"If Gov. Jeb Bush wants to accept the blame and forgive Mr. Chertoff,...

[splat@14]

he can have the blame. If he wants our respect, he can resign. There was a full week to plan for this."


Another satisfied citizen subject to help from a Bush family member...
From Fort Lauderdale Sentinal, letters to the editor.
Splat




http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/sfl-brmail130xoct29,0,153309.story?coll=sfla-news-letters

William Barkins
Cooper City
Posted October 29 2005

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We are surviving well down here in South Florida, no thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff, or anyone named Bush.

We are doing surprisingly well due to the foresight of our elected leaders who forced builders to construct everything but government buildings to a level that the great majority withstood the force. Quite curious.

We are doing well because the average person prepared for this disaster by buying what would be needed ahead of time. We are helping our neighbors by pooling our resources and labor. Streets are being cleared by average people, not by national or state governments. Services are being restored at an incredible rate by the power companies, telephone companies and other utilities. Nature became our ally, after the storm, in bathing us with a cold front to aid our comfort. We will be OK.

The one area where we needed federal and state intervention was in the supply of the simple necessities of ice, water and MREs. The radio announced where and when these supplies would be made available.

There were five or six sites in each county. These sites were in places where they could virtually only be accessed by automobile. Anyone with half a brain would realize that these few sites would be overrun by those attempting to get supplies. The lines extended, literally, for miles. If the water and ice that was promised ever arrived, it ran out long before the line noticeably diminished.

What of the most needy? What if you did not own a car? Here, like in New Orleans, those at the bottom rung of the economic scale were and are left out of the possibility of any relief. Our major supermarkets were open without power to help those that needed supplies. Alas, without power, they could take only cash. Food stamp cards could not be scanned. If Gov. Jeb Bush wants to accept the blame and forgive Mr. Chertoff, he can have the blame. If he wants our respect, he can resign. There was a full week to plan for this. There is no excuse.

[damntexdem]

1. The thing is that this hurricane only hit the southern part of Florida.

By contrast, Katrina hit several states. Even should a single state have the resources to respond to such a storm within its borders, it cannot coordinate a multistate response. For that we need FEMA. And, of course, single (red) states not done well in responding within their borders: witness Rita in Texas as well as Alpha in Florida.

No, neither Jeb NOR Michael Jerkoff ... err ... Chertoff, nor good-hair Perry, should be off the hook for these responses.

[KaryninMiami]

2. He is absolutely on target. - total mismanagement and there's no excuse!

There are countless others who are shut in with no phones, no cash, no contact that are undoubtedly without food and water. Those already who had little, have even less now and are suffering. Ice and water is still not being distributed in areas where people with no cars or no gas can access. Larisa at Rawstory's report on Wed. was terrifying and, as of yesterday, little had changed in many areas except in some parts of Miami Dade where MREs had finally arrived.

People were told to be ready for 72 hours- most were. Never did anyone imagine that after 3 days, help would not have arrived. Millions are still without power and will be until late November.

Ice didn't get delivered and melted on Wednesday because the distribution organizers were using CELL PHONES to communicate. Did they learn nothing from Katrina?

Where is Jeb? Oh that's right- having a photo op with his brother.

DISGUSTING and DISGRACEFUL.