Disaster preparedness is and must be a local matter, with logistical support from the State. You need local people who know the local terrain, the local people, the ins-and-outs of the area. If things get really bad, people from neighboring states will undoubtedly volunteer to help – just as really did happen with Katrina.

One would have thought that if the FEMA officials couldn’t do it, the Mayor would do it, and lacking the Mayor’s leadership one enterprising soul at the Superdome would have taken the reigns and lead a group to the nearby school bus storage depot to confiscate the buses and drive the folks out of there. Sure, it might make things more complex for FEMA, but at least they would be in a location with water, air conditioning and a place to poop safely.

Life saved, none harmed (save those so easily offended: copy, paste, edact the F-words, make a note in your post that indicated that you edited the text slighty to make it, uh… safe for the easily offended…). Unlikely love story with super happy ending.

“But… but… they didn’t have a [fill in fave bureaucratic/educational authority receipt-of-sale here]!!”

Kinda makes ya wonder how many lives could’ve been saved. *sigh*

I watched Katrina roll in up here in Tn from the top of a hill and the aftemath was a sight to behold and yea, we had the same problem with abandoned critters but nowhere near the scale in La. Notto mentin the problems last year after the April 27 tornado outbreak, and a good deal of those cases are still unresolved…

I took in fopur abandoned cats ands they’re thriving and me…? Hmmmm getting a little bit out there just like them…ROFLMAO!

Go Radley!

#8 | Radley Balko — “Please, please let this be sarcasm.”

Poe’s Law strikes again. http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe%27s_Law

“Pasado’s sent out emails and appeals on their website for volunteers. No experience necessary, bring your sleeping bags and tents and come help save lives. No certification or degrees required, unlike most of the other groups. Within two weeks, we had vets and vet teams from all over the country and hundreds of volunteers. We had people donating private planes with the seats removed to fly animals to no-kill shelters all over the country. Some just loaded up vans and drove hundreds of miles or more to deliver them. Some people were there for a few days and some for a few months. We saved over 1200 animals and were blackballed in Louisiana for refusing to follow protocol.”

Anarchy in action. Bravo.

It’s not. Although I work in a field related to emergency response for health (of people), for what it’s worth. That kind of behavior can make people worse off, absolutely. There’s lots of literature about how unorganized, untrained, uncoordinated volunteers show up to disasters, such as the earthquake in Haiti, and waste time or money and distract other responders.

We only heard Larry’s side of the story. But fine, I will accept this group was a net force for good in that situation. I’d still like to see them with more organization and that should be acknowledged. What if the story was instead about a group of inexperienced people that made decisions that caused a bunch of dog deaths? The other groups are doing this for a reason and it’s not purely covering their ass. “No certification or degrees required, unlike most of the other groups.”

I love dogs and your blog is one of my favorites. I don’t think I’m reflexively against this kind of action. This narrative just read as tremendously cavalier.

Dear #14 | Stuart Murray:
Really Stuart Murray? This is what annoys/upsets you?

Huh. Kinda dusty in here…