E DeSousa wrote: Many moons ago my brother was a resident physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York and I was working on my Masters in Engineering at Stevens Tech. in Hoboken. acros the Hudson river in New Jersey. So, it is hard to believe that those old stomping grounds are now under water. BTW contrary to popular belief there are many organizations asking for and accepting help for the victims of superstorm Sandy. For instance you can go www.redcross.organd donate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E, The majesty of the current US system is that the govt predicts with accuracy where and when a storm will hit. The authorities then call for mandatory evacuations in areas which will experience the brunt of the storm. Some states even have shelters where residents can evacuate to, for such events. Unfortunately, the victims of natural disasters in the USA usually are those who do not heed the warnings. They refuse to budge. Compare or contrast this to say, Bangladesh, where the govt will warn about an approaching storm but the people have neither the means nor the escape avenues to get out of low lying areas. Had a storm with the strength of Sandy hit Bangladesh, the dead would be in the thousands. Secondly, FEMA seems to be responding well in the aftermath of Sandy. New Jersey Governor, Republican Chris Crisco, is currently singing praises for Obama. The Mayor of New York City has endorsed Obama for re-election today, probably because of the response of the White House to the disaster. This is a refreshing change from what happened after Katrina, with George Bush in charge. Even so, FEMA can only cover what is in its mandate. Taxes paid to the municipal, state and federal governments do not entitle tax payers to universal protection. For the areas that are not covered, private and religious organisations come handy. In this regard, I am with you, people who can afford to, should open their purses and donate to organizations such as the Red Cross. Mervyn
