Posted on 11/01/2012 6:47:51 PM PDT by Ron C.
The Obama administration is committing federal resources to Hurricane Sandy clean-up at a rate that is either impressive or alarming, depending on which disaster matters more -- the storm, or the budget deficit.
For the time being, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is in better shape than in past storms. Administrator Craig Fugate said this week the agency has $3.6 billion to pay for the federal response. But Fugate said Thursday he's not giving any predictions for what the total bill will be, and the heavy demand could certainly require Congress to consider additional funding during the lame-duck session.
With that in mind, budget hawks were viewing decisions this week with mixed emotions. The deadly storm has left millions without power and thousands in shelters across more than a dozen states - an impact that requires a strong federal response. At the same time, the federal government is already running trillion-dollar deficits and has little to spare without more borrowing.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The storm recovery will not come cheap. The FEMA-administered National Flood Insurance Program is already more than $17 billion in debt. It's unclear what the volume of claims will be after Sandy, but the program in 2005 alone -- the year of Katrina -- paid out $17.7 billion.
Geez. Now I can see why Barry hauled a$$ out to Vega$ after “monitoring” the damage for a while with Christie in New Jersey.
Most of the media decided to run with the story: "Romney is a threat to FEMA!!!!!"
Until the water recedss or is pumped out, the extent of the damage, i.e. costs of repair, will not be known.
There are reports that at least some of the NY subway tracks have been compromised and will take months to replace and/or repair. Eight million people a day use those subways. Massive numbers of buses will have to be pressed into service to transport that many people with the accompanying traffic deadlock.
That may be a preemptive analysis, but even before the storm, there were warnings that if water got into the subways, it would cause great destruction.
I saw the NJ mayor calling for FEMA to pay for dune restoration despite the fact that they don’t normally cover it.
The NJ mayor is an idiot - and proves it!
I saw an original damage estimate of 20 billion - in fact it may prove to be far greater than that!
LOL - the real threat is way-too-big-government!!
Sounds like a good place to send Obama’s Million dollar buses that he has only used a couple of time.
They are practically new.
What a friggin waste.
Buying an election for the Muslim doesn’t come cheap.
I’m just hoping no amount of money will keep this commie in office.
FEMA is “in good shape” mainly because we’ve had, what, two major storms since 2005?
FEMA is a big check book. There are no FEMA fire trucks, helicopters or rescue boats. They reimburse for these things, often many months after the fact.
I’m ok with that. Local and state resources are the ones there when it counts. FEMA comes later and helps pay for it. No one should expect FEMA to come riding to the rescue at the height of any disaster. All disaster emergencies begin and end local.
CNN had a reporter down in the subway with a NY official/maintenance type. It showed timbers that he said had been washed in from the ocean. I also saw a tree. Where is an opening big enough for a tree and 20 to 30 foot long timbers to get down there?
The guy said it would be months before that section is repaired.
Chucky looked like he wanted to be anywhere but on TV at that moment.
(Which is ironic because it is common knowledge the most dangerous ground in the world is the area between Chucky Schumer and the TV Cameras.)
I see hungry, gas-less and desperate people getting more restless by the moment!
I’m surprised FEMA doesn’t open up all of their FEMA-camps, and bus in the masses for a comfortable stay behind barbed wire and guard towers.
I mean, isn’t this just the thing these camps were designed to accommodate?
If not this, then what are they for?
“All disaster emergencies begin and end local.”
Hammer meet nail.
What you said about FEMA is absolutely true. They can fund an operation (after the fact) but have no rescue equipment. From what I can determine, the governors of the various states are asking for funding and Corp of Engineering assistance.
Much like the Red Cross that could not get in to offer minimal assistance until yesterday. A rescue operation is not set up in 24 hours. Who can tell how to stage a disaster until the event is over?
Local assistance is actually the second line of response. The first is the individual. I understand that all people may not be able to evacuate. Most can (20,000 in Hoboken didn’t..REALLY??). The thought “we’ll just weather this out and someone will be here in the morning to help us” is naive. Nature is an unbeatable adversary.
I fear we are seeing a replay of Katrina with a lot less news coverage and no Sean Penn floating around in a boat. People have not yet learned. Don’t fool around with Mother Nature.
In all fairness, the amount of repair that has been done is pretty amazing in such a short amount of time.
Don’y pay me any attention. I’m just venting. Worried about these folks.
Local assistance is actually the second line of response. The first is the individual. I understand that all people may not be able to evacuate. Most can (20,000 in Hoboken didn’t..REALLY??). The thought “we’ll just weather this out and someone will be here in the morning to help us” is naive. Nature is an unbeatable adversary.
**
My 25 yo daughter lives in Hoboken, along with all the other yahoos, and sadly, this WAS her attitude. She got out, because her company got her out — but her roomates and friends stayed, and were trapped for 4 days. One had to be rescued by the national guard trucks.
The mindset is ...oh, that’s crazy ..it’s not going to be that bad ...hey, is everything going out later to the pub? (because there is one on every corner in old Hoboken) ha ha ha ha ...we’ll just party our way through it. We’ve got enough wine.
People just don’t take things seriously. It’s party life in NYC. Lots of young people, lots of uppity yuppities ..they don’t get real life and they don’t need warnings, because, well ...it’s uncool to do so. Warnings, preparations, etc, are for old people, your parents, republicans, etc.
I enjoyed opening up the biggest can of “Told you So” on her butt. She’s STILL not home — up in some hotel in Connecticut. Right now I can’t say much else, because she’s under a lot of stress.
I hope they learn ... I really do. Maybe someday. They’re smart kids ...they just dont’ know how to SURVIVE and can’t think in terms of consequences. They just really and truly believe nothing bad ever happens. It’s just all rainbows and unicorns ...until it isn’t.
Hope she stays safe and gets home soon.
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