Alger's Airlift
Our old friend Jim Alger from the Northridge West Neighborhood Council and individuals from other neighborhood councils are taking action to assist the victims of Hurricane Katrina.Alger is a private pilot and owns his own plane. He's recruited a few other pilots to fly relief efforts to the affected areas as well as ferrying evacuees to shelters in other cities and states. Alger took off this morning from Van Nuys Airport and is on his way to Louisiana.
Before he left, Jim sent the following message this morning to Greg Nelson, Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.
Greg, I am departing Van Nuys Airport shortly enroute to Louisiana with my plane, filled to capacity with food, water and diapers donated by individual Neighborhood Council Members from across the city. This is yet another example of what we as Neighborhood Council Members have to be proud of. I have asked several NC Members to act as a City-Side coordinators for relief efforts in some of the outlying communities that still have not seen any aid. I am flying some people out of the area to homes that have donated rooms for evacuees in unffected areas. Jon Lauritzen of LAUSD today offered seats in the school system so that much is set up.In an email to Elizabeth McClellan of the Southeast Neighborhood Council, Nelson expressed concern that neighborhood council funds not be used for relief efforts. At this time, it does not appear that Alger has proposed such, but has asked neighborhood council leaders to take the lead in raising funds to support the effort, as well as to coordinate services for evacuees who may find their way to Los Angeles.
There is no way to contact the elected leaders of some of these communities other than to go there so basically when I get my hands on one, we'll see what's available and connect them with whomever back in LA. In either event I have often said that Neighborhood Councils are about helping a community, and not necessarily just the one in which you live. Today, once again they are rising to the occasion. Bet you never had this in mind in the beginning huh?
Jim
Alger, also a candidate for State Assembly, is seeking donations to cover the cost of the fuel. For more information contact Alger at Jim.Alger@northridgewest.com.
Updates:
Jim called us from Tucson, Arizona about 1:50 p.m. PDT where he was refueling. His next stop is Covington, New Mexico where he should arrive about 5:30 p.m. Stay tuned for further updates.
4:00 p.m. PDT: Jim called us from the air somewhere over New Mexico and asked that if anyone is interested in making contributions to pay for the cost of fuel please contact Louise Scone at 818-400-2353.
8:25 P.M. PDT: Just spoke with Jim. He is on the New Mexico-Texas border, grounded due to weather conditions, in a location with no wireless access. He expects to be able to take off about 3:00 a.m. Tuesday morning and to arrive in New Orleans or some nearby location about noon tomorrow. When Jim arrives in Waco, Texas, he will make contact with a Biloxi, Mississippi City Councilman who will direct Jim's team to where they need to go. He will deliver supplies and then ferry a family from Mississippi to West Virginia. From there, he'll pick up more supplies and head back to Mississippi or New Orleans depending on the current situation. Jim is working with about 12 other pilots on the project.
Jim told me the thing that impresses him the most about this project is the response from neighborhood councils across the city. Numerous NC members have become involved and will be raising money, collecting supplies as needed and even arranging for housing for evacuees.
We'll have more updates tomorrow.
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 9/05/2005 11:58:00 AM
31 Comments:
Jim is out there doing the right thing. I admire his "can do" attitude.
He has accurately recognized that only if the TV cameras are there, will those in need be rescued.
Without the media coverage, there are thousands awaiting some type of emergency help.
I hope he and his family will be safe. He is doing what needs to be done. And his efforts won't be done under the glare of the media.
Þ--Þ--Þ
Jim,
Thanks for being humane and conscientious, we need more people like you around our communities.
Jim is doing what Jim does best, helping those in need. He is all about listening to the people and reacting to their needs. It doesn't make a difference if they are in Louisianna, Mississippi, or Los Angeles he will make a difference and get things done.
Jim is being Jim a nice guy who really cares about community. To all of those who tried to discredit and defame him on this site I hope you're feeling guilty.
Can I just say that Jim is truly making us all look good. He certainly knows how to handle a situation.
Keep us updated Sam!
Yay, Jim! Thanks for getting us so intimately involved in this "rescue" of fellow citizens. I am proud to know you and proud to support you in this effort.
Does anyone know why Kathleen Blanco refused to sign over the National Guard to the GOV?
Why so stubborn, does she want people to die?
BECAUSE THE FEDS WERE INTERFERING WITH AID EFFORTS
Kathleen is a communist, she wants to jeopardize any help to the people. Instead of working with all entities, she wants to work against the gov and local enforcement. She is a disgrace!
Hi 10:19,
Your question is important. Kathleen Blanco is more anti-government than any other governor alive today.
Here are some links.
Monday, Sept. 5, 2005 11:38 p.m. EDT
Mayor Nagin: Gov. Blanco Delayed Rescue
After days of blaming the federal officials for not responding quickly enough to the Hurricane Katrina crisis, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin praised President Bush on Monday - and charged that Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco had delayed federal rescue efforts by 24-hours.
"I'm so happy that the president came down here," Nagin said of Bush's Friday visit to Louisiana in an interview with CNN. "He came down and saw it, and he put a general on the field. His name is General Honore. And when he hit the field, we started to see action."
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/9/5/234033.shtml
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005 12:47 p.m. EDT
Gov. Kathleen Blanco Refused Bush Aid
Though her state has been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and thousands are believed dead in New Orleans, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has refused to allow the federal government to take control of evacuation efforts.
"Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans," the Washington Post reported in Sunday editions.
Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005 12:47 p.m. EDT
Gov. Kathleen Blanco Refused Bush Aid
Though her state has been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and thousands are believed dead in New Orleans, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has refused to allow the federal government to take control of evacuation efforts.
"Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans," the Washington Post reported in Sunday editions.
Gov. Blanco's office rejected the request, the paper said - concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law.
The Louisiana Democrat had also failed to use more than a hundred school buses parked near the Superdome to transport stranded citizens who didn't have the means to obey earlier evacuation orders.
After the 17th Street Levee broke on Tuesday, the buses were rendered usless by rising flood waters.
State and federal officials also told the Post that Gov. Blanco did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday - more than 24 hours after New Orleans descended into chaos.
Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005 10:52 a.m. EDT
Teary Gov. Kathleen Blanco 'Overwhelmed'
The performance of Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco in the first days after the Katrina disaster has some wondering whether she's up to the daunting task of guiding her state as its largest city struggles to recover.
Blanco "has come across as a nice person," noted the New York Post's Deborah Orin, but she seems "overwhelmed instead of inspiring."
Gov. Blanco did little to reassure observers during a press conference on Tuesday, when she seemed on the verge of bursting into tears.
"The magnitude of the situation is untenable," she told reporters. "It's just heartbreaking."
The next day Blanco told ABC's "Good Morning America," "This whole situation is totally overwhelming."
Louisiana Democrats are putting the best face possible on Blanco's performance.
"She's obviously affected tremendously by the emotional impact of the devastation," former Sen. John Breaux told the Washington Post. "I think she's doing everything humanly possible to bring it together."
Asked whether Blanco sounded discouraged by the havoc wrought by Katrina, Breaux told the paper, "No, I think she was on top of it. But considering the circumstances, with a whole city underwater, it's hard to be calm, cool and collected."
Some compared the beleaguered governor to her Mississippi counterpart, Haley Barbour - who has so far offered a more reassuring presence.
Gov. Barbour vowed early on to deal "aggressively and ruthlessly" with looters in his state.
Gov. Blanco, on the other hand, initially suggested that stopping rampant looting in New Orleans wasn't a priority, telling reporters Tuesday: "We don’t like looters one bit, but first and foremost is search and rescue.”
As conditions continued to deteriorate, however, Blanco changed her tune, announcing late Wednesday: "We will restore law and order. What angers me the most is that disasters like this often bring out the worst in people. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."
Katrina: The First Draft of History
(note this will be at the top for a few hours, check below for more content)
I don't have time to explain... but trust me... when the history of this thing is written, Gov Blanco will be near criminally liable.
Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.
The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.
A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor.
Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.
But when all is said and done, Kathleen Blanco killed thousands of people. When she met with Bush and Bush tried getting control of the situation she told him she needed "24 hours to think things through."
Blanco's lack of ability to think on her feet was evident in the debates she had during the election... now it cost lives... (More on this with video coming.)
I am too busy to post more right now but watch it play out... Blanco screwed up. (So did Nagin and I haven't decided on Bush, but we know Blanco blew it.)
AND BTW- I hate to disappoint the race baiters, but this is not racism... It was stupidity, pure and simple.
The handling of the evacuation and the failure to evacuate people will remain one of the legacies of Nagin and Blanco. Sadly, the order to use school buses came only on Sept 1. Similarly not calling up the LANG seven days in advance will be remembered as one of Blanco's great failures in my estimation.
I think you're right and it probably explains the enormous amount of vitriol that's been coming from both Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco—they're making preemptive strikes.
>Similarly not calling up the LANG seven days in advance will be remembered as one of Blanco's great failures in my estimation.
7 days in advance there was no storm yet knucklehead. She blew it but that's just a stupid thing to say.
Blanco has nothing to worry about. Once the situation is stable and re-building has begun, the left will demand a "Katrina Comission" to white wash the record...just like 9/11.
I just commented on this at What the MSM is not telling us referring to a similar article I found at The Argus.
Has anyone else started to wonder if when President Bush said the response was "unacceptable" he wasn't referring to the federal response, but instead to Governor Blanco's response???????
I've been searching for a direct quote from Bush stating the "unacceptable" characterization applies to the federal response and haven't found one yet.
Are some in the media like the LA Times and others making the assumption that he was referring to the federal government instead of Governor Blanco?
"Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly."
Let's see...If everything was going to plan up to the point of the request for the federal takeover, why would anyone in the Louisiana State government be concerned about blame being assessed?
And blame for what at that point in time that the power struggle emerged?
Could it be blame for totally screwing up their responsibility as a first responder?
Leave it to a deamcratic govenor to be so impossible and irresponsible
President Bush contacted LA's governor and New Orleans' mayor and asked them to request evacuations, declare an emergency...and the two of them waited a full day to do so.
And yet, both these outrageous failures (Governor and Mayor) rant and rant and rant about race and the 'federal government' and anything else they can to try to blame "Bush" and whoever else they can...anyone but admit that they both were responsible and they both failed.
The mayor of N.O. even had dozens of school buses available prior to and during his "mandatory evacuation" order -- issued a day late no less, to make much of a difference to anyone who had no transportation options -- and yet allowed the buses to sit there in parked gear in a lot and become flooded rather than use school buses to save people. Instead, he was waiting (demanding) "greyhound buses,"...go figure that one out.
The mayor sent people to the Superdome that was ONLY intended/proven to provide shelter for hurricanes up to Category THREE. Katrina, as everyone knows (and knew then) was a Category FIVE hurricane.
The mayor pretty much refused to declare an evacuation and then when he did refused to provide any means to help HIS people...but he's sure had a lot to yell about as to everyone else failing to save him, solve his problems.
There was even a team of fully stocked, provisioned law enforcement who went there the DAY AFTER the storm -- took their own camping gear, supplies, everything, went at their own expense from ANOTHER STATE to help -- and yet the Mayor REFUSED THEM TO ENTER THE CITY, telling them he didn't have "anywhere" they could "stay." They didn't need anywhere to "stay," they just wanted to help out, having taken care of their own needs before offering to assist.
The looting and violence was certainly the cause of the prisoners who were set loose IN THE CITY by...by...THE MAYOR, at least with his permission.
And yet people have the audacity to blame 'the federal government' when the "federal government" could not act until and without the permission of the Mayor and the Governor. Who waited, and waited and yelled and waited...and who both remained housed and fed throughout the situation.
Democrats and some others have used this Mega Disaster to blame Bush just as the hurricane was used by criminals to loot. If there's anyone who IS at fault as to incompetentcy and unwillingness to act, it's the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of LA. Who are both Democrats, by the way.
"Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly."
Let's see...If everything was going to plan up to the point of the request for the federal takeover, why would anyone in the Louisiana State government be concerned about blame being assessed?
And blame for what at that point in time that the power struggle emerged?
Could it be blame for totally screwing up their responsibility as a first responder?
Declaring a State of Emergency doesn't inherently empower the federal authorities unless that Declaration explicitly says so.
"So how does Blanco avoid accepting much resposibility and blame by refusing the Adminstration's memorandum?"
Simple, if they had ceded control and the Fed efforts then went well... the state and local governments could be left open to accusations that they had "failed" in their duties and the Feds had to bail them out. The question above would only make sense if the Gov knew the PR crap storm this thing was going to generate.
Since Nagin was not eligible for another term in office, this is what he was thinkin' on August 31 and that is what the conditions in New Orleans were even without a Category Five Hurricane affecting the place -- excessive violence in the City, excessive crime.
Everyone should keep in mind that it takes SEVENTY-TWO HOURS to evacuate New Orleans (by their own emergency information). Nagin relented and ordered a "mandatory evacuation" on Sunday, around noon. Storm hit in the early Monday.
Here are the facts:
It takes 72 hours to evacuate New Orleans.
-- The state of emergency was declared on Friday. Katrina was forecast to make landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm as of Friday at 7:00 PM CDT. (And President Bush advised an evacuation and emergency order at that time -- Louisiana's Governor and New Orleans' Mayor Nagin said they needed to think it over before issuing those/either or both -- meaning, federal "interruptions" to their authority were not allowed at that time.)
-- The voluntary evacuation notice was given Saturday afternoon at 2:30 PM CDT. Hurricane Katrina was officially identified as a Category Five storm a day earlier (night before this evac. notice was given).
-- The mandatory evacuation order was given Sunday at 9:30 AM CDT.
-- The storm hit the Louisiana coast on Monday morning at 6:00 AM CDT.
== "People who are unable to evacuate were told to immediately report to a designated shelter."
And Nagin left all those buses to sit there, refused anyone to use them, offered no arrangements otherwise for anyone who was not able to leave the City at that time on their own initiative.
It was a complete failure by local and state authority.
OK OK OK WE GET IT YOU LOVE BUSH!!!
JESUS H CHRIST. Just remember while all the politicians are placing blame one of our own has gone to HELP, which is more than I can say for your ranting.
LET'S SAVE LIVES NOW AND PRAISE BUSH LATER GOD DAMN IT!
The FEDERAL Government turned away the help that was sent from accross the coutry.
The FEDERAL Government HAS STILL not responded to International offers of assistance.
The FEDERAL Government HAS STILL not given aid to parts of Mississippi so Bush in now way shape or form gets off this hook.
The problem now is that the Feds are saying "Only Federal Contractors (ie Halliburton) are allowed" keeping out hundreds of trained people including the VA State Police who were on CNN after eing turned away y THE FEDS.
THAT is why a Govorner shouldn't cede authority to the State over to the Feds. But the Feds took all the Govorners Guard and sent them to Iraq...
...Leaving us to send our Neighborhood Council Air Force to go fix their bs and rescue their constituents.
I hope they remember Alger when the Earthquake hit's LA. Dunno what they would send or how, but it would be interesting.
Hey? Can we nominate Alger for FEMA or something? He couldn't do worse.
The Neighborhood Council Airforce? That is funny as hell.
Seriously, we all can be proud of what Jim is doing, hope it helps.
12:33
You are wrong. Our gov. did accept and receiving international help. What planet are you on? Apparently, not earth.
Blanco refused all gov. help.
How much more clear can this be, she f'ed up.
Wow. With so much overwhelming evidence of Bush's incompetence visible at every level, I was wondering how even the most die-hard Republican apologists could think they could "spin" this one. Reading these posted comments has answered that question:
The bigger the challenge, the bigger the Republican Lie, in response.
I'd say "shame on you" but it is self-evident that you have no shame. No shame, no conscience, so qualms about telling any lie, any time, any place.
Fortunately, the American People are not going to forget what really happened, no matter how much you try to spin it.
Our president is a moron.
The whole world knew it before, and now only the most rabid Republicans can deny it.
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