When I retired, I thought it was time to focus my efforts in helping others. I made myself available to use my training in the fire service to assist Madison County Fire, Rescue and EMS. I also decided to work with the Northeast Georgia American Red Cross in a disaster services capacity. I took all of the training necessary to become a supervisor in disaster case work and damage assessment, and shelter operations and surveys for possible local shelter locations in our 19 county area.
It wasn’t too long until I had to put my training into practice. Hurricane Hugo hit and I was told to open a shelter at Hull Baptist church. To my knowledge this is the only shelter that has been opened in Madison County. Thank the Lord.
While in my capacity as medical First Responder Coordinator for Madison County EMS. I was also able to use my training and experience to assist the local Emergency Management Director in planning for disasters, along with others from public safety and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA). We met on a regular basis to come to decisions on what our needs would be in the event of severe weather, large-scale casualty disasters, epidemic and pandemics and hazardous materials releases. The plan included available shelters, supplies, lighting and Generators in case of power outages in specific areas, personnel availability, and coordination of portable and mobile radio communications with outside agencies, hospital and morgue availability. A good disaster operations plan was accepted by the state.
During that time, I was deployed to a number of disasters in a damage assessment capacity. Damage assessment is critical to any disaster response to determine the extent of areas affected, numbers of effected people, in order to dispatch appropriate agencies and personnel and for relief efforts by responding agencies military, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services and state and federal emergency management.
Disaster pre-planning and subsequent responses, affect the outcome of the overall response. Lack of planning means chaos, when the event strikes. Hurricane Helene is the perfect example of little, inappropriate or no disaster planning in North Carolina. Usually, FEMA relies on their damage assessment to provide needed assistance. As of this date I see no evidence of large-scale damage assessment or relief, except by outside individuals, agencies and faith based organizations, such as Sumaritan’s Purse, Baptist food kitchens and chainsaw crews, and donations of food, water and hygiene supplies. Sumaritan’s purse is usually one of the first clean up and repair agencies on scene prepared to assist, with generators, tree removal, installation of tarps on exposed roofs providing food, water and clean-up of debris.
Florida has the best disaster planning of any state, mainly due to a lot of experience with large scale incidents. That is evident due to their Helene and Milton responses of late. Local, state and private response is necessary to the overall efforts of disaster management.
However, the bureaucracy of the Federal Government always leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to a quick response. Helene response in North Carolina was woefully inadequate and late in coming. Misunderstandings occur when those affected by the disaster do not understand the bureaucratic red tape and criteria used by FEMA, and others take advantage of disaster relief.
Example: I worked a tornado riddled Enterprise Alabama, where nine children were killed In a gym collapse. A teacher saved a lot of lives when she evacuated the gym just before it hit. I was there in a damage assessment capacity as a supervisor. We had to use the available roads and streets to get to areas affected. Every day, we had to use the same street to reach main arteries.
There was a condemned house on the corner of that street that had been condemned prior to the tornado, by local officials. We checked it out the first day and saw it was not occupied.
One morning we noticed someone had set up a clothes line in the back and had placed a wide screen tv in the house. This building had no floor, no power and was unsafe, with a yellow condemned notice from the city on the front of the house. Later that day when we returned, a FEMA vehicle was in front of the condemned property. I stopped to let her know the situation and she stated that she had already issued a $3,500 check to the individual, who wasn’t even squatting in this place. It had no electricity and not habitable. There are always folks who take advantage of blind bureaucrats, who will deny assistance to some deserving and overdo it with others.
After Katrina, where fraud abounded, FEMA got more involved, but less helpful. At that time, the criteria for flood damage designation changed for minor, major and destroyed designations. Before, 1 foot of water inside the residence was considered Major damage, 3 feet was considered destroyed. The change was 1 foot was minor damage 3 feet is now considered major damage and 5 feet destroyed and basements not considered. FEMA flood insurance is required before they will pay for any flood damage.
In one case reported in Florida, a women paid $8,600 for flood insurance and was denied the claim after hurricane Helene, because the previous owner had not replaced appliances for which they had received funds, unbeknownst to her. So, she was the one treated as the fraudster, and now has nothing and is out her $8,600.
Maybe its time for FEMA, hopefully soon, under new direction, to change their rules again to be based more realistically. Bureaucracy and politics should never play into decisions regarding people who are at their mercy.
A good example of that, reportedly, was a FEMA shelter being suggested in Greensboro N.C. for Helene victims, that had been used for immigrant housing. This would be a +- three hour drive from the main affected area (Asheville), if people could get there at all.
A good disaster emergency plan would have prevented a lot of denial of services that has occurred in this storm response. I am not knocking the local officials that responded as best they could only to have those efforts tampered with.
The Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg actually attempted to deny private helicopter rescue efforts and drone usage for locating trapped individuals, thru threat of arrest, and Secretary of home land security Myorkas said he did not have enough money to last the hurricane season. (their words and not misinformation).
Who is taking the credit for this monumentally bad government bureaucratic late response? No one and the pain and suffering goes’ on. Remember the bureaucratic blunders of the COVID response.
Please give as I have to the Samaritan’s purse and other agencies that provide help to the suffering. Faith based organizations are critical to all large-scale disaster recovery efforts.
My hat is off to all of those individuals including Gov. Kemp, that have already given of their time, and resources in the Helene/Milton responses, some individuals, local law enforcement and fire personnel especially. Thank you is something not always heard by volunteers, fire, EMS and law enforcement personnel.
So, thank you and may God bless your efforts!
Please vote for real change in the humongous bureaucracy, not promises that aren’t kept. Truth Really Upsets Most People.
