Posted on 09/02/2005 9:15:38 AM PDT by Jalapeno
The first busload of New Orleans refugees to reach the Reliant Astrodome overnight was a group of people who commandeered a school bus in the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and drove to Houston looking for shelter.
Jabbar Gibson, 20, said police in New Orleans told him and others to take the school bus and try to get out of the flooded city.
Gibson drove the bus from the flooded Crescent City, picking up stranded people, some of them infants, along the way. Some of those on board had been in the Superdome, among those who were supposed to be evacuated to Houston on more than 400 buses Wednesday and today. They couldn't wait.
The group of mostly teenagers and young adults pooled what little money they had to buy diapers for the babies and fuel for the bus.
After arriving at the Astrodome at about 10:30 p.m., however, they initially were refused entry by Reliant officials who said the aging landmark was reserved for the 23,000 people being evacuated from the Louisiana Superdome.
"Now, we don't have nowhere to go," Gibson said. "We heard the Astrodome was open for people from New Orleans. We ain't ate right, we ain't slept right. They don't want to give us no help. They don't want to let us in."
Milling about the Reliant entrance, Sheila Nathan, 38, told her teary-eyed toddler that she was too tired to hold him.
"I'm trying to make it a fairy tale so they won't panic," said Nathan, who had four grandchildren in tow. "I have to be strong for them."
After about 20 minutes of confusion and consternation, Red Cross officials announced that the group of about 50 to 70 evacuees would be allowed into the Astrodome.
All were grateful to be out of the devastation and misery that had overtaken their hometown.
"I feel good to get out of New Orleans," said Demetrius Henderson, who got off the bus with his wife and three children. Many of those around him alternated between excited, cranky and nervous, clutching suitcases or plastic garbage bags of clothes.
They looked as bedraggled as their grueling ride would suggest: 13 hours on the commandeered bus driven by a 20-year-old man. Watching bodies float by as they tried to escape the drowning city. Picking up people along the way. Three stops for fuel. Chugging into Reliant Park, only to be told initially that they could not spend the night.
Every bit worth it.
"We took the bus and got out of the city. We were trying to get out of the city," James Hickerson said.
Several passengers on the bus said they took the matter into their own hands earlier Wednesday because they felt rescuers and New Orleans authorities were too slow in offering help.
"They are not worried about us," said Makivia Horton, 22, who is five months pregnant.
They could barely talk... Feet Swollen, Fecese all over themselves.... barefooted.... Hungry... Looking for lost loved ones... I'm not sure they would have been any help to the effort...
The man rode the water as best he could, watching his fellow swimmers being literally torn apart limb from limb when they encountered a stationary object such as a building or tree, while trying to steer clear himself from those very same obstacles.
He found himself, finally, in a huge mudhole, naked, no shoes even, miles from where his home used to be, dragging victims out of the mud as fast as he could. He found himself running several times toward higher ground, whenever someone started screaming "the water's coming again!"
After a couple of hours he settled down, and realized that the water was gone for good. He continued dragging wounded folks to safe ground, doctoring them as best he could, together with hundreds of other helpful people, most in worse shape than he was in. He worked his way back to the coast that way, searching for his wife constantly, who he miraculously found alive almost at the site of his new home, where she was also helping the wounded.
Having sore feet, no shoes, and needing a bath doesn't disqualify a willing worker. The Red Cross people who refused these folks admittance need to be run off themselves.
I have no different source, but the mindset of the looters and the bus thief look to be identical.
Yep.
Care to explain?
Nope.
Hell, you even went on to to suggest that they be put in military bases where they can be watched. Listen closely lady, and listen the first time. These aren't criminals, prisoners, or anyone else who has to live under anyone's thumb. These are Americans just like you, except that a natural disaster destroyed not only their homes, but every support system their cities had in place. So if you can't do or say anything helpful, shut up and stay out of the way.
Another thing to consider is that leaving was a guarantee that they would lose everything (including their pets, if they had no way to leave with them) even if the storm wasn't as severe as expected. Given that survival odds were pretty good for those who stayed, it's not hard to see how some people might view such a decision as a rational one.
Providing a way for people to leave with pets, and re-instilling confidence in people that LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT would probably do much to encourage people to leave while it's easy to do so.
They didn't hurt the bus (in fact they saved it -- it isn't drowned full fathom five like all the REST of the school buses in NO), they didn't hurt anybody (in fact they helped people they met along the way), and they didn't keep it for themselves like the looters.
So no, I can't agree with you here.
There. I said it.
**sobs**
There is such a thing as situational ethics. Example: if you live next to a deserted grocery store and you are starving to death, is it ok to steal food in order to save yourself? Yes. Of course it is.
This seems to be a similar situation. BTW, expect a TV movie to be made about this. ;)
The situational ethics argument came up yesterday on Dennis Prager's show. He was discussing a hypothetical situation with a very religious caller: if you lived next door to a deserted bakery, would you steal the bread or starve to death. The caller said he would starve to death because stealing under any circumstances is wrong. This guy believes in moral absolutes. Dennis was very polite to the caller but I don't need to be. The caller was clearly insane.
I would leave an I.O.U. on the counter or in the till with my name and address on it.
Then even the caller should be happy (but he won't be.)
Can't we mail socks, shirts, tee shirts and shorts (in assorted sizes) to the Reliant Astrodome?
Ping.
Louisiana voters -mainly Democrats- are blaming GW for being slow to the rescue. Where were the Democrats before Katrina not just in the last 4 years, but in the last 40 years with regards to reinforcement or reconstruction of their levees, preventive measures, and most important, education of their people?
The bigwigs Democrats in Louisiana knew for years what their preventive measures were, but the implementation of these measures such as moving people permanently from the floodplains to less risk areas, and restoring wetlands didn't have the funding and political will to do the job. It was easy to keep building dams because they are subsidize by the federal government and it was an immediate solution to a temporary problem.
Now the media and the Democrats are blaming GW for their problems. Figures.
good for you for being there!
up North we are being told not to send anything but money - trucks of clothing will not get to the right peple, etc...I don;t believe it. I will send to a church group all my kids' and our clothes - we don't need em....they boys wear the same thing every day.
TJMaxx and Marshalls are clearancing out a lot of socks this week.....
You just about summed it up perfectly!
The Rats are saying... why, why so slow?!? Well, it's hard to bring help right away when the infrastructure of the city is underwater.
Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, fella -- but nobody's gonna be buryin' nobody as long as the freakin' city is under water.
You and the others thumping this drum forget that the Police don't own the bus and as individuals can't assign ownership or control to another. This is not the police commandeering the bus. It is theft.
Right on!
LOL, thanks. I've had no patience for this nonsense the last couple of days.
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