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FEMA's Decisions Have a Name -- Discussion

Tue Jan 10, 2006 at 07:25:00 PM EST

In her ePluribus Media article FEMA Decisions Have a Name, Barb Morrill (BarbinMD) takes a hard look past the cold numbers of the Heritage Foundation-inspired FEMA downgrading of the once considered critical factors. As BarbinMD writes:

We're all familiar with the grim realities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; over 1000 dead; more than 160,000 homes and businesses destroyed; major medical centers, schools and universities no longer operational; the majority of the population displaced...on and on. Now let's put a human face on some of these once "critical" sectors that were suddenly, "not truly vital."

commentary :: :: :: buzz-it!

In her piece, BarbinMD concentrates on a handful of true stories to remind us what happens when the foundations of our infrastructures are allowed to crumble and disintegrate:

This story is an attempt to put a human face on people affected by this decision, and while doing so, remembering that the 2006 hurricane season begins in just five months. Will FEMA's mission be accomplished this year? As it has for more than 20 years, FEMA’s mission remains:
...to lead America to prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters with a vision of "A Nation Prepared."

ePluribus Media editors, fact-checkers, and contributors include: Kfred, WanderIndiana, Luaptifer, Lilnubber, cho, HeyThereItsEric, Stoy, SawcieLackey, Susie Dow, JeninRI, Standingup, Nancelot, XicanoPwr, and NCYellowDog

Please read FEMA Decisions Have a Name and tell us: Is your town or city ready for an emergency? Could these human tragedies happen there?

FEMA's Decisions Have a Name -- Discussion | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)

FEMA and possible pandemic (5.00 / 1) (#6)

Your post here is a great reminder that we are, for all intents and purposes, completely on our own. As it seems very unlikely FEMA or any other gov agency will be of much help in future disasters. Let's take one possibility that may affect the whole country... Asian(bird) influenza pandemic.

So far there have been a couple of articles in our major daily paper on the need for a two-week home food and supply inventory, in the case of a quarantine. Local doctors and city official have had some talks, no definite conclusion, no plan, no recommendations for the public. County nurses have heard they will be responsible for much of the health care... How? They are currently understaffed and underbudgetted. Again, I ask how?

If the ramifications of a possible pandemic have been discussed here previously please let me know.

I'm normally at BoomanTribune, but I can see I will need to be spending some more time here. You've developed a great site in the interval since the Gannon/Guckert days.

by NorthDakotaDemocrat on Thu Jan 12, 2006 at 12:39:42 AM EST

: Re: Avian Flu (5.00 / 2) (#7)

I don't think there has been much discussion here on Avian Flu.
I did find two commentaries that touch on the subject in relation to Bush's plan to use the military in the event of such a pandemic:
Posse C in Da House
Something Wicked This Way Comes
And at the end of Health Insurance and the Pandemic..., there is this paragraph:

Since studies show that persons who are uninsured seek a doctor until it is too late, then the chances of a serious avian flu outbreak are considerably high. It is critical that these findings be taken seriously because hospitals and other health care providers simply would not be aware or have any knowledge if the Avian flu outbreak were occurring. Considering Dr. David Nabarro -- U.N. coordinator for avian and human influenza -- predicted that the "range of deaths could be anything between 5 and 150 million."
With so many "fires" burning these days, and with the community still building, some subjects don't get the exposure that they deserve. But like you say, it looks like we're on our own; unless, of course, we can convince our Congressmen to restore FEMA to independent agency status, and shift its focus to human response rather than the "all hazards" (or "terrorism") focus.
That said, thanks for coming by and joining in the discussion.
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by wanderindiana on Thu Jan 12, 2006 at 06:30:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]
: Also -- The Flu WIki (none / 0) (#8)

Over at Dkos, Plutonium Page posted a link to the Flu Wiki. The Flu Wiki provides a compendium of objective information for prevention, public health, and all sorts of other issues surround flu epidemics, etc. Hope it's useful.
Flu Wiki

by Cho on Fri Jan 13, 2006 at 07:28:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wow, Barb. (none / 0) (#1)

When HeyThereItsEric uncovered that Heritage Foundation report, and how it focused on infrastructures that really didn't affect people, I had a general idea of how Chertoff's 2SR was designed to hurt people.

I'm almost speechless after reading your story. I mean, kfred put together a great sidebar with the December story with links to news stories related to the neglected infrastructures. But what you've done takes it a step further--maybe in a direction we really don't want to go, but we must go there. We've got to keep going back to the Bush administration's failure to answer to the people.

Thank you for writing the story.
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by wanderindiana on Wed Jan 11, 2006 at 07:47:26 AM EST

: How much more heartache??? (none / 0) (#2)

Thank you Barb - you took us where we would not go even if dragged by our hair, but go we must.
I just can't get my brain around the cold-hearted thoughtlessness, or the short-sightedness of the thinktanks. How souless must they be to think these thoughts, how cold are these supposed leaders of ours to implement these plans?

by kfred on Wed Jan 11, 2006 at 09:56:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Thanks, Barb (none / 0) (#3)

Living in Louisiana, I've seen the face of needless suffering, wanton inhumanity to our fellow man and also, the indomitable spirit of our citizens who faced the ravages of Cindy, Katrina and Rita all in a single season.

I thank you for bringing a few of these voices to the rest of the public. With a better public consciousness of the true root causes underlying this tragedy and the impact that it has had across the board, we can rally for change both at FEMA and with our local leaderships.

A wonderful post.

by polydactyl on Wed Jan 11, 2006 at 10:18:27 AM EST

Great Fema's Ghost! (none / 0) (#4)

Terrific work, Barb. Is there any aspect of our social deconstruction that right wing think tanks like Heritage and CSIS don't have a hand in?

by Jeff Huber on Wed Jan 11, 2006 at 11:44:45 AM EST

Outstanding Work, Barb. <n/t> (none / 0) (#5)

by Cho on Wed Jan 11, 2006 at 06:00:38 PM EST

FEMA's Decisions Have a Name -- Discussion | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)

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