Posted on 09/19/2005 8:59:23 AM PDT by bobsunshine
Dear Friends and Family,
I just got home from 15 days in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. I am tired, and I am emotional. But mostly I am angry. I am angry at the news--the television stations, the newspapers--for what I view is a grossly misrepresented placement of blame. For those of you who know me, you know I work for FEMA as an "intermittent employee" of a disaster response team. My team, called VMAT or Veterinary Medical Assistance Team, is part of the response branch of FEMA known as the National Disaster Medical System.
Let me tell you how "awful" FEMA's response was from someone who was there on the front lines working for FEMA.
President Bush declared a state of emergency prior to Katrina's landfall due to its strength and location. This is not normally done before a hurricane makes landfall. Damn good work by George W., in my honest opinion. This opened the door for our federal teams to pre-deploy assets in nearby locations so that we were ready when Katrina did hit. I was contacted by FEMA before the hurricane hit, asking for my availability and to place me on alert. Many teams were moved into the region including 2 VMAT teams. My team was mobilized immediately after landfall and I arrived in the area before New Orleans had completely filled with water, before we even realized how bad it was truly going to be. FEMA responded immediately and with unprecedented numbers of responders. There were DMAT teams inside the Super Dome before the levee broke. Never before had so many FEMA teams and personnel been sent into a disaster.
One thing you must understand: the DMAT, VMAT, and DMORT teams that make up the National Disaster Medical System are NOT "first responders." Our job is to supplement overwhelmed communities if needed. The initial responsibility lies with the state. If they become overwhelmed in the aftermath of a disaster where their local hospitals, medical, veterinary, and mortuary assets cannot handle the magnitude of the disaster, we come in and augment their resources. It takes 24 to 48 hours to mobilize the federal assets in normal circumstances. We come from every state in the United States, leaving our jobs and families behind at the drop of a hat to help where ever it is needed. Our cache of equipment and medical supplies must either be moved from our home base or from the federal warehouses in Maryland by truck or plane. This takes time. But we were there before Katrina hit and many more arrived immediately after even before knowing the full scope of this disaster.
So why is FEMA being blamed? I'm not exactly sure. I really am not. Yes, FEMA was overwhelmed. God sakes how could it not be? This hurricane has been the largest natural disaster the United States has had on record. Nothing can compare. We train and train for almost anything. We try to be ready. But no one was ready for how bad this truly was. I am sure there were some bad decisions made high up, and of that I cannot deny. It was a logistical nightmare to get the teams placed and the supplies sent in. Some stuff arrived too late. But, seeing how hard the FEMA employees worked to help the people and animals of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama makes me angry and very, very sad to hear us put down so bad on television and in the news.
One day, just a couple days after New Orleans was under water, I was stationed in the New Orleans airport. This is where I was the first week. The airport was where all the buses and helicopters that were rescuing people from the city brought them first. They came in the thousands to the airport and went through lines holding their last bit of possessions, which included a small amount of clothing or keepsakes and often times their pets. Yes, they got to bring their pets with them on the buses and helicopters. I know because I was there. I saw them. They came in and were triaged by FEMA medical personnel. Minor injuries or illnesses were treated with the utmost care and love by FEMA DMAT teams and then they took their place in line through concourse C to board planes to shelters where they could receive follow up medical treatment. The very ill were moved into the D concourse area for more thorough medical care and support in a true MASH hospital set up right there inside the airport. I walked through this area frequently and watched as DMAT members held hands of people critically and gravely ill, cared for them, helped them in so many ways trying to save their lives and to comfort those who could not be saved.
I walked through feces, urine, blood, and vomit covering the floor of the airport. I watched custodians working tirelessly to clean up the floor even though it was soiled again as soon it was cleaned. People were handed water and food as soon as they arrived. Those who were well, moved through an endless line to concourse B to board both commercial and military planes going to shelters in other states. I walked the lines of concourse B, C, and D as did other members of my VMAT team to provide any needed veterinary care to the pets who were evacuated with their families. We cared for stray animals that arrived at the airport too. See, the coast guard and military helicopters were picking up stray animals if they had room when they would rescue people from the city. FEMA personnel did everything possible to comfort and care for the people of New Orleans. I know because I was one of them, and I did everything I could for them, and I saw with my own eyes what the others were also doing.
This is a photo on the FEMA website. What you don't see here is that this little dog is sitting below the hospital gurney of his master who was critically ill inside one of the DMAT MASH tents. I walked through this medical tent to check on the dog with a couple other members of my VMAT team. The nurse had given the dog a dish of water and was feeding him some crackers. We promised the man we would bring back some food for his dog. He was very thankful as he laid there with IVs going. I returned a few minutes later with one other member of my team, bringing a Ziploc bag of dog food. When we arrived they were moving him to a different stretcher because he needed to be medivac'ed out on a helicopter for more intense medical care. The helicopter pilot told us he cannot take the dog unless its in a crate. I stepped up to talk to the very ill man. I asked him if he would let me care for his dog while he went to the hospital. He grabbed my hand and had tears in his eyes as he begged me to help him take his dog with him because it was all he had left in the world. There was nothing else. I looked into this man's eyes as he cried. He was a middle aged white man with cuts and scrapes all over him. His face was puffy and feverish with infection.
I then looked at the DMAT nurse and the Coast Guard pilot. Both looked back at me with very grave expressions and each asked me to please find a crate for the dog so he can go with the man. My teammate and I both knew right then that this man may not make it and we had to make sure he got to spend as much time as possible with his dog.
There was no way we were going to make him leave his dog behind. We took off running and found an empty crate. It was a bit too small for the dog, but would work temporarily. We returned and found the pilot waiting for us with the man. Once we got the dog in the crate and on the stretcher with the man, he again took my hand and thanked us as we cried together. He said "you have no idea what you have done for me and I will never forget it." Then he was wheeled away toward the waiting helicopter.
So, at the end of this day--a 29 hour shift that I spent at the airport--I arrived back at our bunk location, a building on the campus of LSU where we slept on the floor, and I got to see the news on one of the cable networks. I was absolutely outraged at the reports of the lack of response by FEMA. I changed to another cable news network and saw the same thing there. What they don't mention when they talk about FEMA is the people who make up FEMA's response, working countless hours, pouring their very heart and soul into this response despite being slammed and criticized all over the news.
I cried with sadness and anger at how we are viewed all over the world. I am a FEMA responder who cannot wear my FEMA badge in public in Louisiana because everyone thinks we are so terrible. Do they even yet mention how hard we have worked for the people and animals of Louisiana? No, maybe they never will.
Just yesterday the radio was criticizing the fact that FEMA had so many trucks filled with water and supplies that were just sitting somewhere and was costing $600 per day each to sit and wait. Does anyone realize this is the right thing to do? There is already a tremendous amount of water and supplies in the areas. The reason there are trucks waiting full of more supplies and water is so they can move at a moments notice to where ever they are needed at any time. Would they rather have the extra supplies sitting in a warehouse where they would have to wait to secure trucks, then load the supplies and water, then move them out? No. They complain about the lack of quick response by FEMA yet don't get the whole concept that these supplies and water sitting in trucks ready to go is for quick response and now they criticize FEMA readiness without realizing it. The contradictions in the news is ridiculous.
Now 13 days after I first saw the news reporting how awful FEMA is, I still remain proud to be a member of FEMA, and I am proud of the work I did in New Orleans and I am proud to work for the federal government headed up by a strong and brave president. It was not easy, and things may not have gone perfectly, but we did and continue to do amazing work there even if no one knows it because they will only look at what went wrong instead of so much that went right.
BTTT
Thanks for posting that.
I know a woman who works for FEMA, and she's a wonderful person. I know she's there, doing her best.
Thank you for posting. The letter speaks for itself.
Exactly.
Los Angeles doesn't have anywhere near the bottled water pre-staged to deal with an earthquake that it will need. Forget about a flooding situation like we saw with NOLA - a major earthquake could bring down all the elaborate systems that bring water into Los Angeles.
What I see here is FEMA being criticized for having problems adapting to a hurricane that in one event will cause as much damage as the ten next most damaging hurricanes on record. With a storm that massive, stuff is just going to happen that cannot be adequately prepared for.
Thank you for the work that you've done (and will continue to do, I'm sure). There ARE people out there who understand that the media is using FEMA to try to hurt the President and truly believe that people like you were out there doing their jobs, going above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you for sharing your experience with us (teared up).
This one made me cry. We certainly haven't heard much of what went as right as it could.
A heroic and heart touching story.
To all FEMA responders I say, keep a stiff upper lip. One day in the future there will be a Democrat president and when that happens, you will be hailed as the most heroic and efficient group of people who ever walked the face of the earth.
Make no mistake about this, FEMA is only getting slammed as part of the bash Bush Democrat strategy.
Two words: Get Bush
Smear, slime, and attempt to discredit a Republican administration. That has been the effort of Democrats, their barking moonbat supporters, and their handmaidens, the MSM.
And more than a handful of useful idiots on this forum.
You can bet if Clinton was in the White House, FEMA would have been praised to the gills by the MSM.
Jodi Witt is a hero, and FEMA has be badly maligned. Too bad they can't sue the MSM for libel. As I said in another thread, the sad fact of the matter is that in their thirst for (Bush) blood, the MSM has ignored the story of the 95% of FEMA that went RIGHT, and WORKED. Its a shame.
We are proud of the work you did Jodi. Not everyone believes what the media is saying about FEMA.
Think how many people were rescued and were saved..God bless the rescuers.
well said and sadly true!! I cannot believe we conservative Christians are not getting the truth to more and more uninformed folks by now! Because of the MSM's vicious opportunistic politicizing of Katrina, all who still vote Dimocrat should by now be aware that to vote for a Liberal is to deny the truth and to deny Christ! Of course I am just refusing to give up this great nation and know we are at a crossroad especially with the next congressional election.
Thank G*d for your service to the unfortunate folks in Katrina's path!
The only people that believe the negative msm hate mantra are those who want so badly to hurt anything connected to President Bush.
Also thank G*d for the internet, without which factual stories such as yours would never be known.
Again, thank you for all you do, and please don't take anything the msm says personally or seriously.
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