FEMA privatiized the 650 buses that rescued NO Superdome/Conv.Cen refugees

[EVDebs]

But why did it take so long and why did the contract (privatization of the rescue) go to a busing company from No. Carolina and also from Ohio, see http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/09/02/bus.html ?

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency is mobilizing 5,000 buses nationwide....FEMA will pay Croswell and other operators $3 per mile, but that was based on the price of gas being $2.50 a gallon.
" Mobilization AFTER the fact ? And then the 'contracts' would have had to been 'let' ? What is going on here folks ?

DUers wake up and demand answers to this ! Freedom of Information Act if necessary but why did they WAIT so long in order to get people out of those places and why weren't contracts 'let' before the storm event even started ? This should have all taken place before the 'cane even hit.

""FEMA Urges Patience While Search Continues for Stranded Victims and Supplies Stream In

Release Date: September 2, 2005
Release Number: HQ-05-190

*Convoys of food, water and ice which are arriving hourly in impacted areas.

*The evacuation of thousands from New Orleans to Texas. FEMA has contracted for more than 650 buses to expedite the state-ordered evacuation.""

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18540

[julialnyc]

1. I heard on 1010am in NY that busses were sent by NY

and turned away

They don't want assistance they can't profit from!!!!!

[EVDebs]

2. But buses from NC, Burke Christian were contracted for by FEMA

""Community offers relief
County bus drivers transport refugees

by JENNIFER MENSTER
Record Staff Writer
Saturday, September 3, 2005

http://www.hickoryrecord.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=HDR/MGArticle/HDR_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784847098&path=

"Christian Tours sent 10 motor coaches to New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon. By Thursday afternoon, the buses began transporting refugees to Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.""

I guess it's not what you know but who you know in FEMA...

[jimshoes]

3. Sounds like crony contracts

being dished out here. Who got the contracts I wonder?

[peacetalksforall]

4. Please, please - document all these reports. They can't get away

with this - refuse help in order to make a profit? Are those NC and OH companies tied to Halliburton or Bechtel?

This is a horror!

Please someone who has the time - please compile this - we have to get it to certain Congresspeople. We can't get messed over like this when people are floating and sunk and eaten in their death and there are empty stomachs and homeless.

There is a massacre going on here - by design.

[Joebert]

5. It's a paper trail

They can say after the fact how many buses they had.

They will leave out, and won't be asked about, the fact that the buses didn't get sent until days later.

Look at the crowing they do about the numbers of troops, police, etc.

They leave out that none of them were there in advance.

It's about paper trails, sound bites, and reelection commercials.

[Imagevision]

6. Convoys of food, water and ice are being turned back by Fema.

Brown must replaced immediately along with jerkoff!!

[applegrove]

7. Mayor of NO didn't want school buses for victims. He wanted

busses with actual bathrooms. Buses for travel. So they stood down. That would have cut into profits.