Thread: Proposal Bolsters Disaster Response Capabilities Between US,

Published: August 16, 2008
Proposal Bolsters Disaster Response Capabilities Between US, Mexico


SACRAMENTO - In the immediate minutes following a major earthquake, flood or other emergency along our international border, the availability of an adequate number of first responders and their ability to coordinate with one another can be critical to the fate of victims living in both the United States and Mexico.

"Immediately getting the closest resources to a disaster can mean the difference between life and death," said Henry Renteria, Director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his colleagues from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and the six bordering states in Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, and Tamaulipas) will be proposed during the XXVI Annual Border Governors Conference at Universal Studios Hollywood. The MOU, which was developed by a special Emergency and Civil Protection Sub Worktable, will promote an expeditious formalization to provide cross-border preparedness and response for all types of natural and manmade disasters.

"Even though we have a very robust mutual aid system in California, the unprecedented number of wildfires in Northern California recently showed that even our local, state and federal resources can be quickly exhausted," said Renteria, who is currently a member of the Sub Worktable.

"During the height of the recent fires, we were fortunate to have firefighters from as far away as Australia and New Zealand assisting Californians," said Renteria. At the conference's opening ceremony yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger noted Mexico's President Felipe Calderon's offer to assist California during the peak of the recent wildfires. "He offered us airplanes, helicopters, manpower, engines, anything we needed. It really touched me." said Schwarzenegger. This MOU between the ten U.S. and Mexico border states could save lives by increasing the number of available resources the next time a major disaster hits.
Since 2000, presidents of the United States have declared 16 major disasters that involved at least one county along the U.S. - Mexico border.

"Five of those involved at least one California county,"Â

Arnold is a d*ckhe*d.

They be calling a thunderstorm a disaster and flood us with "helpers!"
I wonder if they keep track of them so they GO HOME???

When is his term up anyway? Seems like he's been there since the Bush regime

I also wonder if CA will vote in a REALLY Conservative Governor then ..

Disasters can also be used to get drugs, people, and arms into this country. It would be a major distraction. We would need the national guard dispersed to the borders immediately.

Funny that the U.S. has done just fine in the past without any "mutual aid" from Mexico! And isn't it also funny that a nation which the United States was, under the Clinton Administration, forced to "bail out financially" is now in a financial position to send us Mexican textbooks "for our schools", "disaster aid", etc.. I have not read of any alleviation of poverty among the Mexican people at home, who themselves often seem in need textbooks, "disaster aid", and a great many other things. I think Mexico should keep its money at home for the good of its own citizens.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his colleagues from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and the six bordering states in Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora, and Tamaulipas) will be proposed during the XXVI Annual Border Governors Conference at Universal Studios Hollywood. The MOU, which was developed by a special Emergency and Civil Protection Sub Worktable, will promote an expeditious formalization to provide cross-border preparedness and response for all types of natural and manmade disasters.

No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyameric ... /text.html

So how can states in the U.S. and Mexico agree to an international diaster plan?

At the conference's opening ceremony yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger noted Mexico's President Felipe Calderon's offer to assist California during the peak of the recent wildfires. "He offered us airplanes, helicopters, manpower, engines, anything we needed. It really touched me." said Schwarzenegger. This MOU between the ten U.S. and Mexico border states could save lives by increasing the number of available resources the next time a major disaster hits.

Offering and doing are two separate matters. Did Mexico provide assitance and if so, what kind?

If Mexico has airplanes, helicopters, manpower and engines available to loan why aren't they using them on the drug war and to stop illegal aliens from crossing the U.S. border and why do they need the $1.4 billion Merida Initiative money, training, technology and equipment to fight the drug war?

Mexican border agents, police or military do NOT usually respond to calls for assistance from our border agents nor does Mexico co-operate in extraditions and other law enforcement matters. The Mexican judicial system released the alledged killer of Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar from El Paso, Texas without contacting the U.S. Government. On 8-2-08 a Tucson Sector Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint by Mexican military south of Ajo. Mexican military personnel crossed over the border, were on U.S. soil when they aimed rifles at him. So.....how safe and wise is having Mexican officials 'assist' during a diaster when these northern Mexican states are controlled by drug cartels, smugglers and other criminals?

And ATZLAN marches on!

Didn't we good-hearted folks open our borders so Mexicans could run here for cover when the hurricane was heading their way this year? Was anyone controlling that they eventually went home?
During Hurricane Katrina, Sweden had a load of hi-tech communications equipment sitting on their docks to ship to our emergency workers. They waited and waited and waited for the okay from this government which never came.
With Gov Arnie making pacts with foreign countries, what is next? Deciding California should secede from the US and join Mexico.