In the event of a major disaster, can you imagine...
 

...another country coming to our aid?

Can you imagine, as an American, ever being in such a position where you would need to rely on another country for help?

what i find interesting is that with nearly any disaster, it is a foregone conclusion that america will be giving help.

Yeah? According to who?

We do, New Zealand that is. Each year our fire service come and fight your bush fires in California. Plus we are front line in Afganistan and Iraq. Fought in Somalia and Veitnam. So chances are we'll help if there is a big earthquake.

But.... I suspect it's so if anyone is mean to lil ole us guys we can say "Ah, hold your tonque - we are fiends with AMERICA."

Since this some what relates to the earthquake in Haiti...

We are not the only ones giving aid. A quick search shows many countries helping. Proportionately we may be giving more....

As far as a major disaster, I think the only way the entire U.S. would be in trouble, is if there was a nuclear attack... In that event, I don't think we are the only ones that are going to have a problem.

can you give a counter-example?

...which means you have no answer, right?

...Right. SmileWavy

This has nothing to do with Haiti. And this has nothing to do with us giving aid. The question is, can you imagine a situation that we ourselves can't handle, and to that point, we are reliant on another country for aid?

I answered that in my second post. And in thinking about this further, no, I can't. I think anything major enough to affect the entire U.S. at the same time, means problems for the rest of the world as well.

dude, you have a problem with my post?

i cannot think of disaster in which we haven't sent aid, from this latest haiti thing to the tsunami a few years back.

now, can you think of a counter-example?

Your question is assuming total major national catastrophe. So the answer is no, I cant ever imagine this happening to America.

But IF it happened then obviously the answer is yes. Who are the countries that have stood toe to toe with the US?

i can see a lot of countries helping, including russia and china, along with our core allies.

Again, your answer has nothing to do with my question. I'm not talking about us giving aid, I am talking about us being in a position where we need aid from others. Can you imagine a scenario such as that?

hmm.... see post 13. carry on.

Let's see -- Canada sends firefightersand water-bombers to help in California and the mid-west. Many Canadians (polic officers, search and rescue teams, firefighters, and forensics experts) went to NY after 9/11 to help with the rescue and rebuilding efforts there. And, if I recall correctly, Canada sent aid and support after Katrina, too.

I'd say that there are times when the US needs help, too. Good thing we're here to help.

I found it very interesting (and telling) that NYC Politburo Member and Party Chairman Michael Bloomburg actually told people yesterday to NOT send food, water, blankets - only money.

Gee, wonder why?

Draw your own conclusions.

Barring a nuclear holocaust, I cant see any situation where we would need outside assistance. We have a tremendous amount of emergency service resouces in our country. Even an event like the WTC on 9/11 didnt even barely scratch the surface of what we have available.

You might not have needed it but international aid was sent to teh US (at least from the UK) after Katrina (and help was sent after 9/11)

It was not 'relying' in the sens that the US could not/ would not have coped without it...but aid is sent to the US as well...

If the US were to ever 'reply' on overseas aid then the issue that affects the US may well be affecting the wider world and so render it impossible for other nations to send aid...

Uh, residents of this planet, like 99% of them.

I don't have to imagine others helping us, it happens all the time. You should maybe pay more attention to what goes on in the world. Just because we need help less than others, does not mean it is not given to us.

I remember a few years ago seeing a Canadian plane in far North end of Cali when like half the state was on fire. Told my bro, "HOLY CRAP, the Canadians are finally attacking us!"

Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans
 

We couldn't even help ourselves...

It's already been posted in another thread. After Katrina the Mexican and Canadian armed forces helped out with the refugees.

How much aid is Venezuela or Cuba sending to Haiti?

Or for that matter up above, China or Russia?

i'd say our deficit is a major disaster, and China bails us out of that everyday

probably not what you were asking about though....

I didn't know that (about the firefighters). Seriously, thanks!

What am I saying? We should let Kalifornia burn! ;)

Please let California burn. Please do not send any federal dollars our way. Sacramento needs to crash and burn - there are no incremental fixes.

They do help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_response_to_Hurricane_Katrina

Wow, that was an interesting read. Even Iran jumped on board..it's nice to think politics can be set aside in such a situation. I guess Syria didn't get the memo..

This is a very American question. I think Americans—more than others—tend to see themselves on one side, and the rest of the world on the other. The "us and them" thing.

Once you begin to think of this planet as "spaceship earth"—the notion of another country coming to your aid in time of need is not particularly radical.

Yeah, pretty much

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1263522834.gif

Haiti sent aid after Katrina.

For what it's worth I once heard an appeal such as this - maybe after Katrina - and the answer then was that the relief agencies such as the Red Cross can stretch our dollars further than we can when buying supplies.

May be a bunch of hooey, but that's what I heard. :confused:

Isn't this what Birmingham, Ala. native, the late Sonny Blount, better known as intergallactic musician "Sun Ra" said all along? :D

I've read there's a logistical reason. You can imagine that, in the immediate crisis, it is a lot easier to move, allocate, distribute relief supplies that are selected and packaged a certain way - pallets of high-density nutrition bars, rather than heavy boxes of random canned food, let's say. Since transportation is such a bottleneck in Haiti, with the airport tower destroyed and roads blocked with rubble, little stuff like that probably matters. And maybe in the first critical days or weeks they need to prioritize stuff like plasma, medicine, surgical supplies, body bags, water - not so much the blankets and toys and clothes.

Wow! First off, the ignorance in this thread is boggling. Asking the question doesn't mean I believe the question proposes a fact that other countries would not help us. Some of you guys need to stop jumping to conclusions. Clearly others who answered "barring" certain issues, then "no," understood me.

Secondly, Tobra, just so you know, the Canadians don't offer up the planes free. We are known to pay a hefty lease for them during fire season. So, no, not really is that assistance.

Carry on with your own advice. SmileWavy

Typical projection. As expected. :rolleyes:

Finally, someone got it. And it takes a UK man to understand. Alright. Now the keyword was "rely."

Can you imagine, as an American, "relying" on another country after a disaster? Not being assisted, but relying.

dd74, you now say the "key word" in your OP was "rely" but the first sentence of that post doesn't say anything about "rely"ing. If you were trying to ask a very narrow question, you certainly could have written more clearly.

Yeah. I suppose. Rely on another country.

Personally, I can't see us relying on another country if there was a major catastrophe here. We are far too large. Los Angeles alone would need several countries to assist it. 3 million + w/o food, water, utilities...that's a tall order.

The U.S. government surely wouldn't be able to help (for very long).