Miami Dade Fire Rescue Team – In Harm’s Way For Strangers
The Miami Dade Fire Rescue Urban Search and Rescue Team didn’t have to come to Barbados. They didn’t have to lower themselves into that unknown pit. They didn’t have to crawl around precariously balanced concrete slabs and under tons of rock and marl.
But they did it for the Codrington family – the living and the dead – and they did it for all of us.
They same is true, of course, for our own Barbados emergency personnel – and there will be time enough for the rest of our lives to thank them on the street, in church or at the beach.
For now though, I’d like to thank the United States of America and the Miami Dade Fire Rescue team.
Many folks like to kick around the Americans, and that goes for some in our own government as well. But the Americans seldom say no when asked for assistance – and never say no when lives are in the balance.
There’s not a whole lot we can do except to say “thanks”, but I can assure you that any American sitting beside me for the next long while will never have to stand themselves a drink.
Thanks, America.
See Barbados Underground for a YouTube movie of how bad it is in that hole.
Also see WPTV Florida Television for a profile of the Miami Dade Fire Rescue team (link here)
Barbados Free Press 
Thankyou USA and Miami.
my condolonces to the family,this is a very sad time and we as a people need to stop criticizing the emergency services of Barbados And International services who have through there efforts in dealing with such a stressful situation. It hurts so much that instead of trying our very best to support our country men and allias alike, it hurts to my core to witness this travesty.
Thank you to the good people of the USA.
Thank you to our rescue services and to our Government for recognising the need for foreign assistance and seeking it where available.
Sometimes days are short, sometimes long, sometimes rain, sometimes sun, we can only keep our heads up and our chests high, tomorrow will come.
I am American, and I must say – we help anyone in times of crisis like this. That is the American spirit.
It is a wonder that our Prime Minister didn’t call his old friend Castro.
The Americans come don’t matter how much they are abused and insulted. God bless them their hearts are in the right place. Some peoples should remmeber this the next time they American bash in their talk.
May God bless all who had any thing to do with Miami rescue coming to help out.
There was another collapse at the hole. Dangerous work. Thankyou to the US for sending their best rescue squad to help Barbados
Well said, BFP. Agree completely!
Yes, thanks to the Yanks. Perhaps we can also use a bit of modern day USA expertise to ensure that other buildings and condos are not constructed on shaky ground. It is amazing how pre-fabricated lego blocks are being pieced together all over the island. Has anyone seen the ugly glob of concrete being constructed by JADA at Road View in St Peter? The same location that flooded recently due to the “dam” they have constructed along the road?
And a simple call to Light and Power from the ABC gang who can’t shoot straight—“Hey, do you know if there is a 69,000 volt cable running between Warrens Motors and Chefette? There is? Maybe we should deal with that BEFORE we dig up and lay down new road…” Take a lesson from the USA: a municipal project that cost 3 times the initial contract price in over runs would (a) land the contractors/gov’t officials in jail for corruption, and (b) wouldn’t be tolerated by the tax paying public. Nepotism, back room politics, and absolutely ignorant decisions are part of WE everyday life. And DO NOT let the Chinese in here—they’ll actually work!!!
Comehere
Has anyone seen the ugly glob of concrete being constructed by JADA at Road View in St Peter?
One gov’t department refused permission to them to erect a building of this size there but Bejerkham called Owing and as you can see all is now well with its construction, but yes it is creating a dam effect and causing flooding in the surrounding areas.
As a proud American I can only tell you we are only too happy to help.
But I can’t help but notice that you Barbadians are overly caught up with the color of a persons skin in the Barbados. How come after all the bad things you have said about white people on this and other blogs you still manage to accept help from these 12 White people? How come you can post 135 posts complaining about what happened, but can’t post 10 Thank yous? Is it because they are white? Does you hatred go that far?
AOL OBSERVER
You are being silly on this one colour has nothing to do with the number of posted responses, of course the others will attract more comments that this space.
Lets try not to bring the colour issue into this please it is not an issue lets not make it one.
AOL, some people have trouble with the colour of a person’s skin. All that really counts is the colour of their heart. America has its own racial debates and problems as does Barbados and the rest of the world. I would guess that nobody in that hole has any skin colour. They all work together.
To American commenters Curiously Amused and AOL Observer.
We thank you for the American generosity of which you are so proud. I find it difficult, however, to reconcile your claim for altruism with the way your government uses its power and money to inflict damage on the economies of other countries, in particular developing countries of the third world which do not have the capability to combat or withstand the onslaught. I refer to the subsidies which your government annually gives to the American agricultural sector in defiance of WTO rules.
The African country Burkina Faso is a case in point. A quote from the Organic Consumers Organization…
“If it weren’t killing them, people in Burkina Faso might get a good laugh at America’s unprofitable cotton-growing fetish. Burkinabe, after all, are known for their sense of humor. And what could be more absurd than the sight of the world’s richest nation — a fiery preacher of free-trade and free-market values at that — spending $3 billion or $4 billion a year in taxpayer money to grow cotton worth less than that and selling its mounting surpluses at an ever greater loss? But those American subsidies are killing the Burkinabe farmers, so the inclination to laugh hardens to sorrow and resentment.”
If you have the stomach for more, you can check http://www.organicconsumers.org/clothes/cooton_terrorism.cfm
Now if America stopped producing cotton altogether, it would hardly dent the country’s GDP, but cotton production represents a major part of the GDP of some ACP states. Yet US policy persists in grinding them into the ground.
Check also the ongoing battles that Brazil has been fighting in the WTO over US cotton subsidies.
The American company Chiquita went out of its way to ruin the economies of Caribbean banana producers, St Vincent, Grenada, St Lucia and Dominica, by ensuring that banana subsidies from the EU were stopped. Banana production in those countries represented almost 50 % of GDP. Do you see any double standards here?
So while the generosity given by your right hand is appreciated, the hammer blows inflicted by your right sort of negate it.
thanks for coming sorry it was not sooner
Inkwell,
Your comments however valid should be under another topic. Those posters before you are simply saying “Thank you” to the professional rescue team out of America .
Once again i would have to ask a “poster”, Had it been you and your family trapped in that cave would you really give a hoot about the “nationality ” of your rescuers “?
A big thank you IS deserved to these Miami rescue workers for their valiant contribution to this rescue effort.
I do find the post headline a little jingoistic though, and have a tendency to agree with Inkwell (great piece Inkwell man!), that this act only puts the US into somewhat less negative territory on the scale of ‘benevolance’.
AOL OBSERVER says “only too happy to help” (patronising statement anyway) and then complains about only being thanked 10 times. I hate that! If your ‘only too happy’ then the warmth in your heart – of doing a good deed – recedes after you are not properly thanked then DON’T HELP IN THE FIRST PLACE AOL!
Also AOL OBSERVER where does the ‘hating white people’ come from, as this is plainly not true. (At least the folks in Barbados can talk about colour). It IS true however that a lot of people are more than a little ambivalent about Americans. This is an unfortunate consequence of your governments bullish foreign policies. Remember, this island is dubbed ‘little England’ and many people have a more European viewpoint on world affairs!
On the week that sees the opening of TGI Fridays at least we have something to thank the US about!
Jinx
Rubbish!
It is relevant! Where do you think Inkwell should post this? Maybe under “Rihanna gets a tattoo behind left ear”!!!!
I think everyone has been sufficiently respectful in the face of this terrible tragedy, but don’t tell someone to stifle an opinion when it IS relevant.
Inkwell
His comments are fair and unbiased I see no reason for him to alter them or move them.
I also remember the US pushing the Banana issue at the expense of growers in the Caribbean to the point that St.Vincent started to ship more herb to the US, that is what you get in exchange for being a greedy super power.
Thanks to the team a little to late but they tried anyway.
Urgent action on the ground on Sunday may have yielded living results but that was not meant to be.
Here we go……..
I never suggested that anyone either “stifle ” or alter thier comments …..
BFP published a “Thank You America” post…….
Until any of us find our selves in such horrifing situations it was simply my point that whoever risks thier life to rescue you ….. does it realy matter? Will bananas or Iraq be on your minds then too??
Somehow i doubt it…..
My Apologies Anonymous the above post is mine….
It is interesting to hear that there was a map of the cave which was ‘created’ approx. four weeks ago.
It is interesting to hear the Structural engineer say that they notices ‘faults’ in the roof of the cave approx 2 weeks ago
It is then interesting to realize that construction/ excavation continued in that area.
Now why would one obtain a map of the cave, pay ( I don’t think they work for free) a structural engineer to do some analysis, and still continue work in proximity to the ‘faults’ without warning to anyone….
Now we hear ..it was bound to happen, well maybe it was but surely the construction and excavation accelerated the process.
Who’s to blame? interesting eh!
#
Ocean
August 28th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I have a solution!! GET RID OF THE WHITES!!! let them go back to their cave man antics back in the caucas mountains where they can feel free to divulge in their carnal blood thirst lusts for however long! There is a reason why Goddess did not put them to have their origins in Afrika where it was a pure paradise… and put them away from Her precious plants and animals and minerals. GET RID OF THEM!! for too long they have been doing nonsense! and teaching us to be like them.. and now has the bewitched black race as numb and as indifferent to Nature as they always were. We were not such killers of nature… we were her defenders.. GET RID OF THEM I SAY!!!we cannot live together… and Time is proving that.. they have not learnt BASIC fundamental principles of civilisation (that we and the rest of hue-manity knew before THEY came) such as living harmoniously with Nature, and not destroying her with every ‘development’. GET RID OF THEM!and then we can NOW RE-learn about ourselves.. and Mama Nature.
#
Citizen First
Oh I feel the love! That is racial harmony as it’s finest.
What skin tone is a white? What skin tone is a black? Grab some panatone colours and let’s see what your standards are!
Thanks to everyone who played in vital role in the rescue efforts. My condolence to the family and friends of the Codringtons.
Inkwell. I’d like to start with you and your comment. I find it to be very interesting. And to a greater degree, I agree with it.
Americans will help when called. That is true. They also expect to be paid. Plain and simple. That is how they are socialized from the womb. Nothing in America is for free. That’s just their way. So when the other two commentators pat themselves and their country on the back, they are just not seeing the entire picture. You have stirred up an “ants nest” of sorts with them I might add by positioning some rather sticky points for them to ponder. I applaud you! Good work!
To the commenter who asked in their column why we or more specifically, why the PM did not go to his old friend Castro for help I say this:
America is the ONLY country in the world where these things seem to happen on a regular basis. So who best to ask for assistance than the experts?
DrillHall raised a very good point which is worth poondering and I am very happy that someone did see and ask the hard question regarding why maps of the caves existed, for what purpose and who comissioned them?
Is there some sort of commercial interest in building there and hence the developers needed to be certain of the land they were working with?
It all seems strange to hear on the radio that they apparently had maps that were 4 weeks old. Do we have that sort of time and money to pour into geological surveys of the caves of the island and if so, to what end?
Suggest to me that someone “knew” or “suspected” something and said little or nothing.
Now. On to the white issue. Or is there really one?
Ocean made some rather stark remarks. Seems he/she feels very strongly about those of the lighter persuasion. AOL made a very sarcastic comment in his quote of Ocean suggesting that Oceans comments border on radicalism.
This much I will say and cannot be questioned on it because I have observed the history of that race.
When they are not in control they seem to have a problem with it.
They must always be the ones who have the final or the most significant say and Oceans comments are just the tip of the iceberg with relation to the intolerance now being shown to them.
Deal with it!
You are certainly in for a rough time in years to come. You have had it your way for way too long and now you are seeing the dissent.
Take my advice. Curb your greedy wicked ways.
Nuff said to ya-all!
This all comes back to the help that we received.
We’re thankful for it. I for one don’t care if those helping were white or blue! And honestly, I think they should still be here helping because they have dealt with these sorts of disasters before.
What we need now is to FOCUS,on the issue before us in this case.
Leave the who helped, or what the helpers looked like out of it for now.
We’ll get past this and then we can do battle on the “other” front when it is all said and done.
To AOL Observer and others,
it was with some consternation that I saw my “name” at the bottom of the copy of Ocean’s post given above. This was inadvertenly done but just for the explicit record…I had nothing to do with that (Ocean’s) post.
I am Bajan-born living in the USA. I have seen a lot of Americans of all races help other people, and I have never seen them ask to be paid for it. At the state of the union address, President Bush publicly honoured a black American who threw himself over a stranger who had passed out on the railroad tracks, saving his life. The train passed over both of them, but the hero had the other guy pressed down low so they were not killed.
In Miami a man recently went into a burning car and pulled out the occupant. I have seen several cases near my work where cars have gone into a deep canal and strangers have jumped in to pull out the occupants.
When the university shooting occurred in Virginia, an old professor died blocking the shots with his own body to give his students time to get away. I think he was Jewish and had survived the Holocaust.
I think heroism exists all over Barbados too – in this case, it was just not encouraged by the authorities. It was probably also too dangerous.
I pray for all connected with that beautiful family. Looking at the pictures of them, I could see that they were happy and loved.
Citizen First
August 29th, 2007 at 7:27 am
To AOL Observer and others,
it was with some consternation that I saw my “name” at the bottom of the copy of Ocean’s post given above. This was inadvertenly done but just for the explicit record…I had nothing to do with that (Ocean’s) post.
CITIZEN FIRST
Sorry! It was a mistake. Having read many of your posts I know you would not associate yourself with such nonsense.
Again I apologize for MY mistake
curiously repulsed…
Your comment was deleted for foulness
BFP moderator.
All I am asking, is that we as a people exhibit a greater sesnse of national loyalty and solidarity in this current crisis. Our government and apparently most of our citizens are undoubtedly doing what they feel is best in an effort to resolve this traumatic episode of events. Some of us however, as evidenced by our comments in these asinine blogs, appear not only to be belittling these efforts in a spirit of judgement, but are also losing objective focus. Perhaps we could unite in prayer and support our leaders until all the facts are clear. We can not make constructive changes or lasting improvements if we are divided against ourselves.
Oh Please!
Dictionary definition of ‘asinine’ is: devoid of intelligence.
Think about what you are saying!
If the blog is so dumb, why are you on it!
********************************
Anyway, there is no National Crisis!
Are we at war with Cuba, was there a military coup, have we run out of fresh water…..?
The events at Britton’s Hill were tremendously sad and tragic with a devastating conseqences for the families of the victims. The effect this sort of event has on our whole populace should not be down-played, BUT lets have a sense of proportion.
No one is belittling the hard work and bravery of the rescuers, all we are doing is expressing opinions.
You ask us to unite with our leaders. Would this not be hipocrisy if we normally don’t agree with them?
Pingback: Expert: Barbados Apartment Collapse Deaths Were Caused By Gross Negligence. Why No Coroner’s Inquest? « Barbados Free Press