Just heard from my wife's family in Nederland, TX - another FEMA

[Rosco T.]

clusterfuck in process!

(see this map for location of Nederland to Beaumont, Port Arthur)



The damage is worse than you're hearing on the news. Water/Power/Sanitaion off in the majority of the area. NO FEMA/Federal Aid presence for the most of the people and the people are PISSED OFF BIG TIME. One SUper Wal-Mart had it's roof taken off, say what you will about Wal-Mart, but they are there now handing out food from the damaged store. The big need people are needing it water and ice.. and most of it appears to be in freaking HOUSTON/GALVESTON. FEMA nowhere to be found. Local govt doing what it can, but these are small towns and don't have the facilities....

Each and every one of them that we've heard from (and all the others) are saying the same thing "This ain't an election year so they don't care... but we sure as HELL will remember them NEXT YEAR, AND THE NEXT, AND THE NEXT."

[merwin]

1. It's not Wal-Mart that's the problem.

It's the people who own Wal-Mart that is the problem. Once things like this happen, each individual person working in the store basically takes it over for themselves and decides how they want to handle the emergency.

I'm glad to hear that they're helping though. Somebody should... and we all know FEMA won't

[shance]

2. Do you have any information on Port Arthur?

Have a friend in Houston who can't get cable news and is wondering how her home town is doing.

[Rosco T.]

6. There is a live radio station streaming from Beaumont/Port Arthur

www.klvi.com

but it's pretty much the same as Nederland (look at the map, less than 3 miles away)

[shance]

8. Thanks Rosco. Is the streaming cutting out a lot for you?

It keeps cutting out for me.

[Rosco T.]

9. Yeah... really cuts a lot... they're probably getting hammered... AFAICT

they are the only station still streaming from the area, the only other info I can get is occasionally from a Houston station..

[reality based]

3. So all those truck convoys the whore media reported seeing

on the road hours after the storm passed haven't made it there yet?

[Robertwf]

4. FEMA told some

of its people in nw La. to leave, as it was too dangerous for them to stay. The Fhey didn't tell that to the residents. The FEMAs on the ground said, if they don't go, neither are we. A mini rebellion among the ranks?

[Sydnie]

5. It's a win-win for Walmart

They can give it away and look good to the locals, while writing it off as "charitable donations" or they can submit it to their insurance and be reimbursed and throw it away.

I am not saying that giving the food and such away is not a good thing for them to do. It is. I am just saying that it's a win-win for them. And they don't have to "fly" anywhere to help their image.

Perhaps the ice they need in Nederland is coming from Maine via Vegas. :(

I hope your in-laws are able to get what they need and can stay safe. My thoughts are with them and with your wife too.

[SeattleGirl]

7. Did any of you see the interviews with the Katrina truckers?

I think it was on CNN the other day. They interviewed several of those truckers who were sent everywhere but where they should have been sent (some ended up in Maine). These guys were PISSED, talking about how no one "in charge" seemed to know what the hell they were doing. I got the feeling these guys felt like a lot of us -- the wanted to help, and they had actual cargo that COULD have helped, but they didn't get anywhere near LA and MS. Sounds like more of the same.

Sorry about your wife's family. Hope they get some help soon, from somewhere!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. Homeland Security dudes were at my campsite near Mississippi....

A great big expensive land yacht they were a driving.... and it musta been their "unsecured" wireless network I accidentally connected to. Oh bother.

[shance]

11. Did you hear the man say "we're all but about to get the ACLU down here"

What was he referring to?

[Rosco T.]

12. I think he meant...

they were gonna call in the ACLU to GET SOME FREAKING HELP!

[shance]

13. Yes, and ACLU is a civil liberties organization. Are civil liberties

being violated?

The reception broke up and I couldnt hear what specifically he was referring to.