rescue boats

[riverwalker]

I have been glued to coverage since Monday. Has ANYONE seen even ONE military type raft (the rubber rafts the SEALS use) or boat going around to save people from rooftops, or give them water? I have not. I have seen local people with their little fishing boats doing what they can, but where are all the rescue craft designed for this purpose and paid for with zillions of our taxes? This is incompetance beyond description.

[xiamiam]

1. i cant believe it

where is the help..four days later...how long can these people live without water?..

[Birthmark]

3. The young, the old, and the ill will start dying today.

They probably already have. Another day or two and the Dept of Vaterland Security won't have to worry about rescuing anyone in NO.

[LeftHander]

2. I've seen large john boats...

designed to move troops across rivers.

They hold like 30 people.

[TornadoTN]

4. Haven't seen any myself

But what I am hearing is that the police, ems and firefighters have been commandering boats from around the community, but some of those are getting stolen by looters or other people trying to just get the hell out.

[MADem]

5. Yes--BATAAN has been on the case from the git-go

The helo squadron has been helping with food and supplies, and the small craft are ferrying shit in as well. The ship is steaming off the coast, but the helos and LCACs/LCUs have been doing sorties in to the city.

If there is no embed on board, you will not see this coverage, but that does not mean it is not happening. See photos here: http://www.bataan.navy.mil/hurricane/Katrina01.htm

[riverwalker]

9. but they don't arrive 'til Friday

people will die today, it's been 72 hours without water, stuck on rooftops. I hope the navy is not detoured to stabilize the oil rigs in the gulf. Why aren't the hospitals emptied out and ferried to USS Comfort? Why the delay. This is day 4.

[MADem]

10. NO, they are THERE--have been providing support for 2+ days now

They are right off the coast, the LCUs and LCACs as well as the helos have been bringing shit in since the 30th. The helos have been flying rescue and assessment missions since the wind died down. They were the ones who were hauling shit to the Superdome.

BATAAN was in TX when this hit--the other amphibs have to make the run around FL to get to LA, but Bataan was already in the gulf.

[Fla Dem]

6. That's what I'm thinking too...WTF are the boats. Why helicopters?

Ge boats in there.

[MADem]

11. Look at the pics I linked to, above

There are LCUs and LCACs (air cushioned boats) making runs to shore with supplies and gear.

There IS NO REPORTER ONBOARD. Thus, no reporter=it did not happen.

But it IS happening.

[smurfygirl]

7. I have seen one. The police were using it

that was yesterday

[AValdoux]

8. Has anyone seen the military period?

Where are the Chinook helicopters? Fort Hood in Kileen, TX is only a few hundred miles away. Most of the helicopters have been Coast Guard. The boats have been from parks & wildfife or private citizens. This whole situation is making me sicker every minute. Will we ever know know how many died while waiting days for help?


AValdoux

[MADem]

12. The Army COE IS there too doing assessment to get the water gone

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=7827

...Access to breach sites continues to hamper efforts to close them, officials said. Barges and cranes cannot be moved through the Industrial Canal due to motor vessels and other large debris blocking the canal. Vessels must go around and through the Gulf Inner-Coastal Waterway or the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.

The Mississippi River is closed to vessel traffic from Southwest Pass to Natchez, MS. The Army National Guard, U.S. Army, U.S. Coast Guard, other federal and state authorities, and private contractors are all working alongside the Corps to bring in necessary materials, supplies and equipment to begin making inroads to the damage.

The Corps is working with two major contractors to determine the scope of unwatering services available to inundated areas. The Corps of Engineers Motor Vessel “Kirby Responder” is surveying the Gulf Inner-Coastal Waterway from Pascagoula, Miss., toward News Orleans with U.S. Coast Guard members on board to help determine what can be navigated....

The survey vessel LaFourche is currently surveying the condition of the navigation channel from Baton Rouge to Southwest Pass. Corps of Engineers motor vessels are also delivering barges with cranes and excavating equipment and critical recovery materials....
The Industrial Canal Lock is operating on an emergency generator and officials said the lock is expected to be operational in the near future. The canal is blocked with vessels, loose barges and boats....
The Port Allen Lock has been designated as a staging area for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In support of FEMA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is contracting for:

• emergency clearance of debris to enable reconnaissance and movement of emergency personnel and equipment.

• temporary construction of emergency access routes, including damaged streets, roads, bridges, ports, waterways, airfields, and any other facilities necessary for passage of rescue personnel

• emergency restoration of critical public services and facilities including supplying adequate amounts of drinking water, temporary restoration of water supply systems and providing water for fire fighting

• emergency demolition or stabilization of damaged structures and facilities as designated by state or local governments

• immediate emergency supplies including ice and water...

Also, yesterday, TRANSCOM sent 14 swiftboat teams that should be already working by now. USAF is sending AMC (MAC back in the day) flights full of supplies; not sure how far along they are on that.

Helos have been flying off Bataan, doing assessment, SAR and delivering gear and supplies to the stadium and elsewhere since the wind died down--they are only a short hop away. Bataan was already in the gulf, they do not have to go around FL like the ships leaving from the Norfolk area.

All the task force can do is what FEMA asks them to do--they are a military coordinating agency, and FEMA has the lead, not them.