Left Behind

So much for Lean Forward.

FEMA's vaunted "lean forward" strategy that called for advanced staging of supplies for emergency distribution failed to live up to its billing in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

In fact, the agency appears to have been completely unprepared to distribute bottled water to Hurricane Sandy victims when the storm hit this Monday. In contrast to its stated policy, FEMA failed to have any meaningful supplies of bottled water -- or any other supplies, for that matter -- stored in nearby facilities as it had proclaimed it would on its website. This was the case despite several days advance warning of the impending storm.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government ... ery-Monday

"FEMA is a very different organization than it was during Katrina," says Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

Lieberman chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which helped spur post-Katrina reforms at the agency. Those changes, Lieberman says, have proved themselves during Sandy.

"[FEMA] was proactive, and it didn't used to be. It doesn't wait for the storm to hit; it pre-positions personnel, equipment, food supplies, water, etc.," he says.

FEMA had hundreds of thousands of liters of bottled water, along with millions of meals, cots and blankets stockpiled, which were moved into the region ahead of Sandy.

The agency also had President Obama sign disaster declarations before the details of those disasters were fully known. Lieberman says that was important, too, to start the money flowing immediately to local governments and survivors.

"You used to have to fill out a lot of paperwork to get eligibility for disaster assistance from the president. Today, they're being much more commonsensical about it," he says.

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/03/164224394 ... y-response

Interesting to watch so many posters trying to bash Obama, FEMA, unions, ....to what purpose? Especially now that those accusations are proving to be largely false.

archer wrote: Interesting to watch so many posters trying to bash Obama, FEMA, unions, ....to what purpose? Especially now that those accusations are proving to be largely false.

New Yorkers are getting pretty upset with FEMA right now especially with a new storm on its way. Barack's Katrina?

Archer I don't think it is all false. FEMA was not Johnny on the spot like most think. A lot of places did not see help for days. If they prepositioned all these items why were people without food for days. People were cold, a lot had no place to go until first responders finally got in there, some places it was the National Guard, that were hauling folks out. If all was well then there would not be the problems of these winter storms coming through there and causing even more problems cause the people there do not have a lot to keep warm with and food etc. People can sit down to the armchair quarterbacking, talk thier praises for the president etc. It is not going that well. I just talked to my buddy this morning again to make sure he and his wife were ok. They are not. What they are getting is a lot of lip service, but no real help. The neighbors all got together, pooled thier sources and they are trying to do the best they can do. And he was prepared as best he could. So this is not really going any better than Katrina did.

Obama did not do alot of anything other than show up, which causing more problems than its worth, and Romney did not do alot either.

I'm going on reports from family there, and from Christie's praise of Obama and FEMA....somehow I don't think Christie would be praising Obama and FEMA if they were doing a crappy job responding.

No response, no matter how good, will ever make everyone happy.

archer wrote: I'm going on reports from family there, and from Christie's praise of Obama and FEMA....somehow I don't think Christie would be praising Obama and FEMA if they were doing a crappy job responding.

I am not so sure of that, when folks have been hit hard, are already down you don't give them lousy news, you give them things to help pick them up, not saying its not getting but my buddy, his wife have not seen it.

FEMA out of water and gas.
People are freezing.
Looters are running wild.
They are still finding their dead family members.

Gov. Christie spoke a little differently today.

Yep....Obama did a great job at a photo op.

archer wrote: I'm going on reports from family there, and from Christie's praise of Obama and FEMA....somehow I don't think Christie would be praising Obama and FEMA if they were doing a crappy job responding.

No response, no matter how good, will ever make everyone happy.

Not what I heard from Christie this afternoon in a press conference. He thinks this is all taking a little too long.

Becky wrote: FEMA out of water and gas.
People are freezing.
Looters are running wild.
They are still finding their dead family members.

Gov. Christie spoke a little differently today.

Yep....Obama did a great job at a photo op.

Meanwhile, Gov. Christie says people should go back to work tomorrow. All the roads are cleared except for four. 90 percent of the transit buses are running. Funny he didn't mention anything about looters running wild.

“Be smart. We’re in the throes of a back-end of a crisis,” Christie said.

Napolitano — who agency has been authorized to assist residents in all 21 counties — said FEMA has 4,400 personnel on the ground in New Jersey and is sending more.

I guess the commuters will just have to dodge the looters running wild on their way to work.


http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/1 ... _shou.html