My sister (she works for homeland security/GEMA) comments from inside

[Terran1212]

My sister just got back (she interns downtown with GEMA/Homeland Security). She says she has to work all weekend, finding shelter for the thousands of refugees (a change, because she rarely works).

Some info she gave:


- They're evacing priority evacues first. Prisoners, nursing homes...

- There are people coming out of airplanes with GUNS and DRUGS. That was a huge WTF moment for me

- They're housing people all over, including in Georgia Tech's colliseum

- After my parents blamed FEMA for a slow response, my sister said it wast he mayor's fault more anyone. If she's saying it, it must be a reflection of what the FEMA people are saying. Needless to say, they are quick to cover their butts, no?

- She wants me to go to work with her tommorow but I'd rather just volunteer at local shelters housing refugees than go back to the spies-r-us that I encountered last time I worked there.

Ah, it is kind of cool to have someone close involved in all this, but I still think that it is too difficult to understand all of this mess unless you work on the inside. And that's a shame.

[iamjoy]

1. How Is It The Mayor's Fault

I am just curious.

[rfranklin]

2. Who is in charge of FEMA? The mayor of New Orleans? Or...

maybe George Bush?

[xultar]

5. Good question.

[applegrove]

3. See the written request from the Mayor on Sunday - to the WH & FEMA.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. This is a National Emergency

The Dept of Homeland Security is supposed to be in charge. The Mayor did the best he could and HS and FEMA told him help was on the way but it never came.

[Terran1212]

6. I agree with you

The specific complaint of hers was though that the mayor did not evacuate the residents quickly enough or at the right time...

Not a fair complaint in my book, but I'm not a homeland security guy