First of all, I doubt that denying manpower based on organizational
alignment or lack of, is going to minimize chaos in this scenario.
Second this "incident command system" doesn't seem too obvious to me,
throwing food off of helicopters for a crowd to fight over, waiting 5
days to respond with any real force or plan, and dropping people off on
the interstate... I guess I just don't see how this is working according
to your outline of it.
I seriously doubt that people that are going to New Orleans as
individuals and not with a red cross group or FEMA "task force" is
creating a scenario where there are as you say "no priorities, no
systematic searching, no record keeping". Perhaps those operating as
individuals would lack the organization of certain relief "parties", but
I doubt their presence would cause the existing "parties" to lose this
organization.
I can understand the points that you and Bill make in regards to rescue
efforts being troubled if individuals get involved, in terms of small
rescue efforts. I can see something like a cave rescue or a housefire
being extremely complicated if you have 100 people from the neighborhood
all trying to do something to "fix" the situation, but this is not the
case. A big reason for so much lawlessness, deaths, and other losses
have to do with lack of manpower and effort. Furthermore, no matter how
understaffed an agency might be, attempting to help through an agency
will not put people on the job. You'll be asked for money for the help
needed, and rarely does any cash go to survivors rather it is kept by
these organizations to cover their costs of operation, when in fact
they'd be there had you donated or not.
When that tornado hit the Buttercup Creek neighborhood on the same day
that Jarrell was hit, it destroyed homes everywhere. It was a community
effort that helped people get rescued, rebuild, provide for food and
shelter. I was there and had it not been for the individual working for
his community directly, it would have taken much longer and been a lot
worse.
Many of these reasons for not helping on an individual level seem pretty
sound when considering minor incidents involving a small number of
people when professional help is available. However, I fail to see how
these justifications apply to a scenario when an entire metropolis is
all but wiped out and the organizations that we speak of have failed up
to this point to provide a respectable, organized response that even
begins to provide resolution for the issue at hand. There's a big
difference between one not helping because they do not know what they're
doing, and one not helping because they are not part of the system.
Maybe people give these justifications to explain why they aren't doing
more, I don't know, but I just don't see how an individual helping
people on an individual level is going to make the situation any worse
than it already is.
Jon Cradit wrote:
To help minimize chaos.
They are operating under the Incident Command System. Under that system
the commanders want to bring in resources in an orderly system and stage
them in locations that can; first, support the rescue personal with
food, water and quarters; second, to be in a location of most need. The
logistics of feeding and supporting the rescuers is also a large
operation or else you could end up rescuing the rescuers.
You could have folks running in and checking areas for survivors that
have already been checked once, twice, or more times without other folks
knowing it. Other areas are overlooked. There would be no priorities,
no systematic searching, no record keeping.
The system may have some problems but it is a widely used one and so far
it is the one tool they have in their tool box.
Jon Cradit, RS, PG
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Admin CPUSA
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 8:54 AM
To: will
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: CaveTex: Katrina Volunteers
Why is that?
NO VOLUNTEERS SHOULD GO TO THIS
DISASTER AREA EXCEPT THOSE WORKING WITH,AND DEPLOYED
BY,A VOLUNTEER AGENCY'."
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