[Rhodes22-list] Katrina Update

[Joseph Hadzima]

Hi Brad,

I guess I need to drawn more attention to the tounge in
cheek icon at the bottom of my post.  :-)

Personally, I think FEMA did do a fair job considering
there were over 100,000 square MILES of destruction. 
Sadly, I recall how people (media & congress) were upset
with Brown for drawing "org" charts, but since FEMA
coordinates efforts from state and local; private and
public organizations, and this huge group of groups didn't
seem to have a clue about lines of communication or chain
of command, so the org charts may have been necessary.

Some split second decisions by local leardership, like
putting people in the Super Dome may have saved thousands
of lives - though it would be nice to have the necessary
number of police to protect them too.  

I did notice that the Super Dome has been repaired! I guess
since "it" makes tax revenue for the city, that would put
it on a higher priority, or perhaps local leadership just
likes football :-)

    :^)



--- Brad Haslett <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:

> Joseph,
> 
> I'm no  big fan of FEMA but in their defense, they did a
> good job of living
> up to their title:  they responded to the emergency. 
> They didn't stop the
> hurricane at sea, they didn't get people out of NOLA
> (local responsibility)
> and they didn't rescue people off of rooftops.  The Navy,
> Marines, Army,
> Coast Guard, and especially the local state Guard and
> Reserve units did
> - wonderfully.  The Red Cross and Salvation Army were
> almost immediately on
> the scene and need to be recognized.  A lot of private
> and public companies
> poured millions of dollars and man hours into the initial
> efforts and
> deserve to be recognized as well.  Now we're down to the
> nitty-gritty work
> of rebuilding.  Who's responsibility is that?  Not mine,
> not yours, and not
> the federal governments!  We work with commercial
> property owners every day
> who say, "we're ready to sign a contract but we we're
> waiting to see what
> FEMA is going to do".
> 
> How about this for a solution.  FEMA ain't goin' to do
> shit!  Grow up!  You
> either had insurance or you didn't, you either planned
> for this or you
> didn't.  You'll either clean-up your shit or you'll be
> fined by the city
> government for the cost to do so.  If you can't afford to
> keep the property,
> there's plenty of East and West coast investors who will
> buy your property
> and make it happen.  Got it?  Shit happens!  Get over it!
> 
> BTW, we could use at least two more reliable employees. 
> By reliable I mean,
> you want out of your FEMA trailer, you are not on
> disability or looking for
> an opportunity to get on disability.  If you have a
> drivers license it would
> help.  My apologies if you are Mexican, we can't hire you
> though no one
> knows better than us that you the hardest working son's a
> bitches on the
> coast.
> 
> Brad
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 1/30/07, Joseph Hadzima <josef508 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Originally, I thought the problem was that there were
> TOO
> > MANNY people in govenment attempting to be leaders -
> sort
> > of too many cooks!  I recall one Senator calling for an
> > investigation because FEMA just reacted, and got crusie
> > ships as temporary housing for people, and not get bids
> > first (this was within a week after Katrina made
> landfall)!
> > Anyone recall how long it took for OUR government to
> start
> > spending money and people power on other investigations
> and
> > hearings?  There was lot of flack over the $2,000 debit
> > cards, and who was given the initial contracts. Who is
> left
> > to do the work if everyone is leading?  Next time I
> guess
> > we need to declare Marshall Law, and just let all the
> > King's men take care of it.
> >
> > Yes, when the leardership isn't interested, things just
> > don't get done.  I even heard on TV during a fund
> raiser,
> > that Bush hates black people!  Since he's at the top of
> the
> > government and so popular these days, is that why
> everyone
> > in the entire government is following his lead and
> dragging
> > their feet?
> >
> > :^)
> >
> >
> >
> > --- DCLewis1 at aol.com wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > In a message dated 1/30/2007 8:07:19 A.M. Eastern
> > > Standard Time,
> > > flybrad at gmail.com writes:
> > >
> > > "It  shows the difference between the private sector
> and
> > > the public  sector,"
> > > says Harold "Buz" Olsen, chief administrative officer
> of
> > > Bay St.  Louis
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > This is a cop out; the problem is a lack of competent
> and
> > > concerned
> > > leadership, pure and simple.  The President of the
> United
> > > States can pound  the table
> > > and make it happen as can many lesser luminaries.  
> The
> > > problem is, they just
> > > don't care.  The public sector can do it, but they 
> have
> > > to want to, and the
> > > way you make them want to is to hold an agency head
> > > accountable.  Which
> > > agency head has been put on report for poor
> performance
> > > in rebuilding?  I can't
> > > think of anyone.   The rebuilding has  been "business
> as
> > > usual"  because this
> > > Administration sees it as just  one more thing to be
> done
> > > among many - there's
> > > no urgency.
> > >
> > > Dave
> > > __________________________________________________
> > > Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help?
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> > >
> >
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