A New Idea for Responding

Phin e-mailed me the following. It looks like it's a promising way to shorten the response time for emergency relief in areas like mine that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. They say they can reach the affected areas within ten hours!! That is fantastic.

I apologize for the spamish nature of this e-mail, I typically don't resort to mass e-mail and I wouldn't now if this message weren't so important. There is a project underway that will reduce the amount of dependence placed on the government when a natural disaster strikes one of the coastal states (Atlantic, Gulf or Pacific). The projects name is Operation Enduring Service and was created by Beauchamp Tower Corporation.

Posted on my site phin's blog and cross-posted at Confederate Yankee" are calls to press Senators to insert a rider that will allow this to happen. Due to time constraints the legislation required to make this happen is dangerously close to falling by the wayside-in fact it has to pass before Congress ends this Session (less than 14 days).

The project calls for the transfer of decommisioned and obsolete military ships to an established award-winning nonprofit organization that will convert them into powerful and 100% volunteer-funded floating rescue and recovery vessels to assist those in need in the wake of natural and manmade disasters.

Via Operation Enduring Service:


So, you want to see what these old girls will be able to do? Here's a list of only a few things we can provide during a Coastal State disaster (such as flooding or a hurricane)

----Service a disaster area of up to 10,000 square miles (up to 100 miles inland) with minimal (if any) outside support

----Provide complete berthing facilities for up to 400 emergency responders "on scene" at a disaster site

----Fully integrated communications system serving all local, state, and federal agencies, as well as cell phone coverage and military band frequencies--allowing for seamless communications between all disaster scene personnel, no matter what radio frequency or cell phone is being used.

----Daily provide 110 tons of bagged and palletized ice to the disaster region

----Daily generate, bottle, and palletize up to 50,000 gallons of fresh water

----Provide refueling station and loading platform for helicopters operating in the disaster area

----Carry over 7,000 tons of food and supplies for a disaster area

----Store (and provide delivery of) 700,000 gallons of diesel, gasoline, and aviation fuel for use in the disaster area on emergency vehicles and critical needs generators (hospitals, emergency operation centers, etc)


.......and that's just one ship.

They're talking about fielding two ships, not one... a regular "Salvation Navy." We have a chance to make a great deal of difference in future disasters (these ships may be ready for the '06 hurricane season) but we must act now. Think of the number of lives saved and the peace of mind that can be brought, while saving the government and tax payers money.

Any help you can give in the form of summoning your readerships to help press the key senators listed (and their own) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,

Please help out this promising idea for emergency response. On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the response of police departments and fire departments from across the country was amazing. Only one drawback, the Florida police were the only ones that had self-contained units and there was a mad scramble to find accommodations for most. What really hurt was the fact that a lot of police stations were destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. It took awhile to get everything settled. A lot of those wonderful policemen and firemen who came down to help ended up sleeping in their cars!! Another problem was the lack of fuel to for emergency vehicles. The Mississippi Department of Transportation stopped one truck to get 200 gallons of fuel for emergency vehicle use. It caused a lot of problems with some truckers who were unwilling to bring more fuel trucks down. So this idea is a very good one. It will be able to accommodate up to 400 emergency responders and carry 700,000 gallons of fuel for emergency vehicle use.

Please contact your Congressmen and your Senators about this life-saving idea. Best thing about it, it would be private and not government controlled.