Ducky_McGee said:
Fuuuuuuck.
So sorry to hear about that.
Got a paypal account?
Perhaps us GAFers can do something good for one of our own (and his ducks).
No. I don't.
I certainly do appreciate the offer though. I just don't think it'd be appropriate. There are many people even worse off than me. If you feel moved to do something do it, donate to the Red Cross or something.
GaimeGuy said:
I don't understand. From the content of your post, it sounds like there was absolutely no emergency services in your area, from disseminating information to responding to crises. It just sounds so unfathomable to me living here in Minnesota. You almost died because of a lack of emergency services, and I would think a state like Texas would have top notch services in the country considering all the weather hazards they're prone to.
I am sorry for your loss, and that society has failed you. Have you thought of getting in touch with your local state representative/senator about this? It sounds like lives are definitely in danger due to inadequate emergency services.
I don't think society has failed me at all. I've seen nothing but outpourings of support, people volenteering, taking people into their homes, ect.
Hell, I went to dinner with my dad tonight, and the waitress overheard us talking about something, and asked if we were in the fire. We told her what happened, and when the bill arrived, it had been paid by diners at another table. The little acts of kindness and outpourings of REAL community are everywhere here. I've never been on
this end of it before--we did a lot to help the folks who came to Texas from Hurricane Katrina--but it's these little things that bring the tears to the eye as much as thinking about the lost stuff.
From what I've managed to piece together, our neighborhood just got missed. I don't know if I can explain this clearly but I'll give it a shot.
Every other road leading off our stretch of highway has a highway exit directly adjacent to it. Ours is the only one that doesn't. You kind of have to loop around to get to it. Does that make any sense?
And there was smoke everywhere already, so I'm sure the road entrance was obscured.
Anyway, from everything I've heard, the Sheriff's Department was out in all these other neighborhoods, using those big bullhorns and evacuating people. That's how they did it where my uncle lives. Those people got the evacuation order. We just didn't. And before we left, my mom had called 911 and they told her they were certain we had already been evacuated.
The other thing was, this was on Labor Day weekend, so I'm sure staffing was an issue.
The only thing that got me really angry was the automated thing from the power company. There could have been a warning there. When it said "no power outages reported in your neighborhood," it was technically true, because they had already cut all the power themselves, at the request of the Fire Department. That automated message though was silly and misleading.
The only problems with the government I've had since then has been:
-The lack of communication for people like us who aren't in the shelters. They would make announcements and post stuff ant the shelters, but if you weren't there, it was hard to get that info. They've finally got some decent internet service up now for information, but it took a while. For a while Facebook comments were the best source of info for people not at the shelters.
-The lack of care from the Austin Fire Chief. She apparently didn't think fires outside the city limits were important enough to end her vacation over.
Austin American Statesman said:
Austin Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr stayed in Colorado for a Labor Day weekend golfing trip, leaving subordinates largely in charge of her department's response while keeping in touch by cellphone and email.
Officials said Tuesday that her absence from the disaster did not hamper firefighting efforts, which were coordinated by county departments, and that she remained involved from afar in her department's response.
A top assistant also said that Kerr offered early on to return and that he emphasized to her that the fire was not in the city's immediate territory.
Kerr, who was set to return to work today, said in a telephone interview Tuesday that she did not come home earlier because flames were not in the city.
"All of the fires are not in the city limits of Austin," Kerr said. "If the fires were in the city limits of Austin, that would have been a whole different thing, and I would have made my way back as fast as I could have."
Tuesday afternoon, several fires broke out in two subdivisions near Duval Road in Northwest Austin, but those were put out by evening.
Kerr's decision to stay on vacation has renewed questions among some firefighters nine of whom reportedly lost their homes in Bastrop County, the hardest-hit area in the unprecedented fires and from union officials about her leadership.
This is a 100-year event, if that. This was THE moment for fire services.
Sure, she would have gotten off the links for a fire inside Austin, but outside some arbitrary line...fuck it.
-I've heard things about since FEMA got there they've been turning down volunteers unless they have all this paperwork in order. As soon as the Feds arrived, so did loads of red tape.
I'm sure we'll see them bring something to the table, but right now, I'm not impressed.
Vincent Alexander said:
Anything we can do to help? Clothes? Shoes? Coats? I know it's all small compared to those things that can't be replaced, but if you need anything, just holler. I'm sure a lot of us here on Gaf, myself included, can find things to spare.
That's really nice. I don't really know what my mailing address situation is. I think they hold the mail at the post office, but I'm not sure.
I'll check and get back to you if I can get mail and feel comfortable doing that. I've never considered taking charity before, so it's weird.
...
And WOW @ GAF. When I posted this I expected a small response maybe from people in the threads I regularly hit. I never expected this outpouring.
I'm starting to rethink my long-standing hatred of most of you fucking fanboys and retards.
I'll try my best to respond to you guys, but I'm kinda exhausted a lot right now, and more than a little depressed. But please know, everyone who has expressed concern or sympathy or whatever, I really appreciate it.
It was kind of a emotional drain to even make this thread. I'm not a big fan of BlogGAF, but GAF has been a part of my life for some time now, so I had to let y'all know.
