FEMA even Vacations in Branson

[loves2fish]

Hee Hee. Fema trucks all over Branson staying at the Hotels and working in Springfield. There are some BIG 'Tree Clamping' Dump Trucks out of Florida. There were like 5 or 6 parked in the closed Dunkin Donut lot. These trucks are big. Hotels seem to be getting quite a few construction and disaster workers. Restaurants seem to be doing good too. Thank god we haven't seen Mike Brown!! hee hee

[bransonmomof2]

Yeah...I've noticed the BIG trucks in front of Dunkin Donuts too...the other a.m., I was at a stop light about 7am, and about 15 out of area electric company trucks (the kind w/the bucket on them) were headed down Hwy 76, probably to Hwy 65 to Branson. Was shopping at Walmart supercenter in Branson West last night, and our checker said it had been crazy there...lots of "out of towners" due to ice North of us....

[Gabriella]

Find Every Mexican Available....

[fordarama]

Well, the truth is they don't mind working, they have to send money back to mexico, so thay they can send for their family and friends ...Who will work , and not be an american citizen.....It's the truth...get over it.....Maybe the future president will help them out :rolleyes:

[pamlet]

When I worked for a travel agency that had the contract w/Fema .. Fema employees were the MOST difficult to deal with.

They'd do lovely things... like rent a car .. then pass it along to other members without changing the contract .. so NO ONE knew where the car was ...

OR they'd complain and whine about the motel/hotel we'd put them in ... (usually is was one of very few that were available .. due to whatever disaster they were responding to)

They'd not show for flights .. then wonder why they just couldn't walk on to any other flight .. because they were FEMA ...

I'd cringe when they'd activate - because I'd be the one who handled "complaints" and "problems" ... usually all created by their own lack of taking responsibility.

I'm sure there were responsible, hard workers in the ranks - but as a group they were a pain in the neck..

[Suselit]

Borderline racist are you?I do not find your joke, or whatever you attempt to pass as humor,funny at all.
Grow up,understand that all homo sapiens species are created equal.We are from the family of Hominidae.Which you might be closely related to, than others homo sapiens on this board.

As a new member here, you may not know about all the hardship Gabriella and her neighbors in New Orleans have endured since Katrina.
I think joking about FEMA is mild, considering what she's been through.:)
Anyway, Gabriela is a longtime Board Member and she has ties to Branson and she isn't racist.
I am sure you didn't mean to rush to judgement, Beachcomber2007.
Maybe this Winter Weather is making us all alittle touchy.

[SweetSue]

I know a woman who works for FEMA, and she has told me stories of what they have to put up with. It's a two-sided story..........

[ggh]

I am glad that they were able to find hotels for those who came to Missouri to help with the storm - there have been NO - zero - hotel rooms available in Springfield. I am thankful that Branson rooms were available to them.

Driving home one day last week, I passed a convoy of 36 utility trucks, cherry pickers and augers to help with the storm. The sight brought tears to my eyes. Thank you to all those from out of state, who came to our aide, and are helping us gain power.

[pamlet]

I know a woman who works for FEMA, and she has told me stories of what they have to put up with. It's a two-sided story..........

I understand they have hardships - but I also know that they (as a group - which I blame on their managment) have a HUGE sense of entitlement .. by contrast we also arranged travel for fire fighters who fight forest fires ... as a GROUP - they are very concientious and friendly -

Not demanding hotels with bars (they just find a local) ... not missing flight without notice ... their management demands a level of self discipline. The instances I talked about weren't isolated incindents - but things that happened over and over with the FEMA group... by the way NTSB was the same way. We never could get over how we'd be sending these folks to some place that was under water and flooding - or was an area of pick up sticks .. and they'd complain when all you could get them in was a La Quinta or Red Roof Inn and not a Hilton... (yes they would fuss when you couldn't get them into a deluxe hotel.)

These are folks who are in the business (whether volunteers or not) to go into an area where a disaster has happened... many many of them have gone to MANY of these - yet we still would have the same problems with them.

As I said - I truly believe it is a sense of entitlement that their middle/upper management instills in them - by the way - this attitude transcended any political administration - so that wasn't it... it was the same in the Clinton years as it was in the Bush years...

[Gabriella]

Don't twist my words! It was something I saw on a t-shirt, but if you were living where I am, you would understand how true this expression is. The Mexicans helped us here a lot more than FEMA! And the two guys from Brazil who roofed our home and replaced the siding were/are absolutely fantastic. Great job, they did.

If you ever have to choose between the two, I'm sure you'll find the Mexicans much easier to deal with.

[Blaze2]

If you ever have to choose between the two, I'm sure you'll find the Mexicans much easier to deal with.

ABSOLUTELY!
Had we depended on 'white'? workers, our house wouldn't be ready yet!
.....and that was 10 years ago! :duh:
Mexican workers are prided people & want to do a good job!

[loves2fish]

So true. The Mexicans were up this morning headed out to Springfield to work. The white guys trucks were at the hotel all day. Probably hung over.
Yet so many want to 'deport' the hard workers. Shame.

[DalmationDad]

Trust me, if you look beyond the fairy tale land called Branson, you'll find a much different picture of illegal immigration. I've seem plenty of illegals that have that sense of "entitlement" FEMA apparently has.

[Cheesecake]

Well in general this thread, where we should be grateful for anything we can get in a time of disaster, has turned into ''bash the hand that feeds you'' thread.

I'm sure sitting all snug and warm in your homes with no disaster, compared to what Springfield is going through, one can bash FEMA, and other organizations sent to help, remember some help is better than none at all.

And, as far as the Mexicans,....if there are American Mexicans who would take those jobs first, we wouldn't be jabbin at ''illegal immigration'', a real issue within our borders. If they come up to Springfield, who is going to work at Tyson? (sounds pretty harsh, hey?)

I understand that the quality of American workers, with a college education, that work for FEMA, isnt as qualified as the ''average bear'' sitting in their armchair.

Of course, we could go off on college grads who have no human touch.

Shame on them, if they are not being cooperative. But, shall we bash them now, in a time of need, ........?

I don't care what any of you do, but, re-read your posts, ... you all sound arrogant and high and mighty, and far too critical.

If you were without power for over a week, and sick, and cold, and hungry..........you would know that rich and poor, together, can suffer a disaster, and feel terribly sad wondering ''what next''?

Gabriella, I understood what you meant.
Suse, thanks for clearing that up.
GGH, thanks for that.

Everyone else, hold yer big opinions, til Springfield comes out and says they have been short changed by Gov't and Charity.

Bringing up the past is unbecoming.

Dealing with a disaster is something most of us know nothing about.
Cut the workers some slack, and hopefully Branson is welcoming the run off of wealth, from the disaster up north.

Remember: never bite the hand that feeds you.


Edit to add:
If anyone here is questioned re: their ethics...it should not be Gabriella...she, IMHO, is probably the kindest and most caring person on this board.

She actually ''gets involved'' in her community, without regard for color or creed or country. She is a very special person, and also very humorous...but to question her ethics, is unethical.

[Blaze2]

The comment rubbed me the wrong way.I love visiting Mexico;the people there are human also.They deserve respect,just as you do.I try to adhere to the (Golden Rule)
ethic of reciprocity.
I am sorry to harshly judge Gaberial.Racist was a too strong description of her actions.Her joke or comment would only be funny or defendable, to a person of questionable ethics themself,though.:duh:

Her name is Gabriella & her comment was not meant as a joke!
Her post is the absolute truth!!!
When we read a post that 'boils our blood' immediately, that is the
time to stop, pause, maybe sleep on it before posting a hurtful reply.
....not to guarantee I always do this, but I do try...........
It's easy to spout off in type when we can't see a person.
Gabriella is a very nice, sweet lady & I'll defend her
knowing full well she can defend herself! :thumbsup:

[Gabriella]

you who came to my defense. Unfortunately, having had to deal with FEMA, and seeing the help that they gave us here, I do know what I said is true. As far as being a racist comment, beachcomber, I really don't see where that's coming from. You may call me an American and I promise, I'll take no offense. Nor do my Honduran neighbors and/or my Mexican neighbors who live across the street from me. They say they're Honduran/Mexican. My roofers said they were Brazilian. It's the countries they're from and that's what they are! Yes, I live in a very diverse neighborhood, and I like it that way. I was aware of this when I moved here. Had I been racist, I would have moved to a lily white neighborhood. (I'm white.) Up until the Vietnamese family (who lived 3 houses down from me) moved, there were four distinct "races" on my block. My favorite neighbor is the elderly gentleman who lives directly nextdoor to me. He has my house keys as a "just in case" and I have his. I'd do anything for that man. He's African-American....but really, there's only one race, and that's human.

I do hope that the people affected by these ice storms get better results from FEMA than we did down here. We were a good practice exercise for them in a state where it has recently been revealed that help was delayed because we have a Democrat woman for a governor. (Saw that tonight on the national news....talk about blood boiling.)

Now, about FEMA. We DID get the initial $2000 assistance. I'm grateful for that, but I figure after paying federal taxes for all these years, I deserve SOMETHING. Isn't that why I pay taxes? To support these federal entities?

I also want to add that each individual person with FEMA that we dealt with was very nice. The problem was, each would tell us something different and most were newly hired. I have stacks of papers from them that we had to fill out, copy, mail and/or fax. The stacks are about as thick as a version of War and Peace. No kidding. The first were mailed. They said they didn't receive them. So I'd do it again, certified mail. Not received, they'd say. So I'd fax them. OK. Got it. Then, several weeks later I'd get a call asking for my papers. I'd tell them they were sent. "Oh, yeah. Here it is." Then I'd get another call asking for the same things. I'd tell them to check and they'd say they had no computer, only a list of names to call. Finally, about a year after the fact, I asked them to quit calling me. That I didn't need their help. That I'd paid for everything out of pocket. To this day, not one person from FEMA has come to inspect my property...but it says in my files on their website that the initial inspection was done (on a day I was here) and the follow-up would be done by appointment. They called over a year ago for that appointment...and didn't show up.

Deja vu, folks. Good luck. Had it not been for neighbors helping neighbors and the generosity of volunteers, none of us could be here. Parts of our city still look like a nuclear wasteland. In the meantime, the Mexicans are very busy. There simply are not enough Americans here in my vicinity to put Humpty Dumpty together again. FEMA pushes pencils.

[Gabriella]

Whatever....:duh:

And you're thick. What if I said, find every American available?

[Cheesecake]

Whatever....:duh:

And you're thick. What if I said, find every American available?

:rolleyes: ;) :rolleyes:

I was going to say more, but.....you said it perfectly....I'll leave well enough alone ;)

[Cheesecake]

help is on it's way:

;)
thick (http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary/dictionary.php?search=thick) adj : (of a person) slow, stupid, “he’s a bit thick”, ‘thick in the head’, ‘thick as two short planks’, ‘thick as mince’ (http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary/dictionary.php?British=mince’&search=Array) (Sc), ‘thick as a brick’ (http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary/dictionary.php?British=brick’&search=Array). Expr. ‘a bit thick’ describes something unreasonable, “that’s a bit thick, isn’t it?”.
thicko (http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary/dictionary.php?search=thicko) n : idiot (http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary/dictionary.php?American=idiot&British=the+splits), thick (http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary/dictionary.php?British=thick&search=Array) person.

[beachcomber2007]

This is the wrong forum for this topic.This is not the debating area.
Cheesecake is now on the ignore list for pointless threads and useless comments.:D
/ignore chessecake.

[beachcomber2007]

Cheesecake is the best.:)
I have removed myself and my dumb opinions from this thread.

[iwiwatb]

I wouldn't know, even though our whole town got blown away by a tornado, Many lives were ruined, but none lost, so let us take care of our own and they go back to Emergency Management. Like fighting ice storms and hurricanes. I guess an F4 tornado just doesn't compare. Then worst September tornado on record, and it just doesn't compare.

Sorry bout that folks. I guess I hadn't told you, Blunt asked for a State of Emergency for us, and was given NO as an answer. Not all was lost though. Our Community came together and held a Fair that benefitted most everyone. I just don't understand how...never mind. Noone was killed in our disaster so why beat a dead horse.

I just hope you never have to know the depression we feel when we go down there for something, and everything is gone but a few twisted trees and sheets of tin. I am glad we relocated, because I could not open my door to that everyday.

[Gabriella]

I don't know what the criteria is for a State of Emergency, but the sad fact remains, it's no less heartbreaking for a small town than it is for a multi-state area. When it's your HOME and it's gone, it hurts.

Hang in there, iwiwatb. We'll make it yet...come hell or high water...literally.

[Richard&Audrey]

Well, the truth is they don't mind working, they have to send money back to mexico, so thay they can send for their family and friends ...Who will work , and not be an american citizen.....It's the truth...get over it.....Maybe the future president will help them out :rolleyes:

Emphasis on the word OUT!