Sept. 04, 2005 - 23:43 MDT

MIXED MESSAGES

Reading the newspaper or listening to TV news I often hear conflicting purported news items. Today's The Denver Post has an article by Abbe Smith a Denver Post Staff Writer - - - In part:

COLO. EMBRACES EVACUEES

Up to 1,000 Katrina survivors may arrive today at Lowry

"Gov. Bill Owens announced Saturday that up to 1,000 people from the area devastated by Hurricane Katrina will be flown to Denver and housed in dormitories at the former Lowry Air Force Base."

"We're moving them out of the Gulf Coast to centers like this where we can meet their immediate needs," Owens said."

"The local relief effort, dubbed Operation Safe Haven, will use money from the State Disaster Emergency Fund, which will be replaced by the federal government. There are no official numbers yet, but the cost will exceed $1 million, said Joe Morales, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety."

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The article continues, but mostly talks abour people here who are taking individuals in, (for instance)Quote:

"Twenty seven refugees sat in Mel J.-Branch Roy's crowded Centennial home Saturday with dazed expressions on their faces. Roy a New Orleans native, invited three generations of her family to come to Colorado. Of the 10 families she took in, there were 10 homes destroyed in the flooding that followed Katrina and dozens of friends and family members are missing.

Unquote

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There are some additional words dealing with Gov. Owens plan.

"Owens told reporters that refugees could be transported in military and civilian aircraft to Buckley Air Force Base in the next several hours, or in a day or two. Buses would transport the people to Lowry."

We're focusing on what to do in the first 48 hours," he said. "This could be a matter of weeks for some people, a matter of months for some."

"The hurricane survivors will live in apartment-style dorms managed by the Colorado Community College System."

"They will receive kits that include personal items such as a toothbrush, shampoo and lotion, a map and instructions on how to avoid altitude sickness."

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I am proud of our state if this becomes a reality. But I did wonder and still do after reading an item in another part of the same paper. This bit from the Des Moines (Ill.) Register:

EVACUEES MOVED TO NEARBY STATES ONLY

"States and cities far removed from the Gulf Coast got a "thanks but no thanks" Saturday on their offers to house thousands of residents evacuated from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama."

"Amid images of desperate Gulf Coast residents languishing without food or water days, offers of temporary housing poured out from leaders in Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and elsewhere. But Federal Emergency Management Agency say the government will focus on relocating evacuees to Southern states contiguous to Louisiana. Federal officials Saturday said many families may not return if the are eacuated to far-away states."

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Wonder if our Gov. jumped the gun on this, or whether FEMA is blowing smoke ?

A then I wonder, what will FEMA and the state of Louisiana offer as an incentive to come back to that desolate city ?

Wonder how this will play out ?

Also in that same section is an item that 200 New Orleans cops quit and two cops suicided. Gives an idea of just how bad things are down there.

Almost like a political campaign flying around are those MIXED MESSAGES . . . . . . . . .

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