
Mob. Center
Meridian, MS

Incident Management Team (T1)- Pincha-Tully
Mob. Center/Base Camp
Stennis, MS

Incident Management Team (T1) - Gelobter
Base Camp
Base Camp
Gautier, MS

Mobile, AL
Incident Management Team (T1) - Wilcock
Trailer Staging Mgmt.
Selma, AL

Incident Management Team (T2) - Hildreth
Staging
Marietta, GA

Incident Management Team (T2) - Thomas
Base Camp
Gulfport, MS

Incident Management Team (T2) - Smith
Base Camp
Camp Shelby, MS

Incident Management Team (T2) - Furlong
Staging
Marietta, GA

Logistics Management Team - Prevey
Mob. Center
Maxwell AFB, AL

Logistics Management Team - Humphrey
Mob. Center
Meridian, MS

AREA COMMAND TEAM - RIBAR
Incident Coordination
Baton Rouge, LA

Incident Management Team (T1) - Custer
Base Camp/Mob. Center
New Orleans Airport, LA

Incident Management Team (T1) - Molumby
Base Camp
St. Gabriel, LA

Incident Management Team (T1) - Cable
Base Camp
New Orleans, LA

Cable's IMT is the team that my district ranger is on. We are not expecting him back on the district until October.

Incident Management Team(T1) - Anderson
Staged
Baton Rouge, LA

Incident Management Team (T2) - Mullenix
Alamodome Mgmt
San Antonio, TX

Incident Management Team (T2) - Stanford
Base Camp
Hammond, LA

Incident Management Team (T2) - Paul
Base Camp (LSU)
Baton Rouge, LA

Incident Management Team (T2) - K. Jenkins
Base Camp
New Orleans Airport

Logistics Management Team - Lineback
Mob Center
Camp Beauregard, LA

Logistics Management Team - Floyd
Mob Center
Barksdale AFB, LA

Logistics Management Team - Hayes
Trailer Staging
Texarkana, AR

Logistics Management Team - Phillips
Trailer Staging
Baton Rouge, LA
 

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