New Orleans
Hurricane FEMA, Part Deux, MitC Vol XIII
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Where are we going? "None of your business!" All that's missing is a black bag over evacuees' heads.
The military arm of FEMA apparently has been issued orders from "higher ups" to not cooperate whatsoever with the press. First during the press conference today held by Ray Nagin, when the General in charge of the Rita evacuation was asked where citizens would be bussed, his response was (and I kid you not), "None of your business." When asked by a WWL reporter whether this meant they didn't know where the evacuees would be taken, the general called the television reporter "stupid" and refused to answer his question.
Later when WDSU reporter Richard Angelico took his crew to do a story on the busses set up for the Rita evacuation, the people in charge told him he was trespassing (he pointed out to the guy from Florida, that he was a Louisianian on public prooperty) and ordered him to stop filming and leave, or else they would contact FEMA and the State Police to have them removed. When Angelico told these dorks FEMA officials gave him directions on how to get there and the State Police also assisted, this guy didn't know what to do and just said he had orders to not let any media take pictures from his superiors.
I don't know what's going on, but apparently the administration has no intention of letting the media ask such invasive questions as, "When you take evacuees out of the city, where are you taking them?" I guess such a question like that, according to the general in charge, is none of our business, and we're stupid for daring to ask.
What's really scary now is the undeniable amount of contempt the Feds seem to have towards local officials and the media... as if it's our fault they screwed up everything! I guess it's our fault for figuring that out and they resent it, so now they're acting like New Orleans is Afghanistan.
FEMA where are you?
My girlfriend had an appointment with a FEMA rep to inspect her house this morning. The guy called last night and said he would meet her between 8 and 9am. She had to get up at 6:00am and drive 70 miles to her home to meet the FEMA rep, and guess what? Yep, the guy never showed up.
Red tape hinders family's struggle
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_20.html#081119
FEMA Cuts Housing Plans In Half, Has No Plan
Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman David Passey said the agency is now planning to bring about 50,000 trailers to Louisiana, down from last week's estimate of 100,000.
The first temporary trailer parks will not be ready to accept evacuees until next week, when 580 units are expected to open in the town of Baker, just north of Baton Rouge. Several more are expected to be up and running in the weeks ahead, and still others could take months to get established — if they ever do.
Officials in Livingston Parish plan to stall permits for trailer parks and prevent FEMA from setting up trailer villages until the parish gets more information about the impact of the new communities and who is going to pay for them.
"They don't have a plan," Ray Chidester, director of the Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security, said about FEMA and the state. "There's so many questions they're not answering."
He said FEMA and state officials are offering no answers about basic infrastructure questions, such as dealing with new demands for sewer and water, garbage, schools, roads, fire fighting and security.
"We cannot go about it haphazardly as FEMA has done from Day 1," said Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer. "As a responsible leader, how can I just say, come on down, and then ask the questions?
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_20.html#081122
---
An estimated one-quarter of the 3,400 restaurants in the New Orleans area will probably not reopen because of insurance cost, cash-flow or staffing issues, the chief executive officer of the Louisiana Restaurant Association said Monday.
Jim Funk said that the 25 percent projection is a minimum number and could increase.
The military arm of FEMA apparently has been issued orders from "higher ups" to not cooperate whatsoever with the press. First during the press conference today held by Ray Nagin, when the General in charge of the Rita evacuation was asked where citizens would be bussed, his response was (and I kid you not), "None of your business." When asked by a WWL reporter whether this meant they didn't know where the evacuees would be taken, the general called the television reporter "stupid" and refused to answer his question.
Later when WDSU reporter Richard Angelico took his crew to do a story on the busses set up for the Rita evacuation, the people in charge told him he was trespassing (he pointed out to the guy from Florida, that he was a Louisianian on public prooperty) and ordered him to stop filming and leave, or else they would contact FEMA and the State Police to have them removed. When Angelico told these dorks FEMA officials gave him directions on how to get there and the State Police also assisted, this guy didn't know what to do and just said he had orders to not let any media take pictures from his superiors.
I don't know what's going on, but apparently the administration has no intention of letting the media ask such invasive questions as, "When you take evacuees out of the city, where are you taking them?" I guess such a question like that, according to the general in charge, is none of our business, and we're stupid for daring to ask.
What's really scary now is the undeniable amount of contempt the Feds seem to have towards local officials and the media... as if it's our fault they screwed up everything! I guess it's our fault for figuring that out and they resent it, so now they're acting like New Orleans is Afghanistan.
FEMA where are you?
My girlfriend had an appointment with a FEMA rep to inspect her house this morning. The guy called last night and said he would meet her between 8 and 9am. She had to get up at 6:00am and drive 70 miles to her home to meet the FEMA rep, and guess what? Yep, the guy never showed up.
Red tape hinders family's struggle
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_20.html#081119
FEMA Cuts Housing Plans In Half, Has No Plan
Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman David Passey said the agency is now planning to bring about 50,000 trailers to Louisiana, down from last week's estimate of 100,000.
The first temporary trailer parks will not be ready to accept evacuees until next week, when 580 units are expected to open in the town of Baker, just north of Baton Rouge. Several more are expected to be up and running in the weeks ahead, and still others could take months to get established — if they ever do.
Officials in Livingston Parish plan to stall permits for trailer parks and prevent FEMA from setting up trailer villages until the parish gets more information about the impact of the new communities and who is going to pay for them.
"They don't have a plan," Ray Chidester, director of the Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security, said about FEMA and the state. "There's so many questions they're not answering."
He said FEMA and state officials are offering no answers about basic infrastructure questions, such as dealing with new demands for sewer and water, garbage, schools, roads, fire fighting and security.
"We cannot go about it haphazardly as FEMA has done from Day 1," said Livingston Parish President Mike Grimmer. "As a responsible leader, how can I just say, come on down, and then ask the questions?
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09_20.html#081122
---
An estimated one-quarter of the 3,400 restaurants in the New Orleans area will probably not reopen because of insurance cost, cash-flow or staffing issues, the chief executive officer of the Louisiana Restaurant Association said Monday.
Jim Funk said that the 25 percent projection is a minimum number and could increase.