Although it's not at the site yet, part of tonight's broadcast talked about relief agencies being completely overwhelmed and unprepared. Until the last minute NC was expecting a category 4 hurricane, then a 3--why were they SO unprepared, I wonder? According to footage, had individuals not driven to shelters and simply dropped off bags of nonperishables, and had groups, like the one from Georgia with its own outdoor kitchen, not provided food, there would have been a lot more people going hungry. A relief worker was quoted in the local paper this morning as being worried because the "three days of supplies" must have run out by now.

Monday September 20, 1999 07:02 PM

TARBORO (WRAL) -- Thousands of flood victims are staying in shelters in Edgecombe County and across eastern North Carolina. The people in the shelters are anxious and fearful about what is going to happen when they return to their homes.

Monday, 5,500 people were living in shelters in Edgecombe County alone. That is 10 percent of the population there.

Tarboro High School is home, at least for now, for thousands of flood victims in Edgecombe County. About 2,400 people are crowded into a school built for 800 students.

Many families have been separated, and a make-shift message board holds notes to loved ones. Evacuees are on cots and on floors, and they have no running water.

Flood victim Deloris Sherrod has been there since Thursday when she was evacuated from her home in Princeville.

"It's a roof over your head, but it is not like being at home," said Sherrod.

Evacuees lined up at lunch time for the now familiar routine of waiting for food. Volunteers help out by cooking and serving meals.

Chris Dunn is the band directory at Tarboro High School. He is helping coordinate supplies for the shelter.

"They're our people and they're out students in the gym and on the floors. Somebody has got to help them. It might as well be us, said Dunn.

The school's football field is now a landing pad for military helicopters. National Guard helicopters delivered four pallets of water Monday, but that will not last long.

A truck-load of ice was also delivered Monday, but even 25,000 pounds will not be enough. The shelter is running out of supplies as fast as they get there.

For more information on how you can help the victims of the flood, please visit our Floyd Team Coverage page.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 20, 1999

Answers

Here's a link to the WRAL Hurricane Floyd help page

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), September 20, 1999.

Not only did they EXPECT a catagory 4 hurricane, but they were a little over a 100 days away from a potential national and global catastrophy. Supposedly FEMA and the Red Cross have been touring the country meeting behind closed doors with local officials and agency reps. So... where's the preps in case there are "localized" glitches? Did the local OES and Red Cross people plan on hitting the grocery store late December with the rest of the sheeple to stock up for that 3 day storm? Just where are the "contingency plans" for infrastructure breakdown? When did the local planners plan to stock the shelters? Or did Koskinen convince even the local disaster planners that - like in the Disney movie "Noah" - the "sun will come out tomorrow" if you just have faith?

Wake up folks. This WAS a localized problem... but it is requiring help from all over and will take a whole lot more than 3 days to recover from. If nearly everything is not fixed by 1/1/2000 (and it won't be) we are going to be in a world of hurt. From the coverage of North Carolina the phrase "up Sh*t Creek without a paddle" comes to mind.

Better finish up work on your Ark. Storm clouds ahead.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), September 20, 1999.

Please also have a look at

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=001RLl

where you'll find one guy's eloquent description of what it's like to be on the very edge of disaster and, more important, in the second post how the Salvation Army has set up feeding stations everywhere (open all day) but the Red Cross is asking for donations. . . Yes, I know, they run the official shelters, but I think I'll be donating a lot of stuff to the Sally Army in the future.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 20, 1999.

A relief worker was quoted in the local paper this morning as being worried because the "three days of supplies" must have run out by now.

A relief worker was quoted in the local paper this morning as being worried because the "three days of supplies" must have run out by now.

A relief worker was quoted in the local paper this morning as being worried because the "three days of supplies" must have run out by now.

A relief worker was quoted in the local paper this morning as being worried because the "three days of supplies" must have run out by now.

A relief worker was quoted in the local paper this morning as being worried because the "three days of supplies" must have run out by now.

Thank you, Old Git.

Tick... Tock... <:00=

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), September 20, 1999.

Contingency planning apparently failed to take into account the usual heavy rainfall that a hurricane brings, and the flooding to be expected given the already waterlogged soil in the eastern counties from the rain that Dennis brought.

Wonder what else FEMA has overlooked?

"3 days"? Hello? Is anyone there?

Hmmm. Maybe there's no 'there' there. (An appropriate characterization of the leadership?)

(Listen, Gertrude, you aren't going to believe how weird things have gotten since you went away. And thanks for the oneliner!)

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), September 20, 1999.

? Did the local OES and Red Cross people plan on hitting the grocery store late December with the rest of the sheeple to stock up for that 3 day storm?

PRECISELY the way ARC handles localized emergencies. The Red Cross does NOT stockpile food and supplies, beyond about two days worth for a couple hundred people in each chapter. The acquisition of supplies is partially the job of the local chapter but more the job of the National Staff/Volunteers assigned to the disaster. Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), September 21, 1999.