Canadian Disaster Assistance Response Team refused entry by Homeland Security!

On tonight's news, CTV (Canadian TV) said that support was offered from Canada. Planes are ready to load with food and medical supplies and a system called "DART" which can provide fresh water and medical supplies is standing by.

Department of Homeland Security as well as other U.S. agencies were contacted by the Canadian government requesting permission to provide help. Despite this contact, Canada has not been allowed to fly supplies and personnel to the areas hit by Katrina. So, everything here is grounded.

Prime Minister Paul Martin is reportedly trying to speak to President Bush tonight or tomorrow to ask him why the U.S. federal government will not allow aid from Canada into Louisiana and Mississippi. That said, the Canadian Red Cross is reportedly allowed into the area.

Canadian agencies are saying that foreign aid is probably not being permitted into Louisiana and Mississippi because of "mass confusion" at the U.S. federal level in the wake of the storm.
source

So the Canadian Red Cross is being allowed in as well as a special response team...

A specialized urban search and rescue team from Vancouver will be joining the rescue efforts in Louisiana in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

B.C. Solicitor General John Les said the province decided to send Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) after officials in Louisiana (i.e. not the feds!) asked for help.

"We're the first non-U.S.-based team to be requested," said Les. "They're going to be helping as many people as they can."

CTV Vancouver has learned that the team will board a plane Wednesday night heading to Lafayette, Louisiana, where local authorities will direct them to devastated areas.

Tim Armstrong, USAR's task force leader, said he's spoken with Louisiana authorities.

"The last conversation that I had with them, they're in a bit of a crisis management mode trying to figure out where the need for teams is, and where the resources are going to be best used," he said.

The 45- person team -- which was dispatched to Southeast Asia after the Boxing Day tsunami -- is equipped to provide emergency room doctors, building engineers and swift water rescue personnel.
source

However our Military DART team is being refused by Federal authorities. Why?! For goodness sake why?!

Here is what you are missing out on...

The Disaster Assistance Response Team – about 200 Canadian Forces soldiers – is designed to fly into disaster areas around the world to provide drinking water and medical treatment until long-term aid arrives.

What does DART do?

DART consists of about 200 Canadian Forces staff who can ship out quickly to conduct emergency relief operations for up to 40 days.

The team has four main goals:

Provide basic medical care: Its tented medical aid station can serve up to 250 outpatients and 10 inpatients a day. The medical platoon treats minor injuries and tries to keep diseases from spreading, but doesn't perform surgeries. The aid station includes a lab, a pharmacy, limited obstetrics services and rehydration and preventative medicine section.

Produce safe drinking water: Water purification staff can produce up to 50,000 litres of potable water a day, as well as chlorinating local wells and monitoring water supplies.

[note: I've seen the technology in action. This is homegrown Canadian military technology. You guys don't have this unless you bought units from Canada!]

Repair basic infrastructure: Engineers can fix roads and bridges, repair electrical and water supply systems and build refugee camps.

Make communication easier: DART sets up facilities to make communication easier between everyone involved in the relief effort, including the afflicted country, non-governmental organizations and UN aid agencies.

The team consists of:

Engineer platoon: About 37 field and construction engineers.

Medical platoon: About 40 staff who operate the aid station.

Defence and security platoon: About 45 personnel who guard camp and support DART operations.

Logistics platoon: About 20 staff who provide maintenance, transportation and supplies.

Headquarters: About 45 personnel who oversee operations and co-ordinate DART's response with other countries and aid organizations.

source

This is a military response team and costs around $15 million to deploy. They can take care of themselves. Is the US afraid that Canada will build permanent military bases or something?

Canadian Forces are on standby to help the United States deal with the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Chief of Defence Staff General Rick Hillier announced Thursday.

Gen. Hillier said he spoke with his counterparts in the U.S., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Richard Myers and commander of the U.S. Northern Command.

"Whenever there is a need ... they have but to ask and we in the Canadian Forces will have it rolling or sailing or flying southward as quickly as possible," he told reporters in Ottawa.

source - Check out the photoes of supplies ready to be sent in that link!

Why is this help being refused?! Why is your federal government not acting!
WTF!!
.

I heard tonight that over 20 nations have offered assistance and have been turned down. Even Venezuela has offered aid. On the face of it, it makes no sense to me, to refuse aid, especially from an ally and neighbor such as Canada. But then, I'm certainly not the smartest guy on earth.

That's sad,the Canadian military DART team could help save alot of lives! The longer the U.S goverment waits the more deperate the victims are going to get.

It just doesn't seem like the goverment is taking this seriously enough...it's sad.

This is a military team, and I guess the US gets a little touchy about foreign militaries on their soil even when they are offering to help.

I'm wondering why help would be refused as well. Water, food, and possibly medical supplies need to be dropped off to help with the distress down there. Going three days without food or water is getting desperate. The US should be accepting help from those who want to give it. I believe it helps build good will and we may need to return the favor one day to those who want to help us now. I remember reading somewhere that how a nation treats its poor is a sign of the character of a nation. Hopefully this is just a matter of confusion with so much happening in too short of a time period for our government to handle.

There must be something wrong with CTV's report. Else something wrong elsewhere - yes?

Westpoint: This is probably not any Canadian Military action. Canadians don't do business with helping the needy with Military logos. Mayhap's use Cdn Mil planes but this is getting more foolish by the minute.

And I can't suggest why as ATS has it's rules and I respect them. Perhap's not agree with them at all times. People need help - forget the logo's for a minute.

Dallas

Originally posted by WestPoint23
This is a military team, and I guess the US gets a little touchy about foreign militaries on their soil even when they are offering to help.

Canada?!!!

You have military bases here!!

Good god! The Louisianna and Mississippi National Guard are in Iraq!!!

You could use the help but your leaders are either too proud or too stupid or incompetent to realize it.

Zero tolerence on looting? Looting that started because help did not arrive fast enough and no information was communicated to victims on where to go and what to do? (leaflets, loudspeakers etc.)

By delaying help they are promoting the descent into anarchy and chaos and the "war president" is sending in combat troops. That kind of thinking is going to get bloody.

How about zero tolerance on bad leadership!
.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
This is a military team, and I guess the US gets a little touchy about foreign militaries on their soil even when they are offering to help.

Ya maybe we are in cahoots with the French to take over New Orleans.

I do understand why though, when your own goverment can't control the area at the moment, sending in teams from other countries might not be the best idea.


[edit on 1-9-2005 by Wask]

[edit on 1-9-2005 by Wask]

DART is a crack team which can do wonderful things. I cannot believe that this is really happening...they should be there already.

I've deleted more than I posted because I feel speechless. My anger just isn't helping and neither is the best Canada can offer.

Come on now folks lets not be silly.
200 Canadians-even if they wanted to could not take over the US so the they are military is BS.
I think Bush is ashamed of our poor responce and doesn't want other countries to do more for us then we are doing for ourselves.
So he is willing to let people suffer and die to save his pride-imo. That is just sick and should get bush charged with crimes against humanity.

I am very proud that one of our allies was so willing to help so much so fast.

Perhaps I have been too long at this forum and Paranoia has finally taken hold.

That said, I can think of one extremely far-fetched yet possible reason to keep international military-based aid out of the affected areas, while accepting "civilian" aid organizations in: Civilians are more easily intimidated by armed "officials" and are thus more easily kept from areas where they might "see things being done that they should not see...and certainly NEVER BE ALLOWED TO REPORT!"

There have been reports on other threads that "Shoot to Kill" orders have been issued for law-breakers (can you say "Evil-Doers?) in NO.

Can we now entrust our safety, our lives to those who have the authority to kill us on sight? Perhaps it'll be OK...as long as you don't look too...

Brazilian?

I really don't understand how the US goverment can turn down any help offered. If anything they should appeal to the world for all the help they could get. It should not be something GWB or the US should be ashamed about doing, when you look at the massive destuction this storm has made and the huge amount of people that need help. But it seems like thats the case to me.

The people there need to get all the help they can get, no matter if its from US, Canadian, Russian, German ect rescue workers. I'm sure they(the people still in NO) will just be happy that they ARE getting help.

If US made a official plea for help from the world, I'm sure that in matter of days you would see 1000's of ekstra rescue workers from all over the world, helping the US rescue workers.

Question:
Pretty much every country in the world that was capable of helping with the Tsunami did.. Why are that not happeing in NO??

Is it because they US is to proud, scared or to stuborn to ask for help?
Or is it because most other countries just think that US should be able to help themself seeing how big it is? ( I don't think this is the case, lots of help has been offered and turned down )

Oh...just amix up ! Or perhap's just simple news rumors. Can't think the 5 Bill owed over Softwood Lumber could possibly have anything to do with supporting American People so desparetly in need of help?

I don't think even I'm that naive.

Dallas

Something's wrong if we are turning down help, what the hell is bush thinking?

This could be akin to not accepting a handshake. It is very bad manners to not accept help from those who genuinely want to provide it. Particularly a neighbour or close ally.

It is incredibly insulting. Particularly when you badly need the help. it is one thing to refuse funds (which I agree with, America has more than enough $$ to fund this), but to refuse rapid deployment manpower assistance is quite ludicrous. They could be down there right now providing assistance.



[edit on 2-9-2005 by cargo]

lets face the truth ms. rice is busy buying shoes and improving her tennis and having citizens kicked out of stores for confronting her chaeny is fishing in idaho? bush is on vacation what an administration

Pride has no place at this moment, when thousands suffer and dehydrate, drown or starve. The mishandling of this situation and the inability to provide for this eventuality in the first place - did they not have contingency plans for every disaster - proves the US is not doing a good enough job on it's own. Let the people help!

This is like the proud woman whose husband dies and refuses to have neighbours bring by food or help her care for her kids because she 'can handle it'. You know, the one who has a very public nervous break-down later.

The United States of America has contracted a serious case of paranoid schizophrenia or insane pride. Both are deadly traits. I can understand refusing Russia, China or even Venezuela's help but Canada?

Insulted doesn't even describe what I'm feeling right now, outraged, frustrated and saddened is a bit more accuracte..............

[edit on 2-9-2005 by sardion2000]

Who else thinks the desicion to refuse was something a bunch of PR suits came up with at the expense of a few tens of thousands of people in the "deep south"?

The mayor is going out of his mind on CNN and has just spewed a string of curses and swear words on television.

His disbelief equals are own.

These are his people. THese are supposed to be our own people.