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Nagin, Blanco and the Lessons of the Nanny State In the wake of all of the Hurricane Katrina coverage, a stark reality exists. Somewhere along the line, something failed. The processes that should have been in place to ensure that people were safe above all else didn’t work. Oh sure, we can point our fingers at the Bush Administration and blame George for not personally going to New Orleans and evacuating people himself. We can blame FEMA, claiming that they failed to act quickly and, when they finally did, it was too little and too late. But, the blame game...

Wilma was a classic October hurricane which struck South Florida as a Category 3 hurricane on October 24th, 2005. Wilma developed from a tropical depression near Jamaica, a typical source region for October tropical cyclones, on the afternoon of October 15, 2005. It became the 21st named storm of the season during the morning hours of October 17, 2005, which tied the record for the most named storms in one season originally set back in 1933. Wilma underwent a rapid intensification cycle which began on October 18th and ended in the early morning hours of October 19th, with a central...

Hurricane Wilma, with its 120-mph winds, punched South Florida in the gut. A record 6-million people lost power. About 15,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in a three-county region, preliminary estimates show, with many of those homes inhabited by the elderly or poor. At least 27 people statewide died after the Oct. 24 storm, most from carbon monoxide poisoning or traffic crashes. Yet compared to the concentrated fury of Hurricane Charley in Punta Gorda last year, or to the widespread death and devastation of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast in August, Wilma spared South Florida - and especially its...

Too little, too slowly. That's what Broward County leaders and storm-weary victims say about the federal emergency response to Hurricane Wilma. People whose homes have been destroyed are being herded from temporary shelter to temporary shelter. Longer-term housing has not yet been identified. Federal centers where people can apply for relief will not be set up until this weekend.

KEY WEST, Fla. (NNS) -- Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West Sailors returned home Oct. 30, after evacuating ahead of Hurricane Wilma, to flood-damaged homes but also to helping hands of a special hurricane recovery team from Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNI) and Commander, Navy Region Southeast (CNRSE). The CNI/CNRSE team gathered at Key West’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) youth center and set up a Task Force Navy Family Community Support Center (CSC) for Navy families and a command center to coordinate with parent commands. Partnered with NAS Key West offices, insurance companies, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and...

Southern Baptists dispute media reports & blogger claims as 'absolute falsehood' that disaster relief teams withheld waterOfficials weigh in Contrary to media and blogger reports, disaster relief officials say cans of water from Anheuser-Busch did not cause volunteers to withhold water from Hurricane Wilma victims at a Florida feeding site. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BP)--No thirsty person went without water, and no water went to waste, Tim Bridges, pastor of First Baptist Church in Clewiston, Fla., said in response to media reports that claimed differently when a shipment of water distributed by Anheuser-Busch caused confusion Oct. 28. The inaccurate information also is...

11/2/2005 - MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (AFPN) -- They enjoyed long walks on the beach, romantic dinners and winds of 159 miles per hour? Master Sgt. Leon Palmer and his new bride, Staff Sgt. Rena Palmer, both members of 22nd Security Forces Squadron, had an unexpected visitor during their honeymoon earlier this month in Cancun, Mexico. “We were in Cancun for four beautiful days when another hotel guest approached us on the beach and told us we might be evacuating to a shelter because of a hurricane,” said Master Sgt. Palmer. “We hadn’t been keeping up with the news...

KEY WEST, Fla. (NNS) -- Key West service members and their families returned to the island Oct. 30 after a weeklong evacuation from Hurricane Wilma. Upon their return, they discovered an air station invaded not only by the sea, but a surge of Navy support hard at work to bring Naval Air Station (NAS) Key West air operations and family life back to full mission capability. “Military careers are full of challenges but no challenge is greater than the one Mother Nature threw our way with Hurricane Wilma,” said NAS Key West Commanding Officer Capt. James Scholl. “It’s going to...

After topping $3 a gallon, average gas prices continued to plunge last week, falling to the lowest levels since Hurricane Katrina damaged Gulf Coast oil refineries. "November is going to be somewhat of a weak month," Kloza says. He predicts the price will bottom out between $2.10 and $2.35 a gallon nationwide, and is sticking to a prediction he made last week that gas could fall below $2 a gallon in some states. The cheapest statewide average: Oklahoma's $2.14, according to travel club AAA. Hawaii had the highest prices, averaging $3.01 a gallon.

The one-two hurricane punch from Katrina and Wilma, along with predictions of more severe weather in the future, has scientists pondering ways to save lives, protect property and possibly even control the weather. While efforts to tame storms have so far been clouded by failure, some researchers aren’t willing to give up the fight. And even if changing the weather proves overly challenging, residents and disaster officials can do a better job of planning and reacting

I originally posted this as a reply but am new to this web site. Here it is as a new thread:Volunteers working with the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Unit honored the request of the host pastor to set aside canned water with an Anheuser-Busch logo. At no time was anyone deprived of water. In fact, there was a huge surplus of bottled and canned water available at the Clewiston relief site. There was never any disruption in the supply of water being given out to members of the public who continued to receive food, water and other types of assistance...

GULFPORT, Mississippi, Nov. 1, 2005 - Through the efforts of Operation Homelink, personnel stationed at Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, were able to receive 100 free, refurbished computers. The PCs, which are valued at more than $30,000, were given away during a four-hour period Oct. 28 to military families impacted by Hurricane Katrina, particularly those who have a service member preparing to deploy overseas. “This is an outstanding opportunity for our troops who suffered loss,” said Cmdr. Rodney Duggins, supply officer at the Seabee base. Northrop Grumman, one of the government’s largest providers of information technology systems and services, donated...

In this resort city of 750,000, more than 314,000 jobs are generated by tourism. Every man, woman and child lives off money spent by visitors lured by the lovely beaches, coral reefs and calm, turquoise water. But when Wilma whipped into town on Oct. 21, the image Cancun had worked three decades to build was almost wiped out in 63 hours. The sea swept away part of the beach. The drainage system stopped up. Hundreds of hotels were damaged, along with scores of bars and restaurants. Galvanized steel electrical poles snapped like toothpicks and trees were stripped of their leaves,...

ORLANDO - Florida grapefruit may be scarce in stores, and the price of orange juice may inch up slightly for consumers this winter, commodities analysts said Monday after a growers group estimated Hurricane Wilma had knocked 17 percent of the citrus crop off trees. Last week's Category 3 storm will cause the loss of $180 million worth of Florida citrus, or about 35.7 million boxes of fruit, according to preliminary estimates released Monday by Florida Citrus Mutual.The estimates are limited to crop damage and don't take into account the loss of infrastructure, such as packing houses and equipment.The early estimates...

CLEWISTON — Hurricane victims who wanted water had some difficulty finding it at a relief station in Clewiston Friday. The volunteer group running a supply center doesn't like the company that donated the water, so they decided not to give it to those in line for help. Twenty-two pallets of the canned water, distributed free by beer company Anheuser-Busch, bears the company's label – and members of the Southern Baptist Convention refused to hand it out to those in need. Resident lined up for miles to receive food and water at the distribution point. But the water was left on...

Oct 27, 2005 — HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Fidel Castro denied on Thursday that his Communist government had accepted U.S. aid for the first time in the wake of Hurricane Wilma. The U.S. State Department said earlier its longtime foe Cuba, whose own offer of help was snubbed by Washington after Hurricane Katrina, had for the first time "in memory" accepted U.S. disaster aid. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said a three-person U.S. assessment team was on stand-by to go to Cuba to see what was needed after Wilma flooded Havana and western shore areas this week. U.S. aid...

A Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate has raised more than $500,000 through his campaign committee, but has just a few weeks to file a new campaign report with the Federal Elections Commission. The FEC sent Morgantown lawyer Hiram Lewis IV a letter on Oct. 11 instructing him to file the proper “Statement of Candidacy” by Nov. 10. Reached on his cell phone in Louisiana, where he is serving with the National Guard in disaster relief efforts, Lewis said, “All they are concerned about is that I have two committees. You can only have one.”

Link: Religious beliefs trump hurricane relief. Hurricane victims who wanted water had some difficulty finding it at a relief station in Clewiston Friday. The volunteer group running a supply center doesn't like the company that donated the water, so they decided not to give it to those in line for help. Twenty-two pallets of the canned water, distributed free by beer company Anheuser-Busch, bears the company's label – and members of the Southern Baptist Convention refused to hand it out to those in need.

Hurricane Wilma Volunteers lead the water to horses Since Wilma knocked out the power, it's been almost impossible to pump well water for thirsty horses. By Associated Press Published October 30, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOUTHWEST RANCHES - A "Slow for Horses" sign greets visitors as they enter this small ranching community about a half-hour's drive from Miami. Horses are a way of life here, so when the power is out, as it has been since Hurricane Wilma hit, it's a problem. Horses must drink several gallons of water a day - but the water is in wells and must be pumped...

LEE COUNTY? While watching NBC2 coverage of Hurricane Wilma about two dozen residents called the station reporting an unusual sighting. While watching a Doppler loop of Hurricane Wilma coming ashore, a number two appeared in the eye of the storm. In going back through the recorded Doppler loop, we found exactly what viewers were talking about. The image below was not altered in any way - it's a screen capture from the Doppler system. You can click 'play' above to watch the actual Doppler loop.