It rained on Saturday, the floods came Sunday and now there are many people who have been displaced. They've lost everything. Where is FEMA? More importantly, where are all the news crews? They don't want to cover an event when the people who have been effected are self sufficient?

I'm not posting this to down play what people went through with Katrina and Rita. Everyone down there got hit HARD! There are a bunch of people here on the east coast who have had some ***** to deal with. I haven't yet seen them on TV asking where FEMA is.

Then we look across to another continent that is dealing with as many as thirty thousand dead in an earth quake. We here in the US are appearently easily rattled.

 

This is a very sensitive subject and one that I don't know if I want to be touching or not.

If we called FEMA after every flood, every rainstorm, every snowstorm - we are slowly selling ourselves short. In this manner, eventually FEMA would become the largest department in our government (which should never happen). People who are more self-sufficient deserve FEMA's assistance as well, but you should be thankful that you don't have to rely on FEMA as quickly as those who are less fortunate (40 percent of NO is below the poverty line).

In my opinion, I hardly believe that you can compare flooding on the East cost with damage done by Hurricane Katrina. In addition, Rita destroyed Western Louisiana.

I'm not saying that self-sufficient people don't need help in disastrous situations. They do. But, if we keep relying on FEMA to bail us out, how dependent are we becoming on the government? In New Orleans, you have a population where 40 percent is living below the poverty line. Many of them needed FEMA from the get go because they were two shakes away from being homeless. Thank the Lord that all of us here probably have some kind of backup (plus insurance) where we don't have to rely on FEMA when catastrophe strikes.

I do not mean to offend ANYONE by what I posted - this is solely my $0.02 coming from someone who has familial ties to the Galveston TX area who realized after Hurricane Rita how fortunate they were to escape her wrath.

 

Certainly not to discount what happened in New Orleans, but I thought the same thing about the earthquake and the mudslides in Central America. Those people never had a chance to get out of harms way.

 

I agree with your opinion that there isn't a comparison between some localized flooding here on the east coast and the gulf coast states getting slammed by two huge hurricanes. My post is mostly sarcasm. I've had a hard time translating sarcasm to written posts. Is there a sarcasm smilie? I'm not sure why I keep trying, knowing that people probably don't get it.

I can't see why anyone should be offended by your opinion. You show compassion, something we don't see a lot of lately. My point is really about self sufficientcy. More people should be self sufficient. I understand that in a country with a population as large and diverse there will be a percentage that need help. I just get the impression, based on what I see in my area and what I hear about in other places, that the percentage is far larger than it should be. Why? I don't have the answers but it seems that there are some who choose to live with less because what they do get is given to them. FEMA, welfare, food stams, SSI and the like are necessary in a society like ours, but I think we should be doing a better job of keeping the percentage of people relying on these programs small.

Mother nature doesn't explain why she does what she does. It really doesn't matter why. Were the guests and things will happen with, or without us here. It seems sometimes that this country is self centered. Katrina and Rita were devastating, but what about the rest of the world. Big deal, the east coast got some rain. It was a good amount in a short time. A few people were effected. I think we are still greatfull that we didn't get hit by a cat. 5 hurricane. On the other hand a cat. 5 hurricane seems timid compared to a 7.7 earthquake. Or entire villages buried by tons of mud. These people didn't get a chance to complain they weren't being helped.

Sorry to use this site as my soap box. I just think that sometimes there might be someone else who thinks about this stuff.

 

Yep -

 

Wittom, I don't think I could possibly agree with you more. I feel so bad for those people affected by that earthquake. With all the major natural disasters that have rocked the nation in this relatively short period of time, it leaves you questioning a lot of stuff, feeling for those who have been negatively affected, and thanking God for what you have.

That still doesn't take away from the belief that everyone should be entitled to receive FEMA's aid. I could tell you real, firsthand accounted stories about the $2,500 debit cards that were given to Katrina victims that would make you think twice about some of the people that these debit cards "helped," but why? Those that chose to misuse the help that FEMA gave them will end in repurcussion.

Not to mention that a certain area has to be declared a Disaster area before FEMA has any sort of jurisdiction (and, to my knowledge the damage on the east cost wasn't THAT bad to declare it so), I believe that FEMA might have responded if the appropriate steps were taken and a need was there.

In the end, it really comes down to thanking God that we ARE self-sufficient and CAN help ourselves in the event of a natural disaster like a hurricane or flood. This includes doing the one thing that we self-sufficient people CAN do - FLEE THE SITUATION!!!!

Just like most of the victims of the earthquake, most of the poor of New Orleans had NOWHERE to go as the citywide evacuation plan was HORRIBLY carried out. Of course they couldn't flee for two different reasons (sudden onset vs. no means to flee), but the result is the same. Those that are making 9,000/yr can't AFFORD cars - hell, they can barely afford to LIVE. You couldn't WALK out of the path of a 300 mile diameter hurricane by the time they knew it was going to hit your area. As a result, as soon as FEMA DID FINALLY get around to helping those that needed it most, they are STILL doing the right thing by helping those that can't even help themselves.

These are the same people that we need to light a fire under to BECOME self-sufficient (and THAT, in itself, is a whole 'nuther Bulletin Board!!)

 

Any card-carrying member of AA or NA can honestly testify that PAIN is probably the greatest and most influential motivator! If it gets painful enough, you will do something different. Being poor for decades isn't bad luck, it's a lifestyle choice. I can now see that lifestyle choices I made kept me poor and misreable for half of my life. Insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting different results. Most who are terminally poor choose to remain that way. If they wanted to change, they would try something different. When being poor gets painful enough, many will choose to try something different. But as long as our Gummint keeps giving bountiful handouts to anyone and everyone who is too lazy to work, they will be comfortable and become complacent.

A major event like a hurricane can either be a motivating force to instigate change, or it can be a chance for gummint to flood welfare recipients with extra dollars so they won't get too uncomfortable. In my opinion it's perfectly OK for someone to be uncomfortable once in a while.

 

Excellent commentary on the subject.

 

FEMA is not designed nor intended for disaster relief. It was created for the sole purpose of the continuation of government in the even of a natural disaster or nuclear war.

Excellent post Rocky,


TNS,

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