U.S.A. should help Greece fight fires

[Unforgiven]

FEMA.

On March 1, 2003, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The primary mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.

 

[Cannuck]

Sounds nice but the reality is...it's meaningless. Unless the federal government has enough equipment, manpower and resources to help effectively, policy or mision statements are nothing more than wish lists.

 

[Curiosity]

Unforgiven

FEMA of course - but it still has to be 'invited'..... States are autonomous bodies and often will not even bother with the slow workings of the Federal Government, clearing the way for donations freely given with immediate no-strings attached. FEMA gets involved only upon an invite which has to be called for by the Governor of the State. This occurs days after things are 'safe' enough for a 'tour of the damaged area' and 'assessments computed'....days and weeks after...

The call for assistance should have gone out when the predictions and warnings were going out but many people chose to stay behind and ride out yet another "emergency" which never did any damage - I guess people get used to it and think it won't happen.

Many southern states also have been driven and built on the poverty level and trust financial giving and caretaking rather than any government agency involvement.

Even where I live people still build within fire zones, on top of earthquake and landslide seismic disasters about to happen.... can't get insurance and they still build and build and build...

You should see some of the huge mansions along the southeastern coastline where hurricane are regular visitors - but still they erect these giant monsters equipped to withstand huge G-force ...

Maybe it's our determination to ignore nature that has seen mankind progress and nature just pokes us with a sharp stick every once in a while to remind us of her power.

And then there are some to just aren't organized enough to think about tomorrow because they don't have enough money to prepare anyway.... and live day to day.... as do many people in the south.

 

[lone wolf]

Bureaucracy in triplicate is the biggest hurdle in all emergency situations. Maybe if the paper-pushers had to lug a sand bag or don a water pack, stand guard detail or wrap a kid's bloody arm in unsterile gauze, EMO services could be streamlined.

Wolf

 

[EagleSmack]

A few things about New Orleans. First off geographically the city is in a horrible place to... well, have a city there. What happened in New Orleans was going to happen someday. Should they have built better levies... you bet. Without checking on the scope of the storm surge which caused the flooding I would have to say that it probably was no more than a few feet and New Orleans I believe is on or about at Sea Level. It didn't take much to flood that city.

The city of New Orleans is rife with crime, corruption, poverty, and probably the worst urban squalor in America. I visited New Orleans once and the cab driver said the only place a tourist should be is on the Bourbon St. area. The tourist spot... anywhere else he informed me would be looking for trouble. The displaced population that needed housing was the poorest of the poor, and the baddest of the bad. A lot, and I mean a lot of relocated citizens of New Orleans were bad people. The crime rate of Houston sky rocketed with the influx of New Orleans citizens. Think about it... if you lost your house in a natural disaster wouldn't you and your family have a place to go without government assistance? I do. The govt. had to find homes for thousands who were already on govt. assistance. Planes were taking New Orleans people all over the country and putting them up in hotels, military bases. Right here in Massachusetts they put them up at an old AF Base on Cape Cod and they were nothing but trouble. That is a fact. They squandered their money on booze, strippers, hung out outside of the Wal-Mart sipping booze out of brown bags. I can't make this up. After recieving all kinds of complaints a news crew followed a bus load of them and filmed what they were doing. It was complete abuse of the kindness that WAS shown to them.

A lot of what was destroyed were slums. Not beautiful mansions. So what do we want to do? Do we want to rebuild slums, or make affordable housing (same thing wrt New Orleans) that these people will move back into and destroy like they did before? I think the good people of New Orleans want to approach the rebuilding of New Orleans with caution. The filth of New Orleans have been sent to the four corners of the country. The good ones will come back and start a new city and they have a perfect opportunity to do just that.

 

[hermanntrude]

 

[EagleSmack]

Nice find Herman. So it is actually below sea level and once the levy gave way the city flooded pretty easily.

 

[Curiosity]

They can't even bury coffins in that area - they are all above ground - otherwise the cemeteries would be filled with floating caskets and bodies...

I wonder if the authorities thought that disaster and expected improvements and financial assistance might just be the way to go rather than attempting to move the people BEFORE this event happened.

 

[hermanntrude]

Nice find Herman. So it is actually below sea level and once the levy gave way the city flooded pretty easily.

looking at it like that, I guess you have to wonder why anyone decided it was a good idea to live there. But these things really only come out in hindsight. It's quite likely most of the inhabitants didn't even know the elevation of their home

 

[EagleSmack]

looking at it like that, I guess you have to wonder why anyone decided it was a good idea to live there. But these things really only come out in hindsight. It's quite likely most of the inhabitants didn't even know the elevation of their home

Agreed. It is as old as US cities can get. As far as any living American is concerned, N.O has always been there. It is a funny and weird city. Abject poverty and crime and such a unique mix of people and culture. Cajun French, Mulados, strong Irish population... old Irish, voodoo mixed with Catholisism. There was true and unique culture there and you can feel it and see it everywhere. Just look at Mardis Gras... it is strange. The different and ancient clubs and orders. Then the seedy side of N.O rife with drugs, crime, and murder... lots of murders.

 

[lone wolf]

Even the laws are different. Louisiana state laws, like in Québec, are based on the French practice of Civil law.

Wolf