Hurricane Rescue Missions

Peace-bwu · #1 Aug 30, '05, 12:28 pm

It is hard so sit by watching the news about New Orleans. I know at our AFB alone, we have hundreds of men and women trained to go in a place like that and rescue people. I can't stand the thought that we have a single helicopter and military men and women trained for rescue who have to sit by at their military bases and wait to help.

I can't bear watching all those people wading in the flood water. They are in a position where they can easily become ill. They have no way to clean themselves after wading through that.

I just wonder how many helicopter rescue/evacuation teams are working and how many more we have available that we could send in. I know it takes time to analyze the situation and a plan of attack, but there are people cut off from the rest of the country waiting to be rescued out of a sewer.

I am hoping more search/rescue missions are going on than the news is reporting.

I have been amidst post hurricane devastation. My first hurricane was Opal and the eye passed over us. We were unable to evacuate because the roads were too jam packed to get anywhere. I can't imagine how much worse the people have it in the aftermath of Katrina, especially those cut off in New Orleans. It is a nonfunctioning city cut off from land transportation.

Keep Praying.

Orogeny · #2 Aug 30, '05, 1:14 pm

I have several work acquaintances in Venice which is way down the delta. The eye passed within a mile or so to the west, so they must have been blasted.

What an empty feeling.

Peace

Tim

Peace-bwu · #3 Aug 30, '05, 8:42 pm

My husband finally got a call from his scheduler tonight. He is on an alert for hurricane aid. He's a crew member on a USAF cargo plane. That was a relief. It is just frustrating that he is trained for this sort of thing but is just sitting here. His Aunt and uncle live on Lake Ponchetrain and we haven't heard from them yet. Hopefully soon! I know we have fleets and fleets of helicopters... where are they?

I hope that there are more being used than it seems on the news. I can't believe it is taking this long to get more rescue helicopters mobilized to rescue these people.

I always thought the powers to be had an emergency plan for New Orleans in the event of this worst case scenerio... It was just a matter of time. I know our government could be doing better then this and more quickly to evacuate all our citizens out of New Orleans.

Heck, where are all the rescue helicopters from our allies around the world???

**gilliam** · #4 Aug 30, '05, 8:59 pm

NORTHCOM Respond to Hurricane Aftermath

also see:

NAVY SHIPS AND MARITIME RESCUE TEAMS SENT TO REGION

also the Coast Guard is there

http://www.uscgstormwatch.com/extern...x.cfm?cid=1008

**gilliam** · #5 Aug 30, '05, 9:00 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peace-bwu

Heck, where are all the rescue helicopters from our allies around the world???

We probably don't need them. Need to bring in ours, which we are doing.

Peace-bwu · #6 Aug 30, '05, 11:08 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilliam

We probably don't need them. Need to bring in ours, which we are doing.

I am sure we won't but am curious whether they are being offered.

Peace-bwu · #7 Aug 30, '05, 11:14 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilliam

NORTHCOM Respond to Hurricane Aftermath

also see:

NAVY SHIPS AND MARITIME RESCUE TEAMS SENT TO REGION

also the Coast Guard is there

http://www.uscgstormwatch.com/extern...x.cfm?cid=1008

I know they are bringing them in, I am just a little dismayed it is taking so long with all our resources, to evacuate the remaining citizens out of there. As I said before, hopefully they are evacuating people faster than the media is aware and reporting. I was glad to see some of what you pasted reported in the news tonight, but earlier today when I wrote this, there was very little information on it. I was glad when they alerted my husband tonight, we had been waiting for the call all day. It's just so frustrating to not be able to physically do anything, but pray.

Steve O'Brien · #8 Aug 30, '05, 11:17 pm

Later today, we should call the White House Comment Line to urge the President to send every available helicopter and amphibious vehicle of the U.S. Armed Forces to New Orleans to prevent what could be thousands of deaths.

Here's the number: (202) 456-1111.

Keep and spread the Faith.

Catholic29 · #9 Aug 30, '05, 11:26 pm

President Bush must immediately authorize the use of every availabe resource of the Federal government and rush them to the disaster areas as fast as humanly possible!!!

NOTHING must be held back if it will assist in saving lives...

**gilliam** · #10 Aug 31, '05, 6:17 am

THE MUDVILLE GAZETTE has a massive roundup on the military response to Katrina, which is quite extensive.

also see:

FEDERAL RELIEF EFFORTS, including a Naval flotilla and 125,000 National Guardsmen, are on the way to afflicted areas, reports CNN.

**Edwin1961** · #11 Aug 31, '05, 6:37 am

To watch coverage online:

www.wwltv.com

**gilliam** · #12 Aug 31, '05, 6:42 am

Navy Sending Ships to Gulf Coast
The Navy is sending four ships to the Gulf Coast with water and other supplies for those hit by Hurricane Katrina. The DOD's Northern Command is setting up a joint task force. More...

Peace-bwu · #13 Aug 31, '05, 6:43 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve O'Brien

Later today, we should call the White House Comment Line to urge the President to send every available helicopter and amphibious vehicle of the U.S. Armed Forces to New Orleans to prevent what could be thousands of deaths.

Here's the number: (202) 456-1111.

Keep and spread the Faith.

I agree! I will

I just read that the mayor of New Orleans wants to evacuate all surviviors out of New Orleans within the next two days.

This is what I was wanting to hear yesterday! I just have a hard time understanding why it is taking so long considering our resources and highly trained and willing people. Now that I see this, I think we need to seriously rethink our emergency procedure in an event like this. We have known this could happen to New Orleans for centuries. This worst case scenerio has been a possibility for a long time!

We have the resources and all those poor people could have been evacuated out of the superdome yesterday. We certainly could have air dropped more supplies to them sooner. I would be thrilled if my tax money went toward helping these people by keeping them in a hotel. We have comfortable hotels at nearly every military base throughout the country.

When we have people hanging on for their lives on broken flooded homes and debris and people wading through such horrible contamination, we only have minutes... it can be done in less than two days, if we could cut through the BS that goes on behind the scenes. This is no criticism of emergency workers... I just feel so bad for all those who have the training and will to do it but haven't been allowed to do their jobs yet. One C-5 Galaxy could air drop enough supplies for most of the city. That is what my husband was trained to do. Many of them are on a routine training mission right now, when they could be using their air craft and time to be saving lives, which is what they would much rather be doing!

Am I the only one who thinks this could be done sooner?

**gilliam** · #14 Aug 31, '05, 6:47 am

Suggestion for those who haven't been involved in disaster relief. Volunteer some time with the American Red Cross Disaster Relief, I think it will be eye opening.

Peace-bwu · #15 Aug 31, '05, 6:51 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilliam

Navy Sending Ships to Gulf Coast
The Navy is sending four ships to the Gulf Coast with water and other supplies for those hit by Hurricane Katrina. The DOD's Northern Command is setting up a joint task force. More...

Quote:

The four amphibious ships will be leaving from Norfolk, Va., in the next few days. The Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida will be a base for the relief effort.

This is great, but as it says, they will be on their way within the next few days. My point is that many of the people there don't have a few days, Hopefully they will have been evacuated by then, and the supplies on these ships will probably be used for cities other than New Orleans. Yes, it is important to assess the damages before action, and I am sure the coast guard is doing their best, but I also know that there are plenty of bases who have not been damaged by the hurricane and they need to be used right now. I think more could have been done yesterday to evacuate people out, if the powers that be had used more of our resources. I know alot of people are on alert at my base., ready to go, the can load up helicopters and rescue teams on a C5, that's what they are for. It needs to be done, like yesterday. They spend so much money on "rodeos" and training missions for natural disasters, to prove to the government that they can do it.. well, now's the time, folks. Yesterday was the time. Too much red tape apparently.