FEMA on Overtime

This has been a busy week for FEMA officials. Earlier in the week they worked with state and local agencies in New Jersey as a truck incident caused a toxic waste spill. The area was evacuated and HAZMAT teams tested the soil, water and air before they allowed people to return. There were reports of numerous breathing problems and skin irritations, however, no deaths have been reported.
While the problem seems to have been efficiently handled, questions were raised about toxic containers crossing state lines. I suspect the New Jersey Department of Health and possibly other state-level agencies (Dept. of Transportation?) will be questioned about the incident on how to avert future disasters of this kind.
Representative Kilpatrick (R) of New Jersey was in session when the accident occurred. As soon as she became aware of the situation, she immediately appealed to the President. I happened to be at the White House as this took place and can say that while the President was concerned, he agreed to meet with her in a time frame of less than an hour. To Ms. Kilpatrick's persistence, she aggressively came to terms with the President's new Press Secretary, Ms. Adamez, who relayed the severity of the situation to the President, thereby sending FEMA to the area sooner. While this information was being worked out, Vice President Rourke appeared to be quiet and a bit confused. I suspect he might have been contemplating what his action would have been if he had been in the President's shoes...
Shortly after FEMA was dispatched to New Jersey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detected a hurricane off the coast of Bermuda. As the hurricane, dubbed "Faye," makes her way slowly through the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico, meteorologists predict landfall will be near the Miami/Dade area of Florida. Winds have picked up to an excess of 150 and possibly even up to 180 miles per hour. Some meteorologists have named Faye the "hundred-year hurricane" as current jet stream conditions are aligned to clash with the volatile hurricane, creating a level of destruction some have called "unimaginable."
I had an opportunity to discuss the Faye sitatuion with Rep. Kilpatrick. Her response was brisk, "That's not my area. I'm from New Jersey." I reminded her that there might be a chance FEMA would have to reassess their resources and/or some personnel might potentially be re-routed to the Faye situation. To this, she contacted Ms. Adamez again to make sure resources were on their way to her district first. So for those of you in Rep. Kilpatrick's district - you are apparently getting your money's worth. For those of you not lucky enough to be in her district, you might want to take a closer look at this assertive legislator.
Within a few hours, Ms. Adamez spoke at a very brief press conference in which she explained the toxic spill had been handled and people were starting to return home. She credited the expedited response of FEMA for that success. She added that FEMA was also being dispatched to lower Florida to aid in the Hurricane Faye situation. Ms. Adamez did not take questions.

E.E.