La Evacuees & Shelters

**ZECH** · 09-15-2008, 11:34 AM

this is just one copy of this letter that a colleague of mine
>> sent to the national media. Let me just say that this lady travels the
>> world doing medical missions and found Old Sams in Shreveport scarrier
>> than the 3rd world countries she has visited. Just thought you might like
>> to hear what things were really like and this letter don't even begin to
>> cover it
>>
>> Hello Mr. O'Reilly,
>> I am a nurse who has just completed working approximately 120 hours
>> as the clinic director in a Hurricane Gustav evacuation shelter in
>> Shreveport, Louisiana over the last 7 days. I would love to see someone
>> look at the evacuee situation from a new perspective. Local and national
>> news channels have covered the evacuation and 'horrible' conditions the
>> evacuees had to endure during Hurricane Gustav.
>> True - some things were not optimal for the evacuation and the
>> shelters need some modification. At any point, does anyone address the
>> responsibility (or irresponsibility) of the evacuees?
>> Does it seem wrong that one would remember their cell phone, charger,
>> cigarettes and lighter but forget their child's insulin?
>> Is something amiss when an evacuee gets off the bus, walks
>> immediately to the medical area, and requests immediate free refills on
>> all medicines for which they cannot provide a prescription or current
>> bottle (most of which are narcotics)?
>> Isn't the system flawed when an evacuee says they cannot afford a $3
>> copay for a refill that will be delivered to them in the shelter yet they
>> can take a city-provided bus to Wal-mart, buy 5 bottles of Vodka, and
>> return to consume them secretly in the shelter?
>> Is it fair to stop performing luggage checks on incoming evacuees so
>> as not to delay the registration process but endanger the volunteer staff
>> and other persons with the very realistic truth of drugs, alcohol and
>> weapons being brought into the shelter?
>> Am I less than compassionate when it frustrates me to scrub emesis
>> from the floor near a nauseated child while his mother lies nearby,
>> watching me work 26 hours straight, not even raising her head from the
>> pillow to comfort her own son?

>> Why does it insense me to hear a man say 'I ain't goin' home 'til I
>> get my FEMA check' when I would love to just go home and see my
>> daughters who I have only seen 3 times this week?
>> Is the system flawed when the privately insured patient must find a
>> way to get to the pharmacy, fill his prescription and pay his copay while
>> the FEMA declaration allows the uninsured person to acquire free
>> medications under the disaster rules?
>> Does it seem odd that the nurse volunteering at the shelter is paying
>> for childcare while the evacuee sits on a cot during the day as the
>> shelter provides a 'day care'?
>> Have government entitlements created this mentality and am I
>> facilitating it with my work?
>> Will I be a bad person, merciless nurse or poor Christian if I
>> hesitate to work at the next shelter because I have worked for 7 days
>> being called every curse word imaginable, felt threatened and feared for
>> my personal safety in the shelter?
>>
>> Exhausted and battered but hopefully pithy,
>>
>> Sherri Hagerhjelm, RN

**mcguin** · 09-15-2008, 11:57 AM

It all makes sense, and thats the truth. That lady couldnt have been any more right than she is!

**MCx2** · 09-15-2008, 12:57 PM

Yeah she's money with her assessment, couldn't be more right. The whole situation infuriates me.

**min0 lee** · 09-15-2008, 01:11 PM

The system is very flawed, it's sad when the kids go through this.

**maniclion** · 09-15-2008, 02:11 PM

Wow sounds like natural selection should have been allowed to do it's job if those people are that despicable, it should be children only evacuations and let the scum parents fend for themselves just like they make their kids do....

**MCx2** · 09-15-2008, 02:18 PM

Originally Posted by maniclion

Wow sounds like natural selection should have been allowed to do it's job if those people are that despicable, it should be children only evacuations and let the scum parents fend for themselves just like they make their kids do....

Glad someone said it. I bit my tongue.

**ZECH** · 09-15-2008, 02:33 PM

At least they got out of dodge. The ones that stayed should not be rescued. Why risk someone else's life when you are that stupid.

**MCx2** · 09-15-2008, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by dg806

At least they got out of dodge. The ones that stayed should not be rescued. Why risk someone else's life when you are that stupid.

That drove me insane during Katrina when everyone stayed, then blamed the government for not caring about them. Now they're pulling this shit at the shelters.

**Witmaster** · 09-16-2008, 04:10 AM

Katrina was by far one of the most horrendous experiences of my life and one I hope I never have to experience again.

I won't even begin to speculate or justify the poeple in New Orleans but one thing we did observe was that the damage from the actual hurricane was survivable. Yes, it was bad but not catastrophic. What caught New Orleans off guard was when the Levys broke. No one anticipated that course of action.

Of course, my battalion was the very first one to arrive on scene. Our mission was comprised of 3 critical objectives: 1. establish order in the chaos. 2. Rescue those in distress. 3. establish security and protect property and assets.

It was completely surreal, like living inside a nightmare. We witnessed some of the greatest acts of human bravery and benevolence as well as some of the lowest acts of human depravity. We evacuated over 2 thousand displaced civilians (we wern't allowed to call them refugees) in the first 72 hours. it was overwhelming.

That was then, this is now. I struggle to have any pity for those who witnessed the destruction and desolation of Katrina and refused to heed the warnings about Gustav.

No, we have no choice. If you don't help them the media will be all over it, exploiting it like they did in Katrina, painting a picture of an administration that callously sits defiantly eating bon bons and drinking champane while the poor are left to die a horrible fate.

**maniclion** · 09-16-2008, 03:29 PM

Our nation has been babied into pussification. What happened to the days when people were prepared for these things with bottled water and canned foods, and were able to sit out a week with no electricity or water. What happened to folks taking care of themselves instead of relying on the government to do it all....it's not like they don't have several days to prepare. I remember when Alicia hit Houston my dad bought 8 big bottles of water and several industrial size cans of soups, beans, corn, green beans, etc. Other family came to stay with us and they brought more food and water.

Hearing about people with diabetes and not being able to get enough ice to keep their insulin cold bothers me... If you know that you need to keep your meds cool why wouldn't you invest in one of those coolers that plug into your cigarette lighter, or go buy a small generator and little fridge in case you ever have a power outage...if your life depends on it why not take steps to secure it....

**ZECH** · 09-17-2008, 10:02 AM

Most people are idiots. They expect someone to do it for them.

**maniclion** · 09-17-2008, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by dg806

Most people are idiots. They expect someone to do it for them.

Yeah but I'm only 30 and I remember a time when most people were proud to be independent and would not allow themselves to be so vulnerable.

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