FEMA comments from mainstream NYT

[katty]

These are not from secret files but taken directly from mainline media coverage such as the New York Times September 5, 2005:

* The hospital ship, USS Bataan “equipped with six operating rooms, hundreds of hospital beds and the ability to produce 100,000 gallons of fresh water a day” was sitting in the Gulf of Mexico, unoccupied by a single person, by specific order of FEMA director Brown.

* Wal-Mart sent “three trailer trucks of water” to the stricken area but these were deliberately turned away by FEMA officials.

* FEMA workers prevented the U.S. Coast Guard, the only federal agency that effectively saved lives, from delivering 1,000 gallons of badly-needed diesel fuel to hospitals needing it to fuel their emergency generators,

* FEMA workers deliberately cut the emergency communications network in New Orleans, causing local police officials to reinstall it and post armed guards to prevent angry FEMA employees from further attempts to disconnect it.

* FEMA workers deliberately blocked badly-needed aid from other states, including offers from Chicago’s mayor Daley, and the Governor of New Mexico, Richardson.

[Liberty Belle]

1. Kick--Here's another horror story:

FEMA also blocked a search and rescue team from the El Cajon Firefighters in California from entering New Orleans for nearly a week, forcing them to hole up in a Texas hotel. The excuse was security concerns/shootings. I interviewed a PR rep from the Fire Dept. this morning for the East County Californian.

These trained professionals had "several tons" of medical supplies and rescue gear. They also had boats that could have been used to save trapped survivors. Their captain and his canine companion participated in the 9/11 search and rescue missions.

It is unconscionable to have kept them out while so many were dying inside.

[BlueEyedSon]

2. links? thx!

[thecrow]

3. Here's another from my area in VA

I got this from another post on DU

GUESS WHO COULDN'T GET INTO NOLA AFTER THEY WENT ON THEIR OWN DIME? ONE OF THE WORLDS BEST URBAN RESCUE TEAMS...THE TEAM WENT ON IT'S OWN INITIATIVE WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT THE TRAGEDY! THIS IS LIKE HOLDING A FUND-RAISER AND TURNING AWAY BILL GATES. btw, FEMA FUNDS THESE FOLKS! Go Figure



http://www.vatf1.org /

It never occurred to the Fairfax Rescue Team that they'd be turned away from their specialty URBAN rescue and sent to RURAL Mississippi (where they did great work). They heard about NOLA and rolled on their own. Everybody wants them all over the world. They helped greatly at 911 and many other disasters. It's a select group of highly trained volunteers from the Fairfax Fire and Public Safety Department.

THEY WERE TURNED AWAY FROM NEW ORLEANS. INSANE

Fairfax County, Virginia Fire and Rescue Department,
Virginia Task Force 1 -- Rescue Team (The rescue team to have during a natural disaster, they go every where and do a great job).

Established in 1986 as a domestic and international disaster response resource, sponsored by the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, Virginia Task Force 1 is rostered by approximately 200 specially trained career and volunteer fire and rescue personnel, with expertise in the rescue of victims from collapsed structures, following a natural or man-made catastrophic event.

4600 West Ox Road
Fairfax, VA 22030

Voice: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

The team is comprised of emergency managers and planners, physicians and paramedics and includes specialists in the fields of structural engineering, heavy rigging, collapse rescue, logistics, hazardous materials, communications, canine and technical search.

Virginia Task Force 1 has partnerships with the Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency for domestic response and the United States Agency for International Development/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance during international missions. As a part of the Fairfax County Fire & Rescue Department, the task force maintains constant operational readiness as a local resource for residents of Fairfax County and surrounding jurisdictions.

We invite you to view our web site to learn more about our Department, our community and our team.

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