Katrina Live Thread, Part XIV

Various ^ | 2 September 2005 | Various

[Tarheel]

There have been numerous pixof foodandwater to the convention center. These must get to BOR and he best issue a 'clarification'.

[A Citizen Reporter]

Well, why are they not in control of their emotions, when the people behind them seem to be?

He's is inciting a riot. Did you see it earlier when Geraldo had a police captain who went on a rant, and one of the captain's superiors tried to ask him, what the problem was? Geraldo made sure that the captain got the chance to continue to rant, without interference.

What these Fox reporters are doing, are not helping the officials who are trying to help the citizens.

[Prince Charles]

There he is. He picked up that child and made him/her scream on cue with his breathless rant. It was shameful even by Whorealdo standards.

[Gideon7]

Red Cross, who everyone says donate too are not in NO, as it is not safe and they have not been asked.

They Red Cross has no established presence in NO. They are grabbing money just like they did after 9/11.

Give your money to the Salvation Army instead.

[hipaatwo]

Which one?

Philly, where are Mayor said the brothers and sisters are running this city.

[spanalot]

"Geraldo has a newborn at home - this has a lot to do with his behavior. They need to send him home."

Yankee stadium clears out 55000 every night in 1 hr in NYC traffic

There is a clear highway out of NO - Why are these half as many people here after 5 DAYS!!

[mabelkitty]

You and me both.
Remember, he was with a bunch of drunks on Bourbon Street, and while he is chastising them for not leaving, he gets a room smack dab next to that bar!

[Cboldt]

There was a report of an official..don't remember the title, that was trapped in the convention center and was begging for rescue. Might have been Secretary of State. Has anyone heard anymore about that person?

A Spanish official on the second floor. The report orginated on scanner traffic (I heard it with my own ears), and no mention of it ever made the media, AFAIK. Also, no resolution, AFAIK.

Likewise the report of people being pinned down by sniper fire in Chalmette. Not sure if it's a rumor or fact, but it was reported as fact by the cable stations. No closure on that story either.

It's going to be a week or more before that boiling kettle is simmered down, and alot of innocent people are going to be dying in the meanwhile. They need help, and it breaks my heart that thugs and evil and human limitations (unable to sort out turf between politicans, officials, policy and procedure, etc.) are just not up to a disaster of this magnitude.

[Crawdad]

Hey! You can't say that!
And for God's sake, nobody post the picture from 'The Holy Grail' about "Throw out your dead!"

[Route66]

The truth is, the mayor and the governor were touting a bogus number of pre-storm evacuees. They really had no idea how many had left. Most of us who were watching the highway cams on storm weekend could see that the roads never got really got backed up until the last minute and their own reports made it clear that the area could not be evacuated in less than 72 hours. It just did not seem possible that most of the citizens had left.

People there have been taught vertical evacuation as an acceptable alternative to leaving for years and that's what hundreds of thousands chose this time. In the downtown core, countless people have been hiding in buildings waiting for the grownups to get there and take them out.

I find it hard to believe that the mayor did not have a better idea that so many were there especially since the area housed so many low income people who were not offered help in evacuating and would never leave unless they were taken out. He needed to fess up and notify the feds so that they could ramp up faster. Even with that extra notice, they would not have been able to get them all out quickly, but it certainly would have helped.

Bottom line...When the bulk of your emergency plan is simply "get out", your plan is only a success if most actually get out and why it's in your best interest to just say that most got out even if they didn't. When the storm is not too bad, you get to claim how well your plan worked and no one really catches on. When you run out of luck, the lies float by face down in the water, cling to life in attics and on rooftops, and stack up in your precious downtown core begging for water, food, and a way out. The lack of communication that has been touted as a contributing factor in this mess was more a case of CYA than phone and radio failure.

[oceanview]

Bratton must be wishing he was someplace else right now.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Here's a suggestion for FoxNews- How about embed a reporting team with the command center for the NG? Then we could get an overview of what exactly is going on in the city from the Guard's perspective and periodic updates. It would help provide some context for Shep and Geraldo's hysterics.

[RummyChick]

ROFLMAO. I burst out laughing at that photo. Poor Shep. He has had to live all this time with the tragedy and Geraldo zips in and steals the Drama Spotlight.

[Soul Seeker]

1) The reporters aren't doing their job. They are inciting hysteria.

2) I'm aware Shep has been there since the beginning. That's why he should be pulled. he is emotionally unstable.

3) people are not being allowed out for their safety and the safety of others. YOU let out 30,000 people into an uncontrolled environment and we'll have even more rape, murder and mayhem.

4) When you have incompetance at the state level, it is very difficult to play catch up and restore order in the aftermath. You are assuming they are being neglected or that our people are incompetant. NO! The problem is that THOUSANDS must be rescued when the entire city is wrecked and it is NOT easy to do that in short order.

5) Harsh but true. These people could have evacuated and chose not too.

So stop, think, and don't be sucked into Shep and G's mania.

[DaughterofEve]

First rule in any crisis is not to lose your head!

I think this is asking for an unrealistic standard. Could there have been -- and SHOULD there have been -- believable and controlled impersonal reporting from the core of the Holocaust? Or at the Hindenburg disaster? Was Herb Morrison (famous broadcaster of Hindenburg disaster) "losing it"?

[RushCrush]

I guess we will have to disgree, but I think their hysterics are going to cause the people to riot.

And if you don't think riots kill people, then you're nuts.

[Pravious]

"He's is inciting a riot. Did you see it earlier when Geraldo had a police captain who went on a rant, and one of the captain's superiors tried to ask him, what the problem was? Geraldo made sure that the captain got the chance to continue to rant, without interference."

NO. THAT'S 100% WRONG. He asked the other guy if he wanted to say something, and the other guy waved him off and walked off-screen.

[Arizona]

I agree with you totally. Shep and Geraldo are witnessing things that are more horrific than anything we've ever seen. They are emotionally involved in this drama because they are THERE - and I applaud Fox for allowing them to give the real picture. I for one do not think either Shep or Geraldo is overdoing the emotions - they are genuinely appalled at what they're witnessing and that is their human reaction.

"Sanitized news" is what most people are used to seeing - this is a real eye opener.

[RightWingMama]

Drat! I'm in Northern California. Rain check. Cheers!

Well, I'm in Sacramento, come on over.