There have been reports that water and food drops have been taking place throughout the day. However the scale of the disaster zone may keep it from being very visible.
Bob Livingston is saying on FOX right now that Martial Law should have been declared and he can't figure out what the Gov is thinking not doing this before now...he mentioned how they had done this right away in Mississippi and Alabama and that these looters have to be delt with, not with a wink and a nod.
We are not the only ones who think this woman is clueless.
My fear.. these same guys will get transported out to one of the shelters out of State and bring their trouble with them. Most are professional "Gangsta-types" -- you know, the rap culture.
Dropping food in front of cameras isn't nearly as important as getting it to where it needs to go...
And where do you get these huge stocks to drop??
They have to be moved to a central rally point. (trucks, Fuel, Logisticall co-ordination..
Helicopters and CREWS have to be found (Takes time to tell the wife, kids, and employer you won't be back for a while..)
Again, fuel, and logistics have to be set up. Nearest Airport with the infrastructure to handle that kind of load is Memphis, Houston, or Eglin, until you can get something set up closer...
BOTTOM LINE... A Big (or even Huge) response takes 72-96 HOURS to set up. And the first hours are the responasibility of LOCAL AUTHORITIES...
The fact that locals have handled this incredibly BADLY is only going to make saving folks even harder...
There have been airdrops of food and water. The choppers are shuttling drops in, then picking up people off of rooftops on the way out. The C5s are shuttling supplies to open runways near LA, MS, Al & FL, where trucks and helos pick them up. As for looting, remember the first priority is saving peoples lives. There are thousands of people looking to be saved from the lake that was New Orleans. The authorities have the power in such an emergency to take what they need if necessary to provide a life saving function. One emergency center that lost most of its computer & communications equipment commandeered some replacement units at a local Office Depot. As long as they notify the owner what was taken and promise to pay for it later that is entirely legal. I doubt Office Depot will send them a bill.
I hope you're right. I wish I had a helicopter so I could go do some of it myself. We can all pray and send money...are there additional practical suggestions? I'd be interested to hear ideas from others.