FEMA screwed up again! AKA Right City, Wrong State

mysteriew

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Dozens of medical professionals rushed to a hangar in Charleston Tuesday afternoon to prepare for 180 injured evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, only to find the flight was actually on its way to Charleston, WV, more than 500 miles away.

It was the second time in about six hours the Federal Emergency Management Agency told South Carolina officials a plane full of people escaping the disaster was heading to the state's coast, only to have it end up in West Virginia.

"We were getting geared up this morning and then it was obviously a different Charleston," South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said. "And so it goes with massive government entities."

The governor's office and emergency management officials couldn't explain the confusion surrounding the flights.

"We have been jumping through the hoop thinking we'd have flights, and they've really been going somewhere else. We are prepared; we've been ready," said Ron Osborne, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.
http://www.wfmynews2.com/watercooler/watercooler_article.aspx?storyid=48126
 
My relatives in Florida praised FEMA to high heaven after IVAN. They said that the help and the response couldn't have been better. and they are yellow dog democrats.
 
bulletgirl2002 said:
My relatives in Florida praised FEMA to high heaven after IVAN. They said that the help and the response couldn't have been better. and they are yellow dog democrats.

FEMA was absolutely wonderful after Hurricane Lily, too. But something is definitely wrong this time around. Everywhere you look, something is wrong.

yellow dog democrats? I've never heard that term before.
 
bulletgirl2002 said:
My relatives in Florida praised FEMA to high heaven after IVAN. They said that the help and the response couldn't have been better. and they are yellow dog democrats.
I agree. My experience with them after Dennis was fabulous too.
 
bulletgirl2002 said:
My relatives in Florida praised FEMA to high heaven after IVAN. They said that the help and the response couldn't have been better. and they are yellow dog democrats.


Probably because the governor IS in command and control there! Something missing in LA, imo.
 
Wasn't all that before FEMA was demoted to part of homeland security? And before most of it's budget went to terrorism rather than natural disasters?
 
From what my friend who now lives in Vero Beach after living for years in Melbourne told me her daughter & SIL who had to rebuild their beautiful home in Miami after Andrew were more than satisfied.
 
Details said:
Wasn't all that before FEMA was demoted to part of homeland security? And before most of it's budget went to terrorism rather than natural disasters?


I was referring to last year after multiple hurricanes struck Florida, which would be well after FEMA went under DHS.

I think it all comes down to whether your state's government has their ducks in a row or not.

Obviously, Florida and Texas DO!
 
It could be that KATRINA was completely overwhelming for all agencies involved. It's the most devastating natural disaster to ever occur in this country and it involved sooooo many people!!
 
Well, some Democrats, Republicans and Floridians aren't so happy with FEMA over Katrina:

The federal government will not help to pay lodging and repair expenses for South Floridians whose homes were destroyed or heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina, officials said Wednesday.

The decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency drew swift protests from South Florida politicians. Democrats asked President Bush to reverse it. Republicans led an effort to draft a separate letter to FEMA under-secretary Michael Brown, asking him to reverse it.

The same day FEMA denied individual assistance, the agency expanded the amount it plans to reimburse local governments for repairs to public property in Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties. The assistance to local governments will probably amount to more than $100 million.

The decision to deny help to individuals came following nearly a year of intense criticism of the agency. Politicians, auditors and press accounts have accused FEMA of giving money to residents who were far from the path of four storms that hit the state last year.

Miami Herald


Far from the path of four storms, you say?

I know about one:

In particular, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson has proposed three reform measures that would ensure that the agency improves its performance. The first would require FEMA to report changes it has made in response to a critical inspector general's report. The inspection found wasted effort after Hurricane Frances, such as FEMA spending $8-million on temporary housing for 4,300 Miami-area residents who didn't even ask for the aid.
St. Petersburg Times

Wow, 8 million is a lot of money. But not compared to the 30 million FEMA (under Brown) gave to an area that wasn't hit by anything but some rain. Brown gave out funeral benefits in an area where no one died. He blamed those who took the money. Wait...blamed someone else? No..... (links for this in the political forum)

FEMA has its problems. I don't think that can be disputed. Reasonably.
 
kgeaux said:
FEMA was absolutely wonderful after Hurricane Lily, too. But something is definitely wrong this time around. Everywhere you look, something is wrong.

yellow dog democrats? I've never heard that term before.


Yellow dog democrat: would sooner vote for a yellow dog (as long as it's on the ballot as a Democrat) than a Republican

Howdy kgeaux
 
TexMex said:
Yellow dog democrat: would sooner vote for a yellow dog (as long as it's on the ballot as a Democrat) than a Republican

Howdy kgeaux

Well, I've learned another thing today!

Thanks, Tex!
 
Details said:
Wasn't all that before FEMA was demoted to part of homeland security? And before most of it's budget went to terrorism rather than natural disasters?
no, it was just last year..
 
TexMex said:
Yellow dog democrat: would sooner vote for a yellow dog (as long as it's on the ballot as a Democrat) than a Republican

Howdy kgeaux
Yep....don't matter who it is as long as they are Democrat....lol...you ain't never heard that????
 
This is rich

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1103003,00.html
When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation." But how well was he prepared for the job? Since Hurricane Katrina, the FEMA director has come under heavy criticism for his performance and scrutiny of his background. Now, an investigation by TIME has found discrepancies in his online legal profile and official bio, including a description of Brown released by the White House at the time of his nomination in 2001 to the job as deputy chief of FEMA. (Brown became Director of FEMA, succeeding Allbaugh, in 2003.)

must read at link
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050909/pl_nm/brown_dc_1;_ylt=AhjOC12wFd4IMl0FVOkBDikbLisB;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Disaster chief's bio overstated record -Time


Quote 1 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top U.S. disaster official Michael Brown, under fire over the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, cited prior emergency-management experience in an official biography but his duties were "more like an intern," Time magazine reported.

Quote 2 However, a city spokeswoman told the magazine Brown had actually worked as "an assistant to the city manager." "The assistant is more like an intern," Claudia Deakins told the magazine. "Department heads did not report to him." Time posted the article on its Web site late on Thursday.

Quote 3 The Washington Post reported on Friday that five of eight top FEMA officials had come to their jobs with virtually no experience in handling disasters. The agency's top three leaders, including Brown, had ties to Bush's 2000 presidential campaign or the White House advance operation

more at link....
 
TexMex said:
Yellow dog democrat: would sooner vote for a yellow dog (as long as it's on the ballot as a Democrat) than a Republican

Howdy kgeaux


Well, I'd assume a Yellow Dog would be more loyal to the people it was supposed to protect than our current administration seems to be...that is...after they return from vacation...but I guess Yellow Dogs don't really take vacation now, do they. At least as far as I remeber from the Disney movie, "Old Yeller".
 
I'm an assistant to a City Manager - and I've been the Staff Assistant to a Police Chief .... trust me, I'm no intern. Maybe he was. But let's don't assume just because they said he was an assistant that he was an intern.
 

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