General Discussion

"some "idiot(s)" decided we didn't need these mobile hospitals for national emergencies like Katrina and dismantled them."

Although with Katrina, due to "W's & Cheney's pathetic response, or actually the lack of ANY response, and lack of disaster aid and relief, the residents of NO didn't need medical, as much as they needed a whole big bunch of MEDICAL EXAMINERS and medical assistance...........Also humanitarian aid.............

I seem to recall they said the death toll was only a couple of hundred, conveniently not adding in the 1800 officially "Missing".........
Boy, talk about what EMS calls a Mass Casualty Incident, requiring MASSIVE amounts of medical sources......

W was living it up at a Bday Party in Arizona when Katrina hit.....his total care was flying over NO the next day in AFOne, sitting by a window, looking out. The photograph of him looking out the window was spread high and wide.....demonstrating to the nation how much he cared for the tragedy.

W's MOTHER said of the squalid, horrific conditions of thousands of refugees being packed into an indoor arena, was: "a "step up" in living conditions for them"......Then, when asked about the conditions at the Arena, which had no water, lights, food, or restroom facilities for thousands, she stated: "Why should I spoil my beautiful mind with thoughts about that"

And of course, several (black) residents in search of food and water, daring to try and cross into white areas, were shot and killed by racist Cops, and/or White racist residents......

Stephen King could have used what happened in Katrina, for one of his horror books..............

A HUGE group of boaters from a regional boating club, from several states around, raced down there, with their boats, wanting to go out into the still flooded residential areas, and check every house for survivors holed up in the attics. THE AUTHORITIES REFUSED TO ALLOW THEIR RESCUE INTENTIONS, AND SENT THEM AWAY......

The dead and missing were almost entirely Blacks....

So, like I said usaf-vet, the W/Cheney response was beyond pathetic, negligent, or non-existent. Like you said, a medical response team provided by the Feds, activated even before it hit NO would have been a tremendous help immediately, as well as the entire area flooded with help of all kinds, including the volunteer boaters would have made the horrific tragedy a lot better.

Sorry for the Rant, but the entire incident should be a source of un-fathomable shame for W, Cheney, FEMA, and local emergency sources from all over that state and surrounding states.......................