FEMA & Wasted Resources

Roughly 1,000 firefighters from around the US answered New Orleans call. But FEMA told them to sit still.

When New Orleans firefighters were exhausted from round the clock rescue efforts, Mayor Ray Nagin put out a nationwide call for help. Highly trained firefighters rallied from across the country.

FEMA sat them down in a hotel room -- in Atlanta -- for 8 hours of more training. Not in how to fight fires and save lives -- but in how to hand out fliers with FEMA's toll free number on them.

"They've got people here who are search-and-rescue certified, paramedics, haz-mat certified. We're sitting in here having a sexual-harassment class while there are still [victims] in Louisiana who haven't been contacted yet." -- Texas firefighter quoted in the Salt Lake City Tribune, unidentified because FEMA has told firefighters not to talk to reporters

On Monday, many were ripping off their FEMA issued t-shirts saying they refused to represent the federal agency. (SLC Tribune)