Arkansas Declared a Federal Disaster Area.

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

Thank God this President is on the ball: http://arkansasmatters.com/content/fulltext/news/?cid=184281

Arkansas has been declared a federal disaster area after this week's devastating ice storm.

President Barack Obama called Governor Mike Beebe on Wednesday night to deliver the news.

That means Arkansas now qualifies for federal assistance in recovery from the storm that has left hundreds of thousands without power since early Tuesday.

Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Obama’s emergency declaration issued for Arkansas.


"Emergency" is any occasion or instance in which the president determines that federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts to save lives and protect property and public health and safety or to avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.


Assistance for the State and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:


* FEMA will direct other federal agencies and provide 75-percent federal funding for emergency measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health, limited to this direct federal assistance.

* Initial FEMA-administered aid is limited to $5 million. If limit is exceeded, the President reports on the nature and extent of continuing emergency assistance requirements to Congress before approving further federal aid.

So I called my parents who live all the way up in Northern Arkansas in a town called Mammoth Springs.

Almost all of the power lines are down, a hell of a lot of trees are down, and a lot of homes are damaged. Not to mention everyone is sitting in the cold freezing their asses off.

My hope is the FEMA gets in there quick, because I know my hometown has a lot of elderly people. Currently, as rumors fly off the handle, the situation with the powerlines being down is so bad that it might be until late Febuary early March until a lot of Arkansas citizens gets power.

I, personally, live in Little Rock and we got nothing but a little rain.

I'm worried about my parents, but as far as I know Wal-Mart upped its game and turned on its generators and are even handing out bottles of water (becuase the water froze) and wood for those who have fireplaces. They also turned their generators on so people can shop their to their cold ass disaster hearts contented.

[SlickWilly440]

Sorry to hear about you situation.

Thanks for posting this article, I don't pay attention to current event's so OP9 is my only source for news.

* Initial FEMA-administered aid is limited to $5 million. If limit is exceeded, the President reports on the nature and extent of continuing emergency assistance requirements to Congress before approving further federal aid.

I kind of doubt that would be enough money, why would it be so low to being with? Or maybe I'm ignorant as always and it's enough money to help those who need it.

[Mastiker]

Son of a dick.

Towards the Christmas holidays, central Massachusetts went through a big fucking ice storm that left a lot of families hurtin' for a long time.

We got weak sauce from the government and it took way too long for everything to be fixed.

Ugh.

[4letterwords]

If it makes you feel better (and it won't) I've been stuck at my friends house in the middle of the country in bum fucked nowhere because central Indiana got 13+ inches of snow last week. I have been here for about 6 days and counting because I can't dig my car out and no one will plow the roads out here for anything.

[Mastiker]

Jeez that's another shitty situation.

I'mma move to somewhere that doesn't have snow or ice. Fuck that shit.

[Plekto]

But snow keeps the housing prices affordable.
(though So Cal is nice, if you have the money)

[akitaka]

Not if you're h2orowe. Hur.

Seattle's measely 4-6 inches was bad enough for me, so I'm never going to live on the east coast. Ever.

Interesting turn of events though, as the wild ethics issues surrounding Wal Mart have all but vanished when they've become a town's savior.

[stsparky]

... I can't dig my car out and no one will plow the roads out here for anything.
Domino's or UPS will deliver and clear the roads ...

The thaw will make things dangerous too.

[japanat]

If it makes you feel better (and it won't) I've been stuck at my friends house in the middle of the country in bum fucked nowhere because central Indiana got 13+ inches of snow last week. I have been here for about 6 days and counting because I can't dig my car out and no one will plow the roads out here for anything.13 inches, and you can't move your car? You've spent too much time in Florida, I think. My VW Rabbit was able to drive in 2 ft of snow before I even had to put the chains on.


But, now that I think about it, Colorado snow is a lot drier than that slush they call snow out in Indiana...

[h2orowe]

Not if you're h2orowe. Hur.
;p I actually love California, I just complain about it because it's the only place I've been longer than a week or so except for Green Springs, Ohio. It's definitely times like these, though, I'm glad I live in California. Until the earthquake strikes and tears everyone in the area out of house and home. Oh well.

[stsparky]

California is fun. But yeah - we're just waiting for a Megatsunami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatsunami) to take out the OC. Maybe a big bank will buy warm clothes for those in danger from Iceland with their share of the TARP funds.

An PR guy in Iceland is getting woolens to the neglected in the UK as a goodwill gesture per NPR.

[archdukezeb]

California is fun. But yeah - we're just waiting for a Megatsunami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatsunami) to take out the OC. Maybe a big bank will buy warm clothes for those in danger from Iceland with their share of the TARP funds.

An PR guy in Iceland is getting woolens to the neglected in the UK as a goodwill gesture per NPR.

Hmm. I've never even considered a tsunami hitting us but I'm far enough inland that I'd be in no danger from it I imagine. I never even heard of Megastunamis before so I checked out that link but apparently those are only caused by Glaciers, Landslides, and Meteors.

Oh yeah and So Cal is so nice. I live 15 minutes from downtown, Hollywood and all that, a few hours from major ski resorts, an hour from the beach, and right next to the mountains and a national forest. Also I've been comfortable in shorts every time I've been out this weekend.

Sorry had to gloat.

[stsparky]

http://gallery.mac.com/stsparky/100360/DSCF2102/web.jpg
Wild dolphins ...
http://gallery.mac.com/stsparky/100360/DSCF2094/web.jpg
Span above daughter describes my commute in 1991.

[stsparky]

What I was talking about -
Iceland appeal brings jumper aid (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/humber/7859635.stm)
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45427000/jpg/_45427586_jumpers.jpg
Hundreds of jumpers, blankets and gloves were donated

A 20ft container filled with warm clothing has arrived in Hull after an Icelandic appeal to help pensioners who cannot afford to pay their fuel bills.
The appeal was started by a radio station after hosts of its morning show heard a warning that one in 12 British pensioners could die this winter.
Listeners to the Bylgjan station donated hundreds of garments made from unique Icelandic wool.

Age Concern said many pensioners in Hull were in "financial deprivation".

Icelandic broadcaster Heimir Karlsson, who helped organise the Icelandic Wool to England appeal, said: "When we broadcast the story that UK pensioners were dying from the cold, our listeners could not believe their own ears.

"We decided to give the Icelandic nation four days to fill a 20ft container of pure Icelandic wool for pensioners in Britain.

"Families, some from far away, came one after another with garments to fill the container."

Neil Duncan-Jordan, of the National Pensioners Convention, said "This is a fantastic and generous act of compassion from the people of Iceland, particularly at a time when their own economic situation is extremely difficult.

"But it is also a shocking indictment of the UK Government's complete inability to tackle properly the problem of winter deaths amongst older people."
Sally Gould, from Age Concern, said: "There are approximately 40,000 older people in Hull who receive a state pension and roughly 30% of those people are in some from of financial deprivation."

Iceland extends warm hand to chilly Britain

LONDON (AP) — Icelanders are shipping warm woolen clothing to their needy North Atlantic neighbors in Britain.

The tiny island nation has severe economic troubles of its own. But after a popular morning radio show in Reykjavik broadcast an item about elderly people in Britain unable to pay heating bills and dying as a result of the cold, they decided to do something about it.

A container full of 3,000 items made from unique Icelandic wool should be in Britain by the end of next week.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, who speaks for an organization representing the elderly, on Thursday called it a generous act of compassion.

Iceland's banks collapsed in the fall sparking a deep economic crisis, with spiraling inflation and unemployment.
====
Warm woollen arrive with cod and haddock 30 January, 2009 (http://www.fishupdate.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/12122/Warm_woollen_arrive_with_cod_and_haddock.html)
AN unusual by product has arrived on board one of the main ships carrying fresh fish from Iceland to the Humber yesterday - a huge consignment of jumpers.

Instead of being filled with cod and haddock, a 20 foot long container was packed with warm woollen clothing - because many Icelanders believe pensioners in Hull and Grimsby are in danger of freezing to death. because they cannot pay their fuel bills.

Neither is it a 'tongue-in-cheek' gesture. Large numbers of Icelanders listening to a news bulletin on a major radio station heard about the sky high gas and electricity prices in Britain and how it was impacting on old people, so they collected all their old Icelandic patterned woollen jumpers which are expensive to buy in the shops) , fishermen's jerseys and other items, packed them into the fish container and sent down to the Humber with the fish ferry.

It a is also thought to be a thank you for the way the Humber unblocked the fish payments during the financial crisis back in October. Icelandic broadcaster Heimir Karlsson said: "When we broadcast the story that UK pensioners were dying from the cold, our listeners could not believe their own ears. Listeners to the Bylgjan station donated hundreds of garments made from unique Icelandic wool. Neil Duncan-Jordan, of the National Pensioners Convention, said "This is a fantastic and generous act of compassion from the people of Iceland,. especially at a time when the country is experiencing its own economic difficulties.