USS Comfort (a hospital ship) has been scrambled...

[mcscajun]

...out of Norfolk, heading for the Gulf Coast.

When I was here this a.m., she hadn't gotten orders yet. Finally!

[tjdee]

1. It's only been two and a half days. Go Pentagon!

:puke:

[fasttense]

2. Why the long wait for orders? It doesn't make sense.

They wont get there until next Monday. Why didn't they plan to have them closer??????

[expatriot]

4. I bet the Marine Air Station here in Yuma has at least 20 Chinooks and

at least 5 C-130's and none of them have been deployed. I don't know about the C-30's, didn't see them on the tarmac today but the Chinooks are flying around in their formations as if everything was normal. Disgraceful. Fucking disgraceful.

[One_Life_To_Give]

7. Communications between FEMA and Pentagon SNAFU?

This has the indications of one group who has resources and another group who desperatly needs them. But the two have no mechanism to communicate. In most disaster scenarios FEMA probably can't use many Military resources. Then when they are really needed for a major disaster. Nobody knows how to make the phone call.

[expatriot]

10. No, Communications between President and reality SNAFU. nt

[expatriot]

3. Rove must have just got some poll numbers in. nt

[MissMarple]

5. In a reality based world, she would have been on stand by.

Don't you think? The "adults" in charge are supposed to know how to handle these things. They are supposed to have cogent, up to date plans, and be willing and able to implement them with alacrity.

:nuke:

[SlipperySlope]

6. I think it is the USNS Comfort, not the USS Comfort

Difference between USNS and USS.

[theHandpuppet]

8. You are correct

It is the USNS Comfort

[SlipperySlope]

9. Sorry ,,,

Sorry - the difference is trivial, I shouldn't have posted.

[theHandpuppet]

11. No problem, really!

I'm sure a vast majority of folks wouldn't notice or know the difference unless they were in the Navy. I only knew because I worked at a shipyard where we did maintanence and repair on the Comfort.

The Comfort is an old but clean and well-maintained ship, BTW, and has facilities to handle a large number of patients, including ones needing surgeries. Accompanied by the Iwo Jima and her helos, I assume the plan is to evacuate those with medical needs to the Comfort.

Here's the website for the USNS Comfort: http://www.comfort.navy.mil/