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

[was]

I have spent quite some time crying over the past couple days. I have never felt so deeply sorrowful and sickened by a disaster. Everything just seems so horrible, I can hardly wrap my brain around it... and it just continues to get worse.

Last night before I went to bed, I read a report on CNN about gangs of men raping women.

Police officers are simply not doing their duty.

Dead bodies are just being dragged into the corners of any shelter that is housing survivors.

Yesterday at school, I was having lunch with a girlfriend that didn't realize that there *was* a hurricane. I wanted to SLAP her.

My initial sadness was almost entirely centered around the fact that a city so historic, so beautiful could just be eliminate so quickly, so irrevocably. Now, my sadness deepens as it seems that this disaster has brought out the worst in so many people.

Apparently, robbery and rape was happening on a large scale at the Superdome as well. You'd think that they'd at least have a police presence there. That is where the mayor and the city told people to go.

 

[DungeonmasterCal]

Yesterday at school, I was having lunch with a girlfriend that didn't realize that there *was* a hurricane. I wanted to SLAP her.

You hold her. I'll slap her. How can people be so....unaware of the world they live in?

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Apparently, robbery and rape was happening on a large scale at the Superdome as well. You'd think that they'd at least have a police presence there. That is where the mayor and the city told people to go.

*shakes head* I'd think that things like that wouldn't happen amidst wide-spread disaster. But - I'm probably just naive. Still boggles my mind, though.

 

[was]

Here's a good link on how the flooding happened.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/01/orleans.levees/index.html

 

[Kanegrundar]

Remember, though, Queen D, that this is also bringing out the best in a lot more people. Millions of dollors raised within hours for many charities. The Red Cross is getting a lot of volunteers willing to go help in the recovery effort. Not to mention the people that are taking complete strangers into their homes. The media is going to report on the terrible things a heckuva lot more than any of the good since that's what more people will tune into to see. It may be bad in NO right now, but there is a lot of good people that are doing amazing things to help those that have suffered throughout the aftermath. Focus on that.

Kane

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

You hold her. I'll slap her. How can people be so....unaware of the world they live in?

I don't know!! And she's the southern coast of NC!

She's just so wrapped up in her own life, her own friends, and her own personal drama that she cannot believe a world exists outside of American University.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

It may be bad in NO right now, but there is a lot of good people that are doing amazing things to help those that have suffered throughout the aftermath. Focus on that.

Kane

True. Very true, Kane. Maybe I should just stop visiting news sites. They can be *so* depressing.

 

[Crothian]

Apparently, robbery and rape was happening on a large scale at the Superdome as well. You'd think that they'd at least have a police presence there. That is where the mayor and the city told people to go.

I imagine there are police there, but with thousands of people and a the superdome is really big, they can't be everywhere. THe police and everyone there are going through a lot, so I imagine they are doing the best they can.

 

[was]

I imagine there are police there, but with thousands of people and a the superdome is really big, they can't be everywhere. THe police and everyone there are going through a lot, so I imagine they are doing the best they can.

"# CNN Producer Kim Segal: It was chaos. There was nobody there, nobody in charge. And there was nobody giving even water. The children, you should see them, they're all just in tears. There are sick people. We saw... people who are dying in front of you."

"# Evacuee Raymond Cooper: Sir, you've got about 3,000 people here in this -- in the Convention Center right now. They're hungry. Don't have any food. We were told two-and-a-half days ago to make our way to the Superdome or the Convention Center by our mayor. And which when we got here, was no one to tell us what to do, no one to direct us, no authority figure.

""Why is no one in charge?" asked one frustrated evacuee at the Ernest Morial Convention Center, where thousands have waited days for help. "I find it hard to believe.""

There was also an interview with an african-american woman on television stating that she was at the Superdome and witnessed the robberies and rapes and the lack of police. She stated that much of it was happening in and around the restrooms and that people were so scared they started to urinate and defecate in public.

-I apologize in advance if anyone is upset over the last part of this post, but I felt that this information needed to be relayed. This material was gathered from watching CNN on the television and from reading their website.

 

[jgbrowning]

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.

To be honest, I don't know if they're going to rebuild. Unlike every other major national disaster (san fran, chicago) etc.. people now a days are mobile and can simply find a new home, a new job and move on.

Who's going to rebuild their house when there's no jobs? Who's going to rebuild a business when there are no people? It may be a self-fullfilling cycle. Not to mention that, at any minute another storm could come and wreck it all again. Even with massive protection, the city will still be sinking every year at, if I'm remembering properly, around 1/3 inch per year.

This may be the one chance to chose to not have the same thing happen twice and I imagine that those who go through this will give that long, hard thought before commiting themselves to a completly new endeavor (city building from scratch). I think many people will simply run their risk/reward assessment and realize that New Orleans isn't the place for them anymore.

joe b.