[From the diaries by susanhu w minor edits. I was shocked by the strange report on today’s 1pm Seattle NPR news that Gov. Christine Gregoire (Democrat) suddenly announced that Washington state would not receive the 2,000 evacuees it was eager to embrace. Why?]
I was skeptical, until I saw…
Transfers of evacuees outside of States under solid Republican control have been halted. (in extended)
I have a hard time buying that even half of these folks would rather live dormitory style under Fed supervision, than in supportive communities. It’s not like recent experience would cause them to have great faith in FEMA.
They’re collecting identifying information on evacuees, but not putting it online so that relatives may readily find each other.
See a pattern?
Press release found at wispolitics.com
Wisconsin Dept. of Military Affairs: FEMA Says Wisconsin on Hold for Katrina Evacuees
9/7/2005Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center, 608-242-3294
Today Wisconsin was notified by FEMA and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) that until further information becomes available all plans to transfer Hurricane Katrina evacuees from Texas to other states are “on hold.”
Governor Doyle and other Governors participated on a conference call this morning with FEMA and Department of Homeland Security officials. FEMA requested states to inventory available space. Secretary Michael Chertoff informed the Governors that transfers of evacuees to most states was being put on hold, and that the focus now is on states closest to the Gulf region. Like Wisconsin, other states have been asked to stand by while FEMA and Homeland Security work through their transportation plan.
EMAC system is a legislatively approved system that provides form and structure to interstate mutual aid. On Monday, Governor Doyle notified the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that Wisconsin is willing and able to receive 1,150 evacuees from the areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Prior to today’s communication from FEMA and EMAC, FEMA had indicated that evacuees could arrive on as little as 12 hours notice.
Today’s notice from FEMA and EMAC stated that recent assessments have determined that many evacuees are not interested in transferring from their locations in Texas. According to the notice, “Many evacuees prefer to remain in the region as they resolve issues concerning the status of property, employment, and the safety of loved ones.”
Additionally, hurricane evacuees who have come to Wisconsin on their own are encouraged to contact FEMA and apply for federal disaster assistance. They may be eligible for a variety of grants and programs. To register, contact FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or for the hearing/speech impaired at TTY: 1-800-462-7585. The current hours and days of operation are 24 hours per day seven days a week. Registration is also available online on the FEMA website at www.FEMA.gov.
According to the American Red Cross, there are currently 30 individuals living temporarily at State Fair Park in Milwaukee. In addition, the Red Cross is serving more than 100 evacuees who have other housing arrangements and came to Wisconsin on their own. Any evacuee in Southeastern Wisconsin can access services at State Fair Park.
And from Springfield Journal-Register, Illinois…
Some of the uncertainty felt by the victims of Hurricane Katrina was being experienced Tuesday by the professionals and volunteers preparing in Springfield to greet dozens of the evacuees…
“We want them to come here and have some type of bed to sleep in and someplace – although we realize it’s nothing like home – that is not a cot in the midst of 10,000 other people,” said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. “And that’s what we’ve set up.”
Good thing they are not politicizing this…
I made this comment to my wife right after we heard they’re being sent to TX. I said, oh yeah, that’s so TX can get another congressional seat. She said, it’s not likely that these people would vote Repug, and I said, what makes you think they’re actually going to vote?
Now, I know the next census isn’t until 2010, but part of me thinks that they’re only sending refugees to red states not just for the authoritarian reasons implied by ben masel, but because they deliberately want to swell the populations to give them more congressional seats. Cause they know, more likely than not, the refugees will resettle in whatever area they’re in, not likely to move back to NO.
Even more simply, it’s all about the population. Conservative ideology needs a large mass of desperate, poor people to work. These people are fodder for the corporations and wars of aggression. It’s why conservatives and their followers stand against a woman’s right to choose and against gay marriage. To them, the right thing to do is marry young, take whatever crappy job you can get, and pop out kids by the truckload.
Unless you’re rich, of course.
Hi. Here is a report out of the Denver post that describes the evacuee site as a “concentration camp” (not my word DENVER POST).
http://www.denverpost.com/carman/ci_3006502
Then the article goes on to say how “happy” the people are. I think the author saw a need to dilute the impact of the article.
As I mentioned, I had a conversation with a friend who is an official of the Office of Communication for the State of Illinois on Monday. He said “a bunch of us were sitting around trying to figure out what to do” ….about a request to take 11.000 evacuees from Gulf Coast area or New Orleans and they are putting them in a Military Base. He gave me the name….I can’t recall it.
The Republican governor of Texas Rick Perry and other Republicans recognize that the disorder that is going to result from the evacuees presence in their state is going to get them kicked out of office.
This whole thing is not going well.
CNN says 62% of people interviewed think the government is doing an adequate job in the handling of Hurricane Katrina.
That means that Americans are the Dumbest People on Earth.
Joe Allbaugh who selected Mike Brown as FEMA head is a Kellog Brown and Root consultant and HE will coordinate the” private sector” efforts to clean up the Gulf Coast. This is reported today on Democracy Now!
America has little hope of stopping evacuees abuse and misuse in these camps.
The stories of 23 murders in the Super Dome, the 125 sexual assaults and children being raped in the bathroom have not been substantiated …so says the Guardian of London.
What was once simple racism of neglect of Black people and any White people who live or near or are integrated or associated with Blacks economically is now becoming a conspiracy to steal their land in New Orleans and large parts of the south and to return it to the descendants of the original white slave owners who once held the land.
So we are returning to an earlier time. Slavery has never ended. It has just changed it’s face throughout the years. And some progress was being made until the Republicans and now many Democrats took over. They are using this Hurricane to reclaim White Land.
Fencing people in ….and reporters not allowed to talk to people, no one able to get in to see people or hire them for jobs so they can feel like they’re useful..how exactly am I supposed to respond to fencing in Americans who are no doubt shell shocked as anything other than ‘camps’ in the worst sense of the word.
This is only going to get worse and more stories like these are going to surface about Americans in camps, behind fences ..next to the first story about the Red Cross being denied access to NO these emerging stories of people behind fences or in camps like the other one linked below is scary.
Living out in developing Thailand and seeing how Thailand dealt with the tsunami I can only say the effort in and around New Orleans cannot be described as a relief effort. It is just a disorganized fucked up disaster either by design or we Americans must have the most incompetant organizers in the history of mankind.
If 62% think that response is adequate people must truly have become incredibly stupid since I left.
to Enemy Combattants.
Check this out a FEMA Detainment Camp in Oklahoma with pics
I read about the camp.
The White people KNOW the “NEGROES” are going to riot. They are preparing for the rioting.
THeir preparations will ensure the rioting.
But these NEGROES…”.we gotta stop em’ We gotta train em” Alll you can do with NIGRAS is try and control em’
Bush miust be removed from office. This stuff is being repeated everywhere.
Now I have heard about this in Denver too.
This is from a diary I wrote when they started moving people to the Astrodome
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
Here are a few of the relevant laws.
1. Internally displaced persons shall enjoy, in full equality, the same rights and freedoms under international and domestic law as do other persons in their country. They shall not be discriminated against in the enjoyment of any rights and freedoms on the ground that they are internally displaced.
1. Every human being has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention.
2. To give effect to this right for internally displaced persons, they shall not be interned in or confined to a camp. If in exceptional circumstances such internment or confinement is absolutely necessary, it shall not last longer than required by the circumstances.
3. Internally displaced persons shall be protected from discriminatory arrest and detention as a result of their displacement.
1. In no circumstances shall displaced children be recruited nor be required or permitted to take part in hostilities.
2. Internally displaced persons shall be protected against discriminatory practices of recruitment into any armed forces or groups as a result of their displacement. In particular any cruel, inhuman or degrading practices that compel compliance or punish non-compliance with recruitment are prohibited in all circumstances.
1. Every internally displaced person has the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his or her residence.
2. In particular, internally displaced persons have the right to move freely in and out of camps or other settlements.
1. All internally displaced persons have the right to know the fate and whereabouts of missing relatives.
2. The authorities concerned shall endeavour to establish the fate and whereabouts of internally displaced persons reported missing, and cooperate with relevant international organizations engaged in this task. They shall inform the next of kin on the progress of the investigation and notify them of any result.
3. The authorities concerned shall endeavour to collect and identify the mortal remains of those deceased, prevent their despoliation or mutilation, and facilitate the return of those remains to the next of kin or dispose of them respectfully.
4. Grave sites of internally displaced persons should be protected and respected in all circumstances. Internally displaced persons should have the right of access to the grave sites of their deceased relatives.
1. Every human being has the right to respect of his or her family life.
2. To give effect to this right for internally displaced persons, family members who wish to remain together shall be allowed to do so.
3. Families which are separated by displacement should be reunited as quickly as possible. All appropriate steps shall be taken to expedite the reunion of such families, particularly when children are involved. The responsible authorities shall facilitate inquiries made by family members and encourage and cooperate with the work of humanitarian organizations engaged in the task of family reunification.
4. Members of internally displaced families whose personal liberty has been restricted by internment or confinement in camps shall have the right to remain together.
1. Internally displaced persons, whether or not they are living in camps, shall not be discriminated against as a result of their displacement in the enjoyment of the following rights:
(a) The rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, opinion and expression;
(b) The right to seek freely opportunities for employment and to participate in economic activities;
(c) The right to associate freely and participate equally in community affairs;
(d) The right to vote and to participate in governmental and public affairs, including the right to have access to the means necessary to exercise this right; and
(e) The right to communicate in a language they understand.
thanks for reposting that and the link also.
Thanks for the post.
I wish I knew what is going on the in Astro Dome. What the rules are. I haven’t been able to find anything out.
buying guns anywhere them blacks are being put in camps.
If you weren’t paranoid or scared before you should be after reading that story..which means I’m now absolutely beyond paranoid and freaken out.
That was creepy. The numbers on the buildings, the out-of-the-way location…
IT’S ILLEGAL!!!
WE CAN NOT LET PEOPLE BE DETAINED LIKE THIS!!!!
I was wondering why they US kept asking Europe for MREs…
On people’s right to travel across state lines are unconstitutional, if memory serves. So, some of the stories I have read, where evacuees have been denied the right to leave the city, or denied the right to take themselves to the state of their choice, I think violates their rights as citizens. Of course, I believe the constitution has been superceded by the Patriot Act and the common law that has grown up around denying people’s rights in the unending War on Terra, but all this has happened since I left the practice of law, so I’m not sure.
Spooky shit though.
The Seattle Times – PM Update:
I can see that people wouldn’t want to go thousands of miles from home … but …
They need to know they have the right to “Be FREE”… I am so glad you front paged this….
Let see who gets to go on the cruise ships…
hmm…funny, my initial impression was that BushCo was “hogging” all the refugees so red state administrations could show how compassionate they are.
“We’re so compassionate! We took in 3,000 refug–er, ‘displaced citizens.’ And how many did you take in, Ms. Blue State Governor? Ha, thought so!”
They are getting PAID…
This is like the “Welfare” system where 3/4 of the funds go to administrative costs and only 1/4 to the people needing help.
Watching this disaster unfold has convinced me that in disaster situations doing what the government tells you to (like go to the superdome) is often not the best move and you should be very suspicious of it.
i am not surprised that there are some people resisting evacuation. They may have nothing left but they know they could be even worse off in the hands of the government.
They put people in the superdome and they locked them in!
The people in the WTC who survived the 911 attack were the ones who ignored the advice of authorities (bosees, security guards etc) to stay at work after the first plane hit. People who stayed and cooperated died. People who decided to act independently survived.
Be very suspicious of any gov’t agency telling you that you have to do this or that in order to survive. I have never been a survivalist-type, but the idea of having a good supply of food, water, and other provisions does not seem excessive these days. We need to be thinking on our feet, we need to be prepared to take care of ourselves.
Watching this disaster unfold has convinced me that in disaster situations doing what the government tells you to (like go to the superdome) is often not the best move and you should be very suspicious of it.
So true. Right after 9-11 I recall being informed (probably by local news) that according to my state’s emergency response plan, in the event of a bio-attack — IIRC, specifically focused at the time on small pox & anthrax — off to the local stadium I go, high-ho, high-ho.
At that time, I was already muttering to myself, “fat chance”.
But — let’s think about the following: I believe that it was strongly implied that we would not have a choice in the matter as it would be necessary to isolate groups post-exposure to decontaminate the enviroment.
The rational part of me completely understands (and even agrees) that this policy is necessary. But my sense of self-preservation, now stoked by our ‘government’, says that there isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that I will partake in any sort of government-sponsored incubation, particularly not in a sports stadium.
Are they starting the investigation? Will they be sending people ’round to the various camps? Can they team up with the UN and get some international observers/relief workers in here?
Do you have more info.?
As Parker points out above, FEMA’s actions appear to contravene International Treaties guaranteeing certain Human Rights.
Enforcement of these Treaties is premised on the filing of formal Complaints by the Governments other signatory States.
I’ve just requested interventions from members of the Human Rights Committees of the Netherlands and Italian Parliaments, as well as the Transnational Radical Party.
I encourage readers to file their own notifications to these and other Governments.
My letter:
Ben: Great minds thinks alike
Clandestine: Officials wouldn’t tell people where the plane was going to avoid refusals to evacuate
By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
Jervis Bergeron lost his home to Hurricane Katrina. He lost his dignity looting for food and water. He lost track of his family in the chaos that ensued as rescuers evacuated New Orleans.
Now he has lost his bearings.
“I knew where Utah was, but nobody told me that’s where we were going. Nothing personal. It’s nice. But I don’t know anybody here,” said Bergeron, among the first batch of 152 evacuees to arrive at the Camp Williams Utah Army National Guard training site.
Like others who arrived in smaller military planes, Bergeron wasn’t told where he was headed when he boarded the JetBlue airliner Saturday at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. In fact, great pains were taken to keep their destination secret.
National Guard officials asked a reporter and photographer aboard two separate military planes not to identify their news organizations or tell the refugees where the planes were going. They explained some refugees on earlier flights complained or refused evacuation when told where they were going.
Federal emergency officials said pilots had their passengers’ safety in mind. Few evacuees are holding a grudge.
But some argue, as a matter of respect and simple courtesy, they should have been told where they were landing.
“I asked four or five people, but they said they didn’t know,” said Bergeron, 54. “It wasn’t until the airplane doors were shut and the engines started that they told us, Utah.”
Michael Widomski, spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said keeping destinations a secret wasn’t an official policy decision, but more likely a last-minute response to trying circumstance
Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement
(b) Adequate measures shall be taken to guarantee to those to be displaced full information on the reasons and procedures for their displacement and, where applicable, on compensation and relocation;
(c) The free and informed consent of those to be displaced shall be sought;
Principle 14
1. Every internally displaced person has the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his or her residence.
Saw your item, and took the next step. Belated credit here. Just didn’t fit the format of my letter to the Parliamentarians.
Can you help point me to the best places to send them? ways to find contact information?
I will get on this tomorrow, right after I drop my child off at school and try to get some REAL information about what the Texas health department is doing in terms of being proactive about the spread of disease and providing services in the shelters and for displaced persons.
Reports from the Astro Dome. I can’t verify the source, but these people are hiding from the authorities who are trying to kick out anybody by CNN. They say the are providing drugs or antidepressants to people.
Actually antidepressants ….I wish I knew if these were amphetamines or “depressants”. If they are giving people amphetamines they are going to have a shit load of problems. I am sure they must be giving them depressants….as if they were schizophrenics in a ward or something. All walking around with shoulders hung, shuffling their feet.
I don’t have time to explain only psychiatristsare allowed to prescribe drugs ( not counselor sor psychologist) are the dumbest people on Earth. Very few are anything but beaucrats who understand anything about human behavior. They are most often in it for the money.
Anybody know anything about this?
http://www.boingboing.net/2005/09/07/katrina_rape_murder_.html
12:29 Evacuee Irvin Skinner: We have a curfew. We’re being kept inside after 11pm. Forced to stay inside. They threw guns on everyone. Said ‘come inside or your out of here’. Shoved guns, pointed them at adults. I’m a grown man, I have rights. This is an instituion to us, it’s like a jail. I’m a middle class man with a home being trated like a criminal because I’m black. If we were white, we wouldn’t have this problem.”
“We are not here by choice.”
NOW THIS ONE REALLY PISSES ME OFF!
“Seeing the stories of the violence going on… and considering how the medical system has been pumping people full of anti-depresents… and personally seeing what happens when you try to take someone on heavy dosage to cold turkey, I wonder how many of the people acting out are acting out of shock combined with drug withdrawal. Nobody seems to be asking this question.”
Of course! They are drugging people with sedatives. They have a bunch of idiot psychiatrists in there giving people drugs to dull their sensitiviy. One way to stop people from experiencing what they actually feel.
I have often thought what effect drugs have had on Americans in general as a cause for the absolute apathy they show toward the obvious.
I don’t take prescription drugs and now I am angrier than ever!
Somebody needs to get their ass kicked. YOU CANNOT DRUG THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! LET THEM FEEL!
Sorry for the mistakes in spelling etc. Don’t have time.
I read a little more on the drug situation. They are providing people with medication who need medication. People who have prescritption bottles are being given medication.
I honeslty don’t know if they are freely handing out sedatives. I am sure some people could use them.
I just hope that they aren’t being thrown around. I am afraid that they might be in other locations, depending on whose running it.
The Mayor of New Orleans said one of the secrets of NEw Orleans is drug addiction and that many of the break in’s into hospitals was caused by people looking for drugs since they had no supply.
I hope they don’t use sedatives for crowd control.