"We were told a truck would arrive at 4 p.m. today in Sugar Land. Four o'clock came and no truck."

[Bluebear]

...By 8:30 a.m., volunteers were unloading and passing out crates of water, ice and nonperishable food supplied by the state, and were told that the federal government would soon be sending shipments.

More than 10,000 people had showed up by 10:30 a.m., FEMA spokeswoman Mary Bell Lunsford said.

``Oh, my goodness,'' said Charlene Matthews, 43, as she walked from her car toward the church, trying to catch a glimpse of the end of a line of pedestrians that wrapped around the building, along a stretch of sidewalk and down more than two city blocks. A separate line of waiting cars stretched for two miles.

Houston Police Lt. Spencer Coker, squinting in the sun in the church's makeshift loading area, said the long lines were largely due to initial news reports that listed the Greenspoint center as the only hub in the city open Monday morning.

``We'll do the best we can with what we've got,'' Coker said as the temperature climbed and police heard reports of people suffering from heat exhaustion, distribution trucks tied up in traffic and pregnant women requesting restrooms.

The wait time at 9 a.m. on Monday was roughly an hour and a half, and peaked at two to three hours before dropping to 50 minutes by 4 p.m.

But things were moving slowly in Fort Bend County, where officials expressed frustration when water and ice did not materialize.

"I'm frustrated, I'm very frustrated,'' County Judge Bob Hebert said Monday.The judge said the county put in a request with the state to get emergency shipments. "We were told a truck would arrive at 4 p.m. today in Sugar Land.'' He said volunteers manned the site. ``Four o'clock came and no truck.''

"We still haven't heard why it didn't arrive,'' he said.

When Fort Bend officials called a state command post they were told there was no record of the county filing a request.

Hebert said he can understand if the supplies have to be sent to other areas that got harder hit than his county, but ``we wish they would have told us so we could have secured our own supply.''

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/hotstories/6002679.html

[begin_within]

1. It's Katrina II.

[Bluebear]

2. With a twist - almost a complete media blackout. nt

[RoyGBiv]

3. FUBAR ...

The whole freakin' thing is FUBAR.

I'm hearing and seeing that same thing repeated over and over again ... promises made not kept. If you'd let us know sooner, we might have been able to figure it out on our own.

FEMA is worthless.

I have refugees in my apartment tonight, and I'm calling them that because that's what they're calling themselves. Things are good here. I have power and food and water, so they and I will be okay. If I didn't know them, they'd basically be out on the streets hoping FEMA could help.

Not much to hope for there.

And people wonder why those in harms way don't evacuate and put themselves in the hands of FEMA.

I wouldn't either.

[MadMaddie]

4. FEMA is exactly what the * Administration wanted it to be

drowned in a bathtub. It is worthless.

It is time for the states to stop their citizens money from going to the treasury until further notice. The Repugs want the mid-America tax dollars so they can spend it on war and destroying all government organizations. They don't think taxpayers money should be used for let's say helping Americans out in the time of disaster.

[RoyGBiv]

6. Nail meet head ...

Nothing to add.

[Bluebear]

9. If only I could recommend a post.

[Barack_America]

5. America, you are on your own.

And, if you elect John McCain, it will stay that way.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. Katrina Redux...

[Robbien]

8. FEMA's standard excuse, YOU didn't ask us for help so it's your fault

FEMA never just sends help to devastated areas. They have to be asked. One has to fill out the proper request form and file it with the appropriate department. When and if FEMA reviews the request, they will make a determination to either grant the help or not. Either way, you don't hear the answer. If the answer is yes, the supplies are sent to some warehouse somewhere to sit and rot because YOU didn't file the additional appropriate paperwork to transfer those supplies to your area.

[KakistocracyHater]

10. FEMA now like on X-Files tv series

it seems they were off by a decade, like I was too. Mikey Browns are in Fema, they take positions to destroy them. Too few Americans take the lead themselves & do the obvious. Not too difficult to run supplies into storm-wrecked areas, Indonesia does it better, terrible message U.S. send to the world, makes us look too vulnerable.