Robert & Alison to Play benefit in Oklahoma City for Hurricane Ike

[Aquamarine]

Aqua, I will respectfully disagree with you (and still love ya in the process dahlin!). I work in a position where in the event of disaster we follow certain protocols and know how to respond in the worst case scenario. We just did it for Ike, too! We plan and prepare for the worst. FEMA was never even considered to be a first responder prior to Katrina. I grew up in Louisiana and used to spend a few summers in New Orleans (my aunt is a nun). I love New Orleans and hate what happened there. However, as far back as I can remember growing up, it was always talked about that if the right storm hit New Orleans (and we know Katrina didn't directly hit New Orleans) that it was a recipe for disaster. Knowing that, local officials should have had specific plans in place for what to do in that event and should have had the means to do it. In our budget, we have a line item for contingency and emergency supplies. New Orleans did not do their job. I also think the state should have made sure that the biggest economic draw of the entire state had its ducks in a row.

Typically, prior to Katrina/Rita, FEMA was only supposed to be there after the fact to write a check or send in supplies resulting from a direct request from state/local governments dealing with a disaster. That being said I got power back Friday (woohoo!) and am happy Ike's damage didn't hurt my house aside from a few branches here and there and making my pool look like a dirty aquarium. I am thankful now and still remember that my heart was broken when I saw what happened to New Orleans (and the Biloxi area) way back when.

Thank you for your respectful disagreement. Sound like Houston knows what it's doing (well, except for the exodus before Rita which was somewhat chaotic). So I'll revise what I said to make the general point that lots of other areas are learning from the Katrina/Rita experience with regard to FEMA. No question, New Orleans mishandled the situation in many respects, because a disaster on that scale hadn't occurred in recent memory (except for those who remember 1900 ), but one upside of it is that other areas learned from those mistakes.

Very glad to hear that you didn't get any serious damage from Ike. Though any damage sucks.

[eternal light]

I absolutely agree with you EL. We have known how to prepare for a hurricane, except for a select few hard-headed individuals, for over a century.

Hurricane preparedness comes with the territory we live in. No attempt to fight with anyone here, just a fact of life. One of my earliest memories involves hurricane preparation.

Galveston in 1900 definitely changed the way of thinking in Texas. Houston is very different from New Orleans in that regard.

i think you'll find aqua mentioning 'recent' in the sentence you responded to.

Yes, I saw that. She implied that Texas might not have been as well prepared for a hurricane had it not been for Katrina. I think Texas has been more prepared for hurricanes than most of the gulf coast. That is because of what happened in Galveston in 1900. Texas has been prepared for hurricanes ever since 1900, and probably would have been so with or without Katrina.

[beatbo]

~snip~

Texas has been prepared for hurricanes ever since 1900, and probably would have been so with or without Katrina.

aren't they 'tired' by now?

[eternal light]

aren't they 'tired' by now?

It's something they know they have to do, tired or not.

[maven2blue]

When I was a child, in the late 1970's, my family vacationed in Galveston. My grandparents lived in Southeast Texas close to the shore. The thing that I remembered most about Galveston was the 1900 hurricane because it was still a big deal to people who lived there. They were proud of how they rebuilt and remained prepared for another hurricane. I can't remember all the details because it was 30 years ago but the significance of that particular hurricane remained in my memory.

[cabal200]

When I was a child, in the late 1970's, my family vacationed in Galveston. My grandparents lived in Southeast Texas close to the shore. The thing that I remembered most about Galveston was the 1900 hurricane because it was still a big deal to people who lived there. They were proud of how they rebuilt and remained prepared for another hurricane. I can't remember all the details because it was 30 years ago but the significance of that particular hurricane remained in my memory.

I have a feeling that the rebuilding of Galveston will be the catalyst for a new discussion regarding gambling in Texas.

Back on topic, I wonder what charities are benefitting from this concert?

[beatbo]

It's something they know they have to do, tired or not.

i'm sorry, e.l. i know what you're saying.

i'm messin with you...

[eternal light]

i'm sorry, e.l. i know what you're saying.

i'm messin with you...

That's cool.

[Tejanablonde]

aren't they 'tired' by now?

Perhaps the statement should be "has known how to properly prepare for hurricanes since 1900."

I can't speak for other Texans on the board; however, by history my family has always had emergency supplies on hand during hurricane season.

As far as the 1900 hurricane that affected Galveston, my great-grandfather helped to collect the bodies, search for survivors in that horror. My grandmother saw the Katrina videos and made a statement "Galveston was like that." I send my ongoing respects, and regards, to the survivors of Katrina. Their suffering is in no manner diminished by this discussion, nor is it intended to do so.