French Quarter survives -- with luck and a prayer (Let's hammer the Media about the slow response)

Maimi Herald ^ | Aug. 30, 2005 | ERIKA BOLSTAD

[BushCountry]

The French Quarter was damaged by Katrina, but it was not destroyed, and tourists and residents let the good times roll and wondered why they were so lucky.

By ERIKA BOLSTAD

ebolstad@herald.com

NEW ORLEANS - At the start of hurricane season, the historic St. Louis Cathedral in the heart of the French Quarter offers a short prayer in the Sunday church bulletin to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.

Each year, the city's Catholics clip out the prayer, place it on their refrigerators and repeat the entreaty whenever a tropical depression appears in the Gulf of Mexico: Spare New Orleans from a direct hit by a hurricane.

**********

Another Story the Day after the storm:

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050830/NEWS0110/508300384/1260

NEW ORLEANS — Gail Henke could think of no better way to celebrate the French Quarter's survival of Hurricane Katrina than to belly up to a bar on Bourbon Street with a vodka and cranberry juice. Call it a libation to the storm gods.

"You know what? There's a reason why we're called the Saints," the 53-year-old tour booker said Monday as she communed with 20 or so other survivors. "Because no matter what religion you are, whether you're a Catholic, whether you're voodoo, whether you're Baptist or so on, so on, and so on — we all pray. We all pray. I'm not a religious fanatic. But God has saved us."

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Excerpt from a Tuesday morning story:

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/341577p-291681c.html

In New Orleans' historic French Quarter of Napoleonic-era buildings with wrought-iron balconies, water pooled in the streets from the driving rain, but the area appeared to have escaped the catastrophic flooding that forecasters had predicted.

On Jackson Square, two massive oak trees outside the 278-year-old St. Louis Cathedral came out by the roots, ripping out a 30-foot section of ornamental iron fence and straddling a marble statue of Jesus Christ, snapping off only the thumb and forefinger of his outstretched hand.

At the hotel Le Richelieu, the winds blew open sets of balcony French doors shortly after dawn. Seventy-three-year-old Josephine Elow of New Orleans pressed her weight against the broken doors as a hotel employee tried to secure them.

"It's not life-threatening," Mrs. Elow said as rain water dripped from her face. "God's got our back."

For years, forecasters have warned of the nightmare scenario a big storm could bring to New Orleans, a bowl of a city that is up to 10 feet below sea level in spots and relies on a network of levees, canals and pumps to keep dry from the Mississippi River on one side, Lake Pontchartrain on the other.

The fear was that flooding could overrun the levees and turn New Orleans into a toxic lake filled with chemicals and petroleum from refineries, as well as waste from ruined septic systems.

Officials said a levee broke on one canal, but did not appear to cause major problems.

Blanco took little comfort in the fact that the hurricane may have spared New Orleans much worse flooding, given the still uncertain toll in surrounding parishes.

"I can't say that I feel that sense that we've escaped the worst," she said. "I think we don't know what the worst is right now."

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Yet another story

http://www.wsav.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSAV/MGArticle/SAV_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784753009&path=!frontpage

Superdome Survives Katrina; Evacuees Finally Get to Breathe Fresh Air Associated Press Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The roof has holes and there are leaks everywhere but some people sheltering a second night at the Louisiana Superdome are thankful for one small sign of progress: a little fresh air.

As National Guardsmen watched to make sure they didn't leave, some refugees from Hurricane Katrina lined up for a stroll on the large walkway around the dome last night.

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These buses could have been used while the flooding wasn't that bad!

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050901/480/flpc21109012015

[BushCountry]

I'm sorry but this needs to be done, yesterday the police chief was hysterically/repeatily screaming, "It been six days, why no help!?!"

Then Geraldo and Sheppard started spouting the same nonsense. MSNBC has taken up the chant, "Why such a slow response!" CNN has lost its mind!

Tuesday morning they were celebrating in streets near the dome that they missed the worse of it. Friday morning (less than 3 days later) is when the massive military presence came, but they already saved thousands off of the rooftops, transported thousands to the Superdome, feeds thousands upon thousands in outlaying areas. We need to inform the Media of the truth!

[CAWats]

offers a short prayer in the Sunday church bulletin to Our Lady of Prompt Succor.


Because God is deaf?

[llevrok]

Then Geraldo and Sheppard started spouting the same nonsense.

so last night, Jerry Rivers was crying (oh the humanity) and today he is waiving the flag, praising the military that he served with in Iraq( his quote, not mine).

They are all leeches on disaster.

[msnimje]

Those folks that Geraldo was screaming were getting no aid at the Convention Center were standing in a ton of trashed MRE bags and water bottles. How insensitive of the Government to give them EMPTY food and water containers.

[FReethesheeples]

bump

[BushCountry]

Almost all the reports of rapes, murder etc... are proving to be false. The stories grew out of proportion to the truth as they were passed along.

[mtbopfuyn]

Sheppard made me sick. He was ranting that he and his crew were on that highway for days and that trucks kept driving in and out but not telling anyone where to go. I didn't see anyone getting up and walking to shelter. I didn't see anyone flagging the trucks down to ask for directions. Hello, why didn't he tell them? Why didn't he load them up and drive them to a shelter instead of grandstanding for the camera? Why didn't he give those children some water? If he'd been there for days, then where was he when that man was dying? Why didn't he help? Even after the man died, Sheppard did nothing but gather some good video shots of the body.

[CFC__VRWC]

Jerry Rivers was crying (oh the humanity) and today he is waiving the flag, praising the military that he served with in Iraq

The same military that yanked all of his access in Iraq because he was broadcasting strategic plans and troop movements to the whole world to show us what a great "journalist" he was.

[aworldtrader]

He's a punk.

[BushCountry]

Your point needs to be made. There were maybe hundred people on the bridge, a pickup truck could've provided relief to many.

[Deetes]

Bump and marking !!!

[DJ MacWoW]

You may be interested in this excellent timeline by Freeper Pete.

The Left Descend Into Madness

[ncountylee]

The voters had a choice and sadly now suffer. My sympathy must be tempered by their choices. Incompetent race baiter mayor and warm/fuzzy gov. didn't hack it for even one day! Can you imagine ...couldn't hold it together for one stinking day!

[BushCountry]

Haa, haa... This thread is more interesting to me than most I guess. I am just sick of the "Big Lie!" happening on every news channel and conservatives laying down and playing dead. The President, Republicans, Conservatives are taking a hit and we are not defending ourselves. Worse yet, we are not defending the Herculean effort that was made!!!

The area affected was the size of Iowa. It is the most amazing relief mobilization in the history of the United States/World and we are letting the Media describe it as a failure.

[chickenlips]

Well the response was slow, nearly as slow as the preparation by the city and state was pathetic. Those people should have been out of there by Friday at the latest.

Bush should have been out of Crawford by Monday night, if not earlier. Once the levees breached he should have been on national television rallying the people and industry to get everyone out of there. The response would have made the GOP glow for the next two elections. Instead everyone waited for Uncle Sugar to save the day. He could have had Americans falling over themselves to help and feel good about it.

1)In his address, he should have put out the call for every school bus within a 500 radius that was fit for a long trip. 2) He should have contacted the petroleum companies and said I need both diesel and gasoline positioned at key locations to fill the evacuation buses along the road. He could have asked the gas stations to give these vehicles priority to filling. 3) He could have asked the local wholesalers and retailers to go through their doors open to load water, snack bars, diapers and vital supplies into the school buses near the points of origin. Plus he would ask them to set up contribution points 4) Two national guardsman or police officers to be stationed to each bus. He would request that the policemen from other jurisdictions would be allowed to enforce the law anywhere while accompanying these buses. 6) He would ask parents to work together to get every child to school where they were short of buses.

He would announce a telephone number had been set up to quickly coordinate and record the response regarding the buses and fuel.

Then he could ask the press to go out and show the world how America is going to rally to this. That he has faith in the people.

I'll bet Target, Walmart, Costco, Sysco and every chain would have fought to donate on camera. The gas companies would have thought it a blessing straight from the almighty to finally get some good press. Who would turn him down?

Instead of looking like uber idiots we could have shown how the people and industry can make it happen, when government does its job of creating and keeping order.

People would have been doing high fives by now.

After it is over the President could have made an emotional thank you to all those that helped. He could have also taken the time to ask why hundreds of school buses were found under water instead of having evacuated people before the storm and been ready to come back for more after it? In other words he could have shown the Demo Mayor and Governor to be losers.

My plan was workable. We would have rallied.

[BushCountry]

Everything could be done better with hindsight! In spite of what you think they did an amazing job.

Tuesday morning they thought they survive the worse of it and were celebrating in the Old District. Towns like Slidell, Metairie, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Biloxi, Meridian were completely devastated. Relief was being provided in all these areas. Thousands upon thousands were being rescued off of rooftops ad elsewhere. Communications were completely destroyed, 20,000 people transported to the Superdome. It has been an amazing effort! Don't fall for the BIG LIE!!

[GVnana]

You bad.

[evolved_rage]

Almost all the reports of rapes, murder etc... are proving to be false.

So the MSM, 'Rats one and all (mostly), helped foster and embellish stereotypes about african americans. Now the MSM screams that W is a racist....priceless.

[wolficatZ]

Almost all the reports of rapes, murder etc... are proving to be false.

 

 

So you are saying almost all the eyewitness reports are false?

 

And your proof  these did not occur is?

 

Which specific instances of rape and murder reported from all these major news orginizations are false?

 

If you are going to post such a statement, back it up with some specific reports and sources.

 

The majority of  reported rapes and murders in New Orleans the past few days occured in the Superdome and the Convention Center.

 

Just so all of us can know who is reporting misinformation, which of these posted on this forum and reported in the news are not true?

[weegee]

BUMP