Escape from Hurricane Katrina + Live Blog from N.O. Hell

[DungeonmasterCal]

Oh, and on the ineptitude of the Feds, I heard an interview on NPR yesterday with Michael Chertoff, Secretary of homeland Security, who is now responsible for FEMA. The NPR anchor was asking him about the people trapped at the Convention Center without food and water. Chertoff replied that they had no confirmation about this and that the media should not be reporting on rumors and stating them as facts. The achor said they had a reporter on another line who was at the scene, that this was not a rumor, but Chertoff kept putting it off as unconfirmed reports. Apparently later a spokesperson from the DHS called to tell NPR that they had received confirmation of the conditions at the Convention Center and were working to get food and water to the area.

Obviously there are communications issues, but it also sounds like there is little to no organization on a larger scale.

I heard that same interview, and I was screaming in frustration by the end of it. Chertoff is a fool, and he should be held accountable for his idiocy. It's like he was just spouting a sound bite he was programmed to say over and over, rather than admit to his department's failure. All he was doing was an exercise in C.Y.A.

 

[Belen]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/n...gin&adxnnlx=1125669906-rsH40ZjR2538oOEDo2KwCw

Exactly. Add this to the fact the neither New Orleans or LA has ponied up the required matching funds for Federal dollars in years. I sympathize here, but we cannot really play the blame game. They were supposed to begin serious upgraded to the system in 1965. If we want to blame people, then every administration and congress for the last 40 years can be blamed for not providing the cash. And the levees that did fail were the areas that has already been upgraded...to withstand a Cat 3 (the city and state agreed that Cat 3 protection was the most cost effective.)

I heard this morning that NO cops were turning in their badges rather than fight the looters. They feel as if they lost everything and do not see a reason to risk their lives too.

There is not much that can be done right now. The infrastructure is gone and we have 90k square miles of destruction. How can FEMA deal with that amount? If they deploy more people to NO, then they have less people to help places in MS or AL. They are in a lose-lose situation.

And I cannot imagine the nightmares these people will have for the rest of the lives on both sides of the disaster.

 

[wingsandsword]

In terms of deaths & destruction this disaster seems much bigger than 9/11, I don't think people are really taking in yet just how bad it is. No casualty figures are being released (unlike in the Asian tsunami) but reading between the lines it has to be well into 5 figures for the whole area. I'd be surprised if the final death toll is under 15,000.

Yes, it appears to be much bigger than 9/11, it's probably the biggest disaster in the United States since the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 (definitely the first time we've had an entire major city virtually destroyed since then). Even then, in terms of loss of life and property damage, it's almost certainly the biggest disaster in US history (several thousand died in the San Fransicsco earthquake, "only" several hundred in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, around 3,000 died on 9/11). I think the reason they aren't saying how many died is, honestly, they don't want to scare people, and they're still even trying to figure out how many are dead, dying, and missing.

The rebuilding will doubtless take years, the legacy will be with this country for generations.

They'll doubtless rebuild New Orleans, maybe they'll build the levees higher, or more powerful pumping stations, or move much of the city further inland. New Orleans is too much a part of our nation to just leave it completely in ruins. The frightening thing is, that's all it is now, ruins.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Amid all the heartache and horror that is happening throughout the Gulf Coast, a woman at work today was actually bitching about how the price of coffee will go up now that the New Orleans seaport where so much of it is brought has been destroyed. I wanted to slap her. Hundreds of thousands of people in misery and she's worried about coffee.

Sometimes I hate people.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Amid all the heartache and horror that is happening throughout the Gulf Coast, a woman at work today was actually bitching about how the price of coffee will go up now that the New Orleans seaport where so much of it is brought has been destroyed. I wanted to slap her. Hundreds of thousands of people in misery and she's worried about coffee.

Sometimes I hate people.

On the fan site for the upcoming movie Serenity, someone actually was worried that the box office take would be hurt because nobody in the area would be going to the movies.

I think these are just self-centered people who are feeling left out of the disaster and want to show how they are being hurt by it,too. Maybe we can go and knock down these people's houses so they can get a better idea of what it is really like.

 

[Belen]

Yes, it appears to be much bigger than 9/11, it's probably the biggest disaster in the United States since the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 (definitely the first time we've had an entire major city virtually destroyed since then). Even then, in terms of loss of life and property damage, it's almost certainly the biggest disaster in US history (several thousand died in the San Fransicsco earthquake, "only" several hundred in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, around 3,000 died on 9/11). I think the reason they aren't saying how many died is, honestly, they don't want to scare people, and they're still even trying to figure out how many are dead, dying, and missing.

The rebuilding will doubtless take years, the legacy will be with this country for generations.

They'll doubtless rebuild New Orleans, maybe they'll build the levees higher, or more powerful pumping stations, or move much of the city further inland. New Orleans is too much a part of our nation to just leave it completely in ruins. The frightening thing is, that's all it is now, ruins.

There was a Hurricane that hit Galveston in the early 20th that killed 8000. I hope that we are not looking at that type of figure now.

 

[Truth Seeker]

Amid all the heartache and horror that is happening throughout the Gulf Coast, a woman at work today was actually bitching about how the price of coffee will go up now that the New Orleans seaport where so much of it is brought has been destroyed. I wanted to slap her. Hundreds of thousands of people in misery and she's worried about coffee.

Sometimes I hate people.

Not to add to your distaste...TV & Movies shows filming down there, are affected as well. The self-center has been in effect, since this all started.

It is the old-case scenario, oh...I am not the one being effected directly by this...but something I am used to...is. This is a sign of people taken things for granted...literally.

What we have around us...is a privilege, and we should be thankful for the use of such things in our lives.

But not everyone thinks that way.

 

[jester47]

Well the big issue with the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA is if a hurricaine hits with 24 hours warning and the response is this bad, what happens when its a similar disaster enacted by terrorists with no warning? So what exactly does Orange Alert mean now days? It means something could happen and guess what? We're not ready! I bet Al-Quida will be taking notes...

 

[S'mon]

Estimates for Galveston were 6-12,000 dead, but this looks worse to me, especially with so many still trapped in the city (and in some cases prevented from leaving by armed guards*). A Biloxi official estimated 1,000 dead for Biloxi alone, I think you're looking at thousands just in MS & AL.


*http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168270,00.html

 

[Crothian]

and the diseases haven't in started