Guard Equipment Low for Hurricane Season

[uscitizen]

Guard Equipment Low for Hurricane Season

By RON WORD
Associated Press Writer


A Year After Katrina

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The war in Iraq has depleted the equipment inventory of the National Guard, potentially hampering its response to the predicted heavy hurricane season, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said.

The Florida National Guard has only 53 percent of the dual-use equipment it once had for responding to a storm or domestic disturbance, a recent analysis by the Government Accountability Office found. Texas, California and Louisiana also have about half of their dual-use equipment available to non-deployed Army National Guard forces.

"Problems from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the Florida National Guard further than ever before, leaving it without all the resources it should have for responding to a domestic crisis," Nelson said. "Hurricane season is coming fast and, we need to make sure the Guard has what it needs."

The hurricane season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30, is predicted to be worse than recent years.

Florida has about 600 to 700 soldiers in Iraq. Members were sent overseas with their equipment, but when they come back, the gear often stays in the war zones.

The Florida Guard was down 500 Humvees, 600 trucks, short 4,000 pairs of night vision goggle and needed 30 more wreckers, spokesman Lt. Col. Ron Tittle said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NATIONAL_GUARD_HURRICANES?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

It has been how long since the problem was exposed during Katrina. What has our govt done about it ?

 

[Cancel7]

Guard Equipment Low for Hurricane Season

By RON WORD
Associated Press Writer


A Year After Katrina

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The war in Iraq has depleted the equipment inventory of the National Guard, potentially hampering its response to the predicted heavy hurricane season, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said.

The Florida National Guard has only 53 percent of the dual-use equipment it once had for responding to a storm or domestic disturbance, a recent analysis by the Government Accountability Office found. Texas, California and Louisiana also have about half of their dual-use equipment available to non-deployed Army National Guard forces.

"Problems from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the Florida National Guard further than ever before, leaving it without all the resources it should have for responding to a domestic crisis," Nelson said. "Hurricane season is coming fast and, we need to make sure the Guard has what it needs."

The hurricane season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30, is predicted to be worse than recent years.

Florida has about 600 to 700 soldiers in Iraq. Members were sent overseas with their equipment, but when they come back, the gear often stays in the war zones.

The Florida Guard was down 500 Humvees, 600 trucks, short 4,000 pairs of night vision goggle and needed 30 more wreckers, spokesman Lt. Col. Ron Tittle said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NATIONAL_GUARD_HURRICANES?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

It has been how long since the problem was exposed during Katrina. What has our govt done about it ?

That's a good question usc. Having watched bush's poll ratings never recover after the stunning incompetence of this administration was revealed to the public during Katrina, I have no doubt he paid a price politically. But in the end, that doesn't matter because nothing has changed. The American people made their judgement on the performance of our govt, it was a negative one, but then they moved on. Perhaps they do not live in a hurricane endangered state. But everyone is at risk because of this general incompetence. What would the aftermath of a terrorist attack look like because of this? An outbreak of a contagious disease?

 

[uscitizen]

I guess we will fight the hurricanes and such disasters over there so we don't have to fight them over here ?