My son called me today from Manville, NJ. His wife’s family lives there and he went to help them start the cleanup. His wife’s great grandmother lost everything in the first floor and basement of her house. Other people had the foundations washed out from beneath their houses.
“People’s whole lives are on the sidewalk in front of their house.”
Some houses are so unstable that the residents can’t go inside to try to salvage anything due to the danger of collapse. No water, no electricity, no natural gas. Everything has been shut off as a precaution. Also no FEMA, no state agencies, no nothing except the Red Cross, a church based charity, and people with nothing left.
The police are guarding the entrances to town to prevent looting. Only there isn’t much to loot since it’s mostly ruined.
So where is FEMA, where are the state disaster aid agencies, where is Governor Chrisie? Not in Manville, that’s for sure. I wonder how many other parts of New Jersey are being ignored like this? Or other affected areas for that matter. After the cameras and politicians leave, what happens? Does anything?
It’s people like this who are going to be forgotten. Folks in NY, NJ, and VT, among others. They have no ‘national mouthpiece’ (a la Sharpton or Jackson) telling the world how mistreaten and deprived these folks are. Unfortunately, they will probably have to do it on their own.
Which is why people like this increasing dislike and distrust government. I see a libertarian wave on the distant horizon and many programs cherished by the liberals and progressives and the “advocates” will be washed away. I just hope it happens in time for me to see it.
You and me both. Every time someone comes up with a ‘program’ to help someone, with all of the good intentions, there are always the unintended consequences that create more problems…and of course they are always hijacked by the mouthpieces and all of those groups that have an over aggressive entitlement gene.
If you didn’t know better you’d think that the people that come up with these programs know that they will fail and that when they do fail, they can just demand more money to make them “work”. Has any government program (except war) ever solved the problem it was supposed to solve? What every law needs is a sunset clause, like the AWB had. What every government agency needs is a sunset clause, so that if it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, it will be disbanded. What every politician needs, is term limits.
After my experiences with FEMA, the best thing to do – if they happen to show up – is to roll them as they arrive, steal their credit cards and make a mad dash for the nearest Walmart. If their car looks descent, chop it and sell the parts. Believe me, they’d do the same for you.
Welcome to the wonderful world of FEMA. There are many acronym meanings for it, but for all intensive purposes, they are the federal branch that supports the state that supports the local governments. In other words, “Your on your own for a while”. It takes some time to get everything into place, or else you start to have FEMA employees handing out credit cards to people that have been displaced in shelters with no restrictions on them so it all goes towards booze, porn and flat screen TV’s that live in the shelters. Being a victim/responder to several Hurricane disasters along the Gulf Coast, my only advice would be to get your insurance policies, contact your agent AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, take inventory and a whole lot of pictures. Start the clean up before something like mold and mildew set in (or else the clean up will be much more extensive). And get ready for a headache and a half. Keep all the records yourself and never let an insurance adjuster tell you that they don’t cover something.
In Texas, we have 2 insurance organizations; Texas Windstorm (TWIA) and FEMA for flood insurance. They (TWIA) WILL argue that rising water isn’t covered by windstorm. FEMA WILL tell you that the windstorm caused the rising water. So now while your house is rotting, they are arguing about whose going to be finacially responsible. I don’t know how the insurance scammers, I mean companies work in New Jersey. But don’t wait on them. If at all possible, get a generator and start the clean up immediately. Eventually someone will be there. Even if it’s a neighbor. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this disaster. Good luck and as always, be safe!!
All good advice. FEMA takes 48-72 hours to get on site and actually do something. The problem is that after Katrina the American people, or at least the American media, decided that the federal government in the form of FEMA was supposed to swoop in and relieve everyone of any responsibility for their own safety and security. As if. The house that my son was helping at flooded in 1999, but everyone who was there then says that this is much worse. That the owner is a 95 year old lady who had a heart attack two weeks ago and is in rehab, is probably a blessing.
Gotta agree with 9E1… And Jess 🙂
Not to minimize the tragic impact of Irene on folks along the east coast, but the Midwest is still suffering from the effects of the spring floods. Major rivers are still over their banks, and levees are still breached. Homes and farms are still underwater. It’s been that way for months. Yet when’s the last time you heard anything about it?
Where is FEMA, indeed?
http://www.radioiowa.com/2011/08/29/branstad-says-east-coast-media-hypes-hurricane-overlooks-missouri-river-flooding/
http://www.argusleader.com/article/20110904/NEWS/109040312/Flood-recovery-South-Dakota