Floridians Want Help; FEMA Says Be Patient (we can't "wave a magic wand")

[Kadie]

Floridians Want Help; FEMA Says Be Patient

POSTED: 7:54 am PDT October 26, 2005
UPDATED: 8:22 am PDT October 26, 2005

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The second day of recovery from Hurricane Wilma finds more long lines of frustrated Floridians waiting to buy gas to power their generators.

Police are standing by, in case tensions get out of hand.

Floridians are also hoping the delays in the delivery of post-Hurricane Wilma relief supplies are over. Tuesday, trucks carrying the first shipments of food, ice and water either arrived much later than local officials expected, or failed to show up at all.

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials are telling Floridians to be patient for relief supplies. A spokeswoman said they can't "wave a magic wand" to instantly repair the damage.

more...
http://www.kcra.com/weather/5180019/detail.html

:wow:

[iamjoy]

1. What A Stupid Thing To Say

"Wave a magic wand" sounds sarcastic, bitter, angry.

I could almost see their point about it taking time to get sufficient supplies into the area, but why must they use such insensitive language?

[napi21]

2. But, but, but, I thought Jebbie said he had everything under control!

He said we're Floridians and we're good at this!

What happened Jebbie? You weren't bragging too much, were you?

[RockaFowler]

3. Here's a Palm Beach Post article about it

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/news/feeds/1026wilmamail.html

Not yet desperate but growing more impatient by the hour, motorists lined up on Jog Road to get into the parking lot of the South County Civic Center in suburban Delray Beach.

<snip>

For many, today was the second day in a row. People had waited for several hours Tuesday, only to be told late in the day that no supplies were coming.

Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson was already stewing about Tuesday's no-show. Now he was tapping his feet for the trucks that were supposed to arrive at 9 a.m., and now were expected closer to 10.

"They're late. And I'm not happy," he said.

On Tuesday, word had spread that ice and water would show by 2 p.m. Some heard 9 a.m. and they were lined up early in the morning, Aaronson said. He said the promised arrival time moved past 2 to 3:30. Eventually, word came that there would be none.

"The state said they had everything under control," Aaronson said.



It is chaos at some of the distribution centers. There are people that waited 9 hours yesterday because they were told there would be supplies.
By the way, we are running out of supplies. At least Publix is open. you don't have to wait in too much of a line there.