Blanco acts to remove dead, due to slow FEMA responce... again...

[back2basics909]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-09-13T184616Z_01_DIT367598_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-DEAD-DC.XML

BATON ROUGE (Reuters) - Louisiana's governor condemned the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday for moving too slowly to recover the dead from New Orleans and has signed a contract directly on behalf of the state with the recovery company originally hired by FEMA.

"I have taken action today to resolve a matter that involves life, death and dignity," Kathleen Blanco told reporters at a meeting of state elected officials.

"I can not stand by while this vital operation is not being handled appropriately."

Blanco said she has signed a contract with Kenyon International Emergency Services after the company threatened to pull out of the state because it had not yet signed a formal contract with FEMA.

Asked about the issue, *FEMA spokesman David Passey said: "From what I understand, Kenyon had some questions about the contract."*

He said from the beginning FEMA had expected Louisiana to take the lead in the collection of bodies and FEMA was satisfied that the state had signed a contract with the company.

"I don't know the exact nature of the contract concerns. We made our best effort to engage Kenyon in a contract," he said.

The fact that the state had signed a contract with Kenyon would allow federal mortuary teams to "get on with what they do best," the identification of the dead.

Blanco did not give details of the financial arrangements of the state's contract with Kenyon, and spokespeople for the company were not immediately available to comment.

Kenyon said on September 7 it had been hired by FEMA for recovery services.

{snip}

[Helga Scow Stern]

1. Thanks. Recommended. We mustn't forget the dead.

[CottonBear]

2. The citizens of the Tsunami countries collected many more bodies quickly

and they set up temporary morgues, took photos of the bodies, and posted descriptions and identifying characteristics if no ID was found with the deceased.

Maybe we should hire some of those folks to help us.

[Mistress Quickly]

36. The same company handled the tsunami

Its what they do - disaster recovery.

[CottonBear]

40. I just don't understand this monumental FUBAR then.

I suppose Bu$h really doesn't care about black people or poor people or old people or babies.
:cry:

[Dora]

3. BUT WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL DO THIS FOR FREE!

Why is a private agency being contracted (getting paid) to do the job of collecting the dead when we have an organization of morticians who have already said that they had volunteers ready to go in and get to work?

Oh, yeah, privatization of services. We don't want it done for free, when some corporation is willing to do it for money.

[madrchsod]

10. by now the professionals are needed.

maybe right after the storm volunteers could have been used it`s to late. the condition of the bodies and other factors -such as death count and causes- need to be done in the systematic way to provide accurate data of this tragic event.

[Streetdoc270]

13. These volunteers ARE professionals

They are members of D-MORT (disaster mortuary assistance team) made up o morticians who volunteer their time and skills after disasters to ID the deceased and to re-inteer any displaced bodies.

I am seeing this push to privatise the enire effort for a while, there are plenty of EMS assets ready to volunteer time to the area but not being used either...

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. My take

she hired them becuase nobody else was moving... DMORT was prevented by FEMA to do its work, so the pressure is to do something

Have DMORT contact the state and do an end run around FEMA if you get me drift

[MissMarple]

4. Thank you, Mr. Witt!

Blanco is asserting the rights of her state....as in states rights. Now that is a time honored Southern value. Ah huh. Keep it up, sweetheart.

[JuniperLea]

5. Will she now get into trouble for overstepping her authority?

[Rainscents]

6. No, she did NOT give her State over to Bush!

[JuniperLea]

18. She didn't have to

Her request for assistance, plus Bush's declaration of a disaster area takes everything out of her hands anyway. That was a Bush lie that just won't die.

[back2basics909]

7. I really hope not..

.. i think even Rove will find it hard to spin this in a negative way. She is doing what most people would expect, and FEMA have been caught napping again.

The quote from FEMA basically shows they have no idea what is going on, even with something as imporant as removing the dead.

[babylonsister]

8. I think her fellow Louisianians will/should give her

a medal. It's beyond creepy that FEMA couldn't get their act together to respectfully remove bodies after over two weeks. Disgraceful!

[Rainscents]

11. When all this is done, she will previle and poll number will

go way up! People are going to realize, she really did take charge and did everything she could for her state!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[OregonBlue]

29. By fool you mean Blanco?

[back2basics909]

38. I think it's a freeper...

.. on 10 posts.

[OregonBlue]

41. Yah, I sent this before I read the rest of the forum. Oh well let them

have their fun. They're really not bright enough to be much of a threat!!

[confludemocrat]

14. FEMA by BushTM has layers of hack incompetence that are still there-nt

[...of J.Temperance]

9. Good on Governor Blanco

I'm getting sick of these FEMA idiots, and their idiocy is DELIBERATE and it's a complete DISGRACE.

I hope the Governor goes the whole hog and just kicks FEMA out of her state.

[shaniqua6392]

12. Too bad the MSM will probably not pick up on this one.

They have been a bit more brave lately, but this would not make shrub look too good. It would be a nice touch to report this on the same day that he "accepted responsibility" for governmental shortcomings.

[NYC]

15. Homeland Security's FEMA failed again.

..."I don't know the exact nature of the contract concerns. We made our best effort to engage Kenyon in a contract," he said...

Apparently, Homeland Security's FEMA's best effort just wasn't good enough. Gov. Blanco was able to do it. Why not Homeland Security's FEMA?

Note: I refer to them as Homeland Security's FEMA because this is Homeland Security's fault. Homeland Security, Bush's pet creation, has been well funded. They can encroach on our civil liberties, but they can't help our citizens, dead or alive.

[phusion]

16. On Democracy Now! Monday

Amy Goodman was interviewing federal officials in the streets about picking up bodies. They kept saying that it was the responsibility of the local authorities. When she asked some NO police about picking up a body, they kept referring her to media relations.

What a bungled piece of shit this all is.

:grr:

[back2basics909]

17. Bungled, yes...

.. but not by Blanco. I help out for a while and now she appears to be the real hero of all this. The one leader who stood up and lead..

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Nonpartisan_congressional_research_report_finds_Louisiana_governor_took_nece_0913.html

"The Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report Tuesday afternoon asserting that Louisiana governor Katherine Blanco took the necessary and timely steps needed to secure disaster relief from the federal government, RAW STORY has learned. "

[Name removed]

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[back2basics909]

20. I would vote for her!

.. she really has won me over.

We do have good Dems, they just need a kick up the arse to show it at times!

BTW DRUDGE has this story!

[Name removed]

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[back2basics909]

25. How so?

[Name removed]

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[back2basics909]

34. Hmm you have some catching up to do...

.. she asked for help. The letter is easily available on line.

80% of the city was evacuated. Thats 10% or nearly 100,000 more than ws expected. A result, no?

As for satellite phones, no state does have them. Even NY didn't, even their communications failed.

[Joe Chi Minh]

26. Life is like a box of chocolates, Jim. Ye jist never knows what's

what, do yer? Goldurn, they uppity wimminfolk!

You're really Walden O'Dell, aintcher, Jim? That's why you're so confident she won't win again, aint it?

[Name removed]

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[Joe Chi Minh]

37. Argh! Now! Now! Jim lad!

That sounds a mite too personal. Your emotions are tekkin over. We don't want no burning crosses or anything like that here. Jist sober analysis.

Why not read what the professional engineer, Mr T Roosevelt has to say about the allocation of responsibility?

[MissMarple]

33. The local authorities are crippled and overwhelmed .

George's feds are CLUELESS as usual. The local capability is just about tapped out.

[sandnsea]

22. Hiring Kenyon?

Bah, makes me sick. Just more corporatization and I hate to have to say it about Blanco, but it's true.

[back2basics909]

24. FEMA no Blanco...

FEMA started the contract.. they were taking time, so Blanco sorted finished the deal. At this stage she would have mad it worse starting again with a different company.

[sandnsea]

31. I disagree

Get the corporations out. I'm sick of it.

[Name removed]

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[back2basics909]

39. Sure they have done a great job.

.. we really should trust them to tear themselves away from their hollidays while thousands die.

[back2basics909]

35. Thats fair enough...

[zann725]

42. If there's just a few hundred dead...as the numbers have been reduced to

...what's left to do? Most should already have been collected, and dealt with.

Unless of course the numbers are FAR greater than said. THAT situation would explain the above Blanco's action.

Ironically, the way MSM daily keeps downsizing the number of dead, the death toll might soon reach zero.

[LiviaOlivia]

43. kick