Is Canada going to offer any help? Like DART

[pbi]

The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Unit, based in Vancouver and including VFD heavy rescue personnel, etc has been in the area for several days now. IIRC, it has been placed in charge of S&R ops in one of the parishes adjoining the City of New Orleans. We have at least one more of these units in Toronto (based on the TFD), so it represents a very important capability that Canada has. I am very glad to see us getting involved.

I really hope, however, that I do  not see a repeat of the disgusting, pouty, foot-stamping behaviour by Canadians that followed 9-11, because "the Americans didn 't say thanks". As far as I know, we do good to do good, not to get stroked. Whether we get on CNN and get thanked by Bush, or not, is really beside the point IMHO. We are helping people who need it very badly, and I'm pretty sure they are grateful. That's enough.

Cheers

 

[honestyrules]

Apparently, the 1000 troops are gone.

http://www.herald.ns.ca/breaking/2aftupdates07.html

This doesn't include Dart personnel.

 

[Armymedic]

Apparently, the 1000 troops are gone.

http://www.herald.ns.ca/breaking/2aftupdates07.html

This doesn't include Dart personnel.

The media uses "troops" to inaccurately describe anyone in uniform...

In this case its the crews of the 3 Navy and 1 Coast Guard vessel, plus 30 engineers from 4 ESR in Gagetown. Which BTW has to link up with an USN refueler for sustainment.

 

[tomahawk6]

The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) Unit, based in Vancouver and including VFD heavy rescue personnel, etc has been in the area for several days now. IIRC, it has been placed in charge of S&R ops in one of the parishes adjoining the City of New Orleans. We have at least one more of these units in Toronto (based on the TFD), so it represents a very important capability that Canada has. I am very glad to see us getting involved.

I really hope, however, that I do   not see a repeat of the disgusting, pouty, foot-stamping behaviour by Canadians that followed 9-11, because "the Americans didn 't say thanks". As far as I know, we do good to do good, not to get stroked. Whether we get on CNN and get thanked by Bush, or not, is really beside the point IMHO. We are helping people who need it very badly, and I'm pretty sure they are grateful. That's enough.

Cheers

O'Reilly will be talking with Canadian members of this team tomarrow on Fox. The Parish is St Bernard's.

 

[Slim]

Our army too tiny for job: Experts

U.S. military needed if major disaster strikes

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2005/09/08/1207139-sun.html

OTTAWA -- Canada's tiny army couldn't muster 40,000 troops and would have to ask the U.S. military for help if a disaster of the magnitude of the New Orleans catastrophe struck a Canadian city, defence experts agreed yesterday.

"Unfortunately the resources that are required for coping with disaster are inadequate," retired Gen. Lew MacKenzie told Sun Media.

Colin Kenny, the Liberal chairman of the Senate defence committee agreed, saying residents of Canada's cities with larger populations than New Orleans have no idea how thin the country's emergency resources are stretched.

"Canadians just assume somebody's going to take care of them," said Kenny, whose committee has studied the nation's fragile frontlines.

The U.S. military has put about 40,000 troops on the ground in Greater New Orleans to assist thousands of people who are still in the devastated area, help fix the levee system and restore order.

MacKenzie said Canada couldn't put half the infantry manpower together in the event of a disaster in cities with populations much bigger than New Orleans, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa.

"There are about 4,000 in the three infantry battalions and then the armoured and artillery would add in less than 10,000. If you add the reserves, maybe 5,000-8,000 so you're still under 20,000," said MacKenzie, who advised the Ontario government after 9/11.

The biggest worry for disaster planners is Vancouver, where a severe earthquake could cause widespread casualties and knock out communications, utilities and other infrastructure.

"We will have different disasters from New Orleans and we have not invested in the resources needed to assure the safety of our own citizens," Kenny said.

'A SHOCKING LACK'

Peter MacKay, the Conservative critic for public safety, called it a "shocking lack of priorities and understanding of the probability, if not the inevitability, that (a disaster of this scale) could happen in Canada."

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Anne McLellan said Ottawa has worked with its provincial and municipal partners to prepare for the worst.

How well Canada could cope with a catastrophe like Katrina is "hypothetical," but McLellan said Canada has effectively managed other major disasters like floods, raging fires and hurricanes.

"We believe we have put together a system that will allow us to respond, with other levels of government and the private sector, to any emergency with which we are confronted," she said.
end.

 

[BOSNwife]

"Operation Union"   -how quaint

OP Unison. You forgot the 's'.

 

[Springroll]

Just a question.....how many people have a 72 hour kit, evacuation plan, etc?

Well we are now set up for a week and a half of food in my house. We have a water system in our house that holds about 2 gallons and our R.O system in the kitchen holds 5 gallons. We also have a set up with two of our neighbours in case something happens, so we know that all of us are okay no matter what. Our evac plan is immediately head for Ottawa..LOL  ;D