Post by justcajun on Sept 8, 2005 22:04:32 GMT -5
I got this email tonight and it broke my heart. Thought I would share it here because he obviously wants it told.
Love and Hugs
Marla
How differently the helpers report events than the media does. Read below about New Orleans. Thank goodness that we have email to be able to circulate what we are not reading in the newspapers. I'm more inclined to believe those who are there working than those who are at a distance pointing fingers of blame.
A testimony from one of the pastors on a forum where I participate. Heart wrenching!
Dear Sirs,
I arrived home yesterday afternoon after spending the last few days in New Orleans. I am a pastor and I am the chaplain as well as a reserve deputy sheriff in Jeff Davis Parish.
First I would like to visit the issue of the government responding too slowly, On Monday after the storm winds were subsiding the news commentators were stating "once again New Orleans was spared" and this was true in that it did not take a direct hit. It was not until Tuesday morning we started hearing that water was rising in the city, and it was Tuesday afternoon when we realized just how bad it was. The same newscaster that stated the city was spared was the same one pointing his finger at the government for not being there quick enough. I believe we need to realize that it does take time to get the wheels of government rolling. We began rescue on Tuesday night and from Tuesday to Thursday thousands of people had been rescued, without government aid.
You are getting a picture fed to you from the news, I can tell you it is a hundred times worse than what you are seeing. On Thursday government help began to arrive -- less than 36hrs after the flooding began -- you may not have seen them on the news as they began the great task of setting up grids and placing manpower in the affected areas.
I personally was involved in search and rescue for the past few days. Anyone that wants to complain about how the poor black people were being treated does not know what he or she is talking about, I rescued these poor black folk under gunfire when I easily could have taken my rescue boat and team to an affluent white neighborhood and picked up the whites that were stranded in their homes and on roof tops. We decided to attempt to rescue those that were on the interstate without shade and water first, we did not stop to consider are the white or are they black, all that we cared about was they were in need and we could help. And for the record all the ones rescued by my team were black and the entire rescue team was white.
We started rescue missions after dark for safety. We did leave food and water for all that we could, what many do not realize is we would be called off of a rescue mission when we began to take on gunfire. On my last mission I drove a school buss in with an 8 man SWAT team to rescue people that was stranded on the interstate next to the superdome. On my buss I carried on people with the age differences from one man 100 years old to an 8 day old baby that had spent the past 4 days in the sun, some of the people I had to pick up and carry because they lacked the strength to walk up the steps of the buss, many of these were covered with human waste and urine.
My brothers I would ask that you would pray for me, even as I write these lines I have tears on my face. You have no idea what it is like to leave behind lives that were screaming, begging, crying, cursing and praying for rescue. As I drove away on the last mission I broke down and cried like a baby all the way back to our staging area, with the realization that driving away I may have been their last hope and I may have just signed their death warrant. My nerves are shot I cannot sleep at night and I need your prayers, as I write this note I am committing all these needs into the hands of Our Great God I know He will supply.
Yours in Christ, Rev Micah S. Pruett
Bible Missionary Church Jennings, La
I believe by "government" he means the feds. New Orleans and Louisiana don't seem to have any.
Love and Hugs
Marla
How differently the helpers report events than the media does. Read below about New Orleans. Thank goodness that we have email to be able to circulate what we are not reading in the newspapers. I'm more inclined to believe those who are there working than those who are at a distance pointing fingers of blame.
A testimony from one of the pastors on a forum where I participate. Heart wrenching!
Dear Sirs,
I arrived home yesterday afternoon after spending the last few days in New Orleans. I am a pastor and I am the chaplain as well as a reserve deputy sheriff in Jeff Davis Parish.
First I would like to visit the issue of the government responding too slowly, On Monday after the storm winds were subsiding the news commentators were stating "once again New Orleans was spared" and this was true in that it did not take a direct hit. It was not until Tuesday morning we started hearing that water was rising in the city, and it was Tuesday afternoon when we realized just how bad it was. The same newscaster that stated the city was spared was the same one pointing his finger at the government for not being there quick enough. I believe we need to realize that it does take time to get the wheels of government rolling. We began rescue on Tuesday night and from Tuesday to Thursday thousands of people had been rescued, without government aid.
You are getting a picture fed to you from the news, I can tell you it is a hundred times worse than what you are seeing. On Thursday government help began to arrive -- less than 36hrs after the flooding began -- you may not have seen them on the news as they began the great task of setting up grids and placing manpower in the affected areas.
I personally was involved in search and rescue for the past few days. Anyone that wants to complain about how the poor black people were being treated does not know what he or she is talking about, I rescued these poor black folk under gunfire when I easily could have taken my rescue boat and team to an affluent white neighborhood and picked up the whites that were stranded in their homes and on roof tops. We decided to attempt to rescue those that were on the interstate without shade and water first, we did not stop to consider are the white or are they black, all that we cared about was they were in need and we could help. And for the record all the ones rescued by my team were black and the entire rescue team was white.
We started rescue missions after dark for safety. We did leave food and water for all that we could, what many do not realize is we would be called off of a rescue mission when we began to take on gunfire. On my last mission I drove a school buss in with an 8 man SWAT team to rescue people that was stranded on the interstate next to the superdome. On my buss I carried on people with the age differences from one man 100 years old to an 8 day old baby that had spent the past 4 days in the sun, some of the people I had to pick up and carry because they lacked the strength to walk up the steps of the buss, many of these were covered with human waste and urine.
My brothers I would ask that you would pray for me, even as I write these lines I have tears on my face. You have no idea what it is like to leave behind lives that were screaming, begging, crying, cursing and praying for rescue. As I drove away on the last mission I broke down and cried like a baby all the way back to our staging area, with the realization that driving away I may have been their last hope and I may have just signed their death warrant. My nerves are shot I cannot sleep at night and I need your prayers, as I write this note I am committing all these needs into the hands of Our Great God I know He will supply.
Yours in Christ, Rev Micah S. Pruett
Bible Missionary Church Jennings, La
I believe by "government" he means the feds. New Orleans and Louisiana don't seem to have any.