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Posted on 08/29/2005 2:47:45 AM PDT by NautiNurse
And we have a dozen FReepers who were in the direct path of the storm who have not checked in yet. We have another dozen who were on the periphery of the storm who have not checked in yet. And we have 4 who will have this storm upon them soon enough. Go HERE for the thread.
Frankly I'm annoyed that anyone is even trying to find them. There are thousands of people who tried their best to get out of harm's way, who are nonetheless in mortal danger right now. Leave the suicidal idiots for later.
Howard Ave. area, New Orleans
Monday, 3 p.m.
Reporters didn't have to travel far from The Times-Picayune offices on Howard Ave., to witness the storm's destructive force.
Within four blocks of the office, the storm scenes were still raw and astonishing. A handful of cars in the parking lot had their windows and sky roofs blown out. One sportscar had its hatchback glass blown out, the back-seat head rest protruding from the back window like a shark's fin.
Several concrete light poles along I-10 were snapped in half. Billboard signs were shredded and flailing in the wind. Dozens of sheets of aluminum siding were twisted around tree trunks and fences. Street signs were bent at 45-degree angles. Several trees were uprooted. Several large tree branches littered both lanes of Howard Ave. Windows at a General Electric maintenance building were blown out on both the first and second floors.
Dozens of buses and vans at the New Orleans Tours depot appeared to be in good shape, their windows intact thanks to owners who left the front doors and side doors open to reduce the pressure on the glass.
The wind was still gusting to tropical storm strength, churning the flood water to white caps along open roads.
The flood water was as deep as four feet in some places, rendering roads in and and out of the area impassible to all but the highest-riding trucks and SUVs.
The flood water was knee-deep under the Jeff Davis overpass near Xavier University.
A middle-aged Mid-City couple who had evacuated to Baton Rouge was stranded in their Honda Envoy under the overpass. The couple had evacuated to Baton Rouge for the night but could not reach their house because more than 5 feet of water surrounded it. Fortunately, the house was raised above the water level and appeared dry, the man said. The couple had chosen to wait out the storm in the relative safety of the overpass.
"It's too hard, especially in the absence of enough effective law enforcement, to tell the "scavengers" from the "looters".
Thats because there is no difference between the two.
I sure don't mean to downplay any destruction in NO....I just hope that later today or evening, we'll find out more about what happened in NO besides the FQ and the dome. To be honest, I find the reports from Shep Smith to be offensive. Places where families live, neighborhoods, are far more important to me than wether the bars in the FQ made it through undamaged. He's been rah-rahing how NO dodged the bullet all day. Sorry for the rant, but I'm so frustrated trying to find out what has happened to my relatives.
Does anyone have a good newspaper link for New Orleans that is updating regularly?
Well, a while back a LA poster noted that they may not have confidence yet that the levees are going to continue to hold, that there may be concern about liquification and weak spots. Remember, even without storm surge, most of the city is still below sea level, so a breach could still cause devastating flooding. I sure wouldn't let people back in until all the levees of a bowl where checked out.
Looting
New Orleans, 2:15 p.m.
Returning from a fact-finding expedition from the newspaper's Howard Avenue headquarters, a group of reporters and photographers stumbled on a parade of looters streaming from Coleman's Retail Store, located at 4001 Earhart Blvd., about two blocks away from The Times-Picayune offices.
The looters, who were men and women who appeared to be in their early teens to mid-40s, braved a steady rain and infrequent tropical storm wind gusts to tote boxes of clothing and shoes from the store. Some had garbage bags stuffed with goods. Others lugged wardrobe-sized boxes or carried them on their heads.
The line going to and from the store along Earhart Boulevard numbered into the dozens and appeared to be growing.
Some looters were seen smiling and greeting each other with pleasantries as they passed. Another group was seen riding in the back of a pickup truck, honking the horn and cheering.
The scene also attracted a handful of curious bystanders, who left the safety of their homes to watch the heist.
No police were present in the area, which is flooded heavily with standing water two to four feet deep on all sides of Earhart Blvd.
You are using the logic of man my friend.
"God protect your family. Where do they live?"
Thank you for your prayers. They're in Metairie, Chalmette, Slidell, Lacombe, Abita Springs, River Ridge, and Kenner. We've heard from NO ONE. I'm worried sick, but mostly about the ones in Slidell. I've got a couple of old, headstrong uncles who I know wouldn't leave.
good point. they would have to bring their own supplies.
We have a biz that was looted three times.
Perhaps it is some others here that need to cool it a bit. And show some of That compassion right now to those Freepers waiting for news from their families and hometowns.
Nice retort.
This is the LIVE thread; on live threads, it speeds up and then there are lulls; this is how live threads work on FR.
This is not the official hurricane FACTS ONLY thread.
You'll get use to it.
From Fast Times at Ridgemont High
[After Spicoli wrecks Jefferson's car.]
Jefferson's Brother: My brother's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill us! He's gonna kill you and he's gonna kill me, he's gonna kill us!
Jeff Spicoli: Hey man, just be glad I had fast reflexes!
Jefferson's Brother: My brother's gonna sh*t!
Jeff Spicoli: Make up your mind, dude, is he gonna sh*t or is he gonna kill us?
Jefferson's Brother: First he's gonna sh*t, then he's gonna kill us!
Jeff Spicoli: Relax, alright? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
-----------------
One of my favorite exchanges....
In times like these, you need to be able to laugh...
Thanks. I also really appreciate that Hattiesburg link. They have a basic timeline, but I haven't checked back there for a while.
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