Yo, Billie!!
Glad to see the thread posted early, and I have time to post just one thng before I dress and leave until afternoon.
Then I will come through with some contributions!
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As many of you know, my older son volunteered BEFORE 9/11 to be a member of the South Florida-5 DMAT Team - [Disaster Medical Assistance Team, that is.]
His Team was scheduled to in November 2001 go to Ground Zero as first responders to treat those in the holes digging in the rubble, after the WTC towers fell; but were stood down when it turned out there after all were enough teams in the Region to handle that service.
His team was deployed in Hurricane Lili in Louisiana a couple of years ago - and last September to Punta Gorda, Florida when Hurricane Charley demolished the ER at Charlotte Regional Medical Center, as well as much of the other medical facilities in that whole area.
Each DMAT Team has two well-equipped medical field tents and a separate Communications Tower (with its own personnel) to be in constant touch with the world; unlike the Louisiana elected and incapable officials.
Each team is expected to have with them everything they will need personally or medically for a 48 hour period, in case they are located in an area where other responders will not arrive until then for support.
For 11 days, they served AS the ER for the region, setting up in the Hospital Parking Lot - each of the two tents manned by one Physician and one PA, who worked 12 hours on-twelve off all that time. (Each DMAT Unit also has nurses, a lab tech to do rudimentary testing, and basic meds.)
Helicopters took severely injured/ill patients to upstate hospitals for treatment.
When Hurricane Katrina aimed toward New Orleans, his DMAT Team was on Standby for rapid deployment; but since Steve has just moved up the coast a bit, is in a voluntary deployment status for DMAT-5, and had to decline when they were very shortly after flown to Louisiana.
I reported on a thread here that one of the members told Steve they moved into New Orleans right away - but they and another team were actually assaulted by "bad guys" - had to hole up in a high rise building to escape them - AFTER they had been robbed of their supplies (meds, etc.) AND all the cash the Teams took with them to use as necessary!
Steve also is on Standby as still a member of three Elite Teams in the U.S.- Los Angeles, Boston, and his in South Florida - as International DMAT Insert Teams.
Fortunately, they did not have to deploy for this one; many regular DMAT Teams on ground in the Gulf Area.
Last night I received an email from Steve with a link to an EXCELLENT NARRATIVE by a DMAT Responder on ground in New Orleans before Governor Blanco blinked her eyes.
She describes in DETAIL the WHO - WHAT -WHEN of the situation, and her role in it and what she knew!!
I IMPLORE - BEG - PLEAD with you to follow the link I will insert here. As I did, as you read it all the way through, you will cheer - marvel - weep - scream with utter frustration at pitiful 'The Media' reporting - the injustice done so many fine individuals.
The Published Letter she wrote is titled "A FEMA Volunteer Judges The FEMA Response As She Saw It" by Jodi Witte - - to reach it, please - Click Here -
I promise it will give you not only satisfaction, but a lot of ammo to shove in the face of doubters of Bush - of FEMA - of our national response....
I know how much planning ahead of the Teams is done - that they must *ALWAYS* have their cell phone on and be fully packed,no matter wherethey are - and when alerted, have only 30 minutes to gather, get to plane or truck, and GO.
~ LadyX,
Proud Mommo
I just finished reading both your post and the link you provided, and it makes me so angry that this kind of information does not get the kind of reporting by the so-called news media that all the negative, blame-Bush-for-everything we read and see on endless *News* (yeah, right) sites.
WHY does it seem to be a requirement of MSM that one must be so pro-liberals/dems that they can't report the news in a fair and balanced manner. I think of all the minds they shape with their slanted reporting simply because those minds don't know any better.
Thank God for the internet, FR, and numerous conservative blogs, not everyone believes a word the MSM says.
LadyX ~ Jodi Witte's account was one which helped to inspired this small tribute I put up last night ~ I've re-posted it here in case you (or anyone else) may have missed it.
"DOG IN BOAT"
On September 10th when Best Friends rescue workers were on the Interstate heading back to the Best Friends/St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, they noticed a small boat on the side of the expressway.
But that isnít what caught their eye. It was the red spray-painted writing on the side of the vessel, which read, "DOG IN BOAT."
They pulled over in their van. Sure enough, hiding inside the boat near the outboard motor was a dog, a young white pit bull. Besides the writing on the boat, the person had left the dog a bag of dry food. Unfortunately, diesel fuel from the motor had spilled into the hull and saturated not only the food, but the dog.
"She was sunburned with blisters and covered in diesel," said Best Friends staff member Kit Boggio. "I talked quietly to her and just picked her up in my arms."
The rescue team took her to the St. Francis sanctuary, along with 40 other animals. In four days, her condition has dramatically improved.
"After 72 hours, she's had a bath, a lot of her sun blisters are healing. She had her first chewy. She looks and feels great."
On September 14th, the dog, who is now named Diesel, was moved from the triage area she's been staying at to a kennel area ìwhere sheíll have her own ëapartment,í Boggio said. "We're going to tuck her in."
Cathy Scott at St. Francis
Photos by Troy Snow, Best Friends Animal Society
Be sure to click on the above image to view the special tribute