Obama's pick to head up FEMA sounds like a good man. He didn't get the job because he's a freind of Obama; he got it the old-fashioned way, by working up to it and getting the job done. There's a short article (about a page) on him in the September issue of The Atlantic.
Give it a read. Craig Fugate sounds like our kind of guy. He believes in preparedness and personal responsibility, and of neighborhoods taking care of themselves rather than waiting for Big Brother to show up. He is a firm believer in the philosophy of Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance. He hates the kind of thing that FEMA did during Katrina.
The article also mentions a book,The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - And Why, by Amanda Ripley, that sounds like a good read in helping people get into the survivor mindset. I'm going to have to get this one.
If he really believes that neighbore hoods should be, at least temporarily, self sufficent then I think he's got the right idea. We should'nt be reliant on agencies at ANY level. When it comes down to it we're going to have to take care of our own, those who are well prepared will hopefully be able/willing to assist those who are maybe a little less so. Hope he turns out to be a wise choice.
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" This house is protected by the good Lord, and a gun......."
Re. obama...
Even a blind pig finds the occasional acorn.
My supervisor has been a member of our state response team for the last few years. She and another ex-co-worker (moved to another team and floor) both enjoyed working at the State Emergency Operations building during various Tropical Storms, Hurricanes, etc. - it's a very well-run operation. They co-ordinate the various emergency teams and departments, Red Cross, LEos, etc. Supplies are gathered quickly and sent to staging areas, then onto where they are needed. Shelters are quickly staffed, and anything needed can be very quickly noted and sent. Communications is maintained with hard-hit areas, and manpower sent in to help. Services are restored as quickly as possible. All State departments have very robust emergency locations and Disaster Recovery protocols in place. We have folks who carry laptops with necessary and critical data, so they can get their departments up and running at the off-site shelters very quickly, as needed.
None of Ray Nagins "Y'all get the heck out as best y'all can!" BS. We take care of our people.
Craig was instrumental in getting all this set up. Good man. If anyone can whip FEMA into shape, he can.
im not all that happy with him but I dont want him to fail i dont care what party he is i just want him to do the best he can. I just wish everyone would get off his back and give him a chance. I think we all should try to remember he is OUR!!! president whether you like it or not the majority of americans voted him into office it doesnt matter what party he is because we are all in this together Democrat and Republicans.
FEMA isn't about being a Demo or Rep...but should be about coordinating proper actions whenever there's a crises that goes beyond a local govt. level's ability to handle.
I've worked with FEMA reps when flooding wiped out some of our schools facilities here in Kansas City. I would give them high marks on their quickness of response, their offers of aid and their follow-up which assured that actions were done as planned and promised.
From what I can find on the net, he seems like the logical choice. It just so happens he's actually well informed and a self-starter !! There's no politics in his bones, YET !!
__________________ I keep tellin ya Doc, I'm in pretty good shape considerin the shape I'm in !!
