Reply #7: The police scanner threads here on DU showed the same delays [View All]

Counties (especially St Bernards) would call in for medical supplies and 48 hrs later I would hear a second, even more desperate, request for antibiotics, IV fluids, anti-diarrhea medicine...the list went on and on each time. There were people on DU transcribing the live radio broadcasts and it was very scary and chilling to hear the lack of leadership. The people needing help might as well have been in a third world country.
One field worker had a lady who had run out of her potassium pills and when the field person called for advice from the main HQ, he was told "we are not set up to handle chronic problems"...think of all the people with chronic illnesses who were screwed (possibly fatally) because of this...and this was several days post-Katrina.
I kept wondering why the hell they didn't set up a medical/medicine HQ on that Navy hospital ship, have someone call the counties EVERY day, ask for a list of needs, fly the stuff out via helicopter/military aircraft EVERYday.