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| KATRINA FLOODS IN NEW ORLEANS |
FEMA Discards $85 Million In Recovery Supplies
NEW ORLEANS -- A decision by
FEMA to give away $85 million in goods meant for Gulf Coast hurricane victims is prompting strong reaction from lawmakers
and the relief groups.
[see cnn footage]
On Wednesday, CNN reported massive amounts of household products -- from coffee makers to first aid kits -- were being
dispersed because the government needed to vacate a storage warehouse in Ft. Worth, Texas. The items were given to various
other state and federal agencies -- but not to those who lost their property in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, nor to non-profit
groups working with those most affected.
A spokesperson for FEMA said the move was made after the agency spent more
than $1 million a year renting the warehouse.
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu responded with a letter to Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff on Thursday. The letter urges FEMA to redirect those goods to groups working to help those still recovering
from the storms.
[click here for Sen. Landrieu's letter]
Landrieu notes the continuing need for assistance and the struggle to secure funding for rebuilding and recovery projects.
Many of the items that have been removed from the Ft. Worth warehouse were donated by businesses hoping the contributions
would find their way to non-profit organizations.
A director of one such non-profit group told CNN she was shocked at
the move to give away the goods.
"These are exactly the items that we are desperately seeking donations of right
now: basic kitchen household supplies," said Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans. "These
are the very things that we are seeking right now. FEMA, in fact, refers homeless clients to us to house them. How can we
house them if we don't have basic supplies?"
Former Bush Aide Criticizes Katrina Response
NEW ORLEANS -- A former presidential
spokesman is criticizing the White House for what he described as a dismal response to Hurricane Katrina.
Scott McClellan
was known as a loyal aide to President George W. Bush during his tenure in Washington. In a tell-all book, however, McClellan
delivered tough words for the president and some members of his staff.
In particular, McClellan faulted the White House
for a post-storm "flyover" of New Orleans by Air Force One. That was the president's first eyewitness assessment
of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.
McClellan said the Bush Administration operated in a state of denial for
one week following the storm's Gulf Coast landfall.
Overall, he called the response effort "one of the biggest
disasters" of the Bush presidency.
McClellan's book will be released in June. Though it is critical of the
president, McClellan noted he still admires Bush and he blames many failings on himself and other advisers. ===============================
City Won't Offer Shelters After Evacuations
NEW ORLEANS -- The city of New
Orleans will offer no shelter in the event of a category three or higher hurricane, according to New Orleans Department of
Homeland Security Director Jerry Sneed.
Sneed told the City Council that New Orleanians should take no chances
during a mandatory evacuation.
He said if a category three or higher storm approaches, Mayor Ray Nagin will call for
a mandatory evacuation and residents should prepare in advance.
He said anyone who might need help evacuating should
call 311, the city’s information hotline.
Seventeen pick-up locations will be setup around the city where evacuees
can board buses, but instead of two processing centers, there will be only one: at the Union Passenger Terminal.
Sneed
said the city is prepared for hurricane season, but he also said the readiness is a matter of personal responsibility.
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THIS IS THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. IT'S WHAT THE WEATHER BUREAU USES TO DETERMINE THE CATAGORY OF A
TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE!
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| SATELITE IMAGE [MISSISSSIPPI] |
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| KATRINA OVER ALABAMA |
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| MAN STANDING NEXT TO DEAD WOMAN WHO SAT THERE FOR DAYS. |
CITIZEN OUTSIDE THE SUPERDOME/CONVENTION CENTER IN NEW ORLEANS. STANDING NEXT TO A CORPSE.
THERE ARE MANY MORE KATRINA PICS. WE HAVE OVER 1000 PHOTO'S OF THE DESTRUCTION ACROSS THE GULF COAST. KATRINA LEFT
DESTRUCTION IN FOUR STATES OF THE U.S.
IT WILL TAKE US YEARS TO RECOVER!
BLACK COFFEE WILL RELEASE A BOOK BASED ON KATRINA. IT WILL GIVE DETAILED ACCOUNTS OF THE TRAGEDY FROM THE ACTUAL
CITIZENS WHO'VE LOST THE MOST AND BEEN DISPLACED SINCE AUGUST 29TH! BLACK COFFEE SUFFERED LOSSES DURING KATRINA. SEVERAL OF
OUR ELITES: CHAIRMAN, NEWFAN, MRSTANUT,BIGDADDYTANUT,KEEGIZZLE AND BGIZZLE, SUFFERED MAJOR LOSSES AS WELL. THIS BOOK WILL
SET RECORDS STRAIGHT. NO ONE ELSE IS GETTING THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE WRITTEN OFF BY THE GOVERNMENT AS
REFUGEES. WE ARE TAX PAYING CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. BORN AND RAISED. HOW COULD WE BE REFUGEES?
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SINCE THE CATASTROPHE, KNOWN AS HURRICANE KATRINA, MANY FOLKS HAVE TAKEN AN INTEREST IN THE WEATHER. ON THIS PAGE YOU MAY
ALSO SEND US YOUR SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS! WE HAVE A FORM LETTER ADDED ON THIS PAGE, SO YOU CAN LET US KNOW ABOUT THE WEATHER
IN YOUR AREA AND/OR YOUR KATRINA EXPERIENCES!
USE THE FORM BELOW TO TELL US HOW THE WEATHER IS IN YOUR AREA, YOUR KATRINA EXPERIENCE AND/OR TO LEAVE A
COMMENT ON THIS WEATHER PAGE!
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OKAY, THIS MAP SHOWS THE EXPECTED LANDFALL OF HURRICANE KATRINA. THIS IS HOW IT CAME IN. YET AND STILL, MORE THEN 2 YEARS
AFTER KATRINA, PEOPLE ARE STILL HOMELESS. PEOPLE ARE STILL WITHOUT UTILITIES, JOBS, DON'T KNOW IF THEIR LOVED ONES ARE ALIVE
OR DEAD. CHILDREN ARE STILL MISSING, HUNDREDS OF THEM, MAYBE THOUSANDS. MANY PEOPLE ARE STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR AND STILL MORE,
HAVE MANY REPAIRS STILL TO DO. STILL OUR GOVERNMENT DOES NEXT TO NOTHING.
6 MONTHS AFTER KATRINA, OVER 11,000 MOBILE HOMES, SAT IN A COW PASTURE IN ARKANSAS WITH NOONE IN THEM. THERE WAS NO PLANS
TO MOVE THEM TO THE STORM REGION. THEY WERE JUST SITTING OUT THERE EMPTY, WHILE MY NEIGHBORS SLEEP IN TENTS, SHELTERS AND
SOME STILL IN TEMPORARY HOUSING. OVER 11, OOO PEOPLE WERE EVICTED FROM HOTELS AROUND THE COUNTRY. THEY'VE LOST EVERYTHING
AND IN A TIME OF TURMOIL LIKE THIS, STILL LITTLE OR NO GOVERNMENT RESPONSE.
THE PRICE OF ROOFING AND HOUSING MATERIALS
HAVE TRIPLED ON THE GULF COAST AND THOSE OF US WHO HAVE INSURANCE ARE HAVING TO FIGHT FOR EVERY DAMN PENNY, JUST TO GET OUR
HOMES REPAIRED. CONTRACTORS ARE GOUGHING THE HELL OUT OF US. WHERE IS THE LOVE?
I PLACED THIS PETITION/FORM LETTER
HERE AND HOPEFULLY MANY MORE WILL SIGN IT. I AM GOING TO PRINT IT OUT AND TAKE IT TO CONGRESSMAN GENE TAYLOR[D-MS].
I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE READING THIS LETTER TO EMAIL YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND TELL ANOTHER TO DO SO AS WELL. THIS STORM IS OVER
2 YEARS OLD AND WE FEEL LIKE WE'VE BEEN LEFT TO FIN FOR OURSELVES. I WANT THEM TO SIT UP AND PAY SOME ATTENTION
TO THOSE WHO ARE IN WORST SHAPE THEN I AM. ALL PEOPLE, NOT JUST A FEW. ALL OF US EXPERIENCED THIS STORM. ALL OF US HAD DAMAGES
BEYOND IMAGINATION. WHY ISN'T THE GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE COMING FOR ALL OF US?
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS? PLEASE
ADD YOUR NAME AND OPINION IN THE FORUM BELOW. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. BLACKDOLLONE!
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED FRAUD FROM CONTRACTORS, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR INFORMATION USING THE FORM LETTER AT BOTTOM RIGHT.
HERE IS A LIST OF CONSUMER PROTECTION/FRAUD NUMBERS, I HAVE COMPILED:
1. JIM HOOD-MISSISSIPPI STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE [CONSUMER DIVISION] 802 NORTH STATE STREET, SUITE 301, POBOX 22947,
JACKSON, MS. 39225-2947 [601]359-4230 [FAX][601]359-4231
2. BUILDERS FRAUD COMMITTEE [GERRI LYNN]-[800]956-1846
IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION WHICH YOU FEEL WILL BE HELPFUL IN ASSISTING THOSE OF US WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED CONTRACTOR FRAUD,
PLEASE LIST THEM IN THE FORUM BELOW. THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE.
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