FEMA HIDING THE BALL-TX Radio: "Fed Gov Trying To Control Media & Story"

[kpete]

Channel 13 in Houston is going to be all over this story. They are fighting mad that they are being kept away from the disaster areas and that the Federal Government is trying to control the media and the story.

To see the story unfolding, go to http://abclocal.go.com/... and click on the link for Watch live streaming video of our coverage of Ike's aftermath . Keep an eye out for reports by Channel 13 investigative reporter Wayne Dolcefino, who is saying that the Federal Government is trying to keep the media and American people from seeing images reminiscent of New Orleans and Waveland, Mississippi until they have a chance to control the story and what we see.

Watch the video titled: "Wayne Dolcefino confronts Gov. Perry."

...............

Developing: FEMA Hiding The Ball
by freepress4all
Sun Sep 14, 2008 at 08:14:59 PM PDT

Democratic Congressman Nick Lampsom (TX-22) is right this moment (9:15 pm CDT) on Channel 13 in Houston, being as politically correct but direct as possible, while using carefully chosen words to explain how FEMA is dropping the ball big time in Texas following Hurricane Ike.

According to Congressman Lampsom almost none of the promises made by FEMA before Hurricane Ike made landfall are being honored. In addition, FEMA is controlling the story, keeping the facts from the press, and trying to hide the ball they are dropping.

Even worse is the way the Federal Government is trying to keep the media away from the disaster areas and control the story. FEMA and the FAA are stepping all over Freedom Of The Press.

WAY MORE _ COVER UP THE SAME OLD STUFF:
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/index
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/22830/8407/27/598996

**********************

It didn't take long for the finger-pointing to begin.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency came under fire Sunday as emergency workers were left undernourished and dozens of trucks or water and food had yet to be set up at distribution centers around Houston and surrounding communities.

And no sooner had the agency — widely condemned for its glacial response to suffering after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — drawn sharp criticism as its leaders and spokesmen began to say it was someone else's fault.

Politicians, FEMA blame each other for relief missteps

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6001713.html

******************

Blame the Victim

President Bush, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Federal Emergency Management Administration Director David Paulison all pointed in frustration to the decision by a number of Texans to ride out Hurricane Ike in their homes only to appeal for help after the storm swept inland, leaving them stranded in high water or debris.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6000159.html

[madaboutharry]

1. I REPEAT: Chertoff was a right wing hack attorney and

a crony judge and doesn't know shit about disaster management.

[Dover]

2. Their priorities : Can't afford to look bad just prior to an election.

All the GOPers got as much face time as possible congratulating one another on their
excellent job. Can't contradict that image with pictures and horror stories.

[intheflow]

3. Katrina flashback for sure.

Kicking because it's good to see local MSM reporting on what I've been speculating for two days now--given my experience on the ground in Mississippi after Katrina. The news censorship means things are MUCH worse than they're letting on. My guess is that their are lots of corpses, but also a LOT of environmental damage from the oil and petrochemical industries down there.

[merh]

10. Ding! Ding! Ding!

They can't afford to let the public see the pollutants and toxins caused by the flooding of the oil refineries and petrochemical toxins - drill, baby, drill.

Hell, they never told the media or the survivors about the toxins we were dealing with, they must be besides themselves trying to figure how to to hide/clean up the mess that is the texas coast.

[hootinholler]

30. I also suspect the corpses are a different demographic than the ones in NO.

Why do they bother, word gets out anyway.

-Hoot

[Regret My New Name]

37. Isn't Galveston a rather depressed area?

I was always under that impression.

[ZenKitty]

51. Not any more than your average city....just on a smaller scale. n/t

[MadMaddie]

31. Except the difference is the victims themselves

There is no way that FEMA and * can allow the fact that hundreds have died maybe more. I am surprised that they are already blaming the victims.

Texans are a lot more vocal and this will not be hidden for long.

[Dover]

4. Got a more direct link to the Wayne Dolcefino video? Can't locate it.

Thanks.

[texasleo]

7. here

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id=6391294

[HCE SuiGeneris]

5. Kickity-kick!

[magellan]

6. I heard Wayne Sunday afternoon -- he was ON FIRE over this

...confronting Gov Perry and showing him to be the absolute tool he is. When pressed, Perry couldn't decide whether the restricted airspace was the fault of the local government(s) (the mayors of devastated coastal towns) or the fed! He's the GOVERNOR and he doesn't know who has control of the airspace over TX? No. Of course he knows, but he's willing to look like an inept fool to cover up who ordered it and why.

Remind you of anyone?

k-n-freaking-r for the victims of politics as usual in TX.

[madrchsod]

8. photos from getty....look for the ones of bolivar

http://news.aol.com/article/nearly-2000-hurricane-victims-rescued/170000

[IamyourTVandIownyou]

11. Numerous Bolivar Photos

http://jakeabby.com/cb/


whoa.

[hatrack]

25. In the photo gallery linked above, photos around #150 - Gilchrist, Oak Island . . .

Around #180 - Crystal Beach, High Island

[Sequoia]

32. Thanks. These are amazing.

What a lot of destruction. So many people stayed..where are they?

[lastliberalintexas]

52. Wow, the Bolivar Lighthouse photo is chilling

Anyone familiar with Bolivar should get an empty feeling in their stomach looking at that picture. :(

[KeepItReal]

9. Rick Perry was a Class-A Dick to the reporter asking why they are blocking press access

(eom)

[Flying Dream Blues]

47. Just par for the course, I assure you. nt

[AzDar]

12. Repukes can and will screw up a nocturnal emission......

:puke:

[TxBlue]

13. Hope this is just another straw on camel's back

ENOUGH!

It's time for both gov fancyhair and chdevil to be gone. Texas needs to go blue and the nation.

How can they sleep at night with the loss of life on their hands?

They've said bush was the worst president ever. These last few months are going to make "worst" exponentially off the charts.

[DirtyDawg]

14. Gee Barbara...

...do you think that these 'Texans' are better off than they've ever been? I mean, what do they have to complain about? Of course you and Poppy were in Maine for the Summer and had people to look after whatever property you might have been worried about...bitch.

[kpete]

15. from MSNBC

from MSNBC

A line of at least 30 cars formed early Monday at a strip mall in Orange, a Texas town on the Louisiana state line east of Beaumont, a day after food and water were distributed there by the National Guard. But the line dispersed after state troopers told the gathering that supplies would be passed out elsewhere.

Wanda Hamor, 49, of Orange, had been fifth in line with her 21-year-old son William. They were trapped in their house by floodwaters until Monday morning before they could venture out.

They had run out of food Sunday night. They left for Gustav and say they couldn’t afford to leave for Ike or buy any more than $60 in food.

“He’s diabetic and he has to eat four times a day,” she said of her son.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26695458/

[TornadoTN]

16. Perry is a fucking asshole - calling people who stayed behind "knuckleheads"

Geez Rick, not everyone has the luxury to get the hell out of dodge or the money to do so. Yeah, some used questionable judgement by staying but many others couldn't leave for a variety of reasons.

[pberq]

17. Incredible!

The video of the reporter confronting Gov. Perry - is this really America?

What about freedom of the press?

[TornadoTN]

18. Dolcefino is now reporting from Bolivar - "No signs of life - man or animal"

Dolcefino is now at Bolivar - he's describing it as desolate and that there is hardly anything left. Debris everywhere in some spots and in others, there's just absoloutley nothing left, no debris or structures, just barren land.

Unbelievable. The fact that the government is trying to restrict access to this area from the press is very unsettling. There seems to be a whitewashing going on.

[EFerrari]

19. Is there a stream available? DirecTv shut down Ch 11. n/t

[TornadoTN]

20. There are a few links

Dolcefino is on ABC 13 - http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/livenow?id=6384042

KHOU (DirecTV feed) is at : http://www.khou.com/video/?nvid=178826&live=yes&noad=yes

[EFerrari]

21. Thanks so much! n/t

[TornadoTN]

24. Anytime!

We need plenty of people watching this - most people have already let this slip off of their radar.

[annabanana]

22. Wayne Dolcefino is a JOURNALIST... a rare breed today. . . n/t

[EFerrari]

23. They said there's been no looting but I heard on Ch 11 that 30 people

were arrested Friday night in Houston and on Ch 13, they just said 12 people have been arrested on Galveston.

[TornadoTN]

26. Per ABC 13 - Gilchrist (community in Galveston) is completely wiped out

They were showing a new satellite image - it was completely bare land and sand with a highway (Hwy 87) running through the center. No word on survivors, but there were quite a few that stayed in this area.

[Gold Metal Flake]

27. Wayno only has one speed and you people just saw it.

He has been a tenacious bulldog from his earliest days.

This flight restriction will not stand. I expect it to be violated soon enough repeatedly by reporters & private pilots. The damage will not be swept up in a few days.

[dccrossman]

28. K & R

Kick this to the top of the pile. kpete is always on top of it.

Last thing the Thugs want is more imagery that is reminiscent of Katrina and brings those memories back strong. That leads to remembering the Bushie installed incompetent cronies in every position he had control over and we can't have that.

Heckuva job, Brownie.

[Retrograde]

29. "George Bush hates wet people!"

(Wyatt Cenac on The Daily Show, commenting on the administration's slow response to this summer's floods in the Midwest)

It's all Gustav's fault: the Gulf Coast inundated on national TV 3 years ago and showed how incompetent Heckuvajob Brownie and his cronies were. Gustav was conveniently supposed to hit during the Republican convention, so they had the mock telethon set up, and curtailed festivities, and Bush and Cheney were ostentatiously concerned. Everything was set up to show what a great job they were going to do this time around. And what does Gustav do? Fizzles out at the last moment, spoiling the Great Compassionate Response (tm).

So now a hurricane strikes in an area that's had them before and officials are acting like it's the first time they've heard of one. One "nice" thing about hurricanes is that we can pretty much track where they're going: I wonder how FEMA will react when the next major earthquake hits a populated area in the West without any warning.

BTW, where is Bush?

[RepublicanElephant]

33. some fema snob spokesman was actually on the news whining about

people just wanting "instant gratification."

yeah, trying to survive is instant gratification.

idiot.

[bigbrother05]

45. Have friends from Galveston here with us in SA

They got on line to register with FEMA, given a case number, etc. Just trying to make some use of their time while waiting to see when they can try to get back home. Live on Ferry Rd on the east end.

Went to the FEMA HQ set up here in San Antonio today to see what they could find out. Was told their "claim" had been denied. Hadn't realized they had filed a claim, only trying to get into the system so they could get info, etc.

Have yet to see anything about their neighborhood on any media. They didn't live near the seawall or in one of the waterfront developments, just a 2 bdrm, ground floor apt. They just heard tonight that a friend who stayed has survived. She's near their business, hoping to keep the looting to a minimum. Think the reporter who questioned Perry may have gotten her on the air, but haven't see it yet.

The worry of not knowing what's happened to their stuff and their lives is a weight that has doubled by the hour since Sat morning. Is it too much to ask for someone to give some kind of block by block rundown on the conditions?

Guess FEMA and those great Republican Governors aren't ready for the 10 o'clock news, much less prime time.

[snappyturtle]

34. k&r

[Dystopian]

35. Thank you for the links....KandR

I watched the streaming video for a while....
The first time I realized this was possible was when I watched the RNC police state incidents as they occurred. This is criminal, keeping the press away from the criminals in charge.
So much MSM coverage of the "preparations" and now the blackout.
Watching this is chilling....the destruction is horrific....

Also, heartfelt thanks for all of your posts...the lifeline of DU.
I just needed to express that, here and now.

peace~

[daughter of liberty2]

36. We need to keep kicking this one up...

we can't let them get away with this bull.
Has anyone sent this to Rachel Maddow? She might be interested.
:kick:

[gristy]

38. Interesting. CNN had 160 photos to view from their front page earlier today

Now there are just 10
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/weather/09/15/hurricane.ike/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto

[readmoreoften]

81. MIght as well cut it down.

Same 40 photos over and over. Most pre-storm.

[gristy]

39. Plenty of photo's at Houston Chronicle's website. Looks pretty bad, indeed.

at
http://www.chron.com/

CLick on
Sept. 14: Houston damage
Ike's aftermath in Galveston
Just rescues: Holdouts in high water
Photos submitted by readers

[LynneSin]

40. Ike should have come during the Republican convention....

Republicans were all over that like flies on shit.

And honestly that was not a bad thing. Except it seems they aren't doing the same thing for this hurricane because it wasn't happening during a major GOP event.

[Jamastiene]

41. Keeping it kicked.

What next? I believe my head will explode if Chimpy says, "Heckuva job, Chertoff." :mad:

:kick:

[Jamastiene]

42. Keeping it kicked.

What next? I believe my head will explode if Chimpy says, "Heckuva job, Chertoff." :mad:

:kick:

[Laelth]

43. k&r for some real news.

Thanks, OP.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Jamastiene]

44. And if that's not enough to make you mad (MUST SEE):

In this Guardian slide show of the Aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the very last picture of the slideshow actually made my jaw drop. I don't know why. Did I think he'd be thinking about anything else in this world, honestly? Still, this one picture speaks VOLUMES about just how horrible the last 8 years have been.

Check it out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2008/sep/15/usa?picture=337617662

The first 17 pictures in the slideshow are of the devastation of people's homes. The last picture of the slideshow, shows you where Chimpy's priorities are... :mad:

[emmadoggy]

46. I watched the channel 13 feed for a while tonight...

Dolcefino did make it out to Bolivar peninsula today as did one of their other anchors - don't know his name. The destruction is devastating. Saw pictures on some sites that were linked here at DU also. The shot of that one yellow house - I believe it's in Gilchrist - sitting relatively unscathed amid utter destruction is just mind-boggling.

What seemed really weird to me is that the towns seemed relatively deserted. They came across a few people - the one anchor talked to some sort of local official - and they talked to a few survivors - but for the most part the places looked utterly deserted. Where are all the Nat'l Guard, FEMA, and other Emergency officials? These locations are ground zero and I saw very little activity going on there. Maybe I just don't understand how these things are done, but I thought there would be more going on.:shrug:

[ZenKitty]

50. What are you expecting to see?

The Bolivar Peninsula is a tiny strip of land on the coast. TINY. It was wiped out! The water is still receding.

It is not ground zero..it is ground subzero. I suggest you take a peek at a map (google, etc.) to get an idea of the land mass involved.

[emmadoggy]

61. WTF? What the

hell did I say to warrant that angry response?

For your information, I HAVE looked at maps of the area and familiarized myself with where all these towns are located that I keep hearing about. I have watched local news coverage and looked at photos online. What difference, exactly, does it make that the Bolivar Peninsula is a tiny strip of land? Many people live there, do they not? I simply made an observation that I thought there would be more activity of emergency officials - people looking for survivors, bodies, providing aid to the people who are still there, helping them leave - whatever.

I suggest you notch it back a bit.

[ZenKitty]

64. Angry response?.

If I notched it back a bit I would be sleeping.

Color me confused...

You just don't seem to have a grasp of what is going on. I lived there.

[EFerrari]

65. So, did you live there or do you live there?

[emmadoggy]

68. Angry...condescending...nasty

take your pick.

And you're doing it again. I "don't seem to have a grasp of what is going on"? Get over yourself.

[ZenKitty]

48. I live here, this is my community you are trying to politicize...

...think about that. There have been a few issues here and there but I will TELL YOU THIS...I am highly offended and upset that you would try to gin up the "masses" in an attempt to politicize our situation. This does NOTHING productive.

From FEMA to the State to the local governments, the response and flexibility has been wonderful. The distraction of those that are running this recovery mission by random potshots in local press conferences is a distraction that taxes all of those in charge. Their energy and resources should be focused on the issues at hand not defending a decision that they made 2 hours ago.

Do your Monday morning quarterbacking on Monday. It's not MONDAY YET.

[EFerrari]

49. One vote for the wonderfulness of FEMA.

lol

[ZenKitty]

53. Good for you finding humor in our time of difficulty...

...but I would bet that many of my neighbors are feeling a bit more comfortable today.

I just don't get the cut throat politics over let's take care of those in need.

[EFerrari]

54. And giving up my sense of humor would help Texas how, exactly?

Really, what is this? A Baptist revival?

You're on a political discussion board. Do you realize that?

[ZenKitty]

57. I just never found humor in situations like this...

Baptist revival? Nice.

I guess I should have posted today (after having power for the first time in days) FEMA SUCKS!!!!!

I'm more concerned about supporting all-level responders so that my neighbors and fellow citizens are taken care of.

[EFerrari]

59. We most need humor in these situations.

And no one here wants to attack our first responders. They didn't make this mess, they just have to try to deal with it.

If you read carefully, you'll see that the outrage is directed, rightfully, at the misadministration that thought to try to manipulate the press before they thought to feed the same first responders you are trying to support.

FEMA is itself a disaster, just like all the regulatory agencies under Bush. If we all survive them, we'll be lucky. That doesn't mean there aren't good people working in those agencies. They're casualties, too.

/oops

[ZenKitty]

67. What mess? The hurricane?

Did you notice that they ended up with more food than they could use? Said food was moved to a local resident adult community without power.

I don't know where you all are getting your news, but there is no press manipulation that I can see...again I'm local and living it. There was a knee-jerk defensive bullshit presser on the night after Ike cleared out of here. They are on the defensive not only due to Katrina and more importantly to Rita.

The entire system needs to be reworked/changed. It needs to be way more streamlined.

All things considered, I feel that with what I have seen, things could be worse (could be way better too!).

[EFerrari]

70. The food was moved to more than one venue, in fact.

If you don't know where we are getting our news, then you might not have time to pay attention because all the sources have been posted here faithfully since before the storm hit. Including the article about media manipulation and that was long after malaise called it Saturday morning and after more of us pegged it later that day.

DU is usually a few days ahead of local papers. More eyes, more energy, more interest plus the fusion of a lot of people tracking things together.

And for some of us, this is every bit as much about our media as it is about Texas.

[ZenKitty]

73. Okay, if you say so.

I was involved in moving the food, so I guess I don't know what I'm talking about.

How about using some of that energy helping those in need.

[EFerrari]

74. I'm a longtime advocate for the homeless here in town.

How can I help? What are you all needing? :)

[Dreamer Tatum]

93. She's in the Bay Area with no dog in the hunt and an axe to grind

best of fortune to you - my properties down there are GONE.

[readmoreoften]

79. As someone in Austin with family in Laporte and SE Houston, I say the press has been blacked out.

So do local TV reporters (publically) and so do many evacuees on the forums of KHOU and so do many evacuees who everyday fill the local coffee shop where my partner works. It is important that you are kept in the news so that evacuees and survivors can receive help, donations, proper medical treatment and care from fellow citizens.

The lack of attention to the evacuees and their stories is unacceptable. Disdain for those who stayed (or found themselves stuck after securing neighbors or lost their window of opportunity while begging stubborn loved ones to flee) was whipped up in the media from the onset. And now these same cold, repetitive news reports proclaim that there are almost no deaths. This in itself makes little sense. If there have truly been 8 deaths--and only three in Galveston--then clearly those who decided not to evacuate weren't so horribly irrational after all. If this is the case, Galveston should be 40% populated now and there should be a real housing crisis, as well as a food, blanket, and pillow crisis. Let us know! We could help!

The top stories on Yahoo frontpage are as follows and in the following order (they are piped in from AP and Reuters etc., so it matters little that it's from Yahoo) This format is consistent on most news feeds and in almost all syndicated newspapers:


Music world's loss (Pink Floyd Founder)
Protecting your money from mortgage crisis
Global warming bad news for allergy sufferers
Surprises in list of most political cities
Asian stock markets tumble over fears of global financial crisis
Lehman Bros. reportedly in talks to sell part of firm to Barclays
Typhoon kills 7, dumps as much as 55 inches of rain on Taiwan
Rescue teams fly into hard-to-reach areas to find Ike survivors (video only)
Economists take critical view of candidates' health care plans
Report: Migraine sufferers prone to develop blood clots in veins
Atlanta Falcons safety Lawyer Milloy arrested for drunken driving

Even if you're trying to get information on SE Texas post Ike, it's always the same damn 100 photos--60 of which were taken before Ike hit--and around 10% of which are of the windows in the JPMorgan building downtown from a million different angles.

This is not politicizing. Most of us want to know what's happening so that the disaster isn't shoved under the rug for political gain. This is making sure that history is recorded, that people are accounted for, that the government is trustworthy, and that justice is done. What would have happened if no post-hurricane photos of Katrina were taken? If we never saw the conditions of the evacuees? If we only saw a few photos and reports said "It's bad, but it's okay. You can trust us. We're Homeland Security." Do you really think more people died because journalists were invited on boats with rescue teams in New Orleans? They didn't seem to mind then. I did not hear of one death due to media interference. It was a 24-7 issue for weeks.

But up to 140,000 people could be missing off the coast of my state and LA and I'm supposed to trust that they're all safe? The way the Red Cross has it set up, you can't look for folks unless you know their street address. Do you know how many friends I have whose street address I couldn't tell you? I know for a fact some of them don't have relatives who know either. Moreover, the list only says how many people signed up as safe per day...not per week or per event. I've been keeping track (approximately for magnitude) On Saturday it was 2100. On Sunday it was 1500. Today it was 812. That's about 4300 people. Only 16,896 names have been added in the last 12 months. I would assume that it would be a huge priority of those in the shelters to list themselves as safe. I would assume that those working for the red cross and other charities would be taking such names and adding them to the list. These safe lists were a HUGE DEAL immediately after Katrina. COMMUNICATION with loved ones was the first thing on everyone's mind after survival. Are these 140,000 people who went missing somehow fundamentally different than those who survived Katrina? Okay, let's say they overestimated and it was really 100K people. Where are they? 75K. Where are they? 50K. Where are they? 25K? Still short by about 20,000 people.

This is deeply disturbing. It should be deeply disturbing.


It is your community--this is true. But it's my in-laws and relatives community too. And it's my state. And it's our country. And it's our federal government. Some people may be coldly politicizing--this is true-- but others of us simply want to make sure that history isn't destroyed or manipulated for political gain. It is absolutely critical that 140,000 Americans can't disappear into thin air and all communications cut by Homeland Security.

I don't mean to be rude. I'm sure you've been through hell. I'm glad your electricity is turned back on. I hope your loved ones and the home you've worked for are all safe. Please keep us posted.

[uppityperson]

71. Did you take 1st responders food and water like was asked since FEMA wasn't feeding them?

Making sure you are doing your part there while those of us a ways away only criticize FEMA for its incompetance.

[ZenKitty]

75. I'm running out of steam...glad to be a whipping post.

But to answer your question, not only did I show up with food I helped move the extra food to the ALC. I'm pooped. Y'all can bitch and gripe and make political hay out of a natural disaster.

I guess I should apologize for making a positive post about how things are going down here. People matter to me more than politics.

[EFerrari]

77. Maybe you should put down that straw man to conserve your energy.

DU is happy to get good news and making a hurricane a political event is precisely what people are objecting to. We have a lot of people on the Gulf Coast, thank you very much.

[ZenKitty]

78. I guess I read things differently than you...only have to read the OP

Glad you're happy...that's all that matters. :-(

[EFerrari]

89. The OP is criticizing the idiots who manage FEMA for Bush

not first responders.

[uppityperson]

86. Not criticizing your community but FEMA. You do understand that fed politics/aka bushites

is what gutted FEMA, making it so much less able to deal with what it was set up for, managing emergencies on a federal level, right?

This is not about the community EXCEPT how the FED gvt is trying to control it. Good lord, can you not see that we are upset at how the FED gvt has politicized disasters, and we are more concerned about the people involved that the FED gvt is?

If you want to tie yourself to a whipping post and say "go ahead, bash my day", unless you are part of those incompetents related to FEMA at the FED level, you will be really bored. That is the strawman here. We criticize the FED gvt, you counter with us criticizing the community. Perhaps you are just stressed out there and are over reacting.

From OP:

"In addition, FEMA is controlling the story, keeping the facts from the press, and trying to hide the ball they are dropping.

Even worse is the way the Federal Government is trying to keep the media away from the disaster areas and control the story. FEMA and the FAA are stepping all over Freedom Of The Press."

"It didn't take long for the finger-pointing to begin.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency came under fire Sunday as emergency workers were left undernourished and dozens of trucks or water and food had yet to be set up at distribution centers around Houston and surrounding communities.

And no sooner had the agency — widely condemned for its glacial response to suffering after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — drawn sharp criticism as its leaders and spokesmen began to say it was someone else's fault.

Politicians, FEMA blame each other for relief missteps"

See, FEMA is getting bashed, and the "F" is for "Federal" and those complaining ARE local people.

[lastliberalintexas]

55. FEMA's response has been wonderful?

I can't speak for the Galveston area, but FEMA hasn't done shit for SE Texas. Just like Rita. Just like Humberto. Just like Edouard.

The locals, the National Guard members, various charities (even Red Cross and Salvation Army) and churches have done much more to actually help nthan the feds. Yet again. Good for you if your experience is different.

[ZenKitty]

62. Go back and read my original comment...

I stated that every level of government from the evil FEMA on down (with a few glitches) has really stepped up to the plate.

Did you read my original post?

The Salvation Army is such an unsung hero in situations like this. It's the locals that shore up the needs before the feds can figure out how to handle the big picture.

[uppityperson]

72. Salvation Army is where I ask people to donate to, they are great.

They get in fast, feed people, use their money much more wisely than redcross does.

[readmoreoften]

80. An aside: please tell them to stop using your money to fight gay marriage in California.

Plus it disturbs me that if my partner or I were trapped in the middle of a humanitarian crisis they would not treat us as a family that deserved to be reunited. This was also a problem for LGBT people in Katrina with the Red Cross.

Personally I wish we had a competent system of government that used our tax dollars for such occasions.

[uppityperson]

85. True, they do have policies which I very much disagree with. For disasters they work though

I agree. "Personally I wish we had a competent system of government that used our tax dollars for such occasions. " Maybe they could call is something like Federal Emergency Management System.

[readmoreoften]

94. Dirty socialist! Don't' you believe in family? Why aren't people's families rescuing them?

Don't these people have any family who can pull their bodies out of flooded homes? Instead of whining "Oh officer, where's my sister? Please save my grandmother!" these lazy slobs can go do it themselves. That's what's wrong with America today. No personal responsibility.

You want to choose to live in a zone that is (or has suddenly transformed due to bad social or ecological practices into) a flood risk, a wildfire risk, a terrorism risk, a tornado-plagued region a.k.a., a mobile home park, a fault-line city, a city economically dependent on a fault-line city, a drought prone region, a magnet for locusts, a high crime neighborhood, a medium crime neighborhood, a region with an unkept nuclear power plant, any area in the NE susceptible to blizzards or icy road conditions...if you live along the coast or on a lake or on river or in a neighborhood with a drainage ditch and you don't have a second home to flee to, then you don't have the right to be saved because you brought it all on yourself. If something happens, well, you better have a burly lumberjack of a husband strapped with an AK to save your ass, because you're on your own.

*I'm the Republican Party and I approve this message*

[uppityperson]

95. I'm a dirty librul with low moral values

[uppityperson]

69. Yes, it is Monday.

[ZenKitty]

76. You realize that they have not been able to clear all ...

of Bolivar right? Still doing grid searches...

[uppityperson]

83. Of course I realize that. You realize that they will not be able to do a full search

of everything for at least months, right? Thinking back to post Katrina and finding bodies 2 yrs later. Of course I realize that. Right now they are looking for survivors and obvious bodies.

[JimDandy]

56. You know, there's going to be a huge blow back if the Repub Admin

gives Texas residents what they need to rebuild, when they didn't help out the 9th Ward or "the black section" of NOLA. It's THREE years later and, in some places, it looks like last Saturday's hurricane could have been the one to hit the ward. DISGUSTING!

[EFerrari]

63. Ask the 9/11 first responders how well BushCo takes care of people. n/t

[JimDandy]

88. I remember all those stories - so heart-sickening! n/t

[lonestarnot]

58. And McSame spent years as a POW. Think he'd treat disasters any differently with Graham managing

the money and Muckasey handling the skirting of the law. Freedom of the press would mean nothing as it has the last 8 years. They will make a great disaster buster covering up bunch. We cannot let them! Can't someone sneak in with a camera? Or is it like the Green Zone?

[FloridaJudy]

60. I saw a picture of two of the last evacuees

An elderly couple who were completely bedridden. Don't you dare tell me these people "decided to ride it out"! Waiting until the water was more than waist-high to boat them to safety was obviously a breakdown in planning. And the emergency workers waited until the last minute to request food and water? Sorry guys: that just won't wash.

I've worked in shelters during Florida's hurricanes, and this kind of half-assed planning is typical. Two of the "Special Needs" shelters I worked had the most pathetic excuses for facilities. In one designated to accommodate the handicapped - including those needing wheelchairs - the only rest rooms were up two flights of narrow stairs. Another did have a handicapped accessible lavatory, but only one stall for over 200 people, most of whom were frail and confused elderly people dumped there in the middle of the night in their pajamas, and with no cots or food provided.

We've now had enough experience with hurricanes and wildfires in Florida that foul-ups like that are less common. FEMA obviously failed to consult those of us who've learned the hard way how to manage an evacuation, and how to provide essential services to the displaced. Of course, that would involve appointing someone who was actually competent to head FEMA, and we all know what this administration's record is of that.

[EFerrari]

66. George Bush doesn't like people.

:hug:
:grouphug:

[bdamomma]

91. he has made that clear, loves those 1% though.

[Hubert Flottz]

82. It will be "Action Roll 'em" today when Bush goes down to do his

photo shoot.

McCain won't be far behind...

The Market crash took the heat off of this story for a while...

[G_j]

84. just like Iraq nt

[uppityperson]

87. UPDATE: Galveston officials restrict media access

On the 1 hand, they could be trying to get out accurate info rather than rumors, on the other hand, they could be trying to limit info. After the last 8 yrs, difficult to tell.

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080916_tnt_galveston_media.7f735fbe.html

Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas on Monday ordered all city employees not to talk to news reporters. She did not say when that order would be lifted. Thomas and City Manager Steve LeBlanc will be the only officials allowed to talk to reporters. City spokeswoman Mary Jo Naschke vehemently denied the city was trying to clamp down on coverage.

She said emergency personnel and city employees were too busy to talk to reporters. Naschke also said the city had been accommodating news reporters by allowing them access to the island when others weren’t allowed, giving them escorted rides to damaged areas and allowing them to move about outside during a curfew. But at a noon press conference Monday, Thomas and LeBlanc talked for less than 30 minutes and refused to answer more than five questions. Thomas said she would try to hold another conference today. Daily News reporters who tried to speak to city employees were denied and told no one could talk except for the mayor and city manager.

“It’s the worst thing the city could do. Those who will suffer most are evacuees,” Publisher Dolph Tillotson said in a statement via text message. “The media will have to turn to other sources that might be less reliable. I can’t imagine a dumber move under these extreme circumstances.”

(clip)

Reporters staying at the city’s emergency operations center at the San Luis Hotel were asked to leave Monday. San Luis hotel owner Tilman Fertitta was housing reporters at the nearby Hilton Hotel, which he also owns. Reporters would be allowed on the island only if they had proper identification, Thomas said. She didn’t clarify what that meant. Reporters were also forbidden from visiting areas on the far West End, Thomas said. She did not explain why.

[K Gardner]

90. But... I heard on FOX this a.m. that "everything in Galveston was GOOD".. its actually the ONLY

coverage I've seen, period. An absolute frightening reminder that our media CONTROLS perception.

Communist China anyone?

[bdamomma]

92. kick