Hurricane Relief: Too Little Too Late

Our government at work after 4 years of Homeland Security
preparedness http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9162009/site/newsweek/

Its time for our National Leadership to speak out regarding the lack
of timely response on behalf of our Federal Govt in the South. Many
thousands of American lives will be lost in the next few days alone
if the situation in the south is not brought under control
immediately. On Tuesday, our President was in California shaking
hands, joking it up, and PLAYING GUITAR with country music musicians
on a Navy Ship, rather than taking command of the situation in the
Southern States, a situation, which by all predictions on Sunday and
Monday, could easily end up with the loss of tens of thousands of
lives. Our President did not put National guard troops into action
or mobilize Navy relief efforts until Wednesday (by all accounts
five days late), by the time those shamefully modest resources get
into place, fully one week will have passed, any many people will be
dead.

Our Nation has had four years to prepare for such an event as
Hurricane Katrina,with billions spent on FEMA, the Homeland Security
Dept. and NorthCom, and yet the response to the situation is
woefully tardy, and woefully indequate. I call on all Americans to
speak with one voice and demand the Federal Government TRIPLE the
troops (30,000 to cover and area the size of England is nowhere near
enough) and resources sent to the area immediately. Minuites are
precious, and our American brothers and sisters are dying needlessly
of starvation and dehydration. It takes a human being three or four
days to die of dehydration, and there are over 100,000 people in New
Orleans alone, not counting other ares, who have not had food or
water for at least that long. For the first time in modern history,
Americans may witness tens of thousands of people die from
starvation in the next two or three days. Food and water should be
being airdropped into unreachable areas, as we did in Afghanistan
and Iraq, but they're not. Hundreds of Military Helicopters should
be being used to tranport the thousnds of people caught on rooftops,
but as of Thursday, only FOUR helicopters were being used in search
and rescue in the whole city of New Orleans, and those were being
shot at. Civilian helicopter operators should be being recruited,
commandeered if necesary, to help with airlifts, but they are not.
Thousands of Coast Guard Reserves Nationwide should be being called
up, but so far only five hundred have. Marine Amphibious assault
vehicles should be being used to get to the neighborhoods tht have
not been reached yet, but they are not. The FEMA holding camps that
are set up at military bases around the US, and that are capable of
holding up to three million people collectively, should be being
readied to hold refugees, but they are not. The USS Comfort, the
Navy's floating hospital ship, will not be deployed until Sunday of
this week...one must wonder why it was not standing at the ready ten
days ago, in position to arrive as soon as the storm winds died down
on Tuesday. American Babies are dying in their mother's arms while
our government lumbers into action like a herd of bedraggled,
apathetic snails.

"This is a national disgrace," said Terry Ebbert, head of New
Orleans' emergency operations. "FEMA has been here three days, yet
there is no command and control," Ebbert said. "We can send massive
amounts of aid to tsunami victims but we can't bail out the city of
New Orleans."advertisement. "We have got a mayor who has been
pushing and asking but we're not getting supplies."
He said the evacuation was almost entirely a Louisiana
operation. "This is not a FEMA operation. I haven't seen a single
FEMA guy."

News reports showed a crowd of refugees, including children,
stranded without adequate food, water or medical attention at New
Orleans' downtown convention center, even though it had been
designated a shelter after the Superdome filled up. Seven bodies
were strewn outside. When was asked on National Public Radio why no
help had been sent, Homeland Security Secretary Miachel Chertoff
said he was unaware of the problem (!). One must truly marvel at the
incopetency of a man who must be the ONLY person in America who was
unaware of the situation at the Convention Center.

"This is a desperate SOS," New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said in a
statement made available to CNN. "Right now we are out of resources
at the convention center and don't anticipate enough buses.
Currently the convention center is unsanitary and unsafe and we are
running out of supplies for 15,000 to 25,000 people". "They don't
have a clue what's going on down there," the Mayor told WWL-AM
Thursday night." Mayor Nagin warned that thousands of residents
could die if remaining water supplies are cut off or contaminated.
Some 50,000 residents are still on rooftops awaiting rescue, he
said. Many if not most have past the "Golden 72 hours" without food
or water that Emergency Experts know are crucial to survival.

As of Friday, a chemical explosion is spreading noxious fumes around
the already destroyed city of New Orleans, threatening thousands.
Not since the Civil War have we seen such destruction, such
suffereing on US soil. 911 pales in comparison. This is truly a
National Disgrace of tragic porportions, and the situation needs to
be adressed NOW, before thousands more, perhaps tens of thousnads
die needlessly of starvation and third world diseases such as
cholera and typhoid.

The American people need to call Senators, Representatives,
Governors, the White House, the Media, Celebrities, Clergy etc. and
demand that someone speak out, and take action. We have spent
billions in Homeland Security preparedness, have tremendous
resources, and yet are government is dispersing aid like molasses
from an eye dropper, while people die. Many thousands more will die
in the next few days if action is not taken.

Time to speak up America. Time to wake up Mr. President.

Recipient:
Please forward this email to everyone you know, donate to the Red
Cross or charity of your choice, and above all, call your Government
Representatives to demand action.