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President Obama Signs Oklahoma Disaster Declaration in Aftermath of Moore Tornado

May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment

President Obama declared a major disaster in Oklahoma in the aftermath of the massive tornado that devastated Moore, killing 24, including seven children. The EF-4 tornado flattened entire neighborhoods, businesses and schools, including Plaza Towers Elementary School. President Obama has ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery and rescue efforts. Individuals and businesses affected can apply for federal grants for temporary housing and home repairs.

Here’s full Oklahoma disaster declaration signed by President Obama:

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Oklahoma and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and tornadoes beginning on May 18, 2013, and continuing.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the counties of Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Sandy Coachman as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FEMA said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties may apply for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Filed Under: Natural Disasters, President Obama Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Sen. Tom Coburn Holds Oklahoma Constituents Hostage, Demands Budget Cuts or No Tornado Aid

May 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
300px Tom Coburn official portrait Sen. Tom Coburn Holds Oklahoma Constituents Hostage, Demands Budget Cuts or No Tornado Aid

Sen. Tom Coburn Holds Oklahoma Constituents Hostage, Demands Budget Cuts or No Tornado Aid. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SHAMEFUL:  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is willing to hold his constituents in the face of a major tornado disaster in Moore, Okla., hostage by saying he won’t support disaster relief for his home state unless the budget is cut elsewhere. Given that he voted against Sandy relief aid for New York and New Jersey, I have to say he’s consistent, if anything. To echo Americablog, Tom Coburn is “taking his own constituents hostage as budget-cutting human shields.” Absolutely disgraceful to the Oklahomans killed, including scores of children.

CQ Roll Call reporter Jennifer Scholtes wrote for CQ.com Monday evening that Coburn said he would “absolutely” demand offsets for any federal aid that Congress provides.

Coburn added, Scholtes wrote, that it is too early to guess at a damage toll but that he knows for certain he will fight to make sure disaster funding that the federal government contributes is paid for. It’s a position he has taken repeatedly during his career when Congress debates emergency funding for disaster aid.

Scholtes points out that Coburn was one of 36 Republican senators who voted against disaster funding for Superstorm Sandy in January. Source

Isn’t it time for us to vote people like Tom Coburn out of office? He isn’t doing the will of his constituents. He’s doing his own thing in Washington D.C. I guess natural disasters couldn’t possibly hit Tom Coburn, Jim Inhofe and others directly, right? Just a thought, why won’t Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe propose cuts to subsidies given to their buddies in the oil industry? No-one should be surprised at their actions. They also tried to filibuster medical funds to 9/11 first responders.

Sen. Tom Coburn Holds Oklahoma Constituents Hostage, Demands Budget Cuts or No Tornado Aid
Filed Under: Natural Disasters, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

President Obama Meets NJ Gov. Chris Christie to Tour Areas Devastated by Sandy

October 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

President Obama greets NJ Gov. Chris Christie on the tarmac to commence his tour of the damage left behind by super storm Sandy. This will most undoubtedly rile the Republicans.  Personally, I don’t believe Gov. Christie is trying to subvert Mitt Romney, but he’s trying to do his job as governor and that’s all that matters. At the end of the day, parading around with Mitt Romney would only be a photo op. He can’t approve anything. That’s the president’s job.

PRICELESS — TRUE BIPARTISAN LEADERSHIP:

obama chris christie tarmac greet 300x200 President Obama Meets NJ Gov. Chris Christie to Tour Areas Devastated by Sandy

President Obama Meets NJ Gov. Chris Christie to Tour Areas Devastated by Sandy (Photo credit: Reuters)

 

Filed Under: Barack Obama, Natural Disasters, Presidential Election Tagged With: , , , , ,

Victims of Superstorm Sandy Include: Jessie Streich-Kest, Jacob Vogelman, Lauren Abraham, Tony Liano, Richard and Elizabeth Everett

October 31, 2012 by 3 Comments
lauren abraham hurricane sandy 300x204 Victims of Superstorm Sandy Include: Jessie Streich Kest, Jacob Vogelman, Lauren Abraham, Tony Liano, Richard and Elizabeth Everett

Victims of Superstorm Sandy Include: Jessie Streich-Kest, Jacob Vogelman, Lauren Abraham, Tony Liano, Richard and Elizabeth Everett

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims in post-tropical cyclone Sandy. More than 50 people have died, with 22 being from the New York City area. The victims of Superstorm Sandy include:

  • Jessie Streich-Kest, 24, and Jacob Vogelman, 23, who were crushed by a falling tree while walking their dog in Brooklyn
  • Lauren Abraham, 23, was electrocuted by a downed power cable having gone out to take photographs
  • Tony Laino, 29, was killed in his bed when a tree crashed through his house in Flushing, Queens.
  • Richard Everett, 54, and his wife Elizabeth killed in their car by falling tree in Mendham, New Jersey .
  • Police Officer Artur Kasprzak died trying to save his family from the flooding.
  • Angela Dresch died, her mother  in critical condition and her father still missing after Sandy reduced their  house in Tottenville, Staten Island, to rubble.
  • John Filipowicz Sr, 51, and his son, John Filipowicz Jr, 20, were found dead in the basement of their home in Oakwood Beach.
  • Ella Norris, 89, was found in her home in Ocean Breeze, it is believed she was drowned by the rising waters.
  • Herminia St John, 75, from Manhattan, died from a heart attack when the power supply to her respiratory machine cut out.
  • John Miller, 39, was killed while standing by his car outside his home in Lloyd Harbour, Long Island, waiting to evacuate.
  • Safar Shafinoori, 84, of Roslyn, NY,  was killed by a falling tree as he went outside to move his car during the storm.

Here are some more pictures of Superstorm Sandy victims:

officer artur kasprzak 300x262 Victims of Superstorm Sandy Include: Jessie Streich Kest, Jacob Vogelman, Lauren Abraham, Tony Liano, Richard and Elizabeth Everett

Hero: New York Police Artur Kasprzak killed saving his family in Superstorm Sandy (Photo credit: NYPD)

jacob vogelman and jessie streich kest killed 300x297 Victims of Superstorm Sandy Include: Jessie Streich Kest, Jacob Vogelman, Lauren Abraham, Tony Liano, Richard and Elizabeth Everett

Young Brooklyn couple Jacob Vogelman and Jessie Streich-Kest killed during Superstorm Sandy.

Filed Under: Natural Disasters Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Turns Down Obama Offer to Visit Sandy-Ravaged City, Saying “They Have a Lot to Do”

October 31, 2012 by 3 Comments

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is wrong for turning down President Obama’s offer to visit New York City to show his support for the victims of the post-tropical cyclone Sandy disaster. He said it wasn’t a “diss” of the president, but they have a lot to do. Um, really? Nobody told George W. Bush to stay away from Ground Zero after the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) turned down an offer from President Obama to visit the storm-ravaged Big Apple, but he said Tuesday that his rejection wasn’t meant as an insult.

“What I pointed out to them is we would love to have him, but we have lots of things to do,” Bloomberg said at a press conference. “I’m not trying to diss him. But I know he had planned a trip to New Jersey, and I said that’s fine. It represents the whole region.”

The mayor, who has stayed neutral in this year’s presidential race, added that he was “flattered” by Obama’s offer and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been “very helpful to us.”

Obama heads to New Jersey today to tour damage with Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.Y.), an outspoken critic of the president who has had nothing but praise for the president’s storm response. Source

Um, sorry, but that’s a diss and it will come back to bite Michael Bloomberg in the butt. I would venture to say that the president has a right to visit any area of this country he chooses.

Filed Under: Barack Obama, Natural Disasters, Presidential Election, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bush’s Former FEMA Director Michael Brown During Katrina, Says Obama Acted Too Fast on Hurricane Sandy

October 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

George W. Bush’s former FEMA director Michael Brown, who botched the disaster management during Hurricane Katrina, gave an interview to the Denver Westword, saying he believed the Obama administration responded to post-tropical cyclone Sandy and that he had spoken to the press about Sandy’s potential effect too early. SMH. Remember “Brownie you’re doing a heckuva job” when New Orleans was virtually unrecognizable? This guy has a lot of nerve:

“One thing he’s gonna be asked is, why did he jump on [the hurricane] so quickly and go back to D.C. so quickly when in…Benghazi, he went to Las Vegas?” Brown says. “Why was this so quick?… At some point, somebody’s going to ask that question…. This is like the inverse of Benghazi.” Source

Nice try dredging up Benghazi, even though former Republican Secretary of State Condoleezza, threw cold water on the rhetoric being spewed by former presidential nominee John McCain and his fellow Republicans accusing the President of a cover-up and lying, saying the news often changes as the story unfolds in a terror attack. Um, Michael Brown, crawl back under that rock you came out from under.

Filed Under: Barack Obama, Natural Disasters, Presidential Election Tagged With: , , , , ,

HMS Bounty Crewmember Claudene Christian Dies After Ship Smashed by Sandy, Captain Remains Missing

October 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
claudene christian 300x190 HMS Bounty Crewmember Claudene Christian Dies After Ship Smashed by Sandy, Captain Remains Missing

HMS Bounty Crewmember Claudene Christian Dies After Ship Smashed by Sandy, Captain Remains Missing (Photo credit: Twitter)

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of HMS Bounty crew member Claudene Christian, 42, who was pulled from the sea, unresponsive, by rescue teams as the ship’s captain, Robin Walbridge,  remains missing, presumed to be dead. Claudene Christian was later pronounced dead the U.S. Coast Guard said. Fifteen of the 16 crew members of the boat are accounted for.

The Bounty starred in Hollywood blockbuster “Mutiny on the Bounty,” starring Marlon Brando and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” The replica-vessel got caught in the storms near Hatteras, N.C.

 

Filed Under: Natural Disasters Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Updates New Yorkers on Hurricane Sandy and News Round-Up

October 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment
hurricane sandy 300x250 Mayor Michael Bloomberg Updates New Yorkers on Hurricane Sandy and News Round Up

Satellite View of Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy Bearing Down on East Coast (NASA)

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg updates New Yorkers and the country on Hurricane Sandy:

–Reuters:  NEW YORK, Oct 30 (Scott DiSavino) – Hurricane Sandy slowed or shut a half-dozen U.S. nuclear power plants, while the nation’s oldest facility declared a rare “alert” after the record storm surge pushed flood waters high enough to endanger a key cooling system.

Exelon Corp’s 43-year-old New Jersey Oyster Creek plant remains on “alert” status, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said early Tuesday. It is only the third time this year that the second-lowest of four emergency action levels was triggered.

The alert came after water levels at the plant rose by more than 6.5 feet (2 meters) above normal, potentially affecting the “water intake structure” that pumps cooling water through the plant, an NRC spokesman said.
Those pumps are not essential since the reactor has been shut for planned refuelling since Oct. 22. However, a further rise to 7 feet could submerge the service water pump motor that is used to cool the water in the spent fuel pool, potentially forcing it to use emergency water supplies from the in-house fire suppression system to keep the rods from overheating.

–Huffington Post:  Hurricane Sandy has left 145,000 Canadians without power and at least one dead, Reuters reports. Toronto’s stock exchange will remain open Tuesday, though 55,000 residents of the country’s financial capital are without power, and strong winds led to one woman’s death on Monday.

–Al Jazeera:   “The UN is warning that flooding and unsanitary conditions could lead to a sharp increase in cases of cholera, while aid workers are worried that extensive crop damage will mean that food prices will rise.

Extensive damage to crops throughout the southern third of the country, as well as the high potential for a surge in cases of cholera and other water-borne diseases, could mean Haiti will see the deadliest effects of Sandy in the coming days and weeks. Haiti has reported the highest death from Sandy so far, as swollen rivers and landslides claimed at least 52 lives, according to the country’s civil protection office.”

“More than three days of constant rain left roads and bridges heavily damaged, cutting off access to several towns and a key border crossing with the Dominican Republic.”

Filed Under: Natural Disasters Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mitt Romney M.I.A. During 2005 Greenfield MA Flooding That Wiped Out Low-Income Housing, Trailer Park (47 Percent)

October 30, 2012 by 1 Comment
5432732270 0062408601 m Mitt Romney M.I.A. During 2005 Greenfield MA Flooding That Wiped Out Low Income Housing, Trailer Park (47 Percent)

Mitt Romney M.I.A. During 2005 Greenfield MA Flooding That Wiped Out Low-Income Housing, Trailer Park (47 Percent) (Photo credit: DonkeyHotey)

Well, what do you know, Mitt Romney bungled a natural disaster during his tenure as Massachusetts, specifically when he went M.I.A. October 9, 2005, when heavy rains caused the Green River to rise to historic levels and flooded parts of Greenfield, Mass. The flooding affected the 47 percent of Americans Mitt Romney looks down on — destroyed a trailer park and wiped out some low-income housing. Water also submerged the town’s water treatment plant. That was a recipe for disaster.

As the rain fell and the Green River rose, Greenfield’s then-Mayor Christine Forgey tells The Huffington Post that she did not hear from Romney. About 75 people, including many retirees, lost their homes in the trailer park, she says. Still many more were displaced. Forgey says a resident opened up the high school and used it as a crisis shelter. A radio station launched a food and clothing drive and the Red Cross provided services.

Forgey, according to press accounts, tried to get Romney on the phone, but she only got as far as a the Lieutenant Governor’s chief of staff. She and others started complaining to the press in the hopes of getting the governor’s attention.

The town could handle distributing donated shirts and juice. But Greenfield, with its population of 18,000, couldn’t repair this level of loss, which had been estimated to exceed $1 million. Forgey said she needed the state government to respond and for Romney to declare an emergency. But for days, Greenfield residents were on their own, with limited outside help. “We really didn’t get the response we were looking for,” she says. “I had to declare a state of emergency … We really needed help desperately, desperately.” On the first day, Forgey says she did not hear from Romney. Nor the second day. Nor the third. Source

So, I ask you, if Mitt Romney couldn’t manage a disaster in a small town, how do you expect him to manage a disaster of the proportions left by Hurricane Sandy? The media reports say 13 people are dead, scores of properties under water or demolished, 50 houses burned to the ground in Breezy Point, NY, massive damage to the subways and tunnels, beach erosion, scores of damaged cars and the lives of the residents on the East Coast up-ended. Mitt Romney was the same person who said in response to a question asked by CNN’s John King during a Republican presidential debate that he would get rid of FEMA.

Mitt Romney M.I.A. During 2005 Greenfield MA Flooding That Wiped Out Low Income Housing, Trailer Park (47 Percent)
Filed Under: Mitt Romney, Natural Disasters, Presidential Election, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Romney Surrogate Gov. Chris Christie Praises President Obama’s Response to Hurricane Sandy as “Outstanding”

October 30, 2012 by 5 Comments
Romney Surrogate Gov. Chris Christie Praises President Obamas Response to Hurricane Sandy as Outstanding

Romney Surrogate Gov. Chris Christie Praises President Obama’s Response to Hurricane Sandy as “Outstanding”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

President Obama’s political advantage:  Romney surrogate New Jersey Gov.  Chris Christie praises President Obama and FEMA for their response to Hurricane Sandy, as “outstanding” but cautioned that the recovery would be a prolonged effort. Yeah, he put partisan politics aside. Gov. Christie said President Obama moved quickly to help designate his state as a disaster area to better expedite federal assistance. That would be the same FEMA Mitt Romney wants to see abolished though he’s singing a new tune.

“The federal government’s response has been great. I was on the phone at midnight again last night with the president, personally, he has expedited the designation of New Jersey as a major disaster area,” said Christie, in an interview with NBC’s “Today.”

“Last night, I was on the phone with FEMA at 2 a.m. this morning to answer the questions they needed answered to get that designation and the president has been outstanding in this. The folks at FEMA, [Administrator] Craig Fugate and his folks have been excellent,” he continued.

In a separate interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Christie added to the praise, saying that “the president has been all over this and deserves great credit.” Source

This is the message that could be left for undecided voters that President Obama won’t allow a disaster to mirror the mess that unfolded under the Bush administration when Hurricane Katrina struck. It also shows that President Obama performs extremely well under pressure and handles national tragedies with great skill. You see, Mitt Romney has to walk a fine line because he’s only a candidate but President Obama is the leader and gets to call the shots. That’s the political advantage for the Democrats. Now, I am sure, once things stabilize, we will see the President on the ground in the hardest hit areas on the East Coast. Anything Mitt Romney does can be viewed as self-serving and trying to score political points. Like I said, political advantage Barack Obama.

Romney Surrogate Gov. Chris Christie Praises President Obamas Response to Hurricane Sandy as Outstanding
pixel Romney Surrogate Gov. Chris Christie Praises President Obamas Response to Hurricane Sandy as Outstanding
Filed Under: Barack Obama, Natural Disasters, Presidential Election, U.S. Politics Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,