Contender for 2008 Brownie Award?

[babylonsister]

Whirlwind Tour Beats Out Hurricane
By Al Kamen
Wednesday, September 17, 2008; Page A17


President Bush yesterday toured parts of Texas devastated by Hurricane Ike, saying that government at all levels is working hard to mitigate the effects of a storm that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff warned last week could present a "worst-case scenario."

But Sandy K. Baruah, acting administrator of the Small Business Administration, wasn't on hand to join President Bush on his flyover, even though the SBA bills itself as "the federal government's leading post-disaster economic recovery agency" because of its "important role helping affected communities get back on their feet."

Baruah is scheduled to be in the air today, but not over Texas. He'll be winging his way back across the Atlantic from a five-day trip to Sweden.

Why Sweden? Baruah, who was accompanied by his deputy, Ben Erulkar, chief of staff Molly Wilkinson, and policy aide Mark Meredith, has been attending the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce program Swedish-American Entrepreneurial Days (E-Days). When Ike smashed into Galveston on Friday and raced across Texas Saturday, Baruah was heading off to Stockholm.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/16/AR2008091603009.html

[valerief]

1. I think Bush should at least get a Lifetime Achievement Brownie Award. nt

[TomInTib]

2. Some things just don't change. By the way....

How'd y'all make out?

I've been wondering.

Tom

[babylonsister]

3. We're very lucky; not much damage at all.

Torn fence, a few shrubs uprooted, but windows, roof, etc., in tact. Got the power back this a.m. after a false alarm Sunday; it was on for 3 hours, then zap! Down. The neighborhood is a wreck, trees down, roofs bare of shingles, some caved in, but it could have been worse. Now I'm counting my lucky stars I don't have that waterfront property.

I'm very grateful the storm is over, though I feel for the people in OH and IL who got hit with Ike, with no real warning like we had.

Thanks for asking, Tom! :hi: