What is holding up all the helicopters, tents and other aid that victims of the Kashmir earthquake so desperately need?
Kashmir quake stories
Kashmir quake the world's toughest relief operation, Â
Helicopters are Kashmir lifesavers but tents needed,
Search for Shelter in Pakistan Frantic, Â
Kashmiris eager for border to open for quake aid
United Nations emergency relief coordinator Jan Egeland said that, "We have never had this kind of logistical nightmare ever. We thought the tsunami was bad, this is worse". He complained that governments were being slow to send money, calling on NATO to set up a "Berlin Airlift", saying, "We need a second Berlin airbridge, and if they could do that in the end of the 1940s, set up in no time a lifeline to millions of people, we should be able to do that in 2005". More helicopters and tents are still desperately needed, plus kerosene heaters against the cold. Many desperately need life-saving medical treatment. Aftershocks continue.
Although India and Pakistan have agreed to open the de facto border between them in Kashmir so that relatives and aid can get through, it has not yet happened.
Hurricane stories
Hurricane Wilma's Outer Edge Hits Cancun, Â
Emergency Declared in Fla. As Wilma Slows,
Chertoff Says FEMA Is Ready for Wilma, Â
Hurricane Wilma spurs Mexico, Florida exodus
Hurricane Wilma was battering Cancun Thursday. Tourists were evacuated or sent to shelters. Others in places like Honduras, Cuba and the Florida Keys also evacuated as Wilma approached. Wilma weakened from a Category 5 storm to a Category 4. The governor of Florida declared a state of emergency Thursday. Wilma was getting slower but wider.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told Congress on Wednesday that, "We are going to be very prepared for Hurricane Wilma". Testifying about the slow response to Hurricane Katrina, he said, "I'm not a hurricane expert".
FEMA Official Says Boss Ignored Warnings
The Federal Emergency Management Agency regional director who was the first to arrive in New Orleans told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that FEMA did not respond to repeated warnings about deteriorating conditions. The panel chair, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the director's evidence demonstrated "a complete disconnect between senior officials and the reality of the situation. His urgent reports did not appear to prompt an urgent response".
GAO: Guard Short on Home Front Equipment,
National Guard readiness eroded by Iraq: report
U.S. Army National Guard units had left overseas more than 64,000 pieces of equipment worth more than $1.2 billion this summer, from rifles to armoured Humvees to helicopters, leaving them with only about a third of their equipment at home, according to the Government Accountability Office. The GAO report said, "National Guard officials believe that the National Guard's response to Hurricane Katrina was more complicated because significant quantities of critical equipment such as satellite communications equipment, radios, trucks, helicopters, and night vision goggles were deployed to Iraq".
New Orleans Faces Massive Debris Problem
There is still a mountain of debris in New Orleans created by Hurricane Katrina. About 4.6 million cubic yards have already been collected, but the total is estimated at more than 17 million cubic yards, and that's before abandoned cars, boats, and homes yet to be bulldozed are added to the totals. Refrigerators are of particular concern, as they are foul-smelling, dangerous to health, contain ozone-depleting refrigerants and could take a year to clear on their own. Some of the waste may be recycled and put to good use, for example, trees and timber may be used to trap sediment in the marsh, and up to 50,000 broken boats could be turned into reefs for coastal protection and as refuges for fish.
Congress Pulls Plug on Viagra Subsidies
A bill has been sent to the president that extends medical help for the poor and provides unemployment benefit aid to states hit by Hurricane Katrina. To help pay for it, Medicare and Medicaid payments for erectile dysfunction drugs will come to an end.
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