Freeper told me: "Bush has nothing to apologize for"

[booley]

I am looking on info, especially links about how FEMA response for Katrina compares to thier response with other Hurricanes.

I read this from a freeper on another board..."More frustrating still, it appears that Bush and everybody else associated with Katrina's federal rescue effort has precious little to apologize for.
In fact, as chronicled over the weekend by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Jack Kelly, the so-called villainous, incompetent feds actually performed quite well this time - in comparison with past efforts.
"The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne," a National Guardsman involved in the Katrina rescue effort told Kelly.
"The federal government pretty much met its standard timelines, but the volume of support provided during thefirst72-96 hour
After Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, National Guard troops didn't arrive on the scene in strength for five days."

http://groups.msn.com/eXtremelyPolitics/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=218332&LastModified=4675539257224479649&all_topics=0

I know not to take what one of the shrubbery says at face value. But info on how FEMA responded to Katrina compared to how they did in other Hurricanes is oddly scarce. Or maybe I am just not googling very well.

Any help? Links appreciated.

[izzie]

1. I think it used to be bad and Clinton made is sort of Cab. level

And they used to get where they should be. Bush sort of did every thing on the other side of what Clinton did, as if Clinton did it it must be bad. Clinton never seemed that childlike. Bush family seems to be like that. For years after RR left office George and Barbara were still fussing that they had never been asked up to to eat with RR. It was really childlike.

[pitohui]

2. response to andrew (bush 1) was a disgrace

it cost bush the re-election

storm response was excellent in my area under clinton

we had very poor storm response after bush 2 got in, i tried to raise some hell abt his poor response to bill & claudette in 2003, where he denied state of texas and state of louisiana when they requested help from fema

yes, flat out denied it

unfortunately w. an outrage a day coming from this crew no one much paid attention

[ohio_liberal]

3. Shoddy this time around

National guard deployed in WV last year within one day of the flood caused by the remnants of Ivan. Red Cross had shelters set up before the flood even hit. FEMA was visible in some areas within a day or so.

[booley]

4. kick

and can someone tell me why portions of my text are crossed over?

[louis-t]

5. That is odd, though I've seen it before.

Don't understand it.

[Maraya1969]

6. There is no comparison between Katrina and the others. There were

only a few people who died compared to Katrina. I'd say the total between the 4 hurricanes last years was way less than 100. There was no massive flooding or storm surges. And there was no mass evacuations the size of New Orleans. And Bush had not just allocated 164 BILLION dollars to spend on highways and bike paths in Illinois rather than fix the levees that he knew were in severely dangerous condition.


I just found this email I sent out to someone saying the same thing.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=3942


http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/09/2004090...


http://www.cnn.com/2004/WEATHER/09/04/hurricane.frances /

Currently, more than 5,000 FEMA personnel are in Florida and additional emergency response personnel have been deployed from the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Defense. FEMA’s Hurricane Liaison Team remains activated at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, to assist with advisories, information coordination and emergency evacuation activities. FEMA personnel continue to work with the victims of Hurricanes Charley and Frances while others have been repositioned to respond to state requests for assistance as a result of Hurricane Ivan.

FEMA is positioned to send emergency management personnel, supplies and equipment to those areas impacted most to ensure a rapid and effective response as soon as Hurricane Ivan passes. Critical commodities such as ice, water, meals and tarps are staged and ready for immediate delivery <snip>

Two Urban Search and Rescue Teams are deployed in Florida with four additional teams en route <snip>

Four Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT) and Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams have been activated or deployed to sites in Florida, Georgia and Mississippi to support medical facilities and hospitals that are not fully operational following Hurricane Ivan. <snip>

Preparations are being made for Disaster Field Offices and Disaster Recovery Centers to be established in the hardest hit areas within 72 hours after a federal declaration. This will allow impacted residents to receive disaster assistance as soon as possible.

The U.S. Coast Guard has pre-positioned helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to support response activities, closed all ports from New Orleans to the Florida panhandle and has established a temporary safety zone extending the entire width of the lower Mississippi River from mile marker 88 to 106 to help protect people and vessels from the potential safety hazards associated with Hurricane Ivan. <snip>

Aircraft from Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement will help transport FEMA officials to and from sites and will fly over the storm's path following landfall to collect high-resolution images for damage assessment. The remotely sensed data will allow FEMA to better target areas needing immediate disaster damage assessment.

The Department's Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection unit is assessing the vulnerabilities and potential impact to critical infrastructure located <snip>

Homeland Security is working with the American Red Cross and other volunteer agencies to ensure sheltering and critical needs are met immediately.

Citizen Corps Councils and national Citizen Corps affiliate organizations mobilized more than 2,000 volunteers and representatives from 45 states to provide disaster support in Florida communities affected by Hurricanes Charley and Frances. <snkp>

FEMA is working to provide multiple trailers full of generators at the request o<snip>

All the National Processing Service Centers (NPSCs) are fully staffed and ready to register and process disaster assistance applications immediately, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

. . .

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=43&content=4...


And this is NO.

In contrast, before Katrina hit, Bush declared parts(the northern parishes of Louisiana) of the gulf coast a federal disaster area to streamline claims for financial assistance from the government after the hurricane passed. I have been unable to find any information on the White House, DHS, or FEMA web sites concerning any other actions taken in advance of Katrina except for a press release stating that:

"FEMA will mobilize equipment and resources necessary to protect public health and safety by assisting law enforcement with evacuations, establishing shelters, supporting emergency medical needs, meeting immediate lifesaving and life-sustaining human needs and protecting property, in addition to other emergency protective measures."



http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18447


EDIT: I just realized a very important word difference between Florida and NO. Florida's word before the storms is HAS and NO's word is WILL.

[HuskerDU]

7. The guy is right. Monsters shouldn't appologize for being

monsters. The folks at fault are those that voted for the monster.

[HuskerDU]

8. The guy is right. Monsters shouldn't appologize for being

monsters. The folks at fault are those that voted for the monster.

[Bluerthanblue]

9. this was a cluster-fuck... and here's how

i'd frame it for your 'friend'.

The people who are 'in-charge' with responding on the Federal Level to ANY disaster of this kind, are NOT people who are 'elected'- but rather, people who are HAND PICKED, chosen, supposedly for their outstanding abilities and qualifications which make them the ideal people to 'take charge' in events such as this.

Bush created the position of 'HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTOR' so that all the bureaucratic screw-ups and bungling would be BY-Passed, that ONE MAN would be able to co-ordinate all the separate entities, and we have seen first hand, what a terrible mistake that was.

Pointing to past disasters, and justifying the un-justifiable ineptness of the response to this crisis isn't even a 'poor-excuse'- it's a non issue. The president FAILED his people- all of us, by appointing cronies, promising security and a safety net that not only didn't deliver, but that hindered and even prevented the personal and in many cases ONLY salvation being offered to our fellow citizens.
(people who were not allowed to get water, food and supplies to the stranded, busses turned back etc.)

If you were the 'father' of a family, and hand picked several other adults to care for your family in the event of an emergency, and those people ended up being completely incompetent, and your children suffered, died, and were traumatized for life by the inaction of those people you (as the head-man) had chosen, whose hands would be the ones that enabled and failed the 'family'-? The 'man' himself.

Yes, mr.bush, you are finding out,( at the expense of many many lives, who you refuse once again to honestly acknowledge the ACTUAL existence of-)

IT IS HARD WORK-

and you are not up to the task- you can't claim to 'take responsibility' for 'the parts' that you choose- you took responsibility when you swore an oath to be president. And you've broken that oath far too many times.

[bananas]

10. Hurricane Charley timeline - posted here

on edit: it's a long post, there is a summary at the end

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4762655&mesg_id=4762655

T Roosevelt (1000+ posts) Tue Sep-13-05 09:17 PM
Original message
Hurricane Charley timeline
Edited on Tue Sep-13-05 09:51 PM by T Roosevelt

the formatted version with links is at Hurricane Charley Timeline
http://intangiblethings.blogspot.com/2005/09/hurricane-charley-timeline.html

With all the talk of the lack of action by both federal and state agencies for Hurricane Katrina, I thought it might be educational to look at how things were handled in a swing state where the president's brother is governor, in an election year. That would be Hurricane Charley. Let's have a look, shall we?

<snip>