Katrina...

[rockin500]

is a nasty b*tch of a storm. with sustained winds of 175 mph, this is the strongest storm in terms of wind speed since Camille, and right now is the #2 storm on record in terms of overall strength since the 1935 florida labor day hurricane (in terms of pressure, which is the true measure of strength in a storm). This one is a complete monster and looks to be locked n loaded on New Orleans. Even if it misses by twenty or thirty miles either way, it may as well be a direct hit since the eye is 29 miles across!

a class 5 hurricane in that city? its not going to be pretty. :( 100,000 people wont be able to evacuate due to lack of vehicles. the superdome is the main shelter for the city and people who cant get there are told to find shelter in buildings with more than 3 stories.

Its expected that parts of New Orleans will be under 15 feet of water by tomorrow. :( And its expected to make what happened with Andrew look like a day at the beach. Storm surges are expected to reach 28 feet and the levees holding back the mississippi are expected to fail. all in all, bad things.

[Plastic Bat]

OH! That sucks!

[Rockin Robin]

Wow, just a couple of days ago Katrina was class 1. Since N'awlins is below sea level to begin with, the flooding there will be unbelievable. Poor folks. :(

[Nemmy]

Thank god that it didn't hit us badly...

[PissedPrincess]

God Bless. :(

[~*TiGeRs f@N*~]

at first I thought Ray was talking about our Kat!!! I saw "is a nasty *****" and was like WOAH! Wait a second here! Then I saw the rest and everything clicked into place.
But for just a second I was going to go postal thinking Ray was talkin smack ;)

[Tigers#1]

It's not as bad as Wyoming wind though. :tongue:

[Baseball Guru]

This one was really strange as it became a Catagory 5 hurricane out of nowhere:eek:

The beginning it was just a 1 for the most part... It is currently down to a Cat 3...

It has ripped off part of the Superdome roof:yikes:

[Nanner]

.........It has ripped off part of the Superdome roof:yikes:

:eek: No way!!!!!

I don't know......... the Weather Channel guys....... :eek: I really worry about them. I'm addicted to the Weather Channel, and I'm watching all these guys standing out in the middle of this thing, describing it. :eek: There's this one guy, Jeff Morrow, in Covington, LA, who just reported and he was being pelted with rain, and the wind kept shoving him around. I'm thinking, "JUST GET THE HELL OUTTA THERE!!!"

My fave....... Jim Cantore..... is in Gulfport, Mississippi, and he finally went inside, because the storm knocked out their satellite feed, so he's just reporting by telephone, or something, from inside.

Mobile, AL downtown is flooded.

[rockin500]

you knew it was bad when they didnt send cantore to new orleans...

[Nanner]

WOW! Jim Cantore just said they're surrounded by 10 feet of water......... and where he is, they're at 27 feet above sea level - it's a military retirement home - so they're busy trying to move everyone to higher floors! :eek:

[Nanner]

you knew it was bad when they didnt send cantore to new orleans...

Very true!

[rockin500]

new orleans is under at least 6 feet of water right now as three main pumps failed. i dont even want to know what would have happened if it stayed at category five and hit new orleans head on.

[Durango53]

It's not as bad as Wyoming wind though. :tongue:

Wyoming Wind Sock
http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/images/wrds/wsc/climateatlas/chapter11/fig111.jpg


Here is some more information for you on the Wyoming wind.
In many localities, winds are so strong and constant from those directions that trees show a definite lean towards the east.

http://www.wrds.uwyo.edu/wrds/wsc/climateatlas/wind.html

[Durango53]

new orleans is under at least 6 feet of water right now as three main pumps failed. i dont even want to know what would have happened if it stayed at category five and hit new orleans head on.

Wow to think something like this can take away a major town in our country is unbelievable....

[Chisox73]

Anyone see parts of the outer shell of the roof that was torn off the Superdome? :eek:

There were 2 panels about 20 feet in length that was completely torn off the Dome.

[rockin500]

yah i saw that too erik. the superdome is not in very usable condition in the near future. the only 5 deaths reported are all inland. there wont be any estimates on casualties until at least tomorrow in the hardest hit areas like biloxi and new orleans.

[rockin500]

this is going to be the worst natural disaster in terms of cost in US history. New orleans is going to be under water for weeks if not months since the only way the water can get out is by pumps, and over a 1/3 of the pumps have failed.

and even better news: 110 heat indexes are expected tomorrow. :(

[rockin500]

at least 64 people have died from this storm so far. MSNBC just reported 50 hurricane related deaths in Harrison county, Mississippi. I fear many many more are going to come as the hardest hit areas report.

this isnt a catastraphic damage storm. you can just label it as complete destruction.

[metmagic]

MOSQUITOES! :scared:

[Baseball Guru]

this is going to be the worst natural disaster in terms of cost in US history. New orleans is going to be under water for weeks if not months since the only way the water can get out is by pumps, and over a 1/3 of the pumps have failed.



80% is under water:(

This is horrible:(

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0829/4911991.jpg

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0829/4911989.jpg

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0829/4911988.jpg

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0829/4911987.jpg

http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0829/4911965.jpg

[Timberwolf]

Anyone see parts of the outer shell of the roof that was torn off the Superdome? :eek:

There were 2 panels about 20 feet in length that was completely torn off the Dome.

That was a ghastly scene to watch for sure. When you see portion of the roof taken off, that's not very good.

My prayers are from the state of Louisana and for the people there. It's a tough time right now for them.

[BPBlueSox]

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BJK/is_15_11/ai_68642805

Article from December 2000

[BPBlueSox]

That was a ghastly scene to watch for sure. When you see portion of the roof taken off, that's not very good.

My prayers are from the state of Louisana and for the people there. It's a tough time right now for them.

and Mississippi. They got the worst of it.

[Baseball Guru]

Damn!:eek:

[Chisox73]

There showing some unreal images on MSNBC. This is worse than anyone had ever imagined.

Now comes word that the entire city of New Orleans may have to be evacuated now that a levee has broken,virtually putting entire downtown New Orleans under water. :(

This will be the largest evacuation of a major city in US history.

[rockin500]

now the human scum are coming out. shootings, lootings, price gouging. arent people wonderful? :hmm:

[metmagic]

this picture of the Superdome is unreal :eek: :(

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050830/capt.laeg10908302022.hurricane_katrina_laeg109.jpg ?x=380&y=216&sig=wshq2vZRCnlmbiG.p6Dktg--

[Plastic Bat]

Wow, its really bad down there, I;m happy I dont live in New Orleans.

[I Are Baboon]

Seeing all those images is surreal. I was in N.O. a couple of years ago and walked all around that city. Everywhere I walked is now covered in up to 10 feet of water. It's very eerie.

[metmagic]

one of our Louisiana clients just called and said he can't do anything today cuz his office and his house are gone. :eek:

[Tigers#1]

This is just terrible. Thousands are now dead, even more missing. I was watching on the news some guy tell about how he couldn't hold onto his wife any longer and had to let her go while being swept away in the flood, and her last words were to take care of the children.

It's going to be weeks before anyone will be able to move back , and when they do, they'll have nothing to come back to.

If anyone wants to contribute, go to stormaid.com . If this is considered spam, sorry, i'll get rid of it.

[PissedPrincess]

Good Lord, this is freaking awful. I just donated. :(

[rockin500]

kyle, thats allowable. you can also donate at the red cross site. I know Chris Duhon of the chicago bulls is starting up a drive for the cause. (hes from the New orleans area).

[metmagic]

poor Marshall :( he can't find his brothers.....


ST. LOUIS, United States (AFP) - American football star Marshall Faulk fears for the safety of relatives who are missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the New Orleans area.

The St. Louis Rams running back convinced his mother Cecile to leave her Louisiana home on Sunday and family members drove her to Texas ahead of the storm. But much of Faulk's extended family has not been in touch.

"One of my brothers is fine. I just haven't heard from my (two) other brothers and the rest of my family - aunts, uncles, cousins. I haven't heard from anyone," Faulk said.

"My mom is OK. She was very upset and just heartbroken and devastated about the whole ordeal. I never heard my mom cry. I never heard her upset about anything pertaining to something like a house or her friends or her family.

"I have no idea of finding out. There's no phone line. There's no power, no water, no nothing... I'm just hoping that everybody got somewhere safe."

For all his fame and money, the National Football League running back is as helpless as millions of others awaiting word from loved ones caught in the affected area.

"As a kid growing up there, I never really understood the magnitude of a hurricane and what it could do," he said. "I just never thought something like this could happen."

Faulk has sympathy for the people stealing items they need to survive in flooded areas without food or electricity.

"People are going into survivor mode. They are calling it looting and I'm saying it's surviving," Faulk said.

"What's a store with food in it if you don't have food? What's a store with fresh water if you don't have water? What are you supposed to do?"

Training for the Rams' September 11 opener at San Francisco is far from Faulk's thoughts.

"He's very distracted," Rams coach Mike Martz said. "He was up all night. They can't find two brothers. There's no communication with them. They're worried sick about them. So it's a very difficult time for Marshall right now."

[PopTop]

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BJK/is_15_11/ai_68642805

Article from December 2000Excellent article to dig up, Dan.

[Tigers#1]

It was great to see that they shoved a video camera in Brett Favre's Mom's face when she called to tell him she was ok. I'm sure she loved that.

Steve McNair hasn't heard from his family either.

[rockin500]

It was great to see that they shoved a video camera in Brett Favre's Mom's face when she called to tell him she was ok. I'm sure she loved that.

Steve McNair hasn't heard from his family either.
that reporter was the one who got in contact with Brett first

[Tigers#1]

I know, but do you really think they needed to let the entire country watch?

[Big R]

very sad and i cant believe how stupid the goverment is!

[Tigers#1]

Stupid about what?

[Rockin Robin]

We have two offices in the New Orleans area. A company wide email went out letting us know that everyone was okay, and there was part of an email from the manager of one of the branches:

"...due to the levee breaks the city will continue to flood with about 9 ft of water in the French Quarter starting this morning. There are hardly any homes in New Orleans and Metairie that are not completely flooded. The Northshore is completely closed and even if we could find a way to get home, they won't let us in. Reports are that Mandeville is heavily damaged, but no water standing...we are all safe but scared...we all fear the loss of our community and don't even know where we can live. They are talking weeks to months to get power and we probably won't be allowed to return for weeks....

[rockin500]

fats domino was found and rescued today as well. he had been missing since the hurricane.

New Orleans is like a scene from the apocalypse. :( It just looks worse n worse and people have turned into animals.

[Rockin Robin]

fats domino was found and rescued today as well. he had been missing since the hurricane.

I heard on two different channels that he was rescued Monday but hasn't been heard from since.


Harry Connick Jr, who grew up in N'awlins, toured the city today and was absolutely speechless.

[Tigers#1]

Whos fats domino?

[I Are Baboon]

Our government sucks!

:Puter:

[Nanner]

THIS IS HORRIBLE!!!:eek:

There are thousands......... THOUSANDS of people asking for help at the convention center! And they're not getting it! Ambulance personnell are afraid to go there because they're afraid, for God's sake! GEEZ! This is very disturbing. These people are asking for HELP, they're not looting and shooting. They're dying!

I'm watching a report on Today, and there's a cameraman who's extremely upset. He said these people have been waiting for help for 4 freakin' days!!! They were told to go to the Convention Center........ and there's no one in charge there. They're living in filth, (if you can call it living), babies are dying from dehydration, the elderly are dying, having trouble breathing, they're going without food. And no one is getting the help to them! It's so freakin' upsetting to see this! He said he was talking to ambulance personnel outside the area, saying, "Why aren't you in there? Why aren't you helping them?!" They said they were afraid to go in there. The cameraman in the report said he told them, "We're going in there. We're not getting shot." And yet they're afraid! :eek: WTF?!?! One guy came and got this cameraman and said, "Follow me." He took him through the area, and said, "This is what's happening. This is the situation. Where's the help?" Half of the images he said he couldn't air because they were so disturbing, and yet the ones they did air were extremely disturbing.

This is freakin' AMERICA!!! We're not a 3rd world country!!! Where's the freakin' National Guard to make sure that help and supplies get to these people?! Where's freakin' FEMA to take care of these people?!??! Where was the response that was supposed to be there right away?!? WHERE?!?!

[Nanner]

Our government sucks!

:Puter:

We have failed our own people.

These images are breaking my heart.

Now I'm hearing that hotels in Detroit are opening up empty rooms to people who need shelter. Which is good. And there are people from the Superdome being bussed to Houston, where they'll get water and food and shelter and air conditioning, because the Superdome had turned into a hell-hole as well.

If large businesses can do what the government apparently isn't doing to help these people, that would be great.

[rockin500]

National Guard were doing search and rescue first, instead of Shoot To Kill patrol, so they let the looters get out of control.

FEMA really dropped the ball here. but at the same time, they are dealing with two disasters here. The initial hurricane and then the flood.

all i know is that FEMA needs to do a much better job!

[PissedPrincess]

I know I'm gonna get killed for saying this, but I don't care. After 9/11, the Gov't busted their ass to help. Rich, white people. Meanwhile, THOUSANDS of poor black people are dying and no one cares.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! JESUS CHRIST SHUT DOWN GREYHOUND FOR A DAY AND BUS THESE FOLKS OUTTA THERE!

DROP SOME FREAKIN SUPPLIES!

I am so NOT proud to be an American right now. I gave 2 weeks salary to REd Cross. I seriously wanna drive there, fill my car with people and take them home.

WTF. :Pissed:

[PissedPrincess]

Oh, and just to stay with the NON PC theme. Eff the world. Thanx for all your help. Next time a Tsunami hits some other country they can rot. :bonehead

[I Are Baboon]

Oh, and just to stay with the NON PC theme. Eff the world. Thanx for all your help. Next time a Tsunami hits some other country they can rot. :bonehead

A few countries have offered help (Canada and Russia to name two), but that number can be counted on one hand. The world sucks. I could rant for hours, but I won't. Bunch of assbite countries.

[rockin500]

I know the swiss people have donated. not sure about governments n all.

the prez has ripped the efforts of FEMA, and while its his administration that oversees it (Homeland security), he's three steps removed.
For the first time, however, he stopped defending his administration's response and criticized it. "A lot of people are working hard to help those who've been affected. The results are not acceptable," he said. "I'm heading down there right now

at least 10.5 billion will be funded immediately, which is more than any other hurricane/earthquake disaster. the national guard is there, but the way that they used them initially left something to be desired. the whole thing is effed up. :(

[PissedPrincess]

The world sucks. I could rant for hours, but I won't. Bunch of assbite countries.

I could too. I'll just shut up now. But I'm pissed. :Pissed:

[Thedatch]

okay...I know i'm gonna be unpopular for saying this, but we don't need the world's help! Here we are, the richest country in the world, and we are always the ones supplying most of the food and water to other countries when they need it. do you know what that means? that most other countries in the world can only give us money, which we don't need, being the richest country in the world and all. They have nothing to offer us.

[Nanner]

I know I'm gonna get killed for saying this, but I don't care. After 9/11, the Gov't busted their ass to help. Rich, white people. Meanwhile, THOUSANDS of poor black people are dying and no one cares.

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! JESUS CHRIST SHUT DOWN GREYHOUND FOR A DAY AND BUS THESE FOLKS OUTTA THERE!

DROP SOME FREAKIN SUPPLIES!

I am so NOT proud to be an American right now. I gave 2 weeks salary to REd Cross. I seriously wanna drive there, fill my car with people and take them home.

WTF. :Pissed:

I so agree with everything you've said. And I feel so helpless. If I could go down there with a bus, I would do it. These people need immediate help. Stuff that the government's disaster relief agencies should have been doing from DAY 1.

It's so freakin' heartbreaking to see people carrying around dead children in their arms, and they're in America, for God's sake. We got relief to the Indian Ocean in a matter of 24 hours. Where's our own relief for our own countrymen and women and children? I sort of agree with Datch. We help other countries, yet we can't even seem to help ourselves.

Cripes. It makes me so angry......... :Pissed:

[I Are Baboon]

okay...I know i'm gonna be unpopular for saying this, but we don't need the world's help! Here we are, the richest country in the world, and we are always the ones supplying most of the food and water to other countries when they need it. do you know what that means? that most other countries in the world can only give us money, which we don't need, being the richest country in the world and all. They have nothing to offer us.

Even if we don't need help (and i disagree with you on that), help has not been offered.....even though the US is teh first to step up EVERY GODDAMN TIME THERE IS A CATASTROPHE SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.

[Thedatch]

what we need more than anything right now is for someone, ANYONE, to step up and take control over this situation. Right now nothing is being co-ordinated, and we need to get everything organized if we want to get these people out of the city as soon as possible.

Another thing is that a lot of this could and should have been prevented...we have known for such a long time that New Orleans was in such a dangerous place. We've known forever that, if New Orleans was hit by such a storm, exactly this would happen. Do you realize that a lot of the levees in the city were made for a Cat. 3 storm? they weren't prepared for this, and they should have been, because they knew it would happen.

Also, half of the national guard from Missisippi and Louisiana are currently stationed in Iraq.

[Thedatch]

ok, so apparently the russian government offered aid to the US, and we declined saying that we could handle the situation on our own. I got this from a website which I don't know whether it is very reliable or not but...

another thing is that America has not ASKED for help.

President George W. Bush said in an earlier television interview that the United States could take care of itself. “I’m not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn’t asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy and perhaps some will send cash dollars. But this country’s going to rise up and take care of it,” Bush told ABC’s Good Morning America.

[PissedPrincess]

Datch, for God's sakes we wouldn't turn down help. We should have to ask? You are kidding right? I am INCENSED, but not surprised that outside help is limited.

I agree with Nanner. I feel so helpless. I really wanna drive there.

[rockin500]

you shouldnt have to ask for help. and the only real help thats been offered is "discounts on oil" from places like venezuala.

and datch yes, we probably should have built for a category 4. but do you realize how expensive it is to do that? probably not. unless you actually work in the engineering field, you dont really have any idea about the costs to build something that would be able to both withstand 160 mph and 30 foot storm surges. Its just economically feasible. We're talking about tens of billions of dollars here to build a system to protect the Louisiana area. The government can only spend money so many places. a Category 3 is a damned strong storm, and anywhere else, that protection works. The higher the degree of protection, the higher the cost goes at an exponential rate.

people should have started evacuating on saturday. I know some people could evacuate, but many people still decided to ride it out because they had ridden out previous storms. They bear some responsibility for their current situation. that may sound cold, but its true.

oh, and datch, those national guard people overseas? they probably wouldnt have helped much in the looting role since they were supposed to be on search and rescue. not to mention there are plenty of people in active duty here in the states who could have helped if called.

[Thedatch]

you shouldnt have to ask for help. and the only real help thats been offered is "discounts on oil" from places like venezuala.

and datch yes, we probably should have built for a category 4. but do you realize how expensive it is to do that? probably not. unless you actually work in the engineering field, you dont really have any idea about the costs to build something that would be able to both withstand 160 mph and 30 foot storm surges. Its just economically feasible. We're talking about tens of billions of dollars here to build a system to protect the Louisiana area. The government can only spend money so many places. a Category 3 is a damned strong storm, and anywhere else, that protection works. The higher the degree of protection, the higher the cost goes at an exponential rate.

people should have started evacuating on saturday. I know some people could evacuate, but many people still decided to ride it out because they had ridden out previous storms. They bear some responsibility for their current situation. that may sound cold, but its true.

oh, and datch, those national guard people overseas? they probably wouldnt have helped much in the looting role since they were supposed to be on search and rescue. not to mention there are plenty of people in active duty here in the states who could have helped if called.

I wanted to highlight that part in your post because it's totally true. But it brings the question of where the countries' priorities are...at home, in our own country, or elsewhere in the world. Don't you think we should fix our country before trying to help others?

you're in the engineering field right? I'm sure you know a lot more about that stuff than I do, but I do know that it's very expensive...coming from a country such as Holland, which is in basically the same situation as NO, most of the country being below sea level... but right now we're probably going to spend much more than it would have cost to build better protections. The senate passed a bill giving 10.5 billion dollars to the effort, and there will be more, i'm sure.

we get a lot of our oil from venezuala I believe, so cuts in oil prices from them will make a difference.

And with regards to the National Guardsmen and women, what I 'm saying is that everyone is complaining about how long it has taken for help to get there. More people would definately have helped, maybe not with looting, but with distributing food and chanelling people, etc.

[rockin500]

the governor didnt call up the national guard until after the fact. thats one of the faults. they should have been on guard as soon as monday morning when the actions started going on.

as for budget things, thats the double edged sword of being the world's only legitimate superpower. We are blasted if we dont help other countries because we are too "isolated" see, Decade 1920's, 1930's. But if we do try to help the world out, we dont have as much money at home to spend. Even if there would be no war, we spend so much on foreign aid and expenditures just on normal peacekeeping missions that we would still have to spend shitloads of money there. Congress would still have the same budget for Engineering issues. Money that goes towards levees would be taken away from roads, bridges, other infrastructure.

Bush is going to be (and already is by political hacks on the TV shows) bashed for FEMA's (lack of) actions. and whether he deserves all of the blame or not, he is going to get it because the buck stops with him. Its not as if he could really do much except declare martial law there. but the governor could have done that too. everything that Bush could have done (administratively) should have a) been done by DHS boss (whomever that is) and b) Louisiana governer. Mississippi and alabama are much better off now and the the national guard has been very beneficial there. ITs only in New Orleans that abject failure happened. And unfortunately, thats how its going to be remembered.

[Thedatch]

the government always gets blamed for not coming to the rescue quicker. and like you said, whether Bush deserves it or not, he's gonna be blamed because he's the ultimate authority. What makes this a little worse I think, is with so many people unhappy about the War now, people are beginning to get mad because the money we spent there, and the troops that are over there now could have been here to help NO. It's just horrible to watch all of this onfold, and as has been said before by a number of people on this thread, the feeling of helplessness is the worst. You want to do something about it, but really the only thing we can do is donate money and watch what unfolds.

[PissedPrincess]

One bright thing. Ya gotta love the Mayor of NO. How many politicians would stick around and fight for their city? Sad to have to praise him, but nice to know there is at least ONE good politician.

[Thedatch]

One bright thing. Ya gotta love the Mayor of NO. How many politicians would stick around and fight for their city? Sad to have to praise him, but nice to know there is at least ONE good politician.

:thumbsup:

[rockin500]

and too bad the damned Feds are being too proud now to ask for more help from states.

Frustration about the federal response to Hurricane Katrina has reached Chicago City Hall, as Mayor Richard Daley today noted a tepid response by federal officials to the city's offers of disaster aid.

The city is willing to send hundreds of personnel, including firefighters and police, and dozens of vehicles to assist on the storm-battered Gulf Coast, but so far the Federal Emergency Management Agency has requested only a single tank truck, Daley said.

"I was shocked," he said.

"We are ready to provide considerably more help than they have requested," the mayor said, barely able to contain his anger during a City Hall news conference. "We are just waiting for the call."

The mayor's remarks came at the announcement of a city-sponsored "Chicago Helps Fund," which will accept donations from citizens for the hurricane relief effort.

and if they just send them regardless, the Feds tell them they dont have a place to put them. thats what they told other helpers. eventually they asked today of one group in alabama, but they had been told to turn around yesterday cuz they werent needed and had nowhere to be put up.

[Thedatch]

and too bad the damned Feds are being too proud now to ask for more help from states.


and if they just send them regardless, the Feds tell them they dont have a place to put them. thats what they told other helpers. eventually they asked today of one group in alabama, but they had been told to turn around yesterday cuz they werent needed and had nowhere to be put up.

you see? what the hell!!! there's something seriously wrong with that.

[rockin500]

you see? what the hell!!! there's something seriously wrong with that.
pride man. thats what it is. root of all evilness. But you know for every bad thing thats happening here, you have people like Joe Horn who is going to houston to personally take care of at least one refugee family, or Brett Favre and Steve McNair or Chris Duhon.

[rockin500]

actually, i hear that it goes from City to state to Federal in that order for help. obviously, everyone deserves the blame, but it starts at the city level and the feds are really only supposed to be called in if asked.

[rockin500]

australia donated 6.3 million bucks. :thumbsup:

[Big R]

Stupid about what?


stupid about taking so long to do anything! look how many people are dying due too there stupidity! should of been down there helping right after it happened


the goverment and bush make me sick i cant even believe any voted for him

[Thedatch]

stupid about taking so long to do anything! look how many people are dying due too there stupidity! should of been down there helping right after it happened


the goverment and bush make me sick i cant even believe any voted for him

I am as Anti-Bush as anyone on this board, but this happens with EVERY single crisis situation. Help can never arrive early enough. Granted we weren't as prepared as we probably should have been, but that isn't all Bush's fault. Like Ray said, there really isn't all that much he himself could have done. Due to buraucracy being the way it is (painstakingly slow), it's very difficult to do anything quickly.

[Rockin Robin]

The feds have been planning how to help people in NOLA & the Gulf Coast. Not doing. Just planning. That's one of the problems.

Another is that pretty much only the well off people were able to get out before the storm. So many people have been living way below the poverty level that they were not able to get out. No one helped them out, and many of them are still waiting for help.

Those select few that were able to take shelter in the Superdome regret that move. The toilets are all overflowing. There are no showers to use. Food and water just starting arriving, but not enough of it. There have been tons of robberies and rapes, including many teenage victims. I saw one family who actually managed to "escape" because they actually feared for their lives.

The situation was way out of hand before the event even occurred. This really sucks.

[Timberwolf]

very sad and i cant believe how stupid the goverment is!

I think it's unfair to critique the state or federal government on a time like this. It's not like they are sitting on their hands. They are doing the best they can. It's not an enviable situation for them right now.

[Timberwolf]

New Orleans is like a scene from the apocalypse. :( It just looks worse n worse and people have turned into animals.

I agree with what you said. This has been a tough week for this country as far as I am concerned.. I could barely digest reading the details of how the Hurricane has struck New Orleans and all without tears coming out. It's really bad. I can't even bear to watch on CNN where the scene has been grutuesque. Basically, the city has been destroyed. 1,000 people have died. It's just a mess. Hopefully, New Orleans can recover from this mess and rebuild that city.

[Tigers#1]

10,000 people have died.
Is this a fact? I haven't heard this. :confused:

[Tigers#1]

Has anyone else seen this, this is kind of cool to look at: Satellite Picture (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/hurricanes/interactive/fullpage.nola.flood/katrina.html)

And can i ask why everyone is complaining about the government not doing anything with this after signing a $10.5 billion dollar relief effort to this. Maybe i'm not understanding what your talking about, but with everything i've read, i can't see what else you want them to do.

[Timberwolf]

Actually, it was 1,000 people. Sorry about that.

[Tigers#1]

Even thats just crazy. Nobody really even talked about this storm much untill after it hit. Last year all 3 Hurricanes in Florida made a lot more pub before hand than this.

[Timberwolf]

Katrina was definitely not your ordinary hurricane. You are talking about hurricane that basically destroyed a city to the point that it may not recover.

I definitely learned a lot about this from watching CNN and the news networks this week. It's just painful to read about this and all.

[BayStateBabe]

Has anyone else seen this, this is kind of cool to look at: Satellite Picture (http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/hurricanes/interactive/fullpage.nola.flood/katrina.html)

And can i ask why everyone is complaining about the government not doing anything with this after signing a $10.5 billion dollar relief effort to this. Maybe i'm not understanding what your talking about, but with everything i've read, i can't see what else you want them to do.
National Guardsmen, whose function it is to protect life and property in times of national crisis, are off in Iraq. Thus, their domestic resources were stretched thin and troops had to be diverted from other states, thus delaying the rescue/relief efforts.

FEMA, whose function it is to TAKE IMMEDIATE CHARGE of coordinating rescue/relief efforts was as slow as a snail in responding and STILL don't have a coordinated effort in place.

Bad enough untold numbers of people were lost in the storm...people who mamaged to survive THAT are STILL dying from malnutrition, dehydration and heat stroke because food, water and shelter didn't BEGIN reaching them for FIVE days.

Food and shelter was and still is the immediate need. The 10.5 billion is a long term solution and even at that, it's a day late and a dollar short.

I suspect THAT is what people are complaining about.

[rockin500]

National Guardsmen, whose function it is to protect life and property in times of national crisis, are off in Iraq. Thus, their domestic resources were stretched thin and troops had to be diverted from other states, thus delaying the rescue/relief efforts.

FEMA, whose function it is to TAKE IMMEDIATE CHARGE of coordinating rescue/relief efforts was as slow as a snail in responding and STILL don't have a coordinated effort in place.

Bad enough untold numbers of people were lost in the storm...people who mamaged to survive THAT are STILL dying from malnutrition, dehydration and heat stroke because food, water and shelter didn't BEGIN reaching them for FIVE days.

Food and shelter was and still is the immediate need. The 10.5 billion is a long term solution and even at that, it's a day late and a dollar short.

I suspect THAT is what people are complaining about.
when louisiana turns down offers from Illinois about their national guard on monday afternoon, thats their fault. There was plenty of national guard available, but new orleans didnt avail themselves to that help. The federal government isnt supposed to get involved unless asked and by time the state and new orleans requested help from FEMA and other agencies, it was too late. The Prez declared a state of emergency more than 48 hours in advance of the storm. Thats about all he can do unless he is requested to help. and even then, he wouldnt be the one who should be blamed. at that point, its in the bureacracy's hands. blame that if you want to blame anything.

10.5 billion in assistance is a long term solution, true, but it does help immediately as well. so does the donations of other countries that are coming in now. gotta start somewhere.

[BayStateBabe]

when louisiana turns down offers from Illinois about their national guard on monday afternoon, thats their fault. There was plenty of national guard available, but new orleans didnt avail themselves to that help. The federal government isnt supposed to get involved unless asked and by time the state and new orleans requested help from FEMA and other agencies, it was too late. The Prez declared a state of emergency more than 48 hours in advance of the storm. Thats about all he can do unless he is requested to help. and even then, he wouldnt be the one who should be blamed. at that point, its in the bureacracy's hands. blame that if you want to blame anything.

10.5 billion in assistance is a long term solution, true, but it does help immediately as well. so does the donations of other countries that are coming in now. gotta start somewhere.
Understand from the outset that I am not saying your statements are wrong. That said...

Gov't from top to bottom takes the hit here, IMO. There comes a time when you have to say "damn procedure, damn protocol and damn the red tape". It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission. And I really don't think the American people at large would have minded a heavy handed approach being taken in an effort to help save lives. It beats the hell out of watching them sit with their thumbs up their collective ass trying to figure out what to do and who should do it while people are dying. I'm willing to bet the people in NO wouldn't have minded.

[rockin500]

i can understand that. i just dont think its fair to blame the feds for everything. It goes everywhere if people are going to cast blame.

frankly, i dont really want to blame anyone. it just sucks. :(

[BayStateBabe]

I agree with you on that. That's why I said Gov't takes the hit top to bottom, meaning all levels. It's a combined failure.

I also agree with you that right now, relief is the top priority. Recriminations can wait till later.

[Piazza'sbabe]

Unless they took that 10.5 billion check and ran immediately to the local Costco and stocked up on water, food, baby formula and diapers that money will mean nothing to the people who survived the storm itself are dying because of a lack of food, water and medical attention.
Babies are dying from dehydration, some newborns are being exposed to diseases inside the convention center and they haven't been inoculated yet. Old people are dying from not getting their much needed medicine, heat stroke and dehydration.
This isn't a third world country I'm talking about, this is right here in one of the richest country in the world.

Sure the money is needed to rebuild and help those who lost everything. But who is going to take the blame for the unnecessary deaths that are occuring because the administration had (as Gina so eloquently put ;)) thumbs up their collective asses.

[Tigers#1]

I"m sure they were doing everything they can for this. I highly doubt the government sat there and said, "How can we be evil today" like everyone seems to think everytime something goes wrong. It's so easy to watch from the sidelines and say "your an idiot" over everything.

[Big R]

I"m sure they were doing everything they can for this. I highly doubt the government sat there and said, "How can we be evil today" like everyone seems to think everytime something goes wrong. It's so easy to watch from the sidelines and say "your an idiot" over everything.


everything they could? it happened on monday and stuff wasnt being done til FRIDAY and the black community has a good point about if the majority of the people werent black and in poverty help would of came alot sooner alot of people died for no reason

[BayStateBabe]

I"m sure they were doing everything they can for this. I highly doubt the government sat there and said, "How can we be evil today" like everyone seems to think everytime something goes wrong. It's so easy to watch from the sidelines and say "your an idiot" over everything.
Yes, I'm sure there was a perfectly good reason why it took FIVE DAYS to start getting supplies to these people.

[BPBlueSox]

I think this Administration has set a new high for the number of excuses that people have had to make for them.

[rockin500]

now you have people who are fighting tooth n nail to stay in their houses to wait until electricity comes on. brilliant.

[Rockin Robin]

They'll have quite a long wait.......

[Tigers#1]

I'm sorry, i just have a really hard time dealing with people who anytime a national tradgedy happens, they immediatly try to find a way the other political party messed up, instead of trying to help fix what happened. Thousands are dead, dying, homeless, jobless, etc, and all anyone can do is try to rip the other side. And both sides are always to blame. Wait untill the tragedy is at least a few weeks over to play your political games. No body caused this Hurricane, and pointing fingers days after it happens gets us no where. Instead of the mayor and president worrying about New Orleans, they spend a good chunck of it standing up for themselves. Sorry, it just really makes me sick.