Posted on 09/02/2005 9:57:05 PM PDT by America's Resolve
BY his own admission, things are going badly for Sheriff Harry Lee and his crisis management efforts.
Outside his mobile headquarters truck, two officers grip a stepladder while a third stands on the top rung waving his mobile telephone in the air, searching for a signal.
Inside Sheriff Lee, of Jefferson parish in New Orleans, is sitting at a table, fuming.
He is doing his best to alleviate the biggest catastrophe he will ever witness, but lacks even the most basic of resources.
He cannot communicate with his own officers -- his officers can barely communicate with each other -- because the overloaded radio frequency keeps jamming.
The chain of command for Louisiana's hurricane rescue plan has missing links. There is tension between the numerous agencies involved in the relief effort, and some of Sheriff Lee's deputies are so overwhelmed and demoralised that they are giving up.
"It's not getting better -- it's getting worse," he says. "This is probably the largest national disaster in the history of the US and the co-ordination that should be in effect all these days after the event just isn't happening. It's lack of proper planning and lack of co-ordination. There are plenty of Indians, but no chiefs."
Two kilometres from his command post, a section of Highway 10 has become a giant refugee camp. The evacuees are gradually being taken away in buses and trucks to shelters as far away as Houston, Texas.
But some have started turning up at his door, pleading for food and for water.
Some have not had a drink since Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
When was that exactly? I've been walking this earth for nearly 50 years and I can't remember a time like that.
People like you scare me. You really do.
When the hell did making a profit become 'evil'? And when exactly did how much profit someone made become any of your business? Who made you the arbiter of what constitutes a 'public good'?
Maybe it's just the thought of someone making 'too much' profit that bothers you. Well, don't worry; Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton feel just the same...
Hey UH, what about the guy who owns that gas station, have you thought about him and his family? Do you think he might have realized that the cost of the goods to take care of his family might just be about to spike upwards? I'm not saying it's happening, but lets do a hypothetical here.
Mr. Gas Station owner in Jackson MS notices that most everything to his south is wiped out. He also realizes that local resources are going to be stretched to the limit and that prices on basic goods are going to rise. In anticipation of this fact he raises the price of a commodity he already owns so he can cover the increased future costs of taking care of his family.
Geez, man think for a minute will you?
Conservative my Aunt Sally...your position is anything but.
L
Ignorning the past and the basic laws of economics is complete and utter stupidity. It is incompetence and unitentional malice disguised as compassion.
The free market, in any circumstances, is the best and ultimate rationer of demand and supply, a balancer of needs versus wants.
Go back to DU; DNC talking pints, and ancient ones at that, are not welcome here.
And just WHO is profiting from Katrina?
Yes, there has been some gouging, re gasoline prices, but there was pnaic and hysteria, by the general public, which drove up prices in a few places. But you must remember that there is the law of supply and demand; not to mention the fact that those in the oil business are in it to make a profit and are not charitable organizations.
So do you support a privatized army and police force?
Short wave radio?
If the leaders of NO and LA expected the federal government to take care of everything, why were they collecting tax dollars and federal money? Did they think that money was just there to make them feel more important or to pass out to cronies???
_______________________________________________________
I lived in NO for a couple of years and yes they they did.
Not really though. I grew up in a city of 350,000 and as a professional consultant, I travel to big cities all over the country.
You're right about us being insulated though. After my wife and I got out of the US Navy though, we made a conscious decision to live in the rural Iowa countryside. Got six beautiful acres in the heart of the heartland :)
And I tend to look for the dark side in people, then I'm pleasantly surprised if I dont find it.
But I guess that 300,000 people sitting on their asses waiting for someone to take them by the hand and lead them out of a dying city is foreign to me. Thank heavens :)
Godspeed
HUA !.......:o)
I've learned about everything from how to set up an Incident Command System by the book, to Hazardous Materials, to Radiological Emergencies, Shelter Management, Volunteer Management, and Household Preparedness over the net.
There is no charge for these classes, and they only take a few hours to complete. You even get a nice certificate a few weeks after you complete a course.
Hell, in my town ever first responder is required to take at least the NIMS course. Now, it may be coincidence but I see that course is temporarily offline for some reason. I suspect demand has something to do with that.
FEMA is probably running some crash courses for people who should already know this sh**....
Sorry to spout off in your general direction, but reading this goobers comments really chaps my hide.
L
hey I like Iowa
back in my long haired daze....70s
Iowa City was fun...babes too!
"So do you support a privatized army and police force?"
I'm sorry, what the HELL does that have to do with anything?
Why do you anti-free market people have to constantly change the subject once you get slapped down on your original lame arguments???
My goodness, if you're incapable of taking on the subject at hand, don't enter the fray. For pete's sake.
"Unfortunately, it's not getting better folks, its getting worse."
I've been away from FR this evening but have been watching the cable news (CNN since Fox is only showing repeats of earlier evening shows as usual) and the picture they seem to be painting now is that things ARE improving finally... Still pretty bad but relatively calm and getting calmer.
Have I missed something?
L
Cancer patients are dying aren't they? I guess making a profit on cancer drugs is immoral. Hey, if I don't get water, I'll die right? It's therefore immoral for my local water utility to run a profit and by God we better shut down Hinckly and Schmidt.
Those bastards are making a profit on water!
Don't even get me started on farmers....if we can't buy their food, we'll all die! How dare they try to run a profit by threatening me with death if I don't pay their prices.
Are you evening reading the crap you're posting before you hit the button?
L
They just got (at least in theory) two of the larger hospitals evacuated.
No thugs have been disarmed or killed yet.
Oil tank explosions this morning.
If it's getting better, it's not noticable yet. Course, I'm 2000 miles away :)
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