Ice Storms...where is Obama? Where is FEMA?

[dixiegrrrrl]

and why is there so much silience about both being MIA while people are freezing?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

Here you go: He declared federal emergencies on the 29th (today is the 31st)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28909354/

[annabanana]

1. !

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=8156500

(Obama "hit the ground running" in Kentucky cleanup)

[sandnsea]

2. "Obama people 'hit the ground running'"

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/01/30/ky-governor-obama-people-hit-the-ground-running-on-storm/

Per Kentucky Governor.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. Yep! nt

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

13. It's called competency.

[ellie]

4. According to this article

from CNN,

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/weather/01/31/winter.weather/index.html

FEMA is there. From the article, "The Federal Emergency Management Agency was helping, as were private organizations such as the Red Cross, which was serving at least 10,000 meals a day, spokesman Brian Quail said."

So I am not sure what you are talking about.

[Thrill]

5. Go to Whitehouse.gov. There is a picture of Obama signing the state of emergency

He was on this as soon as the request was made.



http://www.whitehouse.gov/president-obama-declares-emergencies-in-arkansas-and-kentucky/

[Sarah Ibarruri]

6. You know what? Your question is excellent. I think we've heard less because......

Our whole country is in a state of emergency due to the disaster left by the Republicans, so the media is covering the ice storm emergencies less maybe?

[Kittycat]

9. We've also heard less, because Obama is actually doing something about it.

You only hear about stuff that gets messed up.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

10. Yep, so true nt

[AZBlue]

14. And, they aren't wasting time with press conferences about all that they are doing to help.

They're spending time doing it.

[FrenchieCat]

7. Obama is on it, as far as I can tell.....

President Barack Obama issued a federal emergency disaster declaration for Kentucky and Arkansas late Wednesday. By noon Thursday, 50 generators large enough to power hospitals or water treatment plants arrived at Fort Campbell for distribution.

Five communication vans for emergency operations were on their way to Western Kentucky, where there were widespread cell and land-line phone outages. Federal Emergency Management Agency staff were expected to arrive soon to help with damage assessments.

About 1,000 Kentucky National Guard troops were dispatched throughout the state to clear debris and help with emergency operations.

In many hard-hit areas, packed hotels turned away people willing to pay to get out of the cold; other citizens without heat flocked to more than 100 public shelters across the state.

More than anything, what utility crews, local officials and shivering citizens needed was a break from Mother Nature, which hammered the area for three days with rain, ice and snow — and is expected to keep the freeze on until the weekend.

----
This weekend appears to be the first real possibility of warmer days, with a high of 37 forecast for Saturday, and possibly 51 on Sunday.

Help from Washington

Gov. SteveBeshear said Thursday during a tour of Western Kentucky that Obama called him about 9 p.m. Wednesday and they spoke for about 10 minutes.

"I talked with him about the various trouble spots we had, the lack of drinking water in some places, having to get heat to many of our shelters and nursing homes, and the widespread power outages," Beshear said. "He expressed his concern for the folks of Kentucky and wanted to let everyone know his thoughts and prayers were with us all."

Obama completed the disaster emergency paperwork in less than an hour, Beshear said. Obama signed the declaration after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. The disaster declaration will bring federal resources and staff to the state.

Federal officials are hauling truckloads of water, ready-to-eat meals and the large generators to a staging area at Fort Campbell in southwestern Kentucky, said Mary Hudak, a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's southeast region.

The water trucks will help in some 55 water districts that don't have power. About 93,000 people statewide were without access to water by midday Thursday, said Monica French, a spokeswoman for the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.

Beshear said the federal government approved the state's request for FEMA to conduct damage assessments immediately, rather than the normal process of waiting for local officials to make the estimates first.

"It will move the federal reimbursement process along faster than it normally would," Beshear said.

Beshear traveled to Paducah and Henderson by Blackhawk hel icopter on Thursday. His mission was twofold: to get updates from local officials and to explain what the state is doing to help.

From the helicopter "you can't really see the real devastation on the ground: the downed power lines, people in shelters, people having to be moved from nursing homes to warm places," Beshear said.
http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/675914.html

[BlooInBloo]

8. Your fail knows no bounds.

[Cali_Democrat]

15. Yep

That's some pretty serious fail right there.

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. I asked because of these news items:

1. In Kentucky's Grayson County, about 80 miles southwest of Louisville, Emergency Management Director Randell Smith said the 25 National Guardsmen who have responded have no chain saws to clear fallen trees. He said roads are littered with fallen trees and people shivering in bone-chilling cold are in need.

"We've got people out in some areas we haven't even visited yet," Smith said. "We don't even know that they're alive."
Smith said FEMA was still a no-show days after the storm.

FEMA condemned for slow response to ice storm crisis
Bruce Schreiner - Associated Press Writer - 1/31/2009 6:30:00 AM
http://onenewsnow.com/Headlines/Default.aspx?id=404804


Associated Press - January 30, 2009 5:34 PM ET
2 LEITCHFIELD, Ky. (AP) - Some local officials are decrying what they describe as a lack of assistance from federal and state agencies in the wake of a winter storm that knocked out power to nearly every household in Grayson County.
Grayson County Emergency Management Director Randell Smith says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been a no-show, the Red Cross is nowhere to be found, and the 25 Kentucky National Guard troops who responded have no chainsaws or other equipment to clear fallen trees.

Leitchfield Mayor William Thomason said he and others having to deal with the storm's carnage "are petty disgusted."

the storm was....last Sat.?

No chainsaws?

[Ichingcarpenter]

16. Why are you going to One News Now? I know its an AP article

But it doesn't explain why you visit and link a right wing web site.

[Cali_Democrat]

17. OMG...that web site is disgusting

It features articles from Michelle Malkin and Larry Elder.

Interesting how the OP is cruising a web site like that.

Hmmmm.......

[dixiegrrrrl]

24. Ty for the schooling..

I had no idea the orientation of the site, since I followed a AP/Goole link after I stumbled across what seemed to be a FEMA re dux.

glad to hear the conflicting stories make sense in a way....

One of the many reasons I appreciate the varied talents of the DU gang......

[SoxFan]

19. Thomason is a Republican

Gave money to Mitch McConnell and Fred Thompson, among others.

Randell Smith's boss is county judge Gary Logsdon. He's a Republican and a Bush donor. He also put the 10 Commandments up on the courthouse wall.

[Ikonoklast]

20. So the Republic Mayor of Leitchfield

and the mostly Republic city council are decrying the lack of effort on the part of FEMA and the state government.

No one in Leitchfield or Grayson County has a chainsaw to help out with, or lend to the guardsmen? No hardware stores in that town, or the entire county?

Are they just going to sit there and whine, or are they going to pull themselves up by their bootstraps?

[sandnsea]

21. lol, right, there's nary a chainsaw

in rural Kentucky. lol. What a fuckwit.

[Phx_Dem]

34. No kidding! And this whiny mayor has a responsibility to

provide assistance too. I knew there was going to be an ice storm a couple of days before it hit because it was in the national weather forecast. The question is why didn't this idiot prepare for what he had to know was coming? I guess it's easier to blame someone else.

[hedgehog]

22. I love me the Google:

WILLIAM THOMASON (KENTUCKY FARM BUREAU AND LEITC/INSU), (Zip code: 42754) $1000 to MCCONNELL SENATE COMMITTEE '08 on 04/30/08

WILLIAM THOMASON (KENTUCKY FARM BUREAU AND LEITC/INSU), (Zip code: 42754) $300 to MCCONNELL SENATE COMMITTEE '08 on 12/12/07

MR. WILLIAM HAROLD THOMASON (SELF-EMPLOYED/INSURANCE AGENT), (Zip code: 42755) $200 to FRIENDS OF FRED THOMPSON INC on 11/29/07

William H. Thomason (City of Leitchfield/Mayor), (Zip code: 42754) $500 to GUTHRIE FOR CONGRESS on 03/24/08


http://www.city-data.com/elec2/elec-LEITCHFIELD-KY.html


Grayson County Judge-Executive Gary Logsdon is also a Republican:
http://www.kcjea.org/grayson.html

Not to mention, clean-up is going to take a while:
Leitchfield Mayor William Thomason said the storm downed hundreds of utility poles, leaving wires stretched across streets and lawns, and knocking out electricity to every home and business in Grayson County.

http://www.kentucky.com/471/story/677842.html




Sounds like these guys may not be the best witnesses to the clean-up effort!

[jenmito]

23. Hey-LOOK! The same article was posted at the freeper site:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2175986/posts

[Mojorabbit]

29. I learned

one thing from having three hurricanes in six weeks. In the end you are on your own. I am prepared for anything. It lets the emergency workers have less to do as they can deal with those who do not have the resources.

[Pirate Smile]

12. I saw the Kentucky governor on CNN saying that he called the White House directly. The

Director of Intergovernmental Relations ... - Valerie Jarrett, I believe - walked him through filling out the papers herself and the President signed the Disaster declaration that night. He seemed very happy with the response.

As for the National Guards not having chainsaws - it may take more then a week for Obama to miraculously get all the guard units back to where they should be re supplies.

[hedgehog]

18. There isn't a lot anyone can do while trees are still crashing down.

As far as I can see, temperatures were still below freezing until yesterday. I read an AP article indicating that trees springig back after shedding ice are causing additional damage.

[bertman]

26. Yes there is, hedgehog. If you have four-wheel drives, people who are equipped for

the weather--which FEMA and National Guard should be. Also, utility crews work in that kind of environment all the time.

It's not easy or fun, but it can be done. I know because I've done it before.

P.S. what did you put in "the google" to get that info on Thomason? Thanks.

[zulchzulu]

25. Can you apologize for being foolish and not looking into the matter before you posted?

Obama declared Arkansas and Kentucky in a state of emergency LAST THURSDAY!

Obama Declares Federal Emergencies
WLEX-TV
updated 8:14 a.m. CT, Thurs., Jan. 29, 2009

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - President Barack Obama has declared federal emergencies in Arkansas and Kentucky because of widespread outages caused by this week's snow and ice storm.

The storm, which has left misery from the Southern Plains to the East Coast, is blamed for at least 23 deaths.

Well over a million people are without power as utility crews attempt to restring power lines brought down by ice-damaged trees. But with temperatures plunging, utility officials warn that it could be mid-February before electricity is restored to some of the hardest-hit places. The worst of the power failures are in Kentucky, Arkansas and Ohio.

In Kentucky, National Guard soldiers have been dispatched to remove the debris. Oklahoma, already struggling to restore power there, plans to send crews to help in Arkansas.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28909354/

If you have any credibility, you would apologize.

[firedupdem]

27. What the hell are you talking about? I've seen story after story

about things being taken care of there. Where are you coming from with this?

[Life Long Dem]

28. Peoples... where is Obama... open for discussion!!

:bounce:

[Vinca]

30. As a survivor of the recent New Hampshire ice storm,

there is little President Obama can do for the situation. The people who will make a difference in your lives are the linemen coming in from other states. We saw nothing for 4 days until a crew from somewhere down south appeared on our road. It's a bad situtation, but it takes time to fix. The best thing you can do is go around to your neighbors and make sure everyone is taken care of.

[Barack_America]

33. Correct. The last thing I want is National Guardsmen tromping around downed power lines unassisted.

[high density]

31. What are Obama and FEMA going to do?

They can't cut limbs and then put utility polls and power wires back up.

[Phx_Dem]

32. Because they're not MIA.

[zulchzulu]

35. This thread is based on FOOLISHNESS and utter IGNORANCE of the facts

I asked the OP to apologize for this thread. It is in complete ERROR.

Read this (I made the type bigger in case some people have a problem reading):

After a request from Governor Steve Beshear, on the evening of January 28, 2009 President Obama approved a Federal Emergency Declaration for Kentucky. This emergency declaration allowed FEMA to immediately initiate crucial resources to the state critical to infrastructure and protection and safety of life.

http://www.kyem.ky.gov/

What more evidence does one need to disprove this whining nonsense? An apology is in order if the OP has a molecule of credibility.

Obama has done his job. He doesn't have time to come to Kentucky and fire up a chainsaw right now. Mmmkay? Should Obama go down there and tie up the highways with security so that he could have a photo op with some poor fellow and a chainsaw? Should he not have security and just get in the car and drive down with Joe and the kids and start hacking away at the ice?

Governor Beshear issued a request for aid last Tuesday. Obama responded the following day with declaring the emergency with aid from FEMA. It's all there on the link with the quote.

As others have said, while waiting for FEMA to fully mobilize and get efforts there, it is up to neighbors helping neighbors in the interim. This is not a video game.

[backwoodsbob]

36. we have a neighbor who is a line worker

he and most of his co-workers are there.

Things are being done but it will take time.