Blog posting, September 10, 2005\r\nSB: Relaxing on the Bayou\r\n\r\nFrustrated Rescuers\r\n\r\nI talked tonight with my friend Amy who just returned from New Orleans. She and many other Coasties from Port Arthur landed in NoLA on Tuesday, August 29 and were among the first federal authorities in. Because there was no plan or direction, they took charge and used their resources to find people and rescue them from flooding waters. Unfortunately, they had no choice but to drop people at the designated shelter sites in the city. Interestingly, she mentioned that once FEMA was involved, they were uninterested in the work done by their unit or the information they brought back with them from the city. Instead, FEMA circled parts of the city on maps from their makeshift headquarters where they said they heard gun shots and told the rescue workers not to go there. At one point Amy mentioned that actors got into areas that the Coasties were told to avoid. At some point, they just went in and found the areas less lawless than FEMA feared. She feels that FEMA was just going on rumors and really wasn’t interested in hearing other information. She was so disgusted with the disorganization, but more so with FEMA.\r\n\r\nMy husband is now in NoLA. Since rescuing isn’t an issue and the National Guard is forcing people out, he may help with problems at the ports. We’ll see how things go.\r\n\r\nThanks guys for all of your hard work!