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If anyone doubts a difference that having a brother as Governor makes to the Federal response, doubt no more. Check out the FEMA pre-positioning of assets for FL last year prior to September's Hurricane Frances and Ivan.
Please kick this story. It needs to be brought to the attention of the media.
>CNN
>>>Hurricane Frances weakens slightly
>>>September 4, 2004
>>>__________________________________FEMA has positioned a powerful list of
>>>disaster response personnel, equipment and supplies to help those who are
>>>displaced or suffer losses after Hurricane Frances continues to move
>>>across Florida. The advance preparations include:
>>>
>>> FEMA's are operating
>>> around the clock, coordinating the pre-positioning of assets and
>>> responding to state requests for assistance.
>>>
>>> FEMA has deployed an advanced emergency response team to the Florida
>>> State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee to facilitate state
>>> requests for assistance. In addition, three rapid needs assessment teams
>>> have been pre-deployed to Florida.
>>>
>>> The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at FEMA's request, is coordinating
>>> the staging of 100 truckloads of water and 100 truckloads of ice at
>>> operational centers in Florida.
>>>
>>> A first shipment of 30,000 tarps is en route to Atlanta, Ga., to be
>>> pre-staged for delivery to areas affected by Frances once the storm has
>>> cleared.
>>>
>>> FEMA is working to provider 10 trailers of generators at the request
>>> of Florida that will be used to provide power to critical facilities
>>> affected by the hurricane . . .
>>>
>>> Four urban search and rescue teams are deployed to Florida -- two in
>>> Miami and two in Jacksonville. Four teams are on alert.
>>>
>>> Two disaster medical assistance teams (DMAT) have been deployed to
>>> Florida to support medical facilities and hospitals that are not fully
>>> operational following the storm . . .
>>>
>>> Five pharmaceutical caches, containing emergency medical supplies,
>>> are being pre-positioned, and are currently en route to Atlanta and
>>> Tampa.
>>>
>>> FEMA's Mobile Emergency Response Services (MERS) communications staff
>>> and equipment are available to provide telephone, radio and video links
>>> in support of response and recovery efforts . . .
>>>
>>> . . . FEMA is working with the General Services Administration to
>>> analyze vacancy rates of various safe housing options . . . as part of
>>> pre-planning temporary housing strategies for those whose homes are
>>> severely damaged or destroyed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>FEMA
>>>Press release on advance preparations for Hurricane Frances
>>>September 4, 2004
>>>
>>>__________________________________As of noon Monday >>>Frances made landfall] FEMA and other Federal response agencies have
>>>taken the following actions:
>>>
>>> About one hundred trucks of water and 280 trucks of ice are present
>>> or will arrive in the Jacksonville staging area today.
>>>
>>> 900,000 Meals-Ready-to-Eat are on site in Jacksonville, ready to be
>>> distributed.
>>>
>>> Over 7,000 cases of food (e.g., vegetables, fruits, cheese, ham, and
>>> turkey) are scheduled to arrive in Winter Haven today.
>>>
>>> Disaster medical assistance teams (DMAT) are on the ground and
>>> setting up comfort stations. FEMA community relations personnel will
>>> coordinate with DMATs to assist victims.
>>>
>>> Urban search and rescue teams are completing reconnaissance missions
>>> in coordination with state officials.
>>>
>>> FEMA is coordinating with the Department of Energy and the state to
>>> ensure that necessary fuel supplies can be distributed throughout the
>>> state, with a special focus on hospitals and other emergency facilities
>>> that are running on generators.
>>>
>>> The Army Corps of Engineers will soon begin its efforts to provide
>>> tarps to tens of thousands of owners of homes and buildings that have
>>> seen damage to their roofs . . .
>>>
>>> The Departments of Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs, and
>>> Defense together have organized 300 medical personnel to be on standby.
>>> Medical personnel will begin deployment to Florida tomorrow . . .
>>>White House
>>>Responding to Hurricanes Charley and Frances
>>>September 6, 2004
>>>
>>>__________________________________The Department of Homeland Security's
>>>Federal Emergency Management Agency . . . is preparing for Hurricane
>>>Ivan's landfall, which could affect multiple states, including Alabama,
>>>Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.
>>>Intense planning and immediate actions are underway today in anticipation
>>>of Hurricane Ivan, including:
>>>
>>> FEMA personnel remain in Florida working with the victims of the two
>>> previous hurricanes. However, some staff has been repositioned to
>>> respond to state requests for assistance with Hurricane Ivan.
>>>
>>> In addition to the supplies provided for the two earlier hurricanes,
>>> the Army Corps of Engineers is standing by with 100 refrigerator trucks
>>> of ice and 500 trucks of water to meet immediate needs as part of the
>>> Hurricane Ivan response.
>>>
>>> FEMA is using every available means to move supplies to where they
>>> are most needed, including pre-positioning supplies and using
>>> alternative means of transportation such as ships, air transport, and railroad.
>>>FEMA
>>>Hurricane Ivan Preparations Underway
>>>September 14, 2004
>>>
>>>__________________________________
COMMENTARY on the impact on Bush poll numbers (2004)
>>>
>>>As I'm sure you can imagine, this display of the good old American can-do
>>>spirit didn't go unnoticed by the people of Florida -- nor did the
>>>millions of dollars in disaster relief and damage insurance checks that
>>>were cut by various federal agencies with record speed. FEMA officials
>>>must have been deeply gratified to see the effect their heroic efforts
>>>had in the place where they were most desperately needed -- Bush's poll
>>>numbers:
>>>Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan may count as some of the biggest
>>>political contributors to President Bush's reelection campaign, according
>>>to a poll.
>>>The post-hurricane survey shows Bush surging ahead of his Democratic
>>>challenger by 49 to 41 percent -- an about-face from August, when Bush
>>>trailed Sen. John Kerry 41-47 percent, Quinnipiac University reported
>>>Thursday.
>>>''The ill winds of the hurricanes have blown some political goodwill for
>>>President Bush,'' said Clay F. Richards, a pollster for the independent
>>>Connecticut university.
>>>''You can't underestimate the impact of a president coming down and
>>>promising all this federal aid to people who need it,'' said Richards,
>>>noting that Bush toured hurricane-ravaged parts of Florida three times.
>>>"It's like Rudy Giuliani at ground zero on 9/11. The commander in chief
>>>is there, on the ground, saying help is on the way.''
>>>
>>>So you can see that when the chips are down, and the need is absolutely
>>>dire, this administration can still deliver the kind of coordinated
>>>emergency response that once made the U.S. government the envy of the
>>>world -- just as it coolly and capably protected the Iraqi Oil Ministry
>>>from the chaos and looting that trashed every other government office in
>>>post-invasion Baghdad. As is usually the case in public service, it's
>>>just a matter of having the right incentives.
>>>
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