Free Republic

LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFPN) -- More than 30 international aid flights have landed here, the hub and clearing house for all international aid going to help Hurricane Katrina victims in Louisiana and Mississippi. More the 94 countries and international organizations have offered aid for the hurricane victims, according to a State Department spokesman. Since Sept. 5, Belgium, China, Denmark, Egypt, France, Israel, Italy, Russia, Spain, Tunisia, Thailand and the United Kingdom have all landed here bearing needed supplies and aid. The international effort brought supplies like generators, packaged meals, water, baby food, tents, personnel, medical supplies, blankets...

German Plane With Katrina Aid Turned Back By CLAUDIA KEMMER, Associated Press Writer Sat Sep 10,11:18 AM ET BERLIN - A German military plane carrying 15 tons of military rations for survivors of Hurricane Katrina was sent back by U.S. authorities, officials said Saturday. The plane was turned away Thursday because it did not have the required authorization, a German government spokesman said. The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, declined to comment on a report in the German news magazine Der Spiegel that U.S. authorities refused the delivery on the grounds that the NATO military rations could carry...

With Vietnamese evacuees continuing to pour into Houston, some Asian representatives worry the community may be trying to do too much on its own. The uncounted thousands of Vietnamese storm victims are not going to the Astrodome or the George R. Brown Convention Center to seek help from the government, leaders say. Instead, many gather at Hong Kong City Mall on Bellaire, a privately run mall where they are being connected with ample free food and housing from fellow Vietnamese — help that cannot last indefinitely. "The problem is, because the Vietnamese are not in the shelters, they are not...

Kanye West was right: George Bush doesn't care about black people. Unfortunately, West was so focused on reading the teleprompter, he forgot to read one of the words. George Bush doesn't care specifically about black people. How did this become a race issue, instead of a tragedy that affects all Americans? As happens so often these days, it became a race issue because members of that race - and sympathetic media representatives and activists - made it a race issue. Contrary to West's opinion newspapers aren't referring to black scavengers as "looting" and white scavengers as "looking for food." One...

The Congress has questions about Katrina. The Congress wants their questions answered -- now! To satisfy the insatiable curiosity of people like Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, congressional hearings are now being scheduled. Various administration officials engaged in Katrina rescue and recovery efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi therefore have to stop what they are doing in order to answer these very important questions from very important members of Congress. Requiring rescue/recovery officials to stop rescuing and recovering to respond to questions is akin to demanding that a fireman stop pouring water on a fire so that he can answer an...

Among all the perils facing survivors in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — drowning, starvation, toxic waters, poisonous snakes — sexual harassment had to be far down the list. But days after the disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had 1,400 firefighters from around the country who had volunteered to help in New Orleans sitting in a conference room in Atlanta undergoing eight hours of training that included a sexual-harassment class. All this before they were allowed even to go to the Gulf Coast area to give out fliers and FEMA’s phone number. Hurricane Katrina has laid bare the peculiar...

This is an email I sent to our local rag on their biased Katrina headline story. The story was written by "Combined Wire Services". These guys really tick me off...

WASHINGTON -- The legalities of disaster recovery can seem murkier than floodwater, but for some Air Force families, making claims for belongings destroyed by Hurricane Katrina will be easier, thanks to Air Force paralegals. Two teams of Airmen from various Air Education and Training Command bases arrived at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., recently to help survivors navigate the legal claims system to recover or get reimbursement for their personal property on base. "The purpose of the teams is to go into the affected areas, evaluate the extent of the damages, document that information and assist the military member filing...

Although the official death toll throughout Louisiana is under 100, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said the figure is likely to reach more than 10,000 people. When American Red Cross volunteers Keller Taylor of Richboro and Ed Sherman of Levittown, both retirees, arrived on the scene early last week their efforts were initially thwarted. Reports of the government halting Red Cross delivery of much-needed supplies, like water and medicine, because they were not allowed access to those most in need, have not yet been addressed by the White House. Some sources say the prohibition was a safety precaution. The...

MEXICO CITY -- Radio talk shows and newspapers here buzzed with excitement over news that Mexico, long on the receiving end of U.S. disaster relief, was sending a hurricane aid convoy to help its larger, richer and more powerful northern neighbor. Carrying water treatment plants, mobile kitchens and supplies to feed victims of Hurricane Katrina, the army convoy bound for Houston will be the first Mexican military unit to operate on U.S. soil since 1846. The convoy has "a very high symbolic content," said Javier Oliva, a political scientist at Mexico's National Autonomous University. "This is a very sensitive subject,...

Just heard on FOX that Blanco refused to allow supplies to be brought to the stadium, "Because they wanted all those people to leave, and they didn't want to create a magnet to bring others there, by bringing in food and water!"""

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has announced further Irish aid to the US states affected by Hurricane Katrina last week. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has announced further Irish aid to the US states affected by Hurricane Katrina last week. Yesterday, the Government said it would be allocating €1m to the Irish Red Cross and other organisations to help the relief effort in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Mr Ahern said today that the Government was also offering first-aid kits, blankets, tents, food and two water-treatment plants as part of the EU response to the disaster. He said Ireland was also prepared to...

¸ Local FEMA manager said he is sad processing for aid takes so long. By ROBBYN BROOKS Daily News Staff Writer Mississippi evacuee Luan Morgan tried to keep the tone of her voice pleasant for the sake of her 5-year-old daughter Sunday, but her anger was easy to see. “I need help now,” Morgan said. “We don’t have any way to get home. There’s no gas. There’s no nothing.” Morgan evacuated from her Lumberton, Miss., home the Saturday before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. She brought her daughter, Nichole, three days worth of clothing and not much else. “I...

Congress just passed a bill so laden with pork that it amazes even the most calloused politicians. Now, after the disaster of hurricane Katrina, is that bill reasonable? If Katrina had hit before the passage of the highway bill, would it have passed? It is necessary for congress to take a second look at the highway bill with all its funding for bike paths, sidewalk improvements and intermodal improvements. These are luxury items; contrast that with the needs that are present every time we turn on the TV. How can Congress take this money when a far greater need exists?...

Offers of aid and assistance from countries around the world in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina continued to pour in Tuesday to the U.S. State Department. So far, 94 countries and international organizations have offered aid, according to a State Department spokesman. Here is its partial list of nations from which the United States has received support:

Countries rich and poor send money, food, doctors to help hurricane victims LONDON - Impoverished Bangladesh, where millions live on a monsoon- and flood-prone delta, pledged $1 million and offered rescuers. Thailand, recalling U.S. aid after last year's tsunami, offered to send 60 doctors and nurses as well as rice as a "gesture from the heart." They are among more than 90 countries, rich and poor, proposing assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina, with Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates contributing "very large cash" donations, the State Department said Tuesday. The Bush administration eagerly accepted a German offer of...

PASCAGOULA, MISS. - Chevron Corp. is hurriedly erecting an evacuee village, the first step toward bringing its huge refinery here back on stream. Exxon Mobil Corp. is running newspaper ads trying to locate employees, while Shell Oil Co. is offering workers emergency cash and interest-free loans. Energy companies scrambling to restart operations along the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast are struggling to locate their workers and help them stitch together their lives before reporting back to work. "We need our employees to have their minds on what they're doing," said Roland Kell, manager of Chevron's Pascagoula plant. Certainly, energy industry employees have...

Eager to show the US that Israel cares, Jerusalem is offering the US a field hospital, forensic experts and even organized prayer in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, diplomatic officials said Sunday. According to the officials, Jerusalem is still waiting for a response from Washington whether it has need for an IDF field hospital to be set up in areas hit by the Hurricane, or whether the US can use Israeli forensic specialists expert in identifying bodies. Israel experts, according to officials in Jerusalem, gained valuable experience identifying flood victims during January's tsunami when a team of experts was sent...

KABUL, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Impoverished Afghanistan will give $100,000 for relief efforts in the United States in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. embassy said. U.S. ambassador Ronald Neumann thanked the Afghan people at a ceremony on Sunday at which the aid was pledged by the government on behalf of the people. "Their compassion and generosity bears testimony to the strength of the ties between our two peoples," Neumann said. Hurricane Katrina struck the southern U.S. coast on Aug. 29, wrecking the city of New Orleans and possibly killing thousands. U.S. forces toppled the Taliban regime in Afghanistan...

Iran will help US victims of Hurricane Katrina if there is a need to do so and regards such help as a humanitarian measure, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi said here Sunday. Asefi made the remark as he was talking to domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press briefing. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will dispatch relief aid to the United States through Red Crescent if there is a need for such relief assistance. "Apparently, relief aid has not been provided to the victims properly. The victims complained about the way relief aid is provided to them. "We will...