letter I just sen to my delegation

[nadinbrzezinski]

Ok, I will have to put my disaster manager hat on. I used to work as a Mexican Red Cross Worker, a Paramedic most of the time. I also trained as a disaster Manager, and learned some things about disasters. I was also part of the Tijuana Floods management. Now why I mention this? I have experience.

I am horrified as I watch the events down in the Gulf Coast. Right now CNN is reporting a possible death toll of 100,000 just from drowning, but the lack of response with portable shelter (tents) food, water and medicine, will compound this. Now I will do some 20\20 quarterbacking but it looks to me that there was no plan and so far this is being handled as if this was a short term disaster. It is not. The short term for this is six months, refugee camps, portable kitchens, portable facilities, and this is six months.

In the parlance of Disaster Services this is a Cat 4 disaster, in other words this has overwhelmed NATIONAL resources (at least that is the impression) and it is high time that the ARC dust off their procedures and place the call to Geneva. Why? The ICRC has experience in things like this. It is also high time the Executive order the State Department to put out a call through the UN... It is clearly and painfully obvious we don't have what it takes. (We may have had it, but the guard is in Iraq.) So I urge you to get this going. If you want to, I will gladly go through this with you, and if available I can tell you other resources that need to be federalized now... (Cruise Ships and any new arrival at the Naval Yard... as well as the USS Mercy and any other US Naval Medical Ship.)

What are the problems facing us>?

CDC will surely explain to you the problems with enteric diseases. You also have a large population that needs chronic health care. You are out of four hospitals, with what this entails. In other words, what needs to happen is unprecedented in the history of the US. I cannot tell you how much I am fuming at seeing a disaster compounded by a lack of a plan and lack of action.

Oh and I know this is not technically you department, feel free to share with the affected states delegations... but this is a CAT 4, and help is needed. This will also take at least 10 years to fully recover from... again the ICRC has experience, the whole response in El Salvador after the Hurricanes there ten years ago, where the effect on the local population was the same. What is for sure is the Executive seems frozen, quite frozen They also seem unable to understand the enormity of this. I do, professional hazard and when the first news started tricking out, I realized this was going to overwhelm all available resources, though frankly I did not expect this lack of planning... people to the Superdome for indefinite housing, what are they smoking in DC? These people, for their psychological well being, need tents, and portable kitchens and food they can cook.

Sincerely,

******