FEMA

[Nulle]

I have not or will not read the political posts that are going around as it really makes me sick. Who is to blame for this mess goes from the bottom all the way to the top but I would like to express my feelings as to FEMA.
I worked with them last year and just got back from being with them this year and may go back again before the year is out.
One thing I do know is FEMA is made up of hundreds of very careing people from all walks of life that have given their time to help others. We have no control over what the big heads of this organization do as like any worker we just follow what we are told to do. When things go right everybody is a hero and when things go wrong we are all lumped into the pot and critized. Anyway I still wear the FEMA shirt with pride and hope things will get better from the mistakes made on both sides.
Thanks for letting me vent a little lol and good to be home for some rest. Remember there are many out there that going home for rest is not an option.

[multibeard]

Nulle

I think that most of us realize,I know I do, that it was all those Chiefs that screwed up not the Indians.

The Indians were there doing the best they could, and still are, in a very bad situatuion.

[Dan Morris]

Welcome home...sounds like leo....you never hear about things going right, just when they fubar. Still, ya keep going back...one foot in front of the other! Takes a different breed.
Dan

[Hawkeye6]

Nulle:

Seems like you should have a pretty good idea of hos htings are going in FEMA activities at a grass-roots level. I've got a few questions for you that may help the rest of us understand what is going on and how the agency helps in disasters.

How long have you been involved in the operations and how many times have they called you up to assist?

Have you seen any of the so-called degredation in FEMAs ability or response time?

I presume that you are a part-time voulnteer as opposed to a full time "professional". How many of the responders are volunteer? Are they unpaid or paid? Expenses?

What type of work do you do when you are called up?

[popplecop]

Thanks Nulle! Always great ot hear from someone that has actually been there and worked at ground level.

[Cal Sibley]

I worked for FEMA for one year before retiring. This was office work, taking the applications by phone in Maryland. I'm never amazed anymore at how low my fellow man will stoop. Among the really needy people hit hard by disasters were scattered people who were simply out to rob the system for whatever they could get. We found people registered under multiple names, registered for disasters in more than one part of the country, found people with as high as five different help applications from different disasters in various regions. There's a lot of caring, hard working people at FEMA who put in impossibly long hours, yet they often encounter people who seem to come out of the cracks in the walls at times like this. It's sad, but some of us have actually sunk to this level. It hurts the Agency's reputation and certainly doesn't do anything for the truly needy during crisiss
times. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

[Nulle]

Well to take care of a few questions that I can answere:
1. I have worked two years for them during this part of the season. I work on the local level with our own disasters fires ect.
2. FEMA will not send our units into an area until it is Safe to do so. This takes time for the door to door units many times. This year I was called the first part of August before anything hit and was put on a 72 hour alert.
3. Responders working CR are just about all volunteer or call ups
4. FEMA pays very well I think and expenses are taken care of.
5. What do I do ? No this is where it becomes interesting lol.
FEMA does not care if you are a cop or fireman as this is NOT what you will be doing. Your only goal as a CR is to get the 800 number out to the people so they can register with FEMA and get the help they need. This presented a big problem again this year when the firemen were called up and they thought they were going to be fighting fires ect = Nope. They were mad as heck but hey there was a job to be done and I am not too good to to it so why should they be any different. Last year I worked Logistics in Atlanta setting up DRC and if was good and this year I lucked out and worked Security in a Shelter at San Antonio.
Cal you are right about the fraud in the system and also the ones you are trying to help. Good Grief some were altering the checks from the Red Cross and I think 88 were jailed on the spot. But you have to look past that at the ones that really need the help and the good you can do for them but it is hard at times.
Hope this helps with a little inside insight and I am sure the system will get better after this mess.

[Hawkeye6]

Nulle:

What does "CR" mean?

Thanks!

H.

[Nulle]

Sorry FEMA is good at these also lol : CR = Community Relations person DRC = Disaster Recovery Center
I went in as a DAR = Disaster Agency Representative
All the ones going in mass call ups are CR and they are the what you might say the foot pounders and contact persons with the victims.