FEMA activities - Machine Underground -Tractor & Commercial Equipment Discussion Forum

**gunmaker** · 09-01-2008, 12:56 AM

I've been keeping an eye

on the hurricane situation in the Gulf, and it strikes me as odd that people are so willing to let the Government take care of them. FEMA has relocation camps set up around the country, staffed by FEMA personal and emergency services. They have contracts set up with railways and bus services, supported by state and federal police agencies to provide transportation to their camps.
I keep seeing interviews with citizens of the nanny state, who have no qualms about getting on a bus at the direction of the government, with no knowledge of where they're going, how they will be accomodated or when they will have the freedom to return.
Anybody else have a sense of uneasiness about the stepped up role of the government?

**PaulChristenson** · 09-01-2008, 01:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunmaker

I keep seeing interviews with citizens of the nanny state, who have no qualms about getting on a bus at the direction of the government, with no knowledge of where they're going, how they will be accomodated or when they will have the freedom to return.
Anybody else have a sense of uneasiness about the stepped up role of the government?

I think that was how one ended up on the way to VietNam...GET ON THE BUS...MOVEIT...MOVEIT...MOVEIT...After a long bus ride, a DI stuck his head in and screamed...GET OFF THE BUS...MOVEIT...MOVEIT...MOVEIT...

...or something really similar to that...

Gee...do you think they are going to send them to Iraq???...

Mark / Ohio · 09-01-2008, 01:41 AM

I certainly would not go for it. But I assumed most of those doing that are poor with no other source of transportation and probably on public assistance, elderly, or disabled.

I could no way tolerate being in with the heard of people in those evacuation centers and lead around like that as long as I have the means and/or physical ability to do otherwise. I'm way too much of a loaner to put up with that. To me would be worse then riding out the storm working or at home.

If nothing else I would see if one of the city departments, utilities, fire, police, etc. would accept me as a volunteer to help them. Sitting in a shelter simply would not be an option for me.

LarryRB · 09-01-2008, 07:22 AM

It is because of the previous female governor and that mayor from NO,, The mayor who, I can't beleive, got re-elected again. Anyway, most do not read and defininately do not hear,, FEMA cannot just come on in and start helping regardless what help they offer,, It has to be requested by the governor first,, This is law and it hasn't changed,. That previous gov did not ask until three days later, and in the process, FEMA was misorganized and subsequently mismanaged,, Bush's administration took all the heat for it even though I still think he should have said on TV, your ignorant and lazy gov didn't do her job. ANd the rest is history,, Same for that mayor of NO.. Watching the black cops on tv rob a local Lowe's store is sure reassuring to those of us watching..
I ran trade shows in and out of NO for many years, and hated every second I was in that hell hole of a city. No one made a move, especially tractor trailers, without paying off to make a move.. Terrible city. At least at the 76 truck stop in Slidell, they were well aware of New Orleans and their police situation and treated us as extra special for just going through what we did,. To park at a 12 ft high wall and see over it, the ovean waters was further reassuring we were where everyone in the world would like to have been, not., I don't understand why they didn't bulldoze the mess, and brought in fill, millions of tons of fill, and raised all those areas, even if having to pick one ward at a time,, It seems to me, those people enjoy living in a fish bowl, then they shouldn't complain when something goes wrong.

jbrumberg · 09-01-2008, 08:31 AM

I tend to agree with Mark as to the people taking advantage of the public transportation assistance as well as to opine that most individuals on public assistance are "trained" to do what they are told to do without question

. Gustav's track will supposedly make landfall south of NO which will put NO in Gustav's quadrant of highest strength windwise, but the wind direction will be less damaging than Katrina's was. It will be interesting how FEMA, state and local government, national guard, law enforcement, the levees, and especially the "citizens" will handle this storm. Jay

**gunmaker** · 09-01-2008, 10:31 AM

Nobody is covering these relocation areas at all. At the moment 1.9 million people are...

jbrumberg · 09-01-2008, 11:25 AM

Makes one wonder

. Jay

Mickey · 09-01-2008, 02:27 PM

Much to agree with in the previous comments. This partially explains why we are in such a conundrum we find ourselves when it comes to the proper and permitted roll of the Fed Gov. Half the population thinking the Fed Gov can not and should not be the benevolent father figure that is always there to take care of every situation and the other half believing that is the Gov's job as long as there is no criticism of personal behavior.

As long as we are in this position of being evenly divided, we're in for more of the same when it comes to politics.

vansimplement · 09-02-2008, 12:21 PM

Well, I personally wouldn't life in a giant bowl-by-the-sea but I suppose some people grew up there and can't bring themselves to part with it. I'm just not THAT attached to my hometown (or any other town I've lived in, really).
I personally feel that Katrina was a mess brought on by a number of factors, but ineptitude by state and local gov't ranks high on my list of suspects. But then again, it generally takes a disaster to wake people up to problems like N.O. has/had. At least they evacuated people this time.

Deanster · 09-02-2008, 03:23 PM

During a declared state of emergency it's a whole different ballgame. You can be ordered onto a bus, forcibly evacuated, curfews are enforced. Marshall law is imposed - your rights are suspended for a time.