Inquiry - do the events of Hurrican Katrina qualify as a "tragedy" under your previous definition from the thread a few weeks ago?

Anyway, Update: Looks like the Saints for the time-being will play its "home games" in the AlamoDome in San Antonio. Far from the minds of survivors as it should be, but a heads up to those sports fans out there.

Houston, TX is helping out in a big way: They are sending buses to the Superdome and bringing everyone to the Astrodome.

Mmm, I know that they are looking for engineers down there badly, though they've got the army core of engineers already feverishly working on a solution.

Bret Favre's family home was destroyed. Though none of his family members were hurt.

Dunno if you ever listened in (on a scanner radio) to the police frequencies but here's a link (below) to the New Orleans Police frequency. Its a little slow at night, but some of this "behind the scenes" stuff is interesting.

NEW ORLEANS POLICE SCANNER

BBC Radio News reporting this morning that while it is impossible to give accurate figures at this stage, the death toll is expected to run to four figures

This is like something you expect to see in the Third World.

I watched a 48 Hours special on New Orleans last night. It was heartbreaking. The survivors are just stretched out on the Interstate with no food and no water. They interviewed a woman whose husband had died in her arms, but she said that the police only told her to wrap him up and try to put him in the shade so he didn't smell. Then, when she pointed to what I thought was a pile of rags, to my horror, I realized that the dead husband was still there next to her!! They had old people, babies, the survivors are building up Shantytowns. It was horrible. They've been without food or water for three days, and they had received no help since being rescued from the water. Where is FEMA? Where is The Red Cross? They showed another family that left a shelter because they thought it was too dangerous and that the others might steal the little food and water they still had, so they were roaming the streets with their children and all of their possessions in a shopping cart. Horrendous!!

They did interview a woman at the one hospital on dry land. She had given birth in the middle of all this. They said the baby's name (something like Kristen, can't remember), but the original name she had picked out was Katrina! What are the odds? The medical staff in this hospitall have not left for days. They have no idea if their own homes are still standing, but since it's the only hospital still functioning, they're not leaving.

This was truly heartbreaking.

Absolutely horrendous. The greatest government on earth stumbling over itself. It appears there really is or was no comprehensive plan to deal with a catastrophy of this size. Let's make it up as we go along. Sad.

One of the main problems is that due to the increasing flooding instead of receding water...there are limited roads in & out of the city. Even via helicopter there is a limit to what these organizations can do to help right now.

New Orleans is below sea level. The land was literally drained and built upon in the early 1920's. For many years the city has dodged this kind of bullet, when hurricane after hurricane eventually managed head in a different direction and/or carry a bit less power. New Orleans didn't even get the most powerful brunt of Katrina...that hit Biloxi, Mississippi. There have been predictions for years that one day a storm of this magnitude would hit, and when it did the infrastructure of New Orleans would be virtually destroyed.

Now it's happened. And while the people of that region are the most directly affected and in need of our help...this will eventually have an impact on ALL of us, and not just with regard to gas/oil prices as we are now seeing.

This is one of the things that must be expected when we continue to habitate every bit of land that is available...even when nature suggests that a particular area might just not be meant for that purpose.

I'll be donating money on the Red Cross website today (www.redcross.org). How 'bout the rest of you?

Apple

GOD, this is soooo sad, I wish I could help over there. My prayers go out to the families who lost family members and relatives. I hope the situation imporoves very soon....

Now there's fires in New Orleans. What will happen next?

What the f$$k does anyone give a shit about where a football game will be played? People are homeless, starving, dead, injured, and lost. There is mass hysteria going on over there. It bothers me to no end to see the people going through this. It could be anyone of us going through this.

And all you can contribute here is what will happen to the Saints football team? :rolleyes: Get real Ronnie.


DS

Smitty, did Ronnie write that article? Did it not cross your mind that perhaps he lamented the nature of the article, and was simply posting to reflect how absurd this situation is, and, as always, how horridly the media reports such events?

Mick

No mick that is not the case. he posted over in another thread about New Orleans asking about the football game and the stadium. Way before he posted that article. It's been on his mind. He did not make that post for the reasons you say. He's even apologized over in another thread for making a joke about this thing.

DS

I just heard that Congress is cutting its break short and returning early to vote on legislation helping the hurricane's victims. I'd say thats the least they could do.

I don't wanna politicize this but it was also just announced that Bush will be touring the disaster area tomorrow. I don't see how thats going to accomplish anything of real value; in fact by him being there its only going to make things worse by virtue of the security needed to protect him (and taking away police from other more immediate duties).

Good point SC. His being there will detract from what really needs to be focused on. And every moment of this rescue effort counts right now.

But then as the leader of this country, if he does not show up, there are those who will accuse him of not caring. And as the leader of this country, he probably feels that he needs to see first hand what damage is done so that he can have a first hand understanding of what resources need to be provided by government in order to try and remedy this situation.

It's a tough situation. But if the decision were up to me, right now I would advise him to stay away, for the exact reasons that you have stated.


Don Cardi

I seen on the news this morning that he flew over the area in Airforce 1 yesterday. Is he going back again?

Who's heard the story of a brother in Miss. that apparently shot and killed his sister in a fight over a bag of ice? Damn...

OMG that is just terrible

The stories just get worse and worse. Just looking at the clips today where people are on the news begging for help. I can't put myself in their shoes.

Sadly, many of them don't even have shoes. Here's the front page of today's NY Post:

I saw that on the news today. Reporters are saying police and national guard are driving past people, and they can't help them. You can just picture people starving in Africa and think of the comparison. There's no food, no medicine, no medical help for people on dialysis or diabetes. 5 people have died in the convention center, just from neglect.

Remember how "colorful" politics are down there (big pockets, stratching backs, etc. more so than even a national level). I'm appalled by the armed gangs, the shooting at police helicopters, the looting, but sadly, I'm not hugely surprised.

And flooding in New Orleans hit a very poor, very economically stratified city with an already very very (add many more verys) serious violence problem and major skepticism among the population about the police force and local government (corruption, etc.) I remember thinking on Saturday morning that the city's basic emergency plan could be summed up as "get the folks with resources out of town... let the poor (black) families and stranded tourists drown." I'm not defending anybody, and Lord knows I'm not defending the folks who are carjacking, looting, shooting at rescuers, etc. I'm just not surprised. This was ugly from the get-go.

The Missup has always wanted to move west and drain to the Atchafalaya. Sadly, perhaps if we weren't so dependent on the port we should let the river go. Unless building levees for stage 5 hurricanes is feasible?

Glad you made it back safe SB. Alot of people here were thinking of you.

SaladBar, what a pleasure to hear from you!!!!!!!!!! I hope that your family are all ok. We was worried about ya there for a couple of days.

Good to see you back!

Don Cardi

I heard a really disturbing report from Shepard Smith about the convention center. Apparently several woman have complained that during the night they were raped. This is just disgusting.

These people fear for their lives especially when the evening arrrives because there is no electricity and it becomes a free for all for all the sicko criminals.


Don Cardi

With all the people in that place no one tried to help those women?

Apparently Mig, these attacks happend in the bathroom where it was pitch black. I would summize that with the amount of people in that convention center, it is probably very loud and therefore no one could hear any cries for help. This is just specualtion on my part, but it's the only logical reason that I could think of. I guess that we just can't fathom what it really must be like in that place. Very sad.


Don Cardi