Britons describe hurricane ordeal (Superdome Survivors)

BBC ^ | 9/5/05

[HawaiianGecko]

"But look who the leadership there is"

1. A governor that cries
2. A mayor that cusses
3. A senator that threatens a President

Just makes a NO citizen feel warm and fuzzy I bet.

[TrailofTears]

When it all shakes down there is going to be some local hell to pay.

[Frank_2001]

IMO there'd BETTER be!

[geezerwheezer]

As far as to what's worth salvaging in New Orleans? There is no "there" that is there. Fini....gone....wasted....and why? Look at the local and state yoyos that were running things ...'nuff said!!!

[ByDesign]

We could see a huge hit to tourism for a long time after this, I lived overseas, and I know most average folk's impression of what the country is like is from movies and TV, and often they believe rumors and urban legends (just like here).

How many tourists see this, and are going to decide, "Nope, we'll go to Greece or Italy instead."

Sad. This country needs to start dealing honestly and effectively with the thug culture, or they'll bring it all down around our ears every time the power goes out.

[mugsaway]

"Lets see....Give London a C Hurricane...flood London....knock out the power.....see what happens. Yeah, people will tell me London is more civilized..."

Don't stop there... From reports I have seen the damage to all areas from this storm equal the size of Great Briton. So imagine the entire country in the situation the US is facing...

This is the problem I have with blaming anything on the administration. NOLA is being reported on the most but there was a lot more for FEMA to do besides just take care of NOLA.

[reformedliberal]

Lots of thug culture in the UK. Yobs, *happy slappers*, to name two and Blair has just announced a zero tolerance program to try and get to the roots of it.

America needs to wake up to the gangsta influence via the music, the videos, the movies. This influences those already predisposed to be violent and to react against authority.

I was in NO about 30 years ago. It was fun! I loved Jackson Square and all the historic area and antique shops. Terrific restaurants, too. We visited the entire Gulf Coast that time, from Galveston to Mobile. It was lovely. It will be so again.

[Tribune7]

Yeah, people will tell me London is more civilized...

It's not really a matter of more civilized, it's a matter of better governed. What happened in New Orleans was Third World.

[righttackle44]

"Just makes a NO citizen feel warm and fuzzy I bet."

Makes you want to go right out and pet a crocodile. LOL.

[mugsaway]

"America needs to wake up to the gangsta influence via the music, the videos, the movies. This influences those already predisposed to be violent and to react against authority. I was in NO about 30 years ago. It was fun! I loved Jackson Square and all the historic area and antique shops. Terrific restaurants, too. We visited the entire Gulf Coast that time, from Galveston to Mobile. It was lovely. It will be so again."

I agree! We are in trouble if we don't reign in the culture...As it is now we are raising a couple of generations with little or no regard for life...

I lived in Alexandria LA for two yrs while in the military...Made several trips to NO and always had a blast...But like you this was a long time ago. (84-86) It's a shame it's gone so far down hill...

[RKV]

The buses were supposed to go out of town starting 24 hours ealier when Nagin had adequate warning to evacuate the city. Thats what. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist. I actually know a few of them so I can say that with authority. Nagin was too late, even though he had primary responsibility to call the shots. Then he went looking for scapegoats.

[Bulwark]

The buses were supposed to go out of town starting 24 hours ealier when Nagin had adequate warning to evacuate the city. Thats what

Where to? Your backyard? Do you think any neighboring city wanted hundred of buses parked there?

[RKV]

Are you dense today or every day? Where did the hundreds of thousands of other people from NO go? Just about anyware that is above sea level would have done huh?

[RKV]

"Here's the southeast Louisiana evac plan supplement, most recently revised in 2000. Go to page 13, read paragraph 5. It states:

5. The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating."
http://junkyardblog.net/archives/week_2005_08_28.html#004752

[RKV]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[junta]

And while I frequently stray over the bounds of PC when it comes to subjects such as this I can slightly disagree with you. I worked in the area for a year back in the mid Eighties and out of the ethnic/racial groups I found the black people the friendliest of all. So when this crap surfaced this week I was shocked and saddened for all of NOLA.

[bernie_g]

I'm sure the kiss of doom will soon descend, but meanwhile.

In the name of Jesus have you no compassion for those poor people. Left to rot and die by inches in the street. The world is watching in total horror as you let your poor starve in the street and make jokes about rap music.

I don't even know what to say to you as a Christian if you don't see the problem with letting the people without valid credit cards starve in the street.

[bernie_g]

Number of murders to mid-August: 192 - which annualises to 294 or 0.8/day.

Number of bodies found at Superdome after 6 days: 10 - of which three or so are widely reported as having died of thirst or pre-existing conditions of old age, and certainly more will have. And we don't know whether the 10 include two alleged to have been killed by police.

Number of corpses found at the Convention Centre: Gary Yonge, debunking rumours, says zero but other apparently eyewitness accounts differ.

There was certainly a lot of rumour-mongering, both among the refugees and by cops and in the media. It seems to me that some of the "we saw" accounts may turn out to mean "we all, we stuck here saw... someone told me".

So - not counting police killings - NO does so far appear to be in the ballpark of the background rate. (MH)

[RKV]

"The poor will be with you always" Bernie. The world commits horrors like this quite regularly - let me just name a few, you ever heard of the Laogai in China, Bernie? How's about the slow death of tens of thousands by malaria (and the debilitation of millions) which is made worse by our "ban on DDT?" How's about sharia law in Iran making half of the citizens of that country into virtual slaves, and that rogue state's quest for a nuke? Thousands starve to death in North Korea every year, Bernie - so lets get come balance and perspective on this situation, eh? We may find, Bernie, that the French killed more of their old people last year with their power outage than died in this act of nature. Given how the world reacts to these and other outrages, I could care less what the world thinks.

Don't think you can guilt us into rebuilding this disaster again, either. NO is DONE. If it can't be rebuilt as a profit making enterprise then it shouldn't be done. And by the way I NEVER said a damn thing about rap music so I have no idea who you think you are talking to.

BTW, I thought you were done with Freerepublic. Or would that be too much to hope for.