Posted on 11/03/2012 11:03:16 AM PDT by blueyon
FEMA's vaunted "lean forward" strategy that called for advanced staging of supplies for emergency distribution failed to live up to its billing in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
In fact, the agency appears to have been completely unprepared to distribute bottled water to Hurricane Sandy victims when the storm hit this Monday. In contrast to its stated policy, FEMA failed to have any meaningful supplies of bottled water -- or any other supplies, for that matter -- stored in nearby facilities as it had proclaimed it would on its website. This was the case despite several days advance warning of the impending storm.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Yep. The Army even has mobile field laundry/shower units.
We also have the Salvation Army, which maintains mobile kitchen and supply units for disasters
And has been on the ground with their disaster relief units
Which is why I'm saying it should be mostly disbanded and the job mostly given to the Army and National Guard.
Yep. They are used to large-scale planning and logistics into difficult terrain and situations. Like a region that just got hit by a hurricane.
How much is the FEMA budget that they don’t have MRE’s and water on hand?
Received three calls Thursday from people claiming to be with government agencies wanting to know if our company wanted to be put on list to submit bids. First time ever in more than 20 years. Told last caller that the government would be the last group I would ever want to do business with.
Why don’t they use an aircraft carrier like they did for the tsunami? Instant desalination plant.
Can't there be competitive "standing proposals" that are in place at all times?
Why does there need to be "solicitation of bids" to distribute emergency supplies when the emergency is ongoing?
No bureaucracy has ever heard of Volunteer Organizations? Why does the Salvation Army get to unexpected disaster areas before any meaningful Federal, State or local government help? Bureaucratic incompetence is the only possible explanation.
Municipal, County and City governments are not immune. What excuse is there to have 40 emergency shelters existing, but only 2 open when people are out in the elements without shelter?
There are always the clueless who contribute to their own demise, but in a regional disaster, the majority of people, with no options, who find themselves literally with no place to go for emergency shelter and minimal water and food can be overwhelming. We're talking subsistance level here, and most normal citizens would be grateful, if not completely happy. Unlike... but I digress; How many of us can afford to find a hotel at a moment's notice, even at $100 a night for weeks or months? I know I can't, and my needs are modest in the extreme.
Why can't this culture of "public service" incompetence never change? Gheeez!
* “Both the liar and the honest man must have regard for truth, the former to subvert it and the latter to propagate it. Bullshit, by contrast, is fundamentally unconcerned with truth or falsehood, but only with appearance, effect and persuasion, however transitory. Yuri Luzhkov was not accusing the Moscow weather forecasters of lying, or yet of trying to predict the weather and honestly failing; he was accusing them of not caring about the true weather. The essence of bullshit is getting away with it, with persuading listeners or readers of a sincerity that is, by definition, phoney. The bullshit artist simply does not care about truth: “He pays no attention to it at all,” writes Professor Frankfurt. “By virtue of this, bullshit is a greater enemy of truth than lies are.”
Check out this glowing article from NPR:
http://www.opb.org/news/article/npr-lessons-from-katrina-boost-femas-sandy-response/
FEMA had hundreds of thousands of liters of bottled water, along with millions of meals, cots and blankets stockpiled, which were moved into the region ahead of Sandy.
Hundreds of thousands of liters. That’s diddly squat for a region with a population of tens of millions. Yet these idiots think that was proactive.
So FEMA is out of water for Hurricane Sandy victims until Monday, and yet the MSM chastised Romney for collecting water, food and clothes. Exactly when will the media realize their stupidity is actually hurting the American people?
Plus it would be valuable and realistic training for the logistics and support units: "go to location X, and set up mobile water purification, field kitchen, etc. Let's see how fast you can get there and be ready to feed and give water to people".
Plus a week-long inside-US cross-country deployment would test the soldiers child-care arrangements, which always seems to result in a bunch of troops (mostly single moms) declaring they are unable to go whenever a sudden overseas deployment is called.
Amen!
LLS
The hated Wal-Mart (at least in the liberal bastions of the Northeast) would have had plenty of bottled water and other supplies on hand for the storm. But no!
I’m thinking typhus, not cholera. Not down the shore but in NYC.
Fed gov really doesn’t know what it’s doing, even in REactive mode, never mind PROactive.
I pray that people in neighboring states who can do so, will drive over there with a few jerries of fuel, some water and blankets, diapers and formula, batteries and some basic chow. They’re 100 per cent certain to find someone grateful beyond words to express.
Take it from me, I’ve been there, lost everything, plus three close family members, in a catastrophe: the government doesn’t make it better, they make it worse. Insofar as anything takes away an iota of anguish, it’s not an official, it’s an individual who doesn’t know you, didn’t have to come, doesn’t expect a reward or a refund - but who showed up and did what he could - that’s what Heaven sends to the afflicted.
Where’s Geraldo? Where’s Shep? Fox News had no problem at all with them being on-hand reporting the misery during Katrina. Surely they ought to be out in Staten Island or somewhere near to bring the real truth of what’s happening in those areas.
I live near I-95 in MD. I bet I’ve seen 20 semi’s loaded with commercial generators heading north in the last week. To deploy only 4 is un-thnkable, but perfectly acceptable to a liberal bureauocrat
Desperately searching for a generator so the fish in his koi pond don't die.
Earllier today, I posted this reply on another thread. It is even more appropriate for your thread.
We have friends and relatives with friends/relatives, who survived Sandy. They started getting into contact with those living in the Post Sandy areas recently.
Like many heavy duty storms, people a couple of miles away from each other have totally different realities.
Some had minor flooding or car damage, others have lost their homes, can’t get into their homes. Many are out of food, water, dry clothes and gas for their vehicles or generators.
Some areas are out of control with mobs looting and survivors looking for food/water and shelter. After dark some in that area are hearing shouts and shots being fired near their damaged homes.
One lady has friends and relatives on both sides suffering from severe disaster or no problem. However, some who thought they were okay are now running into problems. One of her uncles is very well off. His beach area house now has severe water in the basement and there is no electricity to run the sump pumps. His small yacht in the same area is okay and undamaged. They have a large home,they live in away from the shore, and they have had no power since Sandy hit. He had generators which are now out of gasoline, and he has siphoned the gas from his small collection of cars and trucks. Now, the sump pumps in that home aren’t working and water is seeping in their big basement a few inches each hour. Their food drinking water supply is running out as they became an emergency shelter for grown children and grand kids.
This may end up with Katrina looking like a medium size disaster versus a king size disaster from Sandy.
Yep.
I totally agree.
I have been through every major hurricane since Betsy in 1965. I know the pain and loss that you speak of... Katrina took three homes from my family... and two businesses. I had three families living with us afterwards. I will send help in donations as soon as the fog clears. GOD bless the good people that help now!
LLS
They would have been better off staging water purification machines like the military uses.
I guess its not as good for photo-ops
neil Cavuto has been on both Fox News and the Fox Business Channel with superb reporting.
He has the power and influence to muster the FoxNews troops and send them for indepth coverage of the disaster that is Staten island. his report yesterday afternoon lasted a full hour
Shep was determined to be not mentally suitable to handle the rigor and stress of disaster reporting from the field. the real men at fox are out there telling it like it is.
Gee, imagine if this had been a Cat 5 hurricane.
Obama’s Katrina!
“The hated Wal-Mart (at least in the liberal bastions of the Northeast) would have had plenty of bottled water and other supplies on hand for the storm. But no!”
The boutique loving lefties hate Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes.
So when disaster strikes and there is no Walmart, Home Depot or Lowes, they suffer a lot worse than we country bumpkins with several Walmarts, Home Depots and Lowes in a close radius from our homes.
I crack me up.
5.56mm
Spell check is your friend.
5.56mm
“How much is the FEMA budget that they don’t have MRE’s and water on hand?”
I guess they spent all their money on millions of rounds of ammo!
Why does Rasmussen show them dead even? Jerry Lee Lewis with clap ought to be able to beat this guy.
“they could strain pond water through cloth and add 1/4 tsp bleach per gallon. It won’t be delicious and it sure ain’t perrier, but it’s better than dying of thirst.”
Interesting that you cite the 1/4 tsp of bleach per gallon.
My wife has been a nurse for a long time, and she brought this formula up in discussions with a couple of friends who have loved ones back in the aftermath of Sandy.
She told them to strain the water through a pillow case or any cloth lining metal/ lining plastic strainers into a gallon container with the 1/4 tsp of bleach.
Then, when you want drinking water, pour the treated water into a Brita Filter container or similiar filter system to get rid of the chlorine taste.
Use the treated strained water for sponge baths and other actions needing germ free water.
Oh, and they say he might be there til Monday.
Obama’s FEMA = EPIC FAIL
Love that! Never heard it before, but will enjoy using it, thanks!
Staten Island went for McCain/Palin in 2008.
The voters in your state voted for Dumbo.
LOL!
And who are you to say that they aren't good Christians?
“Now that Geraldo has blasted all over twitter that he has koi in his pond, I wonder how long they’ll last when people have exhausted all of the throwaway food/dumpster supplies and will eat anything? Koi ‘sushi’ ... sounds pretty good when you’re starving.”
Hopefully, those people getting ready to enjoy Whorealdo’s Koi Sushi, will have a good supply of Wasabi to go with the Koi Sushi.
LOL! Your state hasn’t voted for a Republican for President in thirty years.
What weird choice to crow about. I suspect something else is going on here. Like, you don’t like Baptists.
Who funds FEMA?
He should let the people get the ice.
He can say he was held at gun point, he had no choice. He was overpowered.
(stolen from a t-shirt seen in a New Orleans French Quarter gift shop)
Close FEMA and let the market and individual states handle it utilizing regional consoritiums and mutual aid.
So you criticize Staten Islanders for not being good Christians, I defend them, and that makes me a Baptist hater.
What a stupid thing to say.
There are macro issues and micro issues here. Part of the problem, actual leadership has been deemphasized in our culture, in favor of “consensus building” that of course is just nonsense and by definition a lack of leadership.
Today we have multiple layers of parallel organizations that have overlapping duties but don’t seem to do much of anything, except spend ridiculous amounts of money.
Right off the top of my head, the friggin’ Post Office could have a National Food and Water drive for Hurricane Impacted Areas, just like they do annually for the food bank drive. I probably have a case or two of bottled water and canned goods laying around. Multiply THAT by everybody in the country, and USE THE INFRASTRUCTURE WE HAVE already in place. There would be a massive supply in place and delivered door to door, that’s their job.
Instead everybody just stands around and waits for somebody else it’s not my department to “do something”.
From the gov.? Had you said yes they might’ve asked for a “processesing fee”. Sounds odd someone just discovered your business.
Yup. I'm originally from the South (south Louisiana), but now stuck in western Washington state (across the Sound from Tacoma).
The closest small town to me has been fighting tooth and nail to keep "evil Wal-Mart" out of the local market......and yet they welcomed Costco with eager enthusiasm.
The only difference between the two companies is that one is considered "conservative" and the other "liberal".
Laughable, but sad.
Paging Joe LIEberman
Put down the white wine and go check on your vaunted obama FEMA
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