Free Republic

The state’s quick adoption of FEMA’s advisory flood maps was sharply criticized Monday by Democratic state senators who said some residents will needlessly spend tens of thousands of dollars to raise their homes to standards that could be eased. Calling the requirements adopted last month by the Department of Environmental Protection "insane," Sen. Bob Smith (D-Middlesex) asked scientists at a hearing in Toms River if the maps are "scientifically valid." At least two scientists — who testified before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee — declined to answer, but Stewart Farrell, director of the Coastal Research Center of the Richard...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is asking those affected by Snowstorm Nemo to check on their neighbors and follow the direction of local officials as the Northeast corridor begins to dig out from under the massive blizzard. "Everyone has a role to play in the response to this winter storm," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate in a statement released Saturday morning. "Follow the direction of your state, local and tribal officials, and if you are told to stay off the roads, stay home, and when it is safe, check on your neighbors or friends nearby who may need assistance or...

In what may be the first full digital storm panic, federal, state and business officials worried about the snow headed for the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast have taken to Twitter warn that a potential disaster is coming.

A nationwide flu outbreak could be a sufficient excuse to call up the National Guard Rapid Response Parallel support module to take control of a “national emergency” with possible declaration of martial law protocols. According to a North Carolina police lieutenant, in some three to six months declarations of martial law could be made throughout the nation. In a two part radio broadcast aired by a Virginia pastor, Lieutenant McCoy has attracted the attention of more than 20,000 listeners. “We’re in huge trouble,” he says as he calls up memories of white, granite gravestones all over Europe; gravestones marking the...

You didn't hear about all that? Plenty more cause-to-suspect the intentions of this vile regime where that came from, and do keep in mind that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution was intended to protect the populace from the actions of a tyrannical government-it wasn't meant for hunting, or even stopping stage-coach robberies- it's there primarily to defend Liberty from precisely the type of megalomaniacal leaders we find ourselves saddled with today... Powerful CA Senator Diane Feinstein has come right-out and stated her end-goal as confiscation of ALL guns in this country... President Obama has twice called for a 'Civilian National Security Force'...

Just a few days after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the New York Times' Paul Krugman crowed triumphantly about the federal government's response to the disaster. "[A]fter Katrina the government seemed to have no idea what it was doing; this time it did. And that's no accident: the federal government's ability to respond effectively to disaster always collapses when antigovernment Republicans hold the White House, and always recovers when Democrats take it back." What a fairy tale. Mature adults understand that earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters are an unfortunate fact of life. They...

President Barack Obama has signed into law a $9.7 billion bill to pay flood insurance claims from Superstorm Sandy. … The House has yet to act on a larger, more comprehensive Sandy aid package. Republican leaders did not bring the bill to the floor before the last session of Congress adjourned. …

Swedish toddlers could be protected from urinary tract infections if their parents took a leaf out of Vietnam's potty training book and cut short the use of nappies, a Swedish research study infers. Professor Anna-Lena Hellström at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg has previously studied the link between diapers and UTIs, more specifically how children who cannot completely empty their bladder run a higher risk of infection. She has now turned her attention to potty training in Vietnam where toddlers as young as three months go diaper-free. "Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine you could start that young,"...

Nearly two months after homes in Staten Island, NY were devastated by Hurricane Sandy, residents say they’re still struggling with red tape as they try to get the government to help. … Victims are shuffled from one desk to another for registration, an identification check, and one-on-one interviews—then referred to something called a “Mitigation Desk,” a FEMA official at a local Disaster Recovery Center explained to MRCTV. …

A few days ago, I posted this blog: Doomsday Preppers are Socially Selfish. The role of a blogger is to foment discussion an it certainly appears that’s what I did. I very much appreciated most of the 150+ comments – except perhaps the ones that called me ‘stupid’, ‘nuts, ‘arrogant’, ‘ignorant’ – and a few personal emails that were much more graphic. I wrote this for the emergency management community, who pretty much misunderstood what I was saying. Social media is certainly powerful and I had no idea this would be so controversial. FIRST .. let me offer a heartfelt...

I'm all for people pitching in to rebuild after a hurricane. But should the taxpayer be subsidizing the rebuilding, especially when an area has proven to be disaster-prone? New York Times: ******** DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. - Even in the off season, the pastel beach houses lining a skinny strip of sand here are a testament to the good life. They are also a monument to the generosity of the federal government. The western end of this Gulf Coast island has proved to be one of the most hazardous places in the country for waterfront property. Since 1979, nearly a dozen...

How do you know when government is broken and rife with incompetence? A good indicator could be when Federally managed workers with the Federal Emergency Management Agency are lining up for food handed out by an offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement, Occupy Sandy. Last week, FEMA shut down its New York centers set up to respond the devastation caused by superstorm Sandy because of… bad weather. This left a disaster aid void that was filled by independent volunteer groups, including Occupy Sandy. Many residents in the region reported feeling abandoned by the Federal helpers sent to aid them....

Hurricane Sandy hadn't even touched down when liberals started blowing kisses to FEMA, or Federal Emergency Management Agency, the federal disaster relief agency. A New York Times editorial declared that the impending storm proved that the country needs FEMA-style "Big Government" solutions more than ever. Salon, New Republic and other liberal outfits heartily agreed. Why do liberals love FEMA so much? Certainly not for its glorious track record. Rather, FEMA has been a great vehicle for expanding the welfare state. FEMA's tragic missteps after Katrina earned it well-deserved disgrace. The Times blames those on the Bush administration, whose anti-government philosophy...

Jersey City small business owners tell FEMA they need grants, not loansBy Terrence T. McDonald / The Jersey Journal updated November 15, 2012 at 11:29 AM **SNIP** But that’s not helpful, said Wayne Lyons, 52, owner of Soul Flavors Restaurant on Grove Street. The restaurant was closed for five days because of Sandy, which caused floods that destroyed equipment in the restaurant’s basement, Lyons said. Lyons said he was hoping for grants instead of loans, saying the federal government “bailed out Wall Street,” so they should bail out small businesses. FEMA declined to comment.

It’s been two weeks since Hurricane Sandy killed 113 people, wiped out portions of towns, and knocked out power to millions. It has also been two weeks since Barack Obama pledged, “No bureaucracy. No red tape.” However, according to multiple public and private sources, unions and union-related red tape are causing workers from out of state to be turned back, as well as workers contracted by FEMA, as well as tons of supplies, already in New York and New Jersey to sit idle—at a cost of millions to taxpayers. It has already been well publicized though the Daily Caller how...

It’s been two weeks since Hurricane Sandy killed 113 people, wiped out portions of towns, and knocked out power to millions. It has also been two weeks since Barack Obama pledged, “No bureaucracy. No red tape.” However, according to multiple public and private sources, unions and union-related red tape are causing workers from out of state to be turned back, as well as workers contracted by FEMA, as well as tons of supplies, already in New York and New Jersey to sit idle—at a cost of millions to taxpayers. It has already been well publicized though the Daily Caller how...

The post-storm housing — a refugee camp on the grounds of the Monmouth Park racetrack – is in lockdown, with security guards at every door, including the showers. No one is allowed to go anywhere without showing their I.D. Even to use the bathroom, “you have to show your badge,” said Amber Decamp, a 22-year-old whose rental was washed away in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The mini city has no cigarettes, no books, no magazines, no board games, no TVs, and no newspapers or radios. On Friday night, in front of the mess hall, which was serving fried chicken and...

Just imagine for a moment what would happen if George Bush’s FEMA Director “Brownie” had suggested homeless African American victims of Katrina be relocated to an empty Louisiana prison. I’ll wait while you try to stop laughing and compose yourself. Whether it would have been a good idea or a TERRIBLE INSULT would have made no difference; it would never have even been discussed. Paternalistic liberals could not sleep at night knowing this was going on. They would much rather “their” Black people sleep in tents….. than sleep in a well-lit warm and safe former prison. “Oh the inhumanity of...

Breaking on Fox. $120M in FEMA money sent to help NY/NJ has disappeared.

FEMA has already dispensed close to $200 million in emergency housing assistance and put 34,000 people in New York and New Jersey in hotels and motels. Still, city and state officials have not laid out an official plan with specifics to move the homeless into long-term housing in an already congested area.