Results tagged “fema”

Today's lesson in what not to post on the internet is provided by our trusted friends at FEMA. For years the organization says it gave out thousands of copies of "A Scary Thing Happened" around the globe without a single complaint about the coloring book designed to help children cope with tragedy. But now FEMA has pulled it only a week after putting it up on its homepage due to complaints about color-in depictions of the 9/11 attacks. Upon seeing what the Daily News calls a "stomach-churning image," one local man told the paper, "I feel disrespected. I feel like I should punch the person who did this in the face." It turns out the person wants to deck is Marlys Jentoft, a 68-year-old grandmother of 10, who volunteers for the Red Cross, church and crime victims groups. She told The Smoking Gun, "I feel like it was happening in the world and kids saw it. It is life."

Almost 2 million residents along the Lousiana coast have evacuated the region as Hurricane Gustav is expected to hit today. After his mandatory evacuation of New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin revealed he would be staying in the city, sleeping in City Hall. Nagin also warned, "Looters will go directly to jail. You will not get a pass this time. You will not have a temporary stay in the city. You will go directly to the Big House."

A number of NYC ambulance companies are sending trucks and crews to New Orleans as Tropical Storm Gustav continues to move towards the Gulf Coast. Citywide Mobile Response Corp. spokesman Isaac Newman says FEMA contacted them at 10 p.m. last night to deploy ambulances; Citywide sent five ambulances and 15 crew members on the road this morning. Right now, Gustav is expected to be a major Category 3 hurricane when it reaches Louisiana on Tuesday at 1 a.m., with winds at 115mph. The GOP may consider delaying their convention next week--or making it more low-key--because of Gustav. The White House is also debating whether President Bush should cancel his appearance at the convention, given previous criticism of his handling of Hurricane Katrina.