Katrina's aftermath

Its not like its being used for anything else right now. Besides, it actually has power and water.

Anyone following the Interdictor and his cam on LJ, btw? Dude is obviously a survival nut getting his wet dream for the world to see, but its pretty interesting nonetheless. It sounds very boring, but I just watched water start moving into his region of the city (St. Charles?) and begin to pool.

http://www.tv-heads.com/networkpages/darynkagan.jpg

Results 1 - 10 of about 19,000 for gregory peck zombie. (0.27 seconds)

I've seen his posts. He IS nuts and I have to wonder what the hell he's going to do when he's finally told to leave. Expect all sorts of whining.

9:22 A.M. - (AP) Looting broke out in some New Orleans neighborhoods today, prompting authorities to send more than 70 additional officers and an armed personnel carrier into the city.

My feeling is that he's staying no matter what. He seemed dead set on not being noticed by patrols yesterday. He's completely mad. I feet bad for his girlfriend.

i read his quotes in the paper this morning, and even that broke my heart. she said something like: "you can't hold me for ever" ... it is indescribably sad.

I picture him using that knife in his icon on anyone who would dare interrupt his struggle for survival.

If you're on the cam, you've got a special treat: you're watching the flood progress (hasn't moved in 24 hours) and the looting of a hotel.

We're seriously considering trying to restore some order to this city since the government has totally given up (and probably couldn't do anything anyway). The police have been looting according to reports, and the honest ones are under siege at their precincts as automatic gunfire was unloaded at one near the Quarter.

I know it's dangerous, but I've got some experience with Foreign Internal Defense, and if there's a chance of slowing down this Planet of the Apes deterioration, someone's got to take the first step. I mean, it's Lord of the Flies out there right now. There's no order at all. No respect for private property, no respect for life.

The situation has got to be desperate for a lot of people sweltering in the heat with no food and water, no place to crap, no clean clothes, no place to sleep.

Hm.

This story is not about me but 15 members of my family who now call the Superdome home.

I was awakened a couple of hours ago by a very disturbing phone call regarding the fate of some of the rugeees who followed the mayor's advice to seek shelter at the dome as a last resort.

The media has laid it all out for us: no plumbing,no power, and recent reports of criminal activity. From a family menmber I was told that a young girl had been assaulted and the death of a man from apparent suicide.

My sister said they did not eat Tuesday because all their rations and food supply
had run out.

The one thing she seemed distraught about was the lack of political presence.
They want to know that the very people who were elected by them care enough to be among them during this horrific ordeal. I was also asked to call the radio station to get the word to the officials about the dire straits the evacuees are in. They fear for their well being and safety of themselves and the children in their care.

Let the media in for all the world to see the situation as it really is. If the officials are ashamed then maybe they should be among their people at the Superdome.

I did return a call a call to let her know that the Navy is sending ships with necessary supplies. They are leaving Norfolk, Virginia, this morning
according to CNN but no word on when they are expected to arrive.
Please share this story with the only radio station still on the air as they are hoping against hope someone, somewhere will hear them out and give them a glimmer of hope.

Bless you all in the Crescent City.

There's your New Orleans police, protecting the people. Look, you had to know this was going to happen.

And I said "if they can". Look, they might starve, die of dehydration, or end up with typhoid. You got any better ideas how to eat or drink?

-- nero (abc12...), August 31st, 2005.

Can anyone actually cite a source that says our ability to respond was somehow diminished by having troops in Iraq? If it's true, it makes me angry, but so far I've only seen speculation.

Just now I put "Katrina" into Google, and guess what one of the first things that comes up is:

http://www.katw.com/

it's apparently more an issue of equipment than troops. the helicopters are over there, for one thing.

Col. Schneider says the state has enough equipment to get by, and if Louisiana were to get hit by a major hurricane, the neighboring states of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida have all agreed to help.

http://www.ww4report.com/node/1016

11:30 A.M. - Emergency Operations Director Walter Maestri: Evacuees from New Orleans and the east bank of Jefferson are flocking to the west bank, overwhelming the facilities.

here you go - the NYT reports that 6000+ guard troops from LA and MS are in Iraq, and both states have requested help from the outside

That's assuming that MS, AL, and FL wouldn't be having problems of their own which is clearly the case now. That quote is from August 1 - certainly things were a lot more optimistic back then.

Surely there is a place where it stops being "looting" and starts being survival. I wish they would put in the minimal amount of effort it would take to refer to them as, I don't know, "flood victims" rather than "looters".

xpost

re the evacuation: carnival cruise lines issued a statement saying they're looking into the feasibility of getting one of their ships to new orleans. it would be difficult, but it's not out of the question.

Oh man, that would be, like, the greatest thing ever.

"Asked whether the governors were short of Guard members for the hurricane mission, a Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman said, "The numbers would suggest otherwise.""

Virtually every state in the nation is sending in National Guardsmen. That would be the expected response anyhow.

No one, anywhere, in any place of power, has said that they lack the manpower needed to deal with the disaster because of Iraq. LA's National Guard, by itself, never would have been able to deal with the disaster anyhow, and given that what's been occurring has been happening over a period of several days now, having people transported in from TX, AR, OK, VA, and other completely unaffected areas was going to have to happen anyways. Its what is occurring now and has been occurring for some time.