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I've just returned from the New Orleans area where the relief and rebuilding effort in the wake of Hurricane Isaac is still in full swing.
When I first arrived, the Red Cross and their companion Southern Baptist feeding unit were working out of the Alario Convention Center in Westwego, LA. All the Red Cross ERV's operated out of there and the Baptist's had a 2 mobile kitchens, a shower trailer, a laundry trailer and a mud-out team housed and working in the convention center. That was on Tuesday of last week.
On Thursday, all the volunteer workers had their bedding and personal belongings moved into a small portion of a gymnasium without any warning by state officials.
On Friday, we were all ordered out of the convention center within 24 hours. No explanation was given and it set off a mad scramble to find places to house and base all those disaster relief units. One Oklahoma feeding unit had already gone home, but the big one, which had provided 1/4 of all the meals served to hurricane victims simply packed up and went back to Oklahoma.
Thank you, State of Louisiana and the Jindal administration, for showing us how much you appreciate our efforts to help YOUR people in their hour of distress.
We will continue to help the victims from other locations, but it will be in spite of the state government.
It is sad. But hey, government does not like competition. This is exactly what was done when FEMA moved in after Katrina. And they did a horrible job. This is why government must go.
Wow stillkit. So sorry to hear they kicked you out. That's politics these days.
Only "they" can do it right, not private charities. I've seen that happen before so it's not something new.
When the "people in charge" get there the first thing they do is to get rid of the volunteers.
Remember Hurricane Andrew ? I lived in South Florida at that time. I was north of it and did not evacuate.
Post Hurricane there were groups of locals going down there to help with water, food, clothing.
We were fine until the government showed up and "took over" and told us to leave and take all our stuff with us.
I hope this doesn't discourage your group in the future.
Oh, no. It won't discourage us. We're still there and still helping out. We go there to serve The People, not the government. By the same token, though, we have a right to expect the affected state authorities to support our efforts, not make them more difficult.
As for the claim that FEMA is probably behind it? I don't know, but I can tell you that FEMA's presence at the convention center wasn't very visible. The place was crawling with state officials, National Guard and Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department personnel. The convention center itself is owned by the state and it's a state operation there.
That does not mean the feds aren't involved because they are. As I understand it, FEMA is the ones who sent all those truck loads of relief supplies and that was another monumental boondoggle. Dozens of trucks showed up with all kinds of supplies and the center not only had no room to park them, they didn't even have the facilities to unload and store what they brought. So, they were shuttled off to some other place. I don't know where. I DO know that somebody was paying those truckers $4 per mile to bring that stuff in and...are you ready for this?...$50 per hour to sit there! FIFTY DOLLARS PER HOUR!. I talked to one driver who had picked up his load at York, AL, then was dispatched to Jackson, MS, Baton Rouge, LA and finally to Westwego where he had been parked for 60 hours...at 50 bucks each. He was making out like a bandit and his truck still had not been unloaded.
It is sad. But hey, government does not like competition. This is exactly what was done when FEMA moved in after Katrina. And they did a horrible job. This is why government must go.
I was there for Katrina and saw the same kinds of things happening. Hurricane Gustav was just as bad.
I've worked dozens of disasters, including 6 hurricanes with 3 of them in Louisiana and one thing is constant: If it's in Louisiana, it's gonna be screwed up.
Oh, no. It won't discourage us. We're still there and still helping out. We go there to serve The People, not the government. By the same token, though, we have a right to expect the affected state authorities to support our efforts, not make them more difficult.
As for the claim that FEMA is probably behind it? I don't know, but I can tell you that FEMA's presence at the convention center wasn't very visible. The place was crawling with state officials, National Guard and Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department personnel. The convention center itself is owned by the state and it's a state operation there.
That does not mean the feds aren't involved because they are. As I understand it, FEMA is the ones who sent all those truck loads of relief supplies and that was another monumental boondoggle. Dozens of trucks showed up with all kinds of supplies and the center not only had no room to park them, they didn't even have the facilities to unload and store what they brought. So, they were shuttled off to some other place. I don't know where. I DO know that somebody was paying those truckers $4 per mile to bring that stuff in and...are you ready for this?...$50 per hour to sit there! FIFTY DOLLARS PER HOUR!. I talked to one driver who had picked up his load at York, AL, then was dispatched to Jackson, MS, Baton Rouge, LA and finally to Westwego where he had been parked for 60 hours...at 50 bucks each. He was making out like a bandit and his truck still had not been unloaded.
Well, you read all these stories about government incompetence. Now you see for yourself.
Sometimes an entity is too big for itself and the red tape only serves to make it that much worse.
This is a perfect example of big government being too big. Local and State can better manage things and maybe the Fed is better off just sending money to cover the expenses and let the locals take care of the logistics.
Well, you read all these stories about government incompetence. Now you see for yourself.
Sometimes an entity is too big for itself and the red tape only serves to make it that much worse.
This is a perfect example of big government being too big. Local and State can better manage things and maybe the Fed is better off just sending money to cover the expenses and let the locals take care of the logistics.
Any organization can get too big to manage. That's nothing new. There will always be waste and abuse and there's not much you can do about it until after the fact, especially in an emergency situation where time is critical. When people need to be rescued or fed, nobody wants a bean-counter running the whole show and determining who gets help and when based upon his actuarial tables or his cost-benefit analysis.
As for simply handing the states some money? I sure wouldn't do that, especially in Louisiana with their long history of political corruption. That's MY money and I want to know where it's going.
I live in Louisiana...and right now I'd give people in LA money before many other places. The Federal District Attorney, Jim Letten will charge you if you spit on the street. There is zero tolerance here right now...and that's why anyone who does anything goes before a grand jury instantly.
And the Alario Center (in Westwego...bleh) from what I was told was crowded and the state may have needed the room to accommodate people asking for aid. If you had to move down the street so be it.
First let me think the groups for the wonderful response with mobile kitchens after hurricane Rita. Then perhaps suggest its more likely the local emergency management offficals than either FEMA or the state. They are the ones who really botched the job in hurricane katrina.FEMA really is a small organization minus the volunteers and ones thery hire after the storm and mostly works thru contractors.TLocal emergency m,anagement retinas most control and that is why the repsonses are so different in different storms.
Well, you read all these stories about government incompetence. Now you see for yourself.
Sometimes an entity is too big for itself and the red tape only serves to make it that much worse.
This is a perfect example of big government being too big. Local and State can better manage things and maybe the Fed is better off just sending money to cover the expenses and let the locals take care of the logistics.
One thing is sure to happen when the government gets in command and that is cluster****.
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