FEMA and the Galveston West End Cover up

I am by far not a big supporter of the government, but I have to say there could very well be a good reason for it. They told the people to get out and what was it.. prepare for death or something to that extent. Maybe they got out that way after the storm and found mass death or something really bad. Those sort of things don't need to be plastered across the news media. Maybe it is so bad they just don't want it publicized until they have cleaned it up a little bit.

THe thing that pisses me off is people who don't get out and risk their lives (great that is their choice), but then expect people to risk theirs to come rescue them after it is all said and done with. Waste of tax dollars and risks lives.

Channel 13.

The fireworks are firing!

A reporter is grilling the City Manager. It's getting very heated.

The reporter is confirming that they are being kept out of BOTH Boliver and the West End. He's calling the restrictions unprecedented. He specifically said this had never been done to media choppers before. He demanded a justification....none was given.

The desk anchor said they "were fighting for our right to know."

Val's hinky sensing machine turned out to be dead on.

[edit on 14-9-2008 by loam]

On KHOU

Gilchrist (sp?) and Crystal Beach have been wiped off the map via TX Parks and Fisheries survey. No report of deaths.

Another thing to consider is gators. People/media/sightseers could be in danger.

[edit on 14-9-2008 by necspe]

reply to post by loam


I don't understand what you are implying. A conspiracy of what. A cover up of what? Deaths? Well, family members have to be contacted first before anything is released to the public. Cover up of images of destruction? WHat's the point of that. We all see the images in due time!!

Originally posted by Anonymous ATS

As I mentioned before, Boliver appears to have gotten the worst of it. Approximately 1 in 20 homes remains standing.

Please note that these are NOT my pictures, simply ones I got from Ireports (and similiar) sources:

Holy crap! I can't believe how much of the coastline is gone! There are 3 rows of houses gone!

www.khou.com...

Went End video. Lots of damage and some vehicular traffic.

My friends, take a moment to think about things before accusing our government of mishandling or violating your rights to know what is going on.

The government is trying to rescue a lot of very foolish people who decided “Not” to heed the most severe wording of evacuation that I have ever heard. There were told by official sources that they faced “certain death” by staying.

The actions that they have taken are not to keep you from knowing the truth. We are talking about a hurricane in a major metropolitan area. This is something that no one can even try to cover up if they wanted to. Our government is not trying to cover up the damage. If that were the case then there would be no coverage of the entire area at all.

They have restricted airspace because they are using a massive amount of aircraft in the area to rescue people. No one wants news choppers or sightseer aircraft to either hamper rescue effort or possibly crash into each other because they are too busy looking down at the ground instead of in front of them. Helicopters crash all the time because of this reason, human error.

Restricting the airspace to rescue efforts is the only right action that can be taken in this kind of situation. Do you really want people to die that didn’t have too because rescue efforts were slowed down because of air traffic control problems? How would you feel if your mother died because the helicopter that she was rescued in crashed into a news chopper on the way to the hospital? The government is only doing the right thing in this regard.

About the lack of photo’s.

How would you feel if the bodies of your dead relatives were broadcast all over the entire world? You forget that government’s responsibilities are to everyone. Most importantly to those people who have been directly effected by this natural disaster. The family’s privacy issues take precedence over your desires for information. I’m sorry, but it is the only right thing to do for all parties involved. These victims are not movie stars who have agreed to broadcast their private lives to the world. It is the government’s job to respect their privacy, not to infringe upon it. Their actions as far as not showing the damage, in selective areas, is also the only action that could have been done to respect the dead, and the reputations or religious concerns of those who have been affected.

The state and federal governments gave the strongest warnings that they could have. They are now doing their best to handle the situation that was dealt to them. I for one think that they are doing a great job considering how poorly New Orleans had dealt with Katrina.

[edit on 14-9-2008 by Hot_Wings]

reply to post by Hot_Wings


Succinct and accurate overview. Well done sir/ma'am.

starred

reply to post by Valhall

From what I've heard "they" will not show the west end of the island because of the 3500 dead livestock that is floating in the floaded waters. But I too am concerned about the west end not being there anymore. I grew up vacationing on Jamaca Beach and Pirate beach. I want to know if the houses are still there and the beaches still exist. I think that the storm wiped it out and it is too devesting to report. One day at a time. But I fear the west beach is gone. If anyone stayed, they too are most likely gone.

For what it is worth, it has been said some (apparently familiar with the area) that on the west beach the houses standing were actually the second row. There were more on the first row near water that are gone.

News is showing the responders interview stating that in Gilchrist only five houses are left. Fire station is gone.

reply to post by Hot_Wings


I understand all of your points.

Except, according to Channel 13, the restrictions were unprecedented. They also are having trouble getting a justification for the restrictions.

Don't you think it odd that none of the reasons you provided were offered by the officials when asked about the need for the restrictions?



[edit on 14-9-2008 by loam]

Yeah, Hi I am currently in Katy, Texas. Which "attached" to the west end of Houston.

First, on Tuesday they started telling people to leave all of these areas with a mandatory evacuation order. On Thursday before they closed the bridge out of Galveston many different officials warned people that staying in the surge area was a death sentence.

So, Now there is a quarantine? or just a bunch of reporters throwing a very public tantrum that they cannot get to the most damaged areas to splash horrific damage across television screens?

There was just a news conference with Gov. Perry and the reporters where down right rude to him, and angry that they could not put reporters on the boats and helicopters that are going to the west end.

No residents are being allowed to get back in either. does that mean that the government is doing something wrong? no,


So, lets think of reasons why people in charge don't want reporters in that area.how about it
First, how about the fact that all space in transports going there is taken up by necessary people, equipment, or supplies.

Second, The sewers are backed up and over-flowing, there is debris everywhere and it is in general a dangerous place and officials don't want reporters in that area, reporters that represent more potential rescues. Goodness, I just heard the reporter talk about alligators in the water....

Third, we all watched the media swarm over NO after Katrina, and we now know that most of those reports were over blown and some of them caused panic and made the relief efforts more difficult due to more phone calls and people trying to live in areas that are un-inhabitable. So, now they want to control the story and keep honest and rational reports going out to the public.

As for the potential theories about government facilities... a nuclear plant weathered the storm fine.


What I think the real story is, is the fact that FEMA and all other emergency services have been saying to people all day... "if you need help go online to our website...." If people need help how can they go online. I don't think there is a way that people would have internet and there house flooded... That just seems crazy.

I think tomorrow (there is a curfew in place right now) the reporters will be able to find people that they can pay and take them in to the area and we will see that
1. There is extensive damage.
2. Not a lot of people died
3. Not a lot of people want to leave
-and-
4. The media made a story out of half truths and speculation.

Originally posted by loam
reply to post by Hot_Wings

 

I understand all of your points.

Except, according to Channel 13, the restrictions were unprecedented. They also are having trouble getting a justification for the restrictions.

Don't you think it odd that none of the reasons you provided were provided by the officials when asked about the need for the restrictions?

I understand all his points as well. Problem is none of them apply. There were fly overs by CG and a selected media outlet yesterday, as well as the Galveston authorities and no word or footage was released for the people WHO HAD DONE WHAT THEY WERE TOLD TO DO and evacuated and were waiting for word of property, neighbors and families.

Succinct? No. Accurate? I don't think so.

I don't understand what the cover up is about



[edit on 14-9-2008 by necspe]

reply to post by Valhall



My apologies. This is a conspiracy board afterall.
I sure hope you get to the bottom of this cover up

Peace out.

If there are bodies strewn about, don't you think the Government would want to curtail video coverage?

Those that left would be thrown into a great deal of despair, I would think.


Roper

Link to video of the far west end, including parts of Sea Isle. Hope the link works.

www.khou.com...

Originally posted by Roper
If there are bodies strewn about, don't you think the Government would want to curtail video coverage?

Those that left would be thrown into a great deal of despair, I would think.


Roper

I really don't have much of an opinion on this topic, other than just keeping an eye on it.

But, if that is the reason they keep people out, then they are doing a dis-service to the people. If they purposely keep the effects low, then you make people think it wasn't that bad. If people see how bad it is, then it makes them more likely to leave next time.

I rarely find a good reason to withhold information from people. Not making the information known just makes people ignorant of the true situation.

Originally posted by Roper
If there are bodies strewn about, don't you think the Government would want to curtail video coverage?

Those that left would be thrown into a great deal of despair, I would think.


Roper

Why postpone the inevitable? A friend of mine has a sister who evacuated and came here-arrived last night from Galveston to OK, these people have no clue if they have a house to go back to and they are very frustrated by this...as for bodies strewn about, maybe showing the consequences of not evacuating would change the minds of those who would stay in the future, but I guess some people are just stubborn and you'd think have learned a lesson from Katrina.

FEMA would be inclined to avoid the kind of international shame brought upon them by their response to Katrina-if there are no televised images of the scene, it would protect them from scrutiny-how many of you are aware of the devastation and criminally negligent "rescue" effort in the aftermath of hurricane Andrew?

I wish I could find the link for the story one woman told about being threatened by cops and creepy intel types while she was seriously injured, with a broken jaw.

Feel free to give the US Govt and FEMA the benefit of the doubt, but I simply can't based on what's happened before.