Right City,Wrong State(FEMA sends Charleston,SC,evacuees to Charleston,WV)

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: Right city, wrong state
FEMA accused of flying evacuees to wrong Charleston
Tuesday, September 6, 2005


Dr. Robert Ball, right, waits for evacuees to arrive Tuesday at a Charleston, South Carolina airport.


(CNN) -- Add geography to the growing list of FEMA fumbles.

A South Carolina health official said his colleagues scrambled Tuesday when FEMA gave only a half-hour notice to prepare for the arrival of a plane carrying as many as 180 evacuees to Charleston.

But the plane, instead, landed in Charleston, West Virginia, 400 miles away.

It was not known whether arrangements have been made to care for the evacuees or transport them to the correct destination.

A call seeking comment from FEMA was not immediately returned....


http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/katrina.charleston/index.html

[tk2kewl]

1. What... you mean there is more than one Charleston?

I just put them on a plane with a ticket from the City of Louisiana to the City of Charleston. Who knew? :shrug:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. There'll be time for the "Blame Game" later.

Sheesh.

[murielm99]

2. This must be Nagin and Blanco's fault.

FEMA would never make such a mistake.

:sarcasm:

[BootinUp]

3. Someone needs to make a parody commercial.

Your in good hands with FEMA. And then re-enact this fuckup.

[struggle4progress]

4. I wonder whether the ones headed to New Mexico ended up ..

.. dumped somewhere on the other side of the Rio Grande ...

[rocktivity]

5. .

:banghead:
rocknation

[nookiemonster]

6. Details, details...

Operation Clusterfuck underway.

:wtf:

[glugglug]

7. FEMA sends refugees to wrong Charleston

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/katrina.charleston/index.html

[BrklynLiberal]

8. duh!

[Teaser]

9. You can't make this shit up.

It's a macabre comedy.

God hates us.

It's just as well. It's time to start hating back.

[skooooo]

10. Were they coming from the city of Louisiana??

[dweller]

17. just in case someone missed the ref ...

The "city" of Louisiana (Keith Olbermann)

SECAUCUS — Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said it all, starting his news briefing Saturday afternoon: "Louisiana is a city that is largely underwater..."

Well there's your problem right there.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

dp

[Sgent]

11. (CNN) -- Add geography to the growing list of FEMA fumbles.

This is like some sort of macabre comedy. Just how can we manage to put this many incompetent people in merely one government agency?

[kodi]

12. god, if anything ever happens to springfield where will FEMA wind up?

.

[nookiemonster]

15. FEMA = Federal Enemies of Maps and Atlases

Got geography?

guh

:crazy:

[Dr Fate]

21. Bush must be passing out his idiot pills.

n/t

[krkaufman]

13. Sounds like the same incompetence endemic in the deconstruction...

... of post-invasion Iraq. New Orleans Year Zero.

[Drum]

14. Charleston is the capitol of West Virginia

I grew up elsewhere in the state, way up north in the panhandle, out in the country near Wheeling.

btw: The days when the Southern states wanted to secede from the US in the Civil War was the opportunity for the people and territory of what is now WV to secede from The South (a counter-secession!) Technically it was even illegal for a state to "declare itself" without the whole vetting process, but in the larger picture the people's Union passions in the new WV stuck. Originally having their "statehouse"(capital) in Wheeling, they became a state June 20, 1863 (if I remember my fifth-grade year of state history.)

I know no one here at DU says this, but far from being a malevolent "red" state WV is more a poor state and maybe lately vulnerable to the rabble-rousing of harsh rightist voices. My 20 years there showed me all kinds of folks, open minds and closed, and like any native of a place (though my parents & kin are from Upstate NY) I see a much longer story that seems more representative of a diverse population.

My unsolicited 2cts...Relative to the posting, I'm sure sorry for the mis-directed evacuees. Even having grown up in the beautiful state of WV, I've gotta admit that Charleston SC is a pretty fine place to be (hope they get there!)

[Sydnie]

16. I agree with you - I grew up in Charleston

I can't imagine what those unfortunate people thought when they stepped off that plane. Big, Big difference in the area and the attitude of those two areas. Charleston WV or Huntington WV would be very welcoming, but I can't imagine them trying to locate housing for those people in any other town or city in that state. It would NOT be pretty. There are still counties there where you can count the people of color on the fingers of both hands. There are no jobs there, even for the locals. I grew up in Charleston and was just there at the end of July because my brother passed suddenly in his sleep. I couldn't help but notice that the city looked VERY depressed economically. There are nice and compassionate people there, but there are some that are stuck somewhere in the past too.

When they were expecting to possibly land in a large airport, to find themselves in a dinky airport with only five gates, I can only imagine their surprise and shock!

It will be interesting to see how many of the displaced remain in the cities that they are sending them to though.

Just an added thought. These people can't even depend on getting jobs at Walmart. In July, a Walmart in Nitro (not far outside of the city) was in the news for demanding that their employees make themselves available 24/7 or lose their jobs! And they could get away with it because there are no other jobs around.

I hope they treat them well. Goodness knows, these people need some compassion right now.

[xxqqqzme]

20. Agree w/ U both

Lived in central 'almost heaven' for 10 years. I lived in one of those counties where the joyfully announced there were no black folks here, When I left in '84 there was one. I love Charleston but they have trouble helping their own let alone additional folk. WV is not a wealthy state by any stretch of the imagination. Hope the misdirected find rest soon, then come back 'n kick these incompetents in the balls.

[daleo]

19. They also sent half their staff to France

Oh, you said New Orleans.

[TOhioLiberal]

22. Jesus!

These people obviously couldn't find their asses with both hands, a map and a sherpa guide! sheesh! :banghead: :grr:

[WildClarySage]

23. Many of us in WV will welcome the evacuees with open arms.

Having lived in both Charlestowns, I can honestly say that either is fine with me (though I prefer the seafood in SC)

[RPM]

24. Send them to Springfield...

... and watch FEMA's collective head spin.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

25. They're lucky

it wasn't "The Simpsons," and they were headed to Springfield.