FEMA Says No to Ice For Hurricane Survivors

[The Straight Story]

FEMA Says No to Ice For Hurricane Survivors
Under New Policy, FEMA Says Ice is Not Its Responsibility


Hurricane survivors are being put at risk in Texas and other hot weather states because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is no longer providing ice in relief situations, say watchdogs, relief workers and local leaders in Hurricane Alley.

Chad Lavergne searches through his home, destroyed by Hurricane Ike, in search of documents and personal items, in Bridge City, Texas, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. Hurricane survivors are being put at risk in Texas and other hot weather states because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is no longer providing ice in relief situations, say watchdogs, relief workers and local leaders in Hurricane Alley. Collapse
(Eric Gay/AP Photo)

"It's frustrating that the government can deliver $85 billion to bail out AIG, and they can't deliver ice in Texas," said Ben Smilowitz, executive director of the Disaster Accountability Project (DAP), a nonpartisan organization that monitors the nation's disaster response system.

In fact, while the federal government can deliver ice to disaster areas, it's chosen not to, under newly-revised FEMA rules. Instead, individual states and local governments are now tasked with purchasing, delivering and storing ice, even though they face tough logistical challenges in doing so, according to critics of the new policy.

"FEMA is effectively saying we can't guarantee you ice," said Mike Womack, director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5828158&page=1

[babylonsister]

1. What the hell are they good for? Can't even get the ice right. nt

[RedLetterRev]

4. That's because Brownie took the recipe for it when he left.

Nobody left in FEMA remembers how to make it.

[malaise]

7. DUzy

:rofl:

[tblue37]

9. Ass-covering. It's their main mission. nt

[Jennicut]

2. Is our government good for ANTHING under Shrub?

ICE??? They can't even provide ice?

[ingac70]

3. Good for NATIONALIZING failing companies. n/t

[aquart]

5. Well, now that we've broken the ice on nationalization...

Make Exxon next.

[ingac70]

27. Now that sounds like a winner. n/t

[BadgerKid]

8. Neocons want us to expect zilch from govt. n/t

[Greyskye]

6. "the government can deliver $85 billion to bail out AIG, and they can't deliver ice in Texas"

That's the money quote.

:grr: :banghead: :grr:

[rudy23]

10. This needs to be made into an ad or something

It's really appalling, and something anyone can understand.

[jobycom]

24. Yeppers, that is the money quote. Might become my sig line. nt

[MadrasT]

11. I'm convinced. FEMA has nothing to do with disaster aid

and everything to do with preparing for martial law in the event that Cheney declares it. (Even if it comes out of shrub's mouth, it'd be Cheney's decision).

Fucking asshats are worthless. I'm disgusted.

[Ikonoklast]

12. This may actually have been a good decision on FEMAs' part

There was a huge clusterfuck in delivering both ice and bottled water dating back to before Katrina. Vast sums of money were wasted on transfer and storage of unneeded ice, and FEMA was criticized mercilessly for the wasted money and effort.

The states and local disaster planning authorities have known about this directive for some time now. They are supposed to co-ordinate with the Army Corp of Engineers who have been assigned the task of supplying ice to the local disaster area. They are the ones to blame for this lack of planning.

Not sticking up for FEMA, but you can't fault them on this one.

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=37842

[uppityperson]

14. So who dropped the icecube?FEMA's coordinating or USACE's bit?

From your fema link:
"Since 2005, FEMA has not and will not purchase and store ice in preparation for disaster support. FEMA will instead, rely on local purchase or vendor managed arrangements through the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) who has the mission lead for ice support under the National Response Plan. Their advanced contract initiatives and predictive model forecasts for commodities is a robust and reliable capability that makes them the source of choice for ice support.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror."

[uppityperson]

16. Reading the article and the fema link, they still are supposed to be coordinating it.

If the disaster is large enough for FEMA (feds) to be involved, it means the disaster is beyond what the state can deal with.

More from OP:

Another spokesperson said the new policy is part of "a smarter business model," in which states must provide ice themselves and then call in FEMA if there's trouble.

"When a state has a need for ice that they're not able to provide on their own, we'll provide that ice through partnerships with missions," said the spokesperson, pointing to the current situation in Texas in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been charged with ice delivery. She also said states can apply for reimbursement for ice from FEMA, although relief workers and watchdogs say that logistical issues are not helped by money that comes after the fact.

Smilowitz takes issue with both points, countering, "It's contrary to the whole purpose of FEMA… Just the fact that FEMA is involved means the disaster is over the head of the state."

[Ikonoklast]

23. I read it as a failure of the Corps of Engineers

It's now their baby, directed by FEMA to supply and co-ordinate with the state and local authorities, and they blew it.

I suppose you can still lay the blame at FEMAs doorstep, as the Corps operates under their mandate, but if the Corps refuses to do their job, what do you do?

Pretty frustrating when you try to fix the problem and leave logistics to the people that have the expertise to handle it, then they completely drop the ball.

[lame54]

13. It's being used to soothe all the headaches on Wall Street...

and for Bush's bourbon on the rocks

[1776Forever]

15. 100's of trucks full of supplies in Louisiana told by FEMA to not deliver - Link........

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/154829/210

More FEMA Ice Follies in Louisiana/Texas?
by Buckeye BattleCry
Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 01:32:47 PM PDT

Remember this?

Yet again, ice may not be reaching those in need. I'm going to be writing about a family member's experiences, and I want to keep him as anonymous as possible. He relies on the money he makes to pay for his family's health insurance.

My family received a phone call today and I need to share. I have a male family member who drives a tractor trailer in his semi-retirement. The company he works for has been contracted by FEMA, and he was sent to deliver ice in Louisiana. My family member has been sleeping in a truck full of ice for 8 days in Louisiana, near the Texas/Louisiana border. The area was badly flooded, but does not appear to have the utter destruction as seen along the Texas coast following Hurricane Ike.

More at link!

This is unbelievable - anyone heard about this on the MSM? I am sending this to Ed Schultz right now!

[uppityperson]

17. Sam's Club President Doug McMillon responded Wed. to a plea from Houston Mayor for donations of ice

from OP

Now, as confusion escalates in Texas over who is in charge of ice and how and where survivors can get it, an unlikely group is stepping in to take on the duty that has traditionally belonged to the federal government.

Sam's Club President Doug McMillon responded Wed. to a plea from Houston Mayor Bill White for donations of ice in case rations run out this week.

McMillon said, "'Where do you want it, and how much?'" said White's Director of Communications Frank Michel. "Anywhere we can get ice, we're making that appeal."

White and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett announced Tues. that they would take the lead in distributing supplies to survivors after reports that thousands of Houston residents stood in line for hours for emergency food, water, ice and tarps at disaster relief sites while trucks filled with supplies sat in empty parking lots.

[1776Forever]

21. Thanks! Good news!

We just went through 3 days of no electricity here in Ohio from Ike's winds and it has been rough. I cannot imagine what it would be like in TX! I wish them all the best!

:hi:

[Arugula Latte]

18. No ice bailout. Silly hurricane victims -- they shoulda worked on Wall Street.

What were they thinking?




as if I have to add: :sarcasm:

[bdamomma]

19. no such thing for this filthy government

of "love thy fellow man".

[tbyg52]

20. For people with medicines that need to be refrigerated, ice is a necessity.

Isn't FEMA supposed to be in charge of providing necessities? :wtf:

[1776Forever]

22. Exactly! Just shows how out of touch these fools are! I put a link about trucks with ice that FEMA

stopped from delivering! Weird!

Here is the link:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/154829/210

More FEMA Ice Follies in Louisiana/Texas?
by Buckeye BattleCry
Tue Sep 16, 2008 at 01:32:47 PM PDT

Remember this?

Yet again, ice may not be reaching those in need. I'm going to be writing about a family member's experiences, and I want to keep him as anonymous as possible. He relies on the money he makes to pay for his family's health insurance.

My family received a phone call today and I need to share. I have a male family member who drives a tractor trailer in his semi-retirement. The company he works for has been contracted by FEMA, and he was sent to deliver ice in Louisiana. My family member has been sleeping in a truck full of ice for 8 days in Louisiana, near the Texas/Louisiana border. The area was badly flooded, but does not appear to have the utter destruction as seen along the Texas coast following Hurricane Ike.

My family member's company was paid around $4000 to deliver a load of ice. FEMA is paying the company another $1000 per day for the truck to sit idle. My family member has a place to sleep, since the truck is equipped with a sleeper. The local police are nice enough to allow him to come into their station to use the bathroom. He sponge bathes--showers are hard to come by. There's not much open, and he's buying some canned goods and junk food at a Kmart to eat.

He mentioned about 100 other semi-trucks in that general location sitting idle with trailers full of ice. No provision has been made for any of the truck drivers. They're on their own.

Someone in authority finally told him to open the truck--after 8 days. The person in authority only allowed locals to take two bags each. There are thousands of bags of ice in the trailer. Only 25% was taken. On day 9 he was instructed to deliver the rest to either an Air National Guard/National Guard base (temporary or permanent, I don't know). My family member will sit on the Louisiana/Texas border until FEMA decides whether he should go get more.

If this was meant to be life sustaining support, the people of Louisiana are in big trouble.

[intheflow]

25. I used to think these people were just evil.

Now I'm sure they have no souls whatsoever. This is disgustingly heartless.

[Triana]

26. FEMA = YARF - Yet Another Republican Failure...

..FEMA USED TO WORK.

Since bu$hit buried it under the bureaucracy of OHS and stacked it with his cronies - it's been useless.