Is it SOP to wait?
FEMA has made clear that their response efforts are 72-96 hours after a crisis occurs. They are not an armed response team nor do they have any law enforcement authority. In fact (unless things have changed) they don't even have the resources to move debris.
Having dealt with FEMA in Florida, they are a buearucracy that sets up offices, takes names and information on what people have lost and tries to expedite federal funds to victims. In some cases (like mine), they survey damage (such as roof-tile) and assist in getting temporary coverage and repairs set up.
I simply don't see how any of this could've occured at this time in New Orleans when the local government hadn't even taken care of their basics.
In a sense...yes since FEMA is not a first response team. They come in after the local and state people call for them.
Yes, you don't send the support people INTO A HURRICANE. That is a recipe for adding additional victims.
The people needed to actually RESCUE people were already there. This is the people needed to start helping victims cope and move on. Surely the coping and moving on didn't need to start before thursday morning.
And there would be no "urgent need", since this was a scheduled operation.
and if the hurricane had failed to live up to expectations, the request would have been different.
This is not the same as putting supplies in the shelters, or using buses to evacuate people before the storm hit.
Next people will complain because FEMA didn't rescue people before the storm hit. "I don't understand how they could wait until AFTER people were up on their roofs to come by and rescue them. The weather was fine on Saturday, why did they wait until Tuesday?"
Yes, FEMA is not a first-responder. They notify the local and state governments that they will arrive within 72-96 hours. They were right on time according to their guidelines. If Congress wants to mandate a different procedure they will have to change the old one WHICH THEY APPROVED in the Homeland Security Com. Now they act as though they'd never heard of it.I hate politicians.
Yes.
The local governments are responsible for conducting evacuations and setting up shelters. After a request for assistance is made by the Governor of the relevant state, FEMA is responsible to analyze where additional aid is needed (for example after finding where survivors have been sent and what they lack), and if needed the resupplies are to begin to arrive in 5 days.
FEMA beat the snot out of that timetable this time.
I would think so. They're back up, surely. First responders are local and state authorities.
No, you always charge blindly in while the storm is still raging. That way many of your employees can get killed too, so the media can't blame you.
It should be if it isn't. They need to know what resources need to go where,and by what available route. None of which is known until after the damage is done. Also remember that folks thought (for no good reason) that NO was out of the woods the night after the storm.