Perfect for flooded areas
Airboaters stalled by FEMA – OrlandoSentinel.com: Orlando Weather — It was ONLY AFTER this story ran that on Sept. 3 FEMA let the airboaters into New Orleans. A full week after the hurricane. I’m convinced it’s this story that got action. But where else was this story covered? Noplace.
As a flooded New Orleans sinks further into despair, up to 500 Florida airboat pilots have volunteered to rescue Hurricane Katrina victims, transport relief workers and ferry supplies.
But they aren’t being allowed in. And they’re growing frustrated.
“We cannot get deployed to save our behinds,” said Robert Dummett, state coordinator of the Florida Airboat Association. He said the pilots, who range from commercial airboat operators to weekend pleasure boaters, “are physically sick, watching the New Orleans coverage and knowing that the resources to help these poor people is sitting right in our driveways.”
On standby since Monday, the pilots — many from Central Florida — have spent thousands of their own dollars stocking their boats and swamp buggies with food, water, medical supplies and fuel.
But the Federal Emergency Management Agency will not authorize the airboaters to enter New Orleans. Without that permission, they would be subject to arrest and would not receive security and support services.
related links:
RED CROSS KEPT OUT BY FEMA
from the Red Cross Homepage:
Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?
* Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
* The state Homeland Security Department had requested–and continues to request–that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.
Termed “renegade” citizens can finally rescue people after days of begging:
Just to give you a sense of just how badly FEMA has f*cked up.
Posted by Clark Warner on September 3, 2005 – 2:23pm.
This is beyond my comprehension and after spending two frustrating days trying to just get someone to let us help we’ve FINNALLY been told we can conduct “renegade” boat rescues via the just concluded press conference that Gov. Blanco just held.
One hundred Florida airboaters were on their way to rescue disaster victims Friday after federal officials finally gave the group the official go-ahead.
As many as 500 airboat pilots from the state have volunteered to help, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency had refused to authorize the volunteers to enter New Orleans. Without that permission, they would have been subject to arrest and would not receive security and support services.
The initial 100 airboaters will work under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard to evacuate more than 6,000 people marooned on their rooftops in Chalmette, La., a suburb of New Orleans.
Operative words: Subject to arrest. For trying to help while people are dying. Meanwhile the public is criticized by blowhards for not banding together to help.
People are being threatened with arrest for helping? The Red Cross is barred from helping?! There MUST be SOMETHING else going on here. The only other option is gross incompetence on an unimaginable scale.
Something else? How about Halliburton receiving a contract to conduct rescue and recovery operations? How about KBR doing reconstruction? If volunteers do that work, the contracted companies can’t charge for it (or can they?).
I admit to knowing almost nothing about these arrangements beyond brief mention in the news or on blogs. Anybody else actually KNOW about this stuff?
“Anybody else actually KNOW about this stuff?”
My dad heard, on one of those late night “art bell” type shows, that the Navy had a contract with Halliburton to clean up New Orleans BEFORE the hurricane even occured. They were so certain it was eventually bound to happen. That’s kind of scary in itself.
Maybe Bush plans to use this like he used 9/11. Here’s the speech I invision:
“I admit it, we screwed up here. We’re obviously are not prepared for emergencies of this magnitude. And if terrorists ever attacked at such a magnitude we’d again be at a loss. We know that now. To better ensure preparedness we’re going to need more draconian laws and to give more power to Homeland Security. Thank you very much.”
Much too law-abiding these guys…
What the air boaters should have done is:
1/ Put themselves under direct command of Lt. Gen. Russel Honore.
2/ Sprayed or glued an American Flag on their tailfin, and the text CITIZEN’S NATIONAL GUARD on their sides.
3/ Loaded their shotguns to protect themselves.
4/ Went in by three boats and saved some lives…
;( ANY government is more like a tanker then a speed-boat: it’s too big and heavy to speed up quickly and make fast turns…
Fabrizio
I know it’s sickening.
– Sean
I suspect this BS is all about protecting an agency’s turf. And the Red Cross isn’t above playing that game either.
I remember a few years ago, there was a break in a canal line that ran along the foothills above a nearby neighborhood. The water washed away a good portion of the hillside and sent mud and water into a couple of dozen homes and threatened many more. Within two to three hours, the Mormon Church (this is Utah) had mobilized over two thousand members to fill sandbags and run heavy equipment to divert the flow away from the homes. (I find the Mormons to be a bit too politically dominating in this state, but they really are damn good at handling these kinds of crises.)
Unfortunately, the Red Cross showed up a day later to take control. The first thing they did was to irritate the hell out of the volunteers by ordering them around like they were too stupid to understand what needed doing. The Red Cross was also pissed because no one needed their charity — the church having already provided food and lodging for those displaced. (“What!? You distributed food without our authorization!” I kid you not, they really were upset about this.) About 70% of the volunteers said to hell with it and went home, figuring if they were going to get yelled at like menials, then they may as well go back to their day jobs.
It was an eye opener watching a “benevolent” agency like the Red Cross throw a temper tantrum just because someone infringed on their turf. Why am I not surprised to see the same sort of idiocy going on now?
Control. Control. Control. These Bush Admin anal freaks seem to think that they and they alone are the source of all ideas and resources, not to mention all the always good credit goes to them. Just like Iraq. Instead of firing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi military and not using Iraqis to reconstruct their country they “released” them to implement the “insurgency.” Just gawd-awful dumb.
The air-boaters weren’t the only ones turned back or ordered off. Doctors from NC with a mobile hospital. A hospital ship with fresh-water production capability and operating rooms and more. Everytime I read another story there are more and more of these stories of total control.
Just like 90-day wonders 35 years ago. They were officers and in charge. We were enlisted and doing the work. They didn’t know what they were signing for and thought they had to tell us our jobs – the ones were were expert in. Fools wasted our efforts. Same concept here only worse. Somebody should have fragged them. Too late now.