Frustrated: Fire crews to hand out fliers for FEMA

The Salt Lake Tribune | 9/6/2005 | Lisa Rosetta

[VictoryGal]

Your first two points are addressed by the fact that the volunteers safety could not be assured while there were roving gangs of armed thugs in a city with no electricity and no phone service as well as a total dysfunctional police force.

Um. How does this justify assigning firefighters to leaflet duty? This is a completely moronic use of talent. Get a bunch of Walmart greeters, not specialized emergency workers. Anybody! Let the ones who are expert at saving lives and property do what they do! How can anyone possibly justify this?

The local paper, The Times Picayune made no mention of the people in the Convention Center until Wednesday at 11:00PM on there website.

So, FEMA gets its news by reading the Times Picayune? "Brownie" couldn't have scanned Fox News for about 3 minutes? He would have discovered this!

I'm sorry. I support the President, but these FEMA guys need a serious trip to the woodshed. And then a swift kick in the ass out the door.

[theBuckwheat]

Death by bureaucracy.

[oceanview]

the Red Cross could not enter the city because of the security breakdown - we've been through this 1000 times already.

[VictoryGal]

The point is that the FEMA request is idiotic. They may have specified this was their mission, but any thinking individual would have a hard time believing they'd request firefighters to act as leaflet robots. Who's the Einstein who thought that up??? And why aren't they fired yet?

[spanalot]

"How could FEMA have possibly been responsible for stopping the Red Cross. "

I don't know but it sure as hell happened - and then some.

---

"What is more unbelievable? Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson parish, reporting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was still blocking relief supplies to this Louisiana district: “We had Wal-Mart deliver three trailer trucks of water. Fema turned them back. They said we didn’t need them. This was a week ago. We had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said: ‘Come get the fuel right away.’ When we got there with our trucks, they got a word: ‘Fema says don’t give you the fuel.’ Yesterday, Fema comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines”?

Or Fema’s decision to keep the Red Cross from sending supplies and medical personnel into New Orleans. The Red Cross reports: “We simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders . . . [They say] our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city”?"

[spanalot]

"Your first two points are addressed by the fact that the volunteers safety could not be assured while there were roving gangs of armed thugs "

These MSM reports now appear to be exaggerated.

[spanalot]

"the Red Cross could not enter the city because of the security breakdown - we've been through this 1000 times already."

Well on the 1001 pass, you'll find that the MSM reports of mass snipering was wildly exaggerated. Nobody was killed by no snipers and if Travolta and Oprah and Penn got thru, the Red CRoss shoulda too.

[vbmoneyspender]

I think you are ignoring the poing of my post. It may have happened, but not because FEMA caused it.

[Fire137]

As a career firfighter I'll try to shed some light. FEMA requested 1000 two man teams of career firefighters. Career departments had to submit applications with members names and any particular skills.I heard the reason for career firefighters only was to assure that all members were properly backround checked. The salaries of these men are being reimbursed to respective municipalities/cities. They were told to bring only what they could carry and given specific items to bring ( Were not asked to bring turnout gear). Two firefighters from my department left saturday 0800hrs. One of the guys on my shift spoke to one of them yesterday and he said is was very disorganized and they went through this idiotic training. Put the boys to work. Supplement all fire departments in the area with men and equipment! Get the 11 million+ illiegals to hand out fliers!

[oceanview]

travolta and oprah were in new orleans proper last wednesday and thursday?

[VictoryGal]

Put the boys to work. Supplement all fire departments in the area with men and equipment! Get the 11 million+ illiegals to hand out fliers!

Amen!!

[Utah Girl]

I've not heard anything about this. I would take it with a grain of salt because it is the SL Tribune, and they delight in finding any negative stories about the present administration.

OTOH, I heard FEMA is coordinating survivor flights out of Texas and stopped them yesterday. Gov Perry said they're ready to go, just waiting for FEMA.

Sorry to say, I would not wait for FEMA to get their collective fingers out of their noses and be effective. I have my own survival plan, and it doesn't depend upon the government to rescue me.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

The Trib is definitely a liberal paper, but I heard the story on the radio this morning, and I think I was listening to KSL radio, which isn't particularly liberal...

[Jeff Head]

I have my own survival plan, and it doesn't depend upon the government to rescue me.

And that is exactly as it should be. See my:

Lessons learned from the Katrina disaster

[Jeff Head]

Thanks. See my post 54.

[Utah Girl]

Thanks for the ping. I bookmarked it and sent it to my family. I am updating my 72 hour kit to a 96 hour kit. It won't be that much more stuff.

[Jeff Head]

You are welcome...a 96 hour kit gives you another day to get where you are going, to get situated wherever you are at, or to be able to safely get back to your longer term storage if you can.

Best Fregards!

[conserv13]

And, I've read, Allbaugh's college roommate and head of the International Arab Horse Association.

That is correct. Cronyism at its worst.

[alpowolf]

The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.

Gee, I'm so glad that we're tending to first things first--propping up Emperor Bush's image.

Another other funny thing about this story: why give out a phone number? Who the heck has a working telephone down there?

[Sally Golightly]

Mostly consumables? Hub & I were looking at our's a few nights ago and are planning an expansion. All I've come up with is more food and water. Given the water filter, water is not even that critical.