Yeah... what part of MANDATORY EVACUATION didn't they understand?
Many were stranded in hotels when the airport closed and no rental cars were available.
I was wondering what happened to them.
Multiple major airlines canceled flights 24 hours before the storm hit. They didn't have any way of getting out in time.
Gonna go out on a limb here. Tourists were staying in hotels. Hurricane hit. Hotels withstood hurricane. Levee broke. Water rose fast. Electricity and communications off. Concierge calls to the limousine driver went unanswered. After 3 days in hot, stinking hotel with no roomservice; tourist walks toward convention center. Bad things happen.
Many couldn't leave. Flights were cancelled.
We saw some idiots from Australia who rode Katrina out in Florida, and thought it might be "fun" to catch it a second time around in New Orleans. They were in line at the Superdome, laughing it up and looking forward to their next adventure. This is probably a bit more than they bargained for.
Didn't have flights out in time, and could'nt get rental cars?
Besides, the hotels were "safe" from the huricane, just that nobody thought the situation would be so bad afterward.
Caller into a talk show today said her sisteer was in a hotel there, and had forced them to leave and go to the superdome. If that place is as bad as it appears, I think the hotel will be in for one hell of a lawsuit for forcing their removal.
Very few people rent cars when they fly to New Orleans. They take a cab from the airport. If they could not get out by Saturday (That was FIVE DAYS AGO) they have been stuck there, likely in their hotel rooms, raiding the mini bar and the gift shop, scooping water out of the ice maker to drink.
This isn't Blackhawk Down. These stories are becoming more and more like the movie "28 days later."
Because they couldn't get a flight out and all the rental cars were taken. Of course if they had been paying attention to the weather they wouldn't have gone to NO in the first place.
Tourists are still there because their flights were cancelled and they couldn't get rental cars.
How can they get out?
Every means of leaving is gone, destroyed, closed or unavailable.
There was a gathering of homosexuals who were having their convention in New Orleans again. Last year it drew 150K Nancy boys, where they filmed "Girly Boys Gone Wild I." LOL
It was supposed to have started a couple of days ago. It could be they were just hanging around waiting to see who they could pick up. :o)
there was supposedly 10 busses hired to come there and take them out of the city, but the Feds commandeered the busses and they never went to the Convention Center. The tourists had paid $45 each to ride too. They were stranded by our govt. for the sake of political correctness in my opinion.