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Why did FEMA reject offers of aid from other countries?

by Open-Publishing - Sunday 4 September 2005
10 comments

Humanitary Catastrophes USA South/Latin America

WASHINGTON - In a dramatic turnabout, the United States is now on the receiving end of help from around the world as some two dozen countries offer post-hurricane assistance.

Venezuela, a target of frequent criticism by the Bush administration, offered humanitarian aid and fuel. Venezuela’s Citgo Petroleum Corp. pledged a $1 million donation for hurricane aid.

With offers from the four corners of the globe pouring in, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has decided “no offer that can help alleviate the suffering of the people in the afflicted area will be refused,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday.

However, in Moscow, a Russian official said the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had rejected a Russian offer to dispatch rescue teams and other aid.

Condolences and cash
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to President Bush and said Russia was prepared to help if asked.

Boats, aircraft, tents, blankets, generators, cash assistance and medical teams have been offered to the U.S. government in Washington or in embassies overseas.

Offers have been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, NATO and the Organization of American States, the spokesman said.

Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon called Wednesday at the State Department to offer condolences and assistance. Israel is the largest recipient of U.S. aid, about $2.2 billion a year.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has offered the U.S. hundreds of doctors, nurses, experts in trauma and natural disasters, NBC News has learned. Sharon has also offered field hospitals and medical kits as well as temporary housing and told Bush in a letter that the medical assistance and other help could be deployed within 24 hours.

Tempered expectations
Still, Bush told ABC-TV: “I’m not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn’t asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy and perhaps some will send cash dollars. But this country’s going to rise up and take care of it.”

“You know,” he said, “we would love help, but we’re going to take care of our own business as well, and there’s no doubt in my mind we’ll succeed. And there’s no doubt in my mind, as I sit here talking to you, that New Orleans is going to rise up again as a great city.”

Historically, the United States provides assistance to other countries experiencing earthquakes, floods and other disasters.

Germany, which was rebuilt after World War II largely by the U.S. Marshall Plan, offered its help in a telephone call to Rice.

“The German Government is prepared to do all that is humanly possible,” the German embassy said. In his call, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer assured Rice of Germany’s solidarity with its American friends in a difficult time, the embassy said.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9161198/

Forum posts

  • The second last time the US rejected Russian
    (aerial firefighting) help, FEMA had requested it
    and the US Forest Service pulled rank, leaving the
    Russians on a Moscow runway with two of the most
    powerful firefighting aircraft in the world; IL-76
    waterbombers.

    That story is covered here by a Russian aviation
    website:

    http://www.aeronautics.ru/nws002/los-alamos-01.htm

    And here in an MSNBC reprint:

    http://www.vadscorner.com/tooproud.html

    Note that wildfire that time threatened to invade nuclear materiel.

    Ironically, The Kursk tragedy followed hard on the heels
    of the US Forest Service rejection and you know what kind of
    flack Mr. Putin got on that one.

    The US Forest Service has faced moderate wildfire conditions
    this season (2/3 over), which is fortunate because the
    bureaucrats insist that all potential disasters can be taken
    care of by 1/3 the compliment of ’large air tankers.’

    The legacy of the US Forest Service in large air tankers is covered here:

    http://www.findarticles.com/p/artic...

    A summary of this ongoing issue can be read, complete with links here:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilyushin_Il-76

  • Face it the genocidal in New Orleans can’t afford witnesses - nor local nor international.

    This Government has a stalinistic attitude!

  • What the hell is wrong with our idiot president.

  • This is just another example of the stupity of some in the U.S government. As desperate as these people are, no aid should be refused. Our people should be the ones to decline help, because the government does not speak for everyone. We are suppose to be a free people, able to speak for ourselves. Aid would make it less costly when it comes to rebuilding. Everyone in the world needs help at one point or the other. Many in America need it now. Accepting aid is the least we could have done for those affected. Being to proud to accept help is not in the best interest of our people here in the U.S.

  • I think it’s great that all these countries are offering help. However, they shouldn’t feel hurt if the government is being selective about what kind of help they want to receive at a particular point in time; too many people coming and going can be confusing.

    • There is nothing confusing about too many people dying in New Orleans, however.

    • Agreed, unless there are so many people who are so anxious to help that accidents occur and more people end up needlessly dying.

    • This is the kind of statement only a person would make that does not have a clue. When you need saving it really does not make a differance who’s helping as long as there is help. Unfortunaly our government is so miss guided they don’t have a clue either.

  • It comes as no suprise to me that the USA would reject help from other countries. If other countries could see how the poor are treated in America they would be totally shocked. However it does not stop there. We as a nation have developed the old plantation mind set. In other words If your a black person and your poor then you really do not have a value. This was fairly odvious when it took three days for the president to even surface. Even now, as observer, I can’t figure out who’s in charge?

    • The above is the kind of statement only an idiot would make. Condi Rice even said that the US would be glad to receive any kind of help. And all the other crap about being black and poor, it was the black mayor of NO who didn’t provide buses that were available in a parking lot that wasn’t used to evacuate the poor and immobile and it was he who gave the NO police officers the Sunday before the hurricane the day off to save the city money —it only goes to show you that you don’t necessarily have to be white to be stupid.