Well since I have been through the hurricanes of 2004 where I suffered multiple hits I can personally say that the ONLY organization that had it all together was the Red Cross! I saw a community of 5000 homes where the average age is over 61 become devastated. My home for one, was so badly damaged that my house was considered a constructive total loss. The Red cross not only cooked meals but also drove through the community delivering food and water to all the people along with the local sheriffs! Sure FEMA, President Bush, Governor Bush and their merry crowd showed up and said oh we are so sorry and took the fast plane out! All they did was cause services to cease for security until they left! FEMA was a loss then as well as any of the other so called organizations that are based around here! We were lucky in some ways because we happen to be under the 60 mark and only had one choice; Rebuild by ourselves! As people are finding out all over there is no golden charity except the Governments favorite Business Charities! FEMA arranged to remove the debris from the community and paid large amounts to some . I drove this community for weeks fixing phones in peoples homes for free! We even drove up 30 miles to a Walgreen's and bought dozens of cheap $5.00 phones to give people because many older (and younger) people did not understand that wireless and many fancy phones don't work without power! Hmm Bell South could not get anyone out for at least 1 to 2 months! What was payment to be ? Make a donation to the Red Cross because they were feeding us as I drove around fixing tires on my car as I went! My other half was handling calls in from the community office where people would call in about a phone out as well as performing ring back tests! Was I alone? No! A bunch of people did all sorts of things that helped in one way or another! Sheriffs driving to certain homes that they knew of people with no power or car bringing water! I ran out of phone wire and someone heard about it and within 3 hours a 1000' box of wire appeared! (I did not ask from where) A lot of people survived because of the Red Cross bringing in food for those 3 or 4 weeks of no power. No power translates to no food, water, No Air, No refrigeration, No Gasoline! No Stores! Ever seen a 80 year old try to figure out how to use a MRE? I have! That was our Governments answer to feed people! We can criticize all we want, but what remedy do you have? Government talks about how we need all sorts of faith based and other agencies and that simply means everyone has a hand out for the money! So why should the Red Cross be any different? Be happy that one of those older couples here in Barefoot Bay , Florida was not your Grandfather,Grandmother,Father, or Mother! Criticism is good as long as it is constructive ! If it is broke, help fix it ! Yes sometimes management changes are good and can be done! Hope you never have to go through something like this and we, myself and my significant other, feel very lucky because we had some insurance and even though we are both disabled: we were able to rebuild in a year and a half! Over 400 homes have been removed! Many of the people dealing with the aftermath of Katrina have nothing! No insurance to help rebuild, No FEMA, and an overtaxed charity system! To them our hearts go out to! Want to see what a hurricane does then go to http://cus2.net/steve and you will see what a hurricane and tornados do! I guess I went way over board here and I apologize to the moderator in advance but I have been there ! AND BACK! Be part of the solution not part of the problem! Oh and I am very happy to say I now have some time for ham radio again! It will take some time as a lot of my equipment was destroyed. But you know we are happy to have a home with hot food and running water! Steve N4YZA
----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Perryman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 8:08 PM Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Praise for the hams!!!! - Public Information > Yep, if you read the appendices, there was one shelter that the red cross > refused to man because it didn't have a dehumidifier... pretty sad when > there are lives on the line.... and yes, I am tired of the ads as well.. > 73 > Mike Perryman > www.k5jmp.us > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of mch > Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 5:45 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Re: Praise for the hams!!!! - Public > Information > > > This is a little off topic, but with all the money spend on the Red > Cross ads with respect to Katrina (is anyone NOT tired of those?), I > asked my local ARRL Division Director why the ARRL is not spending the > money promoting Ham Radio at least in less expensive print form > (newspapers, magazines, Etc.). You want a way to increase the ranks, > that's cvertainly it. > > Joe M. > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
