Massachusetts: SEARCH AND RESCUE
Beverly-based team returns, reluctantly
BEVERLY -- Tired, but frustrated after what some described as a too-brief deployment, members of a federal disaster response team based in Beverly returned yesterday from Mississippi, where they had spent three days searching the ravaged city of Waveland for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
Gerry Giunta, the team's second in command and a Salem fire captain, said that after about 36 hours of preparation and driving, it took the team just three days to finish its mission. Then they were promptly sent home, he said.
''There's a lot of frustration, but it's out of our hands," Giunta said. ''It's frustrating for us as responders . . . I think there was a lot more to do."
Kentucky: FEMA red tape frustrates local paramedics
Oldham County EMS workers mobilized in three hours, then waited four days to get to Louisiana. One member says if there is any criticism about emergency response, it should be aimed at FEMA.
Wisconsin: Volunteers frustrated by issues with trip
Group says relief efforts unorganized
Florida: Local Air Boaters Frustrated That They Couldn’t Help In Louisiana
Pennsylvania, Michigan, California: Eager to Help, Frustrated Firefighters Wait for Orders
California: The Morning Read: Searchers ready – and waiting
They saved a parakeet....They have become the caged birds of Hurricane Katrina. They didn't save any humans Tuesday. They didn't find any bodies. They didn't search. They weren't allowed to help anyone in any way. Except for the parakeet.
The forced inactivity of Task Force 5 is maddening to the 80 members of this crew. On Wednesday, they were deployed to the edge of two ravaged neighborhoods but were not given the tools or the order they needed to conduct a search.
West Virginia: Fed-caused ‘bottleneck’ delays refugees’ arrival
The governor of Texas has asked other states to take Hurricane Katrina refugees. Camp Dawson in Preston County has plenty of room, and West Virginia Air National Guard transport planes are in Houston, ready to go.
But between early Sunday and Monday evening, no refugees were allowed to board.
Why? Federal officials took over the Texas evacuation Sunday night, and then the flow of refugees stopped, said Lara Ramsburg, spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin.
Michigan: Frustrated West Michigan truckers dealing with unorganized Katrina relief efforts
Federal Emergency Management Agency contacted Great Lakes Customs Brokerage, who in turn contracted Terveer Trucking of Fremont. Terveer immediately sent two drivers to Mississippi with 40,000 pounds of much-needed ice. They arrived three days ago, but the ice is still in the back of the trailer and not in the hands of those who need it...."They've been down there since Saturday. And they're still loaded with ice," said Peter Terveer.
Kentucky: Louisville firefighters save lives in New Orleans
The rescue team says it was frustrated by a lack of command, communications, and directions but say they made their own mission.....Members sometimes commandeered abandoned boats in New Orleans for their rescue mission. The team said in the last few days of their work a FEMA squad followed them around because they had been so successful in reaching residents.
Maine: Bangor team awaits word to mobilize: Wednesday, September 07, 2005 -
BANGOR - Out on the tarmac at Bangor International Airport on Tuesday, Richard Bowie was busy organizing a mission to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As director of the Bangor-based Down East Emergency Medicine Institute, or DEEMI, Bowie was clearly in his element - bustling around the supply trailers, taking inventory of water, food, clothing, medical needs, safety gear and camping equipment for 15 frustrated volunteers who are champing at the bit to get down to the Gulf Coast and help....."FEMA's not communicating with MEMA, and MEMA's not communicating with the people in the field," Bowie said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its Maine counterpart. "We're pretty much all ready to go. We thought we'd be leaving yesterday, then this morning or this afternoon, but we haven't heard anything yet. We're just waiting for the green light from MEMA."
Utah: Some Help Not Making it to Gulf Coast
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office owns one of the best boats in the country for shallow water rescue. The brand new craft was ready to go to Louisiana four days ago......The community pitched in emergency supplies to deliver. Last week the National Sheriff's Association put out a request for boats like this on behalf of the state of Louisiana. But the boat cannot go unless it has FEMA authorization or a specific request from a state in the disaster area, a request to our state for help. Authorization stalled in the complexity of managing this disaster.
10:30 a.m. update: From alternet.org: Taken together, Katrina headlines yield a disturbing picture of refused aid.
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