Anyone here in the Hurrican path?

[rory 0]

whooa, cat5 hurricane head on ....yall watch out yah hear and get some good video

[baywatch 1]

Hope that everyone in the hurricane area is O.K.

 

Looks like a really bad situation on the TV.

[rory 0]

total devastation ... dont know if you guys get CNN in the uK .. but the mayor or New Orleans says he thinks thousands are dead. And its just getting worst ..

[Cooperman 0]

The TV news reports over here are just appalling, and perhaps the only thing more heartbreaking than the scale of the disaster, is the apparent lack of any tangible rescue and relief operation by the authorities.

 

UK journalists who have quickly arrived in the disaster zone are reporting no noticeable aid or assistance for those most affected; which beggars the question, if a handful of journalists working on their own initiative can get through, how is it that the richest and most powerful country in the world, which has one of the most sophisticated military machines at its disposal, has managed to fail so miserably at supporting their citizens, in their greatest hour of need?

 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected.

[rory 0]

you got me, why they havent at least dropped food and water in, etc ..i dont get it .. they could easily have set something up at that convension center by now ... course they are shooting at the people trying to rescue them so ...

 

Honestly i wouldnt personally have waited around this long if it was me, one for all and all for one. One thing I noticed in the US is that alot of people expect the government to help them .. at least in the ghetto areas. There is so much oportunity in the US if one is willing to learn and work hard. AS for being too poor to leave, been there done that, always can find a few cents and pennies lying around to pay for enough gas to get out of dodge!

 

If they were such christians as they promote in the ghettos, the churches should have organised buses to get their people out, after all they pay them their entire salaries

[VST_Man 1]

We all need to focus on what needs to be done and do it. there will be plenty of time LATER to look back and point fingers. This is not the time to make assumptions of fault. Having been one of "them", I can assure you that they are doing everything they can and that they are completely focused on the task at hand. BUT, they need our support, not our negative comments from our air conditioned homes. The pictures I've seen only tell me that WE are up against something that has never happen in America before. How can you prepare and react to that? I can't imagine the critical issues they are trying to undertake all at once. But they will, I know they will.

 

I will pray for those who are waiting for that help to believe it is coming and to hang in there until it comes. The ones who commit crimes against his fellow human will be judged, either here on earth or on their way to hell.

 

Show me one uniformed, professional, community leader, God fearing person, who is refusing to go and help. Then you may have a story to tell.

[rory 0]

actually my AC stopped working before summer started, and I havent had running water in months ;-( .. Have to shower from a hose from the neighbors house, and that water is brown and full of bacteria ... just FYI. Course I do live in the 3rd world ...

[Thomas 0]

Living somewhat near by I can explain why you don't see much relief going on.

 

1. Access. New Orleans isn't very accessable at the moment. Roads in are flooded. The airport is trying to get a runway open and alot of the access roads are either underwater or damaged. Helocopters aren't very good for massive food/aid movement.

 

2. Danger. The city is pretty dangerous right now. They built on top of quicksand in essance. There is sewage/bodies/debrie in the water. Add in looters and you can't send in resuce workers in.

 

3. Communication. It's out in the city. Cell, landline are both out. Ham still works but they are running out of batteries.

 

This isn't small scale disaster. NO is gone for at least three months, more likely for at least 9 before it can begin to start to return to normal.

[DataAve 0]

Ask me, and they should mow the city down and start to build N.O. elsewhere.

[rory 0]

after they get everyone out, all of them, they should drop one of those bombs that engulf the place, poor some landfill over it, make it high, then .... build again ..

[rory 0]

Anyway for those looking for hurricane related videos, NOT the stuff going on in NO right now, here are a couple sites:

 

http://www.stormchaservideo.com/Hur...trina/index.htm

http://www.youtube.com/results.php?search=Katrina

http://www.weathervine.com/

 

 

and this is a data center in NO up and running:

 

http://www.directnic.com/katrina.php

http://sigmund.biz/kat20050901%20part%202/

 

blog from inside NO...

http://mgno.com/

[rory 0]

http://www.wwltv.com/sharedcontent/nationworld/katrina/stories/090105ccjcwccwMainKatrina.4c55a2f6.html

http://www.wwltv.com/sharedcontent/nationworld/katrina/stories/090205cckatrinatourists.50852ccc.html

 

5.30am, police, family, and reporters hold up in a building guns drawn, they say New orleans is no more, the police say there is no longer a New Orleans City. CNN live if you are up right now. Fires and Explosions.

[baywatch 1]

Its amazing that a disaster in a rich country can end up looking worse than one in the 3rd world.

 

Surely they can get the rescue workers & security in place, don't the US have paratroops?

 

Its very serious when they cannot control the population & vulnerable people are dying while the goverment talks.

[Thomas 0]

The percentage of jump capable SAR guys is pretty small. I know alot of people are shocked, but keep some things in mind. NO has a population of 1.8 million. Assume 2/3 got out of the city, or are on thier way out. That leaves 600,000 people still there. Most people need about four pounds worth of food and water per day. (Mostly water, remember there is no drinkable water there that isn't bottled.) That is 2.4 million pounds of stuff, per day. You can airlift most of that in and probley convoy the rest. Great. Now we enter the second stage. How do I get food/water/ect to the people there. That takes trucks, people and a centeral spot. For these you need fuel and communications. Now I've been hearing reports of the NG dropping off water but doing so at speed. My guess is they don't have enough troops right now to drop off/dispurse the water in a controlled fasion.

[bob the b 0]

Its amazing that a disaster in a rich country can end up looking worse than one in the 3rd world.

 

Surely they can get the rescue workers & security in place, don't the US have paratroops?

 

Its very serious when they cannot control the population & vulnerable people are dying while the goverment talks.

 

I cant agree more, America went into Iraq with a complete infrastructure plan and they had to fight a war first.

 

They have surely messed this one up, can they not help their own?

 

Ive followed the news on this one and its disgusting,superpower?

[C7 in CA 0]

Well the media isn't spending much time showing the 100's of thousands that ARE receiving aid. This storm hit alot more then just New Orleans. It was something like 200 miles wide.

 

And what is the media on the scene doing to help? Sure, they probably helped a little here and there. But they hauled in at least hundreds and hundred of pounds of broadcast gear. They should have been hauling in drinking water.

 

And a couple of points about New Orleans...

 

*It has always been a sinking city surrounded by water.

 

*A mandatory evacuation WAS ordered before the storm.

 

*Many of the victims ignored the orders to leave. Even "Fats" Domino stayed behind to "Ride out the storm" (and went missing for 2 days)

 

*The hardest hit areas were already overrun with a criminal element that took advantage of the situation.

 

The President said that relief efforts so far were unacceptable. I was actually surprised to hear that. Look what it says right on the FEMA website:

 

You may need to survive on your own after a disaster. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days.

 

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/assemble_disaster_supplies_kit.shtm

 

 

 

So anyway... Tuesday morning the levee broke that caused the problems in NO and now it's Friday and it looks like the relief efforts are in full swing. Sounds like things are on track (3 or 4 days for relief as stated on fema's website), but could have been smoother. With that being said; The criticisms should be left for post-event assessments.

 

A few things I was reminded of:

 

*Keep my bugout bag ready to go

 

* Don't live in a flood plain

 

*If told to evacuate... leave!

 

*Don't rely on the government to save my butt

[rory 0]

right on track scott

:: edited for sensitive people ::

 

Also check this, they had what a couple rapes and murders in a 3 or 4 day period, some people died .. okay say there wasnt a hurricane, there probably still would have been tons of rapes and murders and people dying anyway.

Edited September 3, 2005 by Guest

[larry 2]

left out one thing, dont have more kids than you can afford!

 

Rory,

 

That statement was unnecessary. There has been a consistant tone to your messages lately that I find troubling. If you do not like the environment you live in, or the people you live around, leave. Now, I know that may not be as easy as it sounds - I really have no clue - but if you are as unhappy as you sound; leaving would be a good solution.

 

Yes there was an evacuation order but some people just did not have the means to leave. People of all races and income levels chose to stay put. Also, it was not the hurricane that did the most damage, it was the levies breaking that doomed the city.

 

Yes I to found some of the events troubling, rapes etc. and the media ofcourse focuses their attention, and cameras, on these incidents but this was a natural disaster of unpresidented proportions and nobody was prepared/trained for this type of situation. It just shows that the line between civility and lawlessness is very fine.

 

This is a tragedy. I am sending my donation to the relief efforts. It is not the time for placing blame.

[rory 0]

there is nowhere to leave to .. this is a small country.

But what I was talking about has nothing to do with my issues living here.

Edited September 3, 2005 by Guest

[bob the b 0]

Quote .It just shows that the line between civility and lawlessness is very fine.

 

Larry , never a truer word spoken.

 

In retrospect, the area that is suffering the horror stories is/was a run down troubled area to begin with, i have a friend who is in he dome and has just been moved by the authorities to preserve his life.

 

It appears the government are addressing the situation and help is at hand, (for those that want it)

[scottj 0]

Obviously this whole ordeal is stressing and emotional for those that were directly affected livig there, as well as those throughout the country who have friends and family there.

 

I have donated money as well as a vehicle to this ordeal which is very little but hopefully it will help someone. Even with that said, I f someone shot an AK-47 at me from a rooftop while I was trying to drop food to them, I would have turned away just as they did.

 

scott.