Anyone else see ABC affiliate in Tampa area just now?

[madfloridian]

We were stunned at what we saw. In the Lake Wales area, just about ground zero for our county, they were turning cars away until 8 in the morning. There was a Ledger truck, loaded with ice bags. There was apparently food available as well.

They said there were NO VOLUNTEERS, so they showed the cars being forced to return home with no ice and no food.

What is wrong with this picture? Couldn't they have let the people come and get the stuff? Why is there no one? This city was hit extremely hard, no electricity, no nothing.

Who is in charge? The eye went over it.

On Edit: I am not trying to blame Jeb, as I see that is not popular to do on some posts. I am just saying that I am here, and I see what is NOT being done by whoever is supposed to be doing it.

Who IS supposed to be in charge?

[Wickerman]

1. This is the problem of the Bush* philosophy

rely on volunteers for stuff and what do you get? Nothing. Not a thing. That isn't to say there aren't success stories - but often as not they won't be there 24/7.

Ordinary folks in Florida are now experiencing (sadly) what the poor of America experience every day and are getting a taste of why we need government involvement in keeping our communities moving.

[DODI]

2. I have been amazed at how under-covered this whole story has been.

I was in Western Canada when Andrew occurred and knew much more about the relief effort, deaths, etc. than I know about this storm. It strikes me as very odd.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. This LA Times story today is pretty revealing -- says no official help --

In Florida, a Hunt for Basics

By John-Thor Dahlburg, Times Staff Writer
August 16, 2004

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — Mary Stewart, who has lost her home, doesn't know where she and her parents, both stroke victims, are going to live. Stewart has no idea if the store where she made $6 an hour will reopen, but Sunday she wanted just two things to be happy.

"A shower and having something cold to drink, that's the biggest thing," said Stewart, who lived in Alta Vista, one of the mobile home parks in Punta Gorda that was hit hardest by Hurricane Charley.

In this once tidy subdivision of about 200 households, including many elderly of modest means, existence has been brutally pared to the bare essentials: finding a way to eat, drink and sleep. Forty-eight hours after Hurricane Charley ravaged much of southwestern Florida, residents of Alta Vista mainly were seeking, and getting, help from their neighbors and families, not official agencies....

***

She hasn't seen anyone from the state or federal government, she said....

***

As the temperatures climbed into the mid-90s in early afternoon, she took her panting dogs into her truck's cab and turned on the air conditioning. The Michigan-born woman who did janitorial work before developing a bad back said a neighbor's son had given her barbecued chicken. Others were stopping by to see if she needed water or food. And the daughter-in-law of Juanita Nelson, who lived across the street, offered to take her in, a generous invitation Ricketts said she refused even though she had no cash or solid roof over her head.

It was in stark contrast, she said, to the welcome she found when she went looking for federal emergency relief workers.

"They never asked me who I was, where I was from, what happened to me," Ricketts said. "They didn't care. They made me feel stupid when I asked if they could loan me a generator. And when I went to see them they were eating, and I wasn't."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-home16aug16,1,3467989.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[peacetalksforall]

12. Twelve years difference....during Andrew I was coping and cleaning up

for 12 days and didn't know much about what was going on around me, but the rest of the world knew. I learned a lot much later.

Now twelve years later, you can still count on those in the center of the damage to not know much about what is going on around them, but now it appears the rest of the world doesn't know either.

Yes, there certainly appears to be a news blackout.

Let's see if there is going to be an aid blackout also.

These poor residents may not have experience in dealing with scammers and rip off artists. Say a little prayer that they get good advice and help and are clued in on by honest professionals on the next steps to take.

[madfloridian]

4. On Crossfire today they mentioned the lack of emergency management.

And I read here or somewhere that FEMA is more about Homeland Security now.

Watching those people being turned away from ice and food made me sick.

[NMDemDist2]

5. isn't this what the National Guard usually does?

:shrug:

[htuttle]

6. They called up about 4,000 FL National Guard

But they are probably too busy just guarding the banks and directing traffic.

4,000 personnel spread across much of the state isn't that many. As a comparison, after Hurricane Andrew, I think they called up about 7,000 National Guard, and 22,000 active US military to help.

[kayell]

7. I wonder how many of that 4,000 are guarding wealthy neighborhoods like

Sanibel from looters, rather than helping people?

[madfloridian]

10. I heard there are 8000 FL Natl Guard who are not in Iraq.

Why aren't we using the other 4000?

Turning people away from trucks of ice and food ready to eat is tragic. They could have turned into the volunteers. Or all the guard or law officers who forced them away could have helped as well.

I felt sick watching them go down the road on the TV, like a helpless feeling.

Half our inland county is still without electricity, and often it does take time. But others here are noticing that no one seems to be in charge at a county level. We live in the city limits not too far from downtown, so we were lucky about a lot of things.

Something is just not right here.

[jmcgowanjm]

8. #1-Clinton and Jamie Lee Witt are Gov't disasters Gold Standard

From Arkansas, they both know what a disaster is
and they always get/got the job done.

And Bill always knew how to handle the PR.

[jmcgowanjm]

9. #2 thanx for the update madfloridian

i have cousins in Lakeland.

[madfloridian]

14. Here is a link to read about Lakeland damage.

Not as bad as elsewhere, but I know of more than what is in the pictures.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

[jmcgowanjm]

15. Thank you.

James

http://rense.com/general56/eekk.htm

[Purrfessor]

11. I was born in Lake Wales and I have a cousin who still lives there

She and her family are fine. The only damage they suffered was to their carport roof. I have another cousin in Wauchula, but I don't know how to get hold of him.

[madfloridian]

13. Wauchula suffered a lot of damage as well as Lake Wales.

I have watched the local news, and today has really surprised me. I did not realize how much real damage was done. Even in our neighborhood 3 days later there are pockets without electricity, and no one in sight to do anything.

Here is the Ledger link to the East Polk damage, showing pics of Winter Haven and Lake Wales, etc. They have good coverage.

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=LL&Date=20040814&Category=PHOTOS&ArtNo=814003&Ref=PH&Profile=1039

And here is one just about Lake Wales.
http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040815/NEWS/408150436