East coast friends (2 Viewers)

[Scott]

Louis, George, Combat...thanks for the thoughtful and detailed replies! I actually would like to see government "work" in the cases of these national emergencies. It's tough for local "lifeboats" to aid themselves. A competent federal government response is the mark of a nation that insures that all of it's citizens are protected from storms and other natural disasters.


There was a lot of blaming the victims with Katrina.

 

[Scott]

Down in Florida in the old days didn't they use to build house to withstand hurricanes?
Mark

 

[sammy719]

Scott,
Doug said a lot of what I was thinking and in addition to that, the mayor of New York was more concerned with the marathon than the people on Staten Island. There were news stories of pallets with boxes of apples sitting near the staging area for the race, hundreds of cases of water earmarked for the runners, not to mention people being asked to leave hotels so the runners could stay.

Those hotel rooms and all the food and water set aside for the runners would be put to better use by giving them to the poor people on Staten Island and elsewhere.

Also, a very good friend of mine in the NJ area still has no power, is eating meals at the local church, getting water at the fire station, taking showers a the YMCA and waiting in huge lines for gas.

The government needs to step in, get gas, food and water to these people, get however many power companies involved so there is round the clock repairs on power lines.

Waiting a week for basic things is not acceptable in my mind. The Government should be stepping in and building tent cities or whatever it takes to give people who've lost their homes a place to have food and shelter, this isn't rocket science.

A friend of my girlfriends has been without power and a place to live for over a week, I told my girlfriend to tell her to come here, her and her husband and young daughter arrived here last night to a warm house with electricity and a refridgerator full of food, I barely know the girl, but I am doing what I can to assist other Americans during this @#$%ing mess..........................

George, good to hear stories like yours, very thoughtful and shows alot of class on your part to provide a home/food to others in thier time of need, we need more folk like you...Sammy

 

[Warrior]

George, good to hear stories like yours, very thoughtful and shows alot of class on your part to provide a home/food to others in thier time of need, we need more folk like you...Sammy

Thanks Sammy, just doing whatever I can to help those in need, would hope someone would do the same for me if I was in that position..........

 

[PanzerAce1944]

Hats off to folks like George and Louis and others who are helping those in need during this truly devastating time.
They say good things come to those who help others and I wish you both the best. {bravo}} {bravo}}

 

[marco55]

View attachment 109238

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[TomNT]

Scott,
Doug said a lot of what I was thinking and in addition to that, the mayor of New York was more concerned with the marathon than the people on Staten Island. There were news stories of pallets with boxes of apples sitting near the staging area for the race, hundreds of cases of water earmarked for the runners, not to mention people being asked to leave hotels so the runners could stay.

Those hotel rooms and all the food and water set aside for the runners would be put to better use by giving them to the poor people on Staten Island and elsewhere.

Also, a very good friend of mine in the NJ area still has no power, is eating meals at the local church, getting water at the fire station, taking showers a the YMCA and waiting in huge lines for gas.

The government needs to step in, get gas, food and water to these people, get however many power companies involved so there is round the clock repairs on power lines.

Waiting a week for basic things is not acceptable in my mind. The Government should be stepping in and building tent cities or whatever it takes to give people who've lost their homes a place to have food and shelter, this isn't rocket science.

A friend of my girlfriends has been without power and a place to live for over a week, I told my girlfriend to tell her to come here, her and her husband and young daughter arrived here last night to a warm house with electricity and a refridgerator full of food, I barely know the girl, but I am doing what I can to assist other Americans during this @#$%ing mess..........................

I'm with George 100%. The government officials are way more worried about the imminent election than they are about both addressing the current emergency and doing as much as possible to prevent suffering in future. It is ordinary people that are doing the most to help out their neighbors. I, like George, have taken people into my home to ensure that they ahve heat, hot water, hot food, the basic necessities. Feeding an extra four adults and 3 children has been expensive, but its the right thing to do. Just about everyone I know with power is doing the same.

That's a great thing you’re doing George and Louis, i take my hat off to the both of you. The Federal, State and Local Governments should be assisting the people more rather than worrying about marathons, elections etc and im hearing the U.S. Federal election is costing 3 billion or more which is outrageous considering the state of the U.S. economy, this disaster and the continuing issues in New Orleans etc.

Even though i was only a 7 year old boy when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin back in 1974, i remember everyone pitching in including the Australian Federal Government and everyone was looked after and or evacuated and i might add, the U.S. Airforce helped evacuate residents out of Darwin (I think they used Lockheed C-141 Starlifter's) which was an awesome thing for them to do.

Tom

 

[Warrior]

Hats off to folks like George and Louis and others who are helping those in need during this truly devastating time.
They say good things come to those who help others and I wish you both the best. {bravo}} {bravo}}

Thanks Wayne, there are a lot of people who are doing what Louis and I are doing, so many people have lost their homes as a result of this storm, another is hitting the East Coast Wednesday and Thursday.

 

[Warrior]

That's a great thing you’re doing George and Louis, i take my hat off to the both of you. The Federal, State and Local Governments should be assisting the people more rather than worrying about marathons, elections etc and im hearing the U.S. Federal election is costing 3 billion or more which is outrageous considering the state of the U.S. economy, this disaster and the continuing issues in New Orleans etc.

Even though i was only a 7 year old boy when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin back in 1974, i remember everyone pitching in including the Australian Federal Government and everyone was looked after and or evacuated and i might add, the U.S. Airforce helped evacuate residents out of Darwin (I think they used Lockheed C-141 Starlifter's) which was an awesome thing for them to do.

Tom

Thanks Tom; if our own government won't look out for it's citizens, it's up to fellow Americans to do it.....

 

[tdubel]

I'm with George 100%. The government officials are way more worried about the imminent election than they are about both addressing the current emergency and doing as much as possible to prevent suffering in future. It is ordinary people that are doing the most to help out their neighbors. I, like George, have taken people into my home to ensure that they ahve heat, hot water, hot food, the basic necessities. Feeding an extra four adults and 3 children has been expensive, but its the right thing to do. Just about everyone I know with power is doing the same.

You both are correct. It is ridiculous and you have the freaking news praising all of these idiots. If they spent more time fixing the problem and less on tv.....................it makes the blood boil.

And for the record, we do a crappy job on the foreign landscape too, just ask the Libyan ambassador..........you can't b/c he will never be available to answer again due to our own ineptitude in taking care of our citizens both domestically and abroad.

TD

 

[Scott]

My wife's parents in Sayreville just got power an hour so so ago.

Planning ahead and hardening our infrastructure would take some will and $$$ plus dealing with the uncertainties of weather and geology.

 

[The Military Workshop]

In Australian major disasters the Government has often appointed a senior military man to oversee the initial problems and long term recovery.

In Darwin (Cyclone Tracey) they chose MAJGEN Stretton who did an excellent job.

In 2006 General Peter Cosgrove former Chief of the Defence Forces headed the recovery after cyclone Larry in North Queensland.

Last year serving MAGEN Slater was re-assigned to head the recovery after the Qld floods.

I think an Army General was appointed after Hurricane Katrina.

Not sure about in the USA but in Australia the military guys tend to be non-political and can get things organised and have the relevant back up and experience to cut through the red tape.

Anybody doing something similar in current situation in NJ/NY apart from Mayor / Governor types ?

In Brisbane last year, after the floods, thousands of people volunteered to go the affected suburbs to clean up the streets and houses etc. The house I helped at (alongside well known Vietnam photographer Tim Page) was flooded up to chest height on the 2nd floor level and all contents a total loss. The volunteers were called the Mud Army. Any such thing happening in NJ/NY ?

All the best to those forum members who have suffered loss and well done to those such a Louis and George who have opened their homes to help out.

Regards
Brett

 

[Rob]

Scott,
Doug said a lot of what I was thinking and in addition to that, the mayor of New York was more concerned with the marathon than the people on Staten Island. There were news stories of pallets with boxes of apples sitting near the staging area for the race, hundreds of cases of water earmarked for the runners, not to mention people being asked to leave hotels so the runners could stay.

Those hotel rooms and all the food and water set aside for the runners would be put to better use by giving them to the poor people on Staten Island and elsewhere.

Also, a very good friend of mine in the NJ area still has no power, is eating meals at the local church, getting water at the fire station, taking showers a the YMCA and waiting in huge lines for gas.

The government needs to step in, get gas, food and water to these people, get however many power companies involved so there is round the clock repairs on power lines.

Waiting a week for basic things is not acceptable in my mind. The Government should be stepping in and building tent cities or whatever it takes to give people who've lost their homes a place to have food and shelter, this isn't rocket science.

A friend of my girlfriends has been without power and a place to live for over a week, I told my girlfriend to tell her to come here, her and her husband and young daughter arrived here last night to a warm house with electricity and a refridgerator full of food, I barely know the girl, but I am doing what I can to assist other Americans during this @#$%ing mess..........................

That's a truly decent thing to do mate and a mark of the sort of person you are. Nice one George.

Rob

 

[Jagdpanther]

Still without power. But the generator is keeping the house running.... so I guess I cant complain to much. Since we can run the whole house with the generator we are helping out are neighbors down the road with water and also have given them a extra generator to keep a few things they have running like a heater and lights....

 

[Scott]

............

I think an Army General was appointed after Hurricane Katrina.

...........

Regards
Brett

Right. General Russel L. Honoré......

"Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita

On August 31, 2005, Honoré was designated commander of Joint Task Force Katrina responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast. Honoré's arrival in New Orleans came after what was widely believed to be a poor performance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its director Michael D. Brown. He gained media celebrity and accolades for his apparent turning around of the situation in the city as well as his gruff management style which contrasted with what many felt were the empty platitudes of civilian officials. In one widely played clip, Honore was seen on the streets of the city, barking orders to subordinates and, in one case, berating a soldier who displayed a weapon, telling him "We're on a rescue mission **** it!" New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was quoted on a radio interview September 1, 2005, saying: "Now, I will tell you this -- and I give the president some credit on this -- he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is Gen. Honoré. And he came off the doggone chopper, and he started cussing and people started moving. And he's getting some stuff done." [SUP][3][/SUP] Stars and Stripes, the unofficial newspaper of the United States Armed Forces, reported that Honoré had previous experience dealing with flooding at many Korean bases during monsoon season and supervised the installation of flood control measures.

..."

In the US we'd like to think that the military is PART of the solution not THE solution. A good part of Louisiana's military resources were deployed in Iraq at the time. Honoré could just as easily gone in "guns blazing" from the rumors coming out of New Orleans at the time.

 

[jazzeum]

Still without power. This is really starting to wear.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Still without power. This is really starting to wear.

Brad,

My in laws got power back and returned home:smile2:, so I have empty beds, power, heat and hot water . . . my offer still stands.:smile2:

 

[Combat]

Interesting to learn that the current administration has gotten a bump in the polls from its handling of the storm. It might actually be the difference between winning and losing the election since it is so close. However, I haven't really seen much being handled differently than in Katrina. And as I said before it's an impossible situation to resolve in less than months or years. So I'm not being critical but just noting the vastly different public perception between the two events.

 

[Firebat]

I had to put up with Municipal politics when I was a Fire Chief.......And current Federal politics are just one big spin......This is a great country but as of late we dont seem to be doing things right.


What I can tell you, having been in Homeland Security and Urban Search and Rescue. Responding to disaster like this, you can't imagine the logistics involved. A very large area was affected with a very large population, coordinating agencies is a problem, which was getting better when I retired, but I find agency Ego always seems to hinder operations. Everyone wants to be in charge.

At home we have electric and a house full of refugees we are providing for on a rotating basis. We are right on the fringe of the most devistated area and there is much need here.

I have been OK with retirement from Emergency Services, but this makes me want to be back out there.

Alex

 

[Scott]

Interesting to learn that the current administration has gotten a bump in the polls from its handling of the storm. It might actually be the difference between winning and losing the election since it is so close. However, I haven't really seen much being handled differently than in Katrina. And as I said before it's an impossible situation to resolve in less than months or years. So I'm not being critical but just noting the vastly different public perception between the two events.

No blaming of the victims this time that I've heard except from some religious cranks. Let me know if anyone else has heard of this from the pundits.