Food Drops?
Found in Friday’s Washington Post, via Eschaton, and resonated with a comment from J on yesterda’s post :
As reports continued of famished and dehydrated people isolated across the Gulf Coast, angry questions were pressed about why the military has not been dropping food packets for them — as was done in Afghanistan, Bosnia and in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami.
Bill Wattenburg, a consultant for the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and one of the designers of the earlier food drop programs, said that he has lobbied the administration and the military to immediately begin something similar. He said he was told that the military was prepared to begin, but that it was awaiting a request from FEMA.
That’s worked well in the recent past, waiting for FEMA to coordinate the relief efforts.
Especially now that the Department of Homeland Security has swallowed their primary mission, and their budget. Makes me feel so safe, so protected by Homeland Security.
The truth is these people were abandoned, at best forgotten and left behind, because there was no plan to evacuate them, even thought the unfinished levees were only designed to survive a category three storm, never mind four or five. Once they were in the drink, it clearly took several days for the problem to even register at the highest levels of goverment, and once it had, the cupboard of quick reaction forces, id est the National Guard, was found to be bare because they’re already over-stretched overseas.
I don’t think it was malice, just business as usual, and the proof that this society is broken when it comes to helping the weak and the poor.
Which really only leaves food drops and other such desparation measures… let’s just hope we have avoided the worst in New Orleans : riots and the National Guard having reached the city just in time to shoot the survivors, rather than rescue them.
No matter what happens, in a few months, these people will slip back into anonymity and precarious living in whatever states they are relocated to, and the tax-cuts will continue.
Somehow, that’s the worst.
Comment by GPV — September 4, 2005 at 7:46
Heard they’re refusing help from other countries,is that true???
Are US authorities that vain?? Hope not but I’m trying to find out.
Comment by ozbhoy — September 4, 2005 at 7:58
If only they had some oil fields down there. The clean up would be over already.
Comment by Mathieu — September 4, 2005 at 8:47
GPV, while I did find one report of help being turned down, it seems to be a local decision by the ambassador to Jamaica, early on in the process. There has been some criticism that the goverment took too long to accept the offers of help, but there seems to have been little direct refusals. Even in the case of Hugo Chavez, who must be having a field day!
A couple days later, reports abound of the assistance being offered by other countries, but it is unclear how much has been accepted, and there is still no formal request for help.
Some pride is to be expected, since many have been comparing the speed and scope of the US response to the Tsunami and the one at home after Katrina.
Ozbhoy, there is a LOT of oil in the gulf, and several oil rigs were ripped off their anchors and some ran ashore or even into bridges.
Furthermore, that area holds the refineries and the delivery ports for the oil they process, which account for 25% of the gasoline production of the country, and some of the pipelines feeding the east coast.
Hence the overnight increase of the price of a gallon of gas from below $3 to close to or above $4.
Lastly, these people DO vote in US elections, and altho I wouldn’t expect the Republicans to lose many votes amongst the poor blacks of New Orleans, these people may not stay home at the next elections….
bah, who am I kidding? Of course they will. It’s not like the democrats did that much better by them
Comment by James — September 4, 2005 at 21:25
Yeah, I’m pretty upset with everyone right now. Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike.
Comment by Mathieu — September 4, 2005 at 21:29
I think everyone is feeling like that.
Even Fox News and some pretty hardcore far right wingnuts have had a hard time not being appalled by the performance of Mike Brown and thunderstruck at Bush’s continued support of the incompetent twit.
Comment by ava — September 5, 2005 at 13:37
What happened to these people is horrible, but howthe government has responded is worse
Comment by Mathieu — September 5, 2005 at 15:20
Amen, sister.
Comment by Ronie — September 7, 2005 at 17:53
I for one am so ashamed of our President and his cronies right now that it makes me sad to know that my forefathers fought in all the wars to make this country great and then to see it decline within so horribly. The poor souls that had to endure without food or water for days just makes me want to scream “What the hell are you thinking Mr. President”????? These are Americans and they deserve the same respect and help as any rich man..They are where they are because our so called leaders didn’t give a damn about a bunch of “poor folks”…I am apalled and insulted as an American I expected better treatment of our citizens..Its odd to me that we can be in a foregien country in less than 24hrs to start a war, but we can’t even get food and water to a state within our own borders…Someone needs to be tried for this, starting with the top and working their way down…
Comment by Mathieu — September 8, 2005 at 2:38
Ronie, right on.