Cruise ships as shelters?

[HeatherInFlorida]

Oceanwench, so amazing you posted about this because I was going to write about it after my company left today.

 

This is without a doubt the stupidest idea that FEMA has ever come up with! I don't know what's happening with these people. You will recall that they are the same folks who funnelled $30 million in hurricane aid to Miami-Dade County last summer where they were barely affected by the hurricanes. I wouldn't even want to repeat some of the stories I heard here last summer about how FEMA dispensed with our tax dollars.

 

So it should come as no surprise that they've come up with this ridiculous idea. Aside from anything else, I literally laughed out loud when they stated one of the benefits of this would be that they could sail out of harm's way should another hurricane rear its ugly head.

 

These people have jobs!!! They have lives!!! They are not looking to be housed at sea for weeks on end!

 

The only reason they came up with this is they think it would be cheaper than the mobile homes that relief agencies bought last year to house the people forced out of their homes. But I don't see how any rational person would think this is a workable solution.

 

And can you imagine the arguments between people about who would have the suites and who would have the inside cabins? If I didn't know better and I hadn't read the article myself, I'd think it was a joke.

[kryos]

And can you imagine the arguments between people about who would have the suites and who would have the inside cabins? If I didn't know better and I hadn't read the article myself, I'd think it was a joke.

I didn't see this article, but I would imagine the ships used would be older ones that maybe were no longer in service as cruise ships? As for the actual cruise, I would imagine all they will do is sail someplace out of harm's way and then anchor in the ocean. Or, perhaps they would sail someplace where regular maintenance could be performed on the ship, akin to a drydock.

 

I don't think these people would be on a cruise, per se. There would be no port stops, few organized activities, no luxury dinners, etc. I liken it to the Semester at Sea ship ... barebones accommodations, buffet style meals, etc. The passengers would make their own entertainment since there would be no professional entertainers onboard. I would imagine there would be teachers onboard and school would be conducted for the children.

 

Remember, some of these people that would be housed on the cruiseship would normally not be able to afford to cruise. Hence, they wouldn't use the bars or the casino. So, those facilities could remain closed. Since the ships used would probably be ones that are not in service ... i.e., scheduled for maintenance anyway, service personnel would have been assigned elsewhere anyway. You would just have a barebones crew onboard ... no cabin stewards, waiters, entertainers, bar servers, etc. Passengers would get fresh linens twice a week, and maybe be allowed to send one bag of laundry per person out each week. Each passenger would be expected to keep his or her own cabin tidy. Remember, this would not be a cruise experience, per se, and everyone being housed on the ship would be expected to work together to keep their housing expenses down.

 

As for who would get inside cabins and who would get suites, I would imagine these would be assigned based on number of people in each family. If you have a family of four kids, I would imagine you would get a suite. If you were just a couple with one child, perhaps an outside stateroom, singles would be paired by gender and get the inside staterooms, etc.

 

I don't know ... sounds like a good idea to me, but then maybe I'm not thinking the concept through.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[HeatherInFlorida]

Rita, I was kidding about the suites and inside cabins.

 

As for the rest of it, you really would have to read the article. Everything you say is a given. Of course there's no entertainment, etc. It's not a cruise. However, it is NOT old cruiseships they are talking about. I believe they have another place for such ships ... they're sold for scrap.

 

In this instance they are talking about the ships we are cruising on. It would be a huge loss of revenue for the cruiseship companies and hence the economy ... not to mention the cost of refurbishment to get them back up to the quality passengers would expect. It's insane.

 

When you think through the whole concept, it becomes apparent (at least to me) that it is not a viable solution to the problem. These people need to be near where they work and live, go to school, etc.

 

I honestly believe that if you think the whole thing through, you'll see that it just doesn't work. BTW, there's no talk of schooling or anything else ... this is simply to house people who have lost the use of their homes. It's an insane idea thought up by the same guy who sent $30 million in the wrong direction.

[kryos]

In this instance they are talking about the ships we are cruising on. It would be a huge loss of revenue for the cruiseship companies and hence the economy ... not to mention the cost of refurbishment to get them back up to the quality passengers would expect. It's insane.

If they are talking revenue-generating cruise ships, then the idea will never fly. The cruiselines wouldn't permit it. Why on earth should they lose viable revenue to house homeless folks? Who would make this revenue up to them? The county, the state, the federal government? No, I would think that the only way an idea like this would fly would be if old, out of service cruise ships were used as shelters. These ships would have servicable staterooms ... certainly not luxury accommodations by any means ... but liveable until better accommodations could be made available to these folks on land.

 

As for getting to work ... maybe the cruiseships would remain docked somewhere, with buses provided to take people to their places of employment. Also, if the hurricane was that devastating, it could be many of those people no longer have jobs because their employers' workplace was wiped out.

 

I guess this "think tank" that came up with the idea figured that a cruiseship cuold house a heck of a lot of homeless people ... since the accommodations tend to be small. But, you're right ... how these people will get to their jobs and school is gonna be the question. If we're looking at long-term accommodations here, then something is gonna have to be worked out for these folks to generate an income and for the children to continue their schooling uninterrupted.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[blackbird71]

I was ROTFL yesterday when I read this in the St. Pete Times or the Tampa Trib. (for $1.50 I can buy two full Sunday's papers :)) To me it sounds like a Used Ships Broker was trying to off load some ships onto the Fed Govt.

 

Couple more points.

 

a) Most cabins on cruise ships are only for two, what about the kids.

 

b) Most non-retired people have both man and wife working and with two cars. Duhhhhh for that 2,000 pax ship you may need up to 2,000 places to park cars.

 

 

I was on the Cunard Countess before and after the Falkland war. The British Govt spent a lot of money rebuilding the Countess after using it.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I don't want to belabor this, but they were not talking about "old ships". There are not a lot of "old ships" just sitting around!

 

There are only certain places where a cruiseship could be moored so the ships would not necessarily be near the devastated areas.

 

You can also house a heck of a lot of people in a hotel, but I don't hear anyone suggesting they empty the hotels and put people there.

 

I honestly think this idea, like so many others, will die before it's hardly seen the light of day. Maybe they were just "floating" the idea out there to see the response.

[blackbird71]

I don't want to belabor this, but they were not talking about "old ships". There are not a lot of "old ships" just sitting around!

Well there are old ships being sold to the breakers every year. So today probably not but that could change if the Feds were buying them.

There are only certain places where a cruiseship could be moored so the ships would not necessarily be near the devastated areas.

The only thing that make sense in this idea, is the ships could be moved. IF a cane hit SC a Florida based ship could be moved up there.

 

 

 

 

I honestly think this idea, like so many others, will die before it's hardly seen the light of day. Maybe they were just "floating" the idea out there to see the response.

 

Myself I think you are right but have to add, I do not think they thought of the cost and up keep needed on any ship.