Hurricane Charlie and the National Guard

[mediaman007]

This is a major topic. A few postings have already mentioned the lack of the National Guard in Florida.

What kind of roles does the NG fill during a disaster?

Will the lack of a guard (now in Iraq) create a problem for cleanup?

Will this be a national problem for the Bush* campaign?

[Shopaholic]

1. I just saw a family being interviewed from Punta Gorda

They said that they hadn't seen a single official--no one from the government to help them--except a NBC News crew. This was the hardest hit area in the entire state--what does that tell you? There aren't enough Nat'l Guardsmen to check these parks and help these folks out! But good luck getting *'s lil' brother to admit that!

[mediaman007]

2. This is going to create a huge human disaster in the

recovery. Who is going to help law enforcement? Those people have lost their homes too!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. The role of the Guard in a disaster

depends on what has happened and which units are called up by the state's governor. Usually after storms, you'll see Guardsmen out to help direct traffic, hinder looting, etc. I'm sure in some cases, medical Guard units are activated to help, as well as those units who use heavy equipment.

[mediaman007]

4. In a day or two the lack of these services is really going to hurt

the people of the Fort Myers area.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

15. Don't they help with rebuilding too?

I don't know anything about hurricanes, but when I was young, we had a big flood and the army came and built new bridges afterword, so we could get around. It took the state years to replace the army bridges.

[bluedog]

5. NOT activated until this morning

Our 53rd Infantry Brigade began mobilizing from Tampa today.Our area Baynews 9 had this on audio.but not in print yet.......

ONLY 3000 state wide troops .............

I read somewhere Sat.that Miami sent in 267 .yea.267.men.....We need this thread kept kicked up...

Not just Florida.but all our states are unprotected due to the IRAQ war.......

We do have a group from New Jersey's Air Mobility Operations Group....unloading their heavy equipment from a C-17 at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport.......\

If anyone has any more info on the guard units.please post on this thread......
I'm complying a letter to all Florida newspapers..Titled.Where are Our National Guard?.......oh.yea.in Iraq!!

and by the way.bush coming and the Charlotte Airport has local police and Secret Service protecting his sorry ass.

[LittleApple81]

6. Jeb said on TV yesterday "there are 1,200 NG...." How does that

compare with Andrew's NG presence? I think somebody here said they had something like 12,000 at that time? Anybody knows?

[nostamj]

7. on another thread

they said that for Andrew they had 7000 NG...

[Junkdrawer]

8. AND 22,000 regular army...

http://www.hurricanecity.com/andrew.htm

[nostamj]

9. they'll have to make do with the Boy Scouts

and Masie Morrison's Sewing Circle this time

[Junkdrawer]

11. That ought to scare the looters away...

I doubt they got 1,200 NG troops. I think they're bluffing and the media is helping "in the state's (and DimSon's) interest".

see:

CNN: "technical difficulties" when Jeb was asked about Nat Guard

and

National Guard in Iraq worried state disaster officials - May 2004

[mediaman007]

12. The standard from Hurricane Andrew:

Supplied by the military within 1 week 98 helicopters,1,300 vehicles,1,333 tents enough to house 27,000 people,30 portable kitchens,100,000 blankets,38,500 cots,

Do we have this available for the Fort Myers area?

source: http://www.hurricanecity.com/andrew.htm

[barbaraann]

13. I heard something about the Southern Baptist Men's Relief

organization (I think that was the name--I just heard it once.) coming to help. I'm guessing that this group has received millions of dollars of federal dollars from Georgie Bush through Homeland Security grants. I'm also guessing they won't provide millions of dollars of help.

[Corgigal]

24. They exist

and those assholes passed by my home after a tornado hit our area.
Our house was on CNN damn it BUT we're not Baptist. They didn't even knock on our door.

Americorp was out here and did work in our yard. It was a great program until Bush.

[barbaraann]

10. The Guard should have been called up DAYS before Charley hit

Florida. They should have been helping with evacuation and shelters and pre-positioned to respond in every possible area of heavy damage.

JEB BUSH FAILED AND PEOPLE DIED. They are blaming, for example, "Mother Nature" and computer programs for their failure; and Jeb said you cannot prepare for the unforeseen. Sounds exactly like "no one could have predicted 9-11" to me.

[nostamj]

14. EXACTLY... they're reporting that the chimp

planned his Magical Misery Tour *before* the hurricane made landfall but they couldn't deplore NG to assist with evacuations?

bullshit!

[mediaman007]

16. My God, He's the governor of Florida...if anyone should have experience

with hurricanes it should be Florida. I can't believe that they were so concerned about Tampa Bay that it didn't occur to them that other populated areas, along the same coast and in Charlie's path, might be at risk.

If no one gets fired over this, the fix is in.

[Hubert Flottz]

17. Kathrene Harris will take up the slack for the troops!

Meanwhile, another storm is brewing just south of Florida! Are we better off now than we were 4 years ago?

[mediaman007]

18. We're worse off than we were last week!

[bluedog]

19. there are church groups going in

the Red Cross is sitting up food carts.and showers..I see no military tents as in Andrew..........now this says alot..no local media or talking heads showing any boots on the ground around "hit" spot".......motorcade shown a slight clip but it backed off the coverage on baynews9

[Junkdrawer]

20. Once again: They're bluffing. If looters knew how open those homes...

were...so they're enlisting the media in a bluff.

Now, just because everyone and their cousin warned Bush that sending the Guard to Iraq left a hole in case of a natural disaster has no bearing in this media "coverup". :eyes:

[mediaman007]

21. Here's a link to the Florida National Guard

http://www.floridaguard.net/read.asp?did=3384

[Shopaholic]

22. This is going to end up costing Jebbie & * big time. . .

Not that I'm going to cry for them--but I am very sorry for the people of Florida who are having to pay the very steep price for the incompetencies of the Bush family.

[bluedog]

23. Bay News 9

National Guard ready to lend helping hands
Sunday, August 15, 2004

Tampa Guard awaits deployment to aid those hit hardest by Hurricane Charley.
snip


A National Guard unit of about 300 based out of Tampa is joining the recovery effort today.

Florida National Guard soldiers with the 53rd infantry brigade said they were ready for the call.

snip



Some of the Guard troops involved in Operation Hurricane Charley just returned from the war in Iraq. But Guard members said staffing shouldn't be a problem.


http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2004/8/15/52104.html

[donsu]

25. and they are hiding the death count

yesterday it seemed all the reporters were set up in one place and they went out from there and brought back stories. and NO ONE will talk about the dead.

the reporters seem to know more then they are saying or showing.