Hurricane Katrina

[YASNY]

Wow, just wow. That's almost as sad as the physical destruction.  :headshake

 

The television news coverage is doing that too. They are only showing scenes of looting in which 98% of the looters are of a particular race.

[Rex Kickass]

Canada is sending a Search and Rescue team today down there. Apparently they have planes full of relief supplies just waiting for US go ahead to send over too but the US Government has not made a decision on whether to accept foreign aid yet.

[southsider2k5]

Did anyone see the recent live footage of the natural gas fire that was raging on top of the flood waters? I saw it on CNBC, but I am sure other networks picked it up. You could see the nat gas bubbling through the flood waters, while the fire on top burned away. It was surreal.

[Texsox]

From my dear friend John Kerry

 

Dear Jim,

 

This is a time for all Americans to pull together and do everything we can to assist people whose lives have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

 

If you haven't acted already, I urge you to join in delivering immediate help to the people who need it most. One way to do that is to support the relief and recovery efforts of the Red Cross with a personal donation.

 

Donate to the Red Cross

 

As we hold those who are going through so much pain and suffering in our prayers, I know you'll do everything you can to reach out and help.

 

Sincerely,

 

John Kerry

 

P.S. There are a host of other volunteer relief agencies doing essential life-saving work in this emergency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is coordinating the federal government's response efforts, has posted a list of recommended groups on its website.

 

 

Paid for by Friends of John Kerry, Inc. 

[southsider2k5]

For once I agree 110% with John Kerry. I also want to add a list of other places that I have found.

 

Here is the link to specifically donate to the hurricane relief at the Red Cross.

 

https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation-form.asp

 

Also here are many other worthy causes helping people, and other links for help and info.

 

Network for Good: www.networkforgood.org

 

Episcopal Relief & Development: 1-800-334-7626 or http://www.er-d.org/

 

Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338 or http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/

 

FEMA Charity tips: http://www.fema.gov/rrr/help2.shtm

 

National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster: http://www.nvoad.org/

 

Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: http://www.la-spca.org/

 

Hurricane/Flooding information

 

National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

 

National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/graphicsversion/bigmain.html

 

Hydrologic Information Center (river flooding): http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hic/index.html

 

 

Government Agencies

Federal Emergency Management Agency: http://www.fema.gov/

 

Louisiana Homeland Security: http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/

 

City of New Orleans: http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx

 

Louisiana Governor's Office: http://www.gov.state.la.us/

[Steff]

How nice.. :headshake

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9156612/

 

NEW ORLEANS - National Guard troops in armored vehicles poured into New Orleans on Thursday to curb the growing lawlessness that included shots reportedly fired at a helicopter airlifting people out of the Superdome and arson fires outside the arena.

 

The scene at the Superdome became increasingly chaotic, with thousands of people rushing from nearby hotels and other buildings, hoping to climb onto the buses taking evacuees from the arena, officials said. Paramedics became increasingly alarmed by the sight of people with guns.

 

The operation to bus more than 20,000 people to the Houston Astrodome was suspended “until they gain control of the Superdome,” said Richard Zeuschlag, head of Acadian Ambulance, which was handling the evacuation of sick and injured people from the Superdome.

 

He said that military would not fly out of the Superdome either because of the gunfire and that the National Guard told him that it was sending 100 military police officers to gain control.

“That’s not enough,” Zeuschlag. “We need a thousand.”

 

He said medics were calling him and crying for help because they were so scared of people with guns at the Superdome.

 

 

 

 

More at link.

[southsider2k5]

I saw on CNBC where they had to stop moving people from the Superdome because people were shooting at the helicopters. How messed up is that???

[Steff]

A gem from the link above...

 

"Tempers were beginning to flare in the aftermath of the storm. Police said a man fatally shot his sister in the head over a bag of ice in Hattiesburg, Miss."

[LosMediasBlancas]

I saw on CNBC where they had to stop moving people from the Superdome because people were shooting at the helicopters.  How messed up is that???

 

Saw that too. What's interesting to me is, of all the things that could have been salvaged, someone thought a gun was a neccesity.

[Texsox]

Saw that too. What's interesting to me is, of all the things that could have been salvaged, someone thought a gun was a neccesity.

 

The beauty of it is, they will point to all the shooting around them as justification why they needed their gun.

[LosMediasBlancas]

The beauty of it is, they will point to all the shooting around them as justification why they needed their gun.

 

Better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it.

[YASNY]

The beauty of it is, they will point to all the shooting around them as justification why they needed their gun.

 

Interesting. Because of what I've seen in NOLA, I've decided to arm myself. I will have firearms in my home shortly. And yes, I have been taught how to use and handle them.

[Texsox]

Interesting.  Because of what I've seen in NOLA, I've decided to arm myself.  I will have firearms in my home shortly.  And yes, I have been taught how to use and handle them.

 

Mine are bigger and I have more ammo so let's form a militia and protect each other . . .

[Steff]

Interesting.  Because of what I've seen in NOLA, I've decided to arm myself. 

 

 

 

Gimme some more info please...

[FlaSoxxJim]

Better to have a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not have it.

I thought that was condoms?

[southsider2k5]

I did see in the paper today that the Tribune Companies charity is doing a matching campaign for Hurricane Katrina relief, for every $2 that is donated, they will add $1.

 

You can call 1-800-508-2848

Get on-line at www.mccormicktribune.org

Or mail donations to

McCormick Tribune Foundation Hurricane Relief Campaign

435 North Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611

[LosMediasBlancas]

I thought that was condoms? 

 

[YASNY]

Gimme some more info please...

 

I saw plenty of gangs of looters, but I guess what I should have said was "What I read ...." People were stealing and packing AK47's. Hijacking vehicles. Police helpless to stop or even slow the crime going on. It's a completely lawless environment there. They'll get a handle on it with the Nat'l Guard and other law enforcement agencies. But, they'll be too late for some people.

 

I live near the New Madrid fault, with has MAJOR earthquake potential. If I survive that, I want to be able to defend myself until law and order can be restored.

[Steff]

I would have guessed you were packing already.

[Mplssoxfan]

Here's a lot of before and after satellite photos of the city.

 

Jawdropping.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I can only imagine how many times these terrible events have replayed.

 

Lucrece Phillips’ sleepless nights are filled with the images of dead babies and women, and young and old men with tattered T-shirts or graying temples, all of whom she saw floating along the streets of the Lower 9th Ward.

 

. . .

 

"The rescuers in the boats that picked us up had to push the bodies back with sticks," Phillips said sobbing. "And there was this little baby. She looked so perfect and so beautiful. I just wanted to scoop her up and breathe life back into her little lungs. She wasn’t bloated or anything, just perfect."

 

. . .

 

Phillips’ downstairs neighbor, Terrilyn Foy, 41, and her 5-year-old son, Trevor, were unable to escape, Phillips said. By late Monday the surging waters of Lake Pontchartrain had swallowed the neighborhood. The water crept, then rushed, under the front door, Phillips said, then knocked it from its hinges. In less than 30 minutes, Phillips said, the water had topped her neighbors’ 12-foot ceiling and was gulping at hers.

 

"I can still hear them banging on the ceiling for help," Phillips said, shaking. "I heard them banging and banging, but the water kept rising." Then the pleas for help were silenced by the sway of the current, she said.

 

And now my very dark thoughts on the ongoing rescue efforts:

 

Even with water starting to fall (thankfully), some of the neighborhoods were under 20 feet of water, so there are still trapped people going through similar horrors even now. Think of all the people that chopped through their roofs from the attic below and were rescued by the helicopters. Now think of all the people who likely managed to get up to the attic while their houses flooded, but didn't have anything with them to chop through the roof, or were to sick or old to do so. many of those folks certainly drowned when the water caught up with them. Others may have stayed above water, but were then trapped in theor attics, with no way to break out and no food and water. And no electricity in 90+ degree weather, forcing the temperatures in an enclosed attic space up well past 100 degrees easily.

 

That's where the thousands of victims have died, and are in all likelyhood still dying while nobody knows they are there.

Edited September 1, 2005 by FlaSoxxJim

[LosMediasBlancas]

where did this ^ story come from?

[FlaSoxxJim]

where did this ^ story come from?

 

Today's news summary from the Times-Picayune, second story.

 

 

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/ind..._09.html#075602

[LosMediasBlancas]

thx.

[Cerbaho-WG]

I saw plenty of gangs of looters, but I guess what I should have said was "What I read ...."  People were stealing and packing AK47's.  Hijacking vehicles.  Police helpless to stop or even slow the crime going on.  It's a completely lawless environment there.  They'll get a handle on it with the Nat'l Guard and other law enforcement agencies.  But, they'll be too late for some people. 

 

I live near the New Madrid fault, with has MAJOR earthquake potential.  If I survive that, I want to be able to defend myself until law and order can be restored.

 

Have fun with that considering the likelihood is slim and none. With that logic, I better start caching assault rifles in case a meteor strikes the Earth so I can go Mad Max on everyone and fend for myself.