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To: DoughtyOne
I wrote this on an earlier thread, but it bears repeating and I although I was wrong about the "brother-in-law," James Lee Witt more than proofs the point:

To anyone with a "Been There, Done That" t-shirt, the plan (even at a high level) is not executable on its face. You don't "scout for undamaged or lightly damaged facilities" after the fact, because if you are planning for a major disaster you have to assume there won't be much operable or else it wouldn't be a major disaster.

You need to preplan your recovery and relief centers outside the radius of the disaster.

I am guessing that the government of New Orleans shoveled bushels of money at someone's brother-in-law posing as a consultant to get this piece of dreck.

Every USMC officer and senior noncom I have ever been privileged to serve with would have the following in big, bold, letters on the front page of a real disaster relief plan:

"Assumptions:

1. The environment will be uncertain at best, and may be hostile.

2. Triple all "official" estimates of evacuees and casualties.

3. All basic services will have failed. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a disaster. The operation must be completely self sustaining, and capable of sustaining the number of people determined in bullet number two.

4. Medical services to be provided will include care for cardiac and obstetric emergencies.

5. The official policy may be "No Pets," but the evacuees are going to try and bring them anyway. Pray that someone doesn't own a horse.

6. We will evacuate the dead. No American gets left behind.
7. Plan on establishing a Forward Command Element onsite, as soon as possible.

8. Three courses of action, minimum: One Surface, One Air, One combined Surface and Air.

9. Airlift is the limiting function. 95% of what you need will have to be moved by surface. The other 5% that goes by air had better be limited to the stuff and personnel you absolutely have to have right now.

10. Provide for the ability to dig big and really deep holes for latrines. MREs produce strange results from the human digestive system.

11. Although you have to work with them, at best local authorities won't get in your way. At worst, declarations of hostilities may be needed."

There's more, but someone with more recent experience in rapid response planning for a Marine Expeditionary Unit will have to list them.

185 posted on 09/05/2005 8:27:19 PM PDT by Natty Bumppo@frontier.net (Navy Air!)
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To: Natty Bumppo@frontier.net

Thank you. If you were James Lee Witt you could $500k for something a lot less workable than that, evidently.


186 posted on 09/05/2005 8:31:22 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (US socialist liberalism would be dead without the help of politicians who claim to be conservative.)
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