Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
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.
1. Please provide a reputable news source
2. Did anyone bother to ask politely why this was going on?
3. Was this a decision by a state official or local official? Difference is state is the governor while local is the Democratic party mayor.
4. I live in Lafayette, LA and something is fishy about your story. I believe there's more to your story than you're telling us. Not calling you a liar, but there seems to be some big holes in your story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stillkit
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 wil continue to help the victims from other locations, but it will be in spite of the state government.
Sorry, it wasn't reported by the news. I was there and I saw it. That's the best I can do.
Quote:
2. Did anyone bother to ask politely why this was going on?
Yes. No answer. Just "get out." The next day, we were invited to come back, but we politely declined. We suspect it had something to do with their decision to issue debit cards to victims at that same location, which was the most disorganized cluster I've ever seen, but we're nor sure.
Quote:
3. Was this a decision by a state official or local official? Difference is state is the governor while local is the Democratic party mayor.
The person who delivered the order was a state official, backed up by a LTC in the Louisiana National Guard.
Quote:
4. I live in Lafayette, LA and something is fishy about your story. I believe there's more to your story than you're telling us. Not calling you a liar, but there seems to be some big holes in your story.
So the volunteers were asked to move their personal stuff or was red cross told to get the hell out and not feed anybody? Your being rather vague. If Jindal told the red cross to get the hell out and stop helping people it would be all over the news. Sounds like you are out of the loop and don't really know what is going on.
So the volunteers were asked to move their personal stuff or was red cross told to get the hell out and not feed anybody? Your being rather vague. If Jindal told the red cross to get the hell out and stop helping people it would be all over the news. Sounds like you are out of the loop and don't really know what is going on.
I didn't say Jindal himself said to leave. I said it was members of his administration.
We and the Red Cross were told to move our whole operation somewhere else within 24 hours, people and all. We all found west bank churches to take us in and the work continues. Somebody is still cooking for the Red Cross (They don't do their own cooking), the familiar red and white ERV's (Emergency Response Vehicles) are still delivering food to impacted neighborhoods and our mud-out teams are still working in Lafitte, Barataria and the Crown Pointe neighborhood of Marrero, but none of it is being done from the Alario Convention Center in Westwego.
If you can find the rest of the story, I'd like to hear it too as there must be some explanation for making our jobs so much more difficult. You can't imagine how hard it is to help people when you're getting this kind of "support." For instance, it takes 3 days to tear down and re-open such a massive mobile feeding unit and no cooking takes place during that process. If some other kitchen can't take up the slack, people simply go without food.
Displacing such a huge effort, which involved about 100 volunteers, shouldn't be done capriciously and without good cause. One hopes that wasn't the case.
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.
When FEMA gives an order, the governor is usually the one to deliver the news. The decision, however, was not made by the governor.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
