"It took four days for FEMA to get its first people into South Florida after Andrew"

Boston Globe ^ | August 26, 2004 | By Brendan Farrington, Associated Press

[InspiredPath1]

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. --Betty Babitzke and her husband were so frustrated after Hurricane Andrew slammed into Florida in 1992 that they pulled out a map and started looking for a safer part of the state in which to spend their retirement. They settled on Punta Gorda.

Then, two weeks ago, came Hurricane Charley, second only to Andrew on the list of Florida's most destructive hurricanes.

That is because life after Charley is much better than life after Andrew.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local authorities are being praised for their response to Charley, something that did not happen after Andrew.

"After Andrew, it was chaotic, absolutely chaotic," Babitzke said, describing the lack of services and free-for-all created by intersections with missing signs and signals. "Cleanup was extremely slow. There's no comparison. This response team, they have it together. They're at least three days ahead. It's fabulous."

It is a far cry from what Kate Hale saw 12 years ago. Hale, who was the Dade County emergency management director when Andrew hit, asked in exasperation in the storm's aftermath: "Where in the hell is the cavalry?"

This time, "they've had food, water, people, equipment and communications in almost immediately. We were waiting days for that and sometimes longer," said Hale, now president and chief executive of the South Florida Mental Health Association. "This one's gone off the way you would want to see things happen."

It took four days for FEMA to get its first people into South Florida after Andrew. In the same time after Charley, disaster workers had finished search-and-rescue operations and were focused on getting residents necessities like food and water.

[DB]

The election was in November of 92'... Clinton wasn't President until January of 93'...

[Wormwood]

Clinton got pounded after Andrew.

You mean Bush got pounded. Andrew was August, 1992

[Howlin]

This is exactly what cost Bush 41 the 1992 victory.

[Howlin]

Clinton got pounded after Andrew.

It was George Bush.

[Real Cynic No More]

I also responded to Andrew as an individual volunteer helping some folks associated with my employer to recover. South Florida was such a mess that all the volunteers had to have guides accompany them in their vehicles, as all signage and traffic signals were down. Unless you were familiar with the area, you couldn't figure out where to go. And most already had plywood over their broken windows. The most common graffit on the plywood was "Looters will be shot" or "Insured by Smith and Wesson" or "My 12-gage trumps your Mac-10".

[DeeOhGee]

That's true; self-reliance invariably promotes charity, because we all like to see people try to take care of themselves, and we like to help people that help themselves.

[Jedidah]

"FEMA=Suits with a assured paycheck, did you expect them to do something?"

I find your post offensive.

FEMA does a magnificient job, ALWAYS under difficult circumstances. FEMA is only called upon in states of emergency, as the agency's name would imply.

No one can make things right after a disaster like this.

What FEMA is doing today in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi is a massive undertaking, much greater than any federal agency has ever been asked to do before. Both the people behind the desks and those on the ground deserve our respect and support.

Rude criticism by those of us sitting in the comfort of our homes is neither helpful nor appropriate.

[anonymoussierra]

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"I know people are superman everything has to be one day now now now; aboslutely politician’s reporter's politician in fore lost their mind."

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thank you all

[Polybius]

This article puts to bed the lie being perpetrated by the race baiters in the press today that the New Orleans victims weren't being helped in a timely manner because they are black.

On the other hand, the "culture thang" that resulted in rescue workers being shot at definitely resulted in whatever aid was available at the time not being delivered in a timely manner.

[doc30]

Andrew taught a lesson to Florida and people here take storm preparations very seriously. Last year, emergency response was very well done. It seems NOLA decided not to learn from Florida's experiences and now suffers much more than it could have been. Hopefully, things will change there for the better.

[Vinnie]

It rained for about 2 weeks after Andrew also.

A local restaurant drove a semi down there to feed Homestead Fla.
When they got to Cutler Ridge the NG stopped them and told them any farther south and they were on their own. They couldn't provide security. They would likely be mobbed.
The semi turned around and drove back to NC.

[citizencon]

>I can't remember any reasonable person berating Clinton for FEMA's "slow" response after Andrew.<

Wonder where Democrat-operative(aka NBC reporter) Andrea Mitchel got her facts when she proclaimed the other day that FEMA was doing a lousy job until Clinton came into office and suggested it was inept again under Bush II.

[MinuteGal]

Bring in tough-as-nails Bernie Kerik (former NYC Police Commissioner). He headed the largest police force in the world.

As head of FEMA, he'd knock heads together and cut the mass of bureaucratic red tape that paralyzes disaster relief.

Enough of the DC-type pansies!

Leni

[SolarisRocks]

Does that mean the billions extra that we gave FEMA after 9/11 was wasted since it doesn't appear to have improved response time at all?

[Itzlzha]

Hmm...but Je$$e Jacka$$ Jr says "Jackson Blasts Bush Over Katrina Aid (IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME)" and....
"Racism is partly to blame for the deadly aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, calling President Bush's response to the disaster "incompetent."

The civil rights leader said the flooding that caused thousands to be trapped inside the city was caused by a lack of federal funding for its levee system and hurricane planning. The resulting tragedy, he said, has largely hit New Orleans' black residents, because they were too poor to evacuate before the storm hit. "There's a historical indifference to the pain of poor people and black people" in this country, he said.

Hmm...Je$$e Jacka$$ Jr...what is your reply to this?...

"It took four days for FEMA to get its first people into South Florida after Andrew"

So...was X-42 Krintong a Racist too, and by proxy Hillary (Gee, might as well accuse G_d of Racism too!)...or are you just looking to up your "Poverty Pimp Cred"...

Where was the Congressional Black "Pimps and Ho's Roadshow"...Caucus...when the people of MS, AL, and LA needed them? They sure are quick to BUS THEM from Precint to Precint when it's time to commit VOTER FRAUD....but the buses just sat now didn't they...

Just a little more, Poverty Pimps...the tipping point has passed, and we are starting freefall descent...things are going to become "interesting" for these scumbags very soon...

[OpusatFR]

There have been about 4,000 chopper rescues since this started.

They all didn't happen today. The rescue effort has been ongoing since it started and

The news media is an ass for creating the impression that there was nothing being done.

They are a disgrace and a disservice to everyone involved.

[doodad]

I was with the Marines out at the pumping stations. We went out each day in teams to various sites. I spent alot of time at Tamiami airport and the ag station. What few gangs we saw were quickly humbled by the 82nd.

[DeeOhGee]

So...was X-42 Krintong a Racist too

Well, yes, but you cannot use Andrew as proof; George HW Bush was President during Hurricane Andrew (Aug 1992).

[doodad]

I was there within five days and saw no looting or fires. Because everyone was armed. Hell, we were shooting escaped baboons from Yerkes.

[Doe Eyes]

It will always take four days to respond to anything of this magnitude.

Did they use every available School Bus to evacuate people from South Florida?