When You Don't Make It

[Mortblanc]

It does not work exactly the same here as it does there Pete. The Federal government does not just "sweep in and take care of things".

Each state has its own reaction force, then there are regional agreements between adjoining states.

If that does not cover the emergency then the state officials have to request Federal help.

That was one of the famous glitches in the Katrina disaster. there were resources waiting to go into action but due to partisan politics the Governor of Louisiana refused to request help from GW Bush. Then accused the opposition party of hindering and stalling the recovery efforts.

As GH has already mentioned, the "feet on the ground" in KY will be local volunteers from unaffected areas, the State Emergency Management System, state National guard, and elements from the surrounding states. GH home state touches Kentucky on the eastern border.

Federal help will come as other forms of disaster aid. Low interest loans and such. Hardly ever are there people sitting at desks handing out recovery cash. They will issue vouchers for hotel expenses, food and clothing, but seldom hand out money.

A difficult situation when there are no operating hotels, grocery stores, or shops and every car in town is sitting on four flats and has no glass.

One is expected to tide oneself over until an insurance check arrives, and that is supposed to cover rebuilding expense. Problem with that is that American insurance companies will deny every claim and stall until the people that do not have enough sense to hire a solicitor give up on their claims.

Back in 2012 a tornado blew past me at a distance of 1/2 mile, took a turn around my house and plowed into a housing estate 2 miles down the road. That one relocated several houses and left not a single house of the 300 in that development untouched. All had damage of some form with several being shifted from their foundations, roofs torn off and all of the glass shattered.

I saw one house, a nice brick one, that had a new garage. The tornado picked up the neighbor's brick garage, turned it 180 degrees and sat it neatly down against their house.

At any rate, every roof in that development had its shingles torn off. The entire estates was under the protection of blue poly-tarps. Soon some tarps were gone and the roof repaired, then another and another.

It took 3 years for the last of the blue tarps to disappear. Which does not mean that it took three years for the insurance to pay. More than likely it took 3 years for the family to save enough money to do the repair themselves.

It will take ten years for Mayfield to rebuild. Some businesses will never return and some families will find homes elsewhere. They will have too to survive. Their home is gone, their job is gone and the only thing left for them in Mayfield will be the graves of their loved ones.

Disasters suck! That is why they call them disasters.
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