I just got an email from Texas Nurses

[Horse with no Name]

And by golly--they FUCKING KNOW the federal government isn't going to do anything in response to Hurricane Dean. It's up to Texans to take care of Texans. Sad but true.

>>>snip
Dear Texas Nurse:

The Texas Board of Nursing is sending you the following message because we have your email address. Your assistance may be needed in the event that Hurricane Dean makes landfall in Texas.
If you are willing to volunteer, you are requested not to respond directly to this email but to the web address at the bottom of this message.

By responding, you are giving permission to Ready Texas Nurses/Texas Nurses Foundation to contact you.

Dear Texas Nurse,



Ready Texas Nurses Emergency Response Program, a project of the Texas Nurses Foundation, in its role as a private partner to the State Disaster Health Plan has been asked to identify nurses who may be willing to serve as volunteers in response to Hurricane Dean.



Hurricane Dean has picked up speed and no one knows exactly where Dean may make landfall. The State of Texas begins pre-staging and mobilizing assets 120 hours before hurricane force winds make landfall. With the increased speed of Dean the 120 hours alert could be as early as Saturday, August 18th.



Nurses are reminded that their first responsibility is to fulfill any obligations to their employer, either through their employer’s disaster plan or to carryout job assignments, especially if you are in a 100 mile radius of the disaster area.



While the State of Texas has not totally completed its state plan, TNA believes the following are opportunities where nurses may be needed.



A. The State is setting up a system for evacuation of special need patients located in areas impacted by the hurricane. Multiple methods will be used to transport patients/evacuees to San Antonio, where evacuees will be triaged and assigned to appropriate shelters. Nurses will be needed to travel to San Antonio, where they will be assigned to a specially prepared bus and travel on the bus. The nurses will receive triaged patients onto the bus and will oversee and provide care of these patients while traveling back to San Antonio. Nurses accepting these assignments need to be skilled in life support.



B. As with any potential disaster there will be numerous shelters and emergency clinics established around the perimeter of the storm areas. Nurses will be needed for these areas as well. Depending on Dean’s path and where the storm makes landfall, nurses also may be needed to provide shelter support.





DSHS will provide more specific information as that information becomes known, which again will depend on Dean’s path and the impacted areas.



Nurses should be able to volunteer for at least three days.



If you are want to volunteer for either of the above opportunities please reply by email to xxxxxxxxxxx and provide the following information:



Full Name

RN License #

Phone # (s) where you can be reached during the next 12 hours. Indicate, work or cell phone

Email Addresses – where you can be reached both day or night

Where you can help: (1) Travel to San Antonio to man the special needs buses; or (2) work in one of the Special Needs Shelters (information to follow).

[hobbit709]

1. I know some people at Tx Homeland Security

As set up by goodhair that organization's disaster planning is a total clusterfuck.

[TZ]

2. Well yeah..

thats kind of what happens when a lot of the equipment and people who USED to be the primary responders in natural disasters is deployed in an unneccessary war overseas.
We need our own "surge" in first responders and supplies!:grr:

[SpiralHawk]

3. "But, we always do a heckuva job." - Commander AWOL

"You can trust us. Smirk, smirk, smirk. Now move along and don't bother me. I am on vacation. As usual."

- Commander AWOL

[Gman]

4. The lower Rio Grande Valley (Brownsville, et al) is heavily Democratic

just like NOLA. The RGV went heavily for Kerry in 04. The RGV is also strongly opposed and united against building the wall along the river. The RGV is also united and opposed to just about anything Bush is doing. The RGV is very heavily Hispanic with a very large population of illegal aliens intermingled in the population. Therefore, I completely expect a repeat of the events of Katrina in the RGV if Dean strikes the lower RGV. Do not expect FEMA to be on the spot. Do not expect any aid anytime soon after Dean hits.

I remain convinced the events surrounding Katrina were no accident because NOLA is heavily African-American and heavily Democrat. NOLA was "punished" by the federal government for opposing Bush. I fully expect the same thing to happen in the lower RGV for the same reasons should Dean hit.

Don't believe me? Bookmark this post and come back a week from today and reread it. The federal government won't do jack-squat to help the RGV until it absolutely has to and even then it will be too little and too late.

[rodeodance]

5. Last time the elderly/disabled were stuck in buses with no bathrooms. I heard

horror stories about this.

[OzarkDem]

6. Are all their emergency supplies & equip in Iraq?

This is like the mess Kansas had after they were struck by tornadoes.

[Horse with no Name]

7. The way I understand it

The State Board is making sure everything is provided.