Posted on 03/28/2007 5:04:18 AM PDT by familyop
UMM NASER, Gaza Strip -- A huge sewage reservoir in the northern Gaza Strip collapsed Tuesday, killing five people in a frothing cascade of waste and mud that swamped a village and highlighted the desperate need to upgrade Gaza's overburdened infrastructure.
Rescue crews and Hamas gunmen rushed to the area to search for people feared buried under the sewage and mud. Dressed in wetsuits, they paddled boats through the layer of foam floating on the green and brown rivers of waste. Others waded up to their hips into the sewage.
The noxious smell of waste and dead animals hung in the air. Ziad Abu Farya, head of the village council, described the scene as "our tsunami."
'IT'S A DISASTER'
"We lost everything. Everything was covered by the flood. It's a disaster," said Amina Afif, 65, whose shack was destroyed.
The wave killed two women in their 70s, two toddlers and a teenage girl and injured 35 other people, hospital officials said. More than 200 homes were destroyed, health officials said. The Gaza City mayor blamed the collapse on local people digging dirt from the structure and selling it to building contractors.
A local Palestinian official blamed the disaster on shoddy infrastructure, and UN officials said they had been warning of a catastrophe since a 2004 UN report warned that the sewage facility was at maximum capacity and flooding was inevitable unless a new waste treatment plant was constructed.
How long before blame is laid on the Jews?
LOL
More than 200 homes were destroyed...
More like tarpaper shacks, given the photos of the affected area.
I had to read the release twice to make sure Scrappleface wasn't the source.
Damages could easily run to 20 dollars American.
Weren't there buses to get them folks out of the hurricane/tusami zone?
Where was the mayor? Nearest high-rise hotel?
Why couldn't FEMA get there and pull them fellas out in time?
Were the levees active and working?
Didn't they have a super-dome or something to stand around in and wait for the national PLO guard to come for them?
Will there be trailers brought in for these folks to sleep in while the mess is cleaned up?
Will folks move out of the Gaza Strip and resettle somewhere else permanently...thus triggering a low-population density situation?
Can Mardi Gras be held next year in the Gaza Strip on time?
Was the 9nd Ward of the Gaza affected by this?
Are there any people staying around their homes with weapons drawn illegally?
Did 30 percent of the police force of the Gaza turn out to be non-exsitent?
Did folks rob homes and such while the rescue was underway?
Can we set up tent citys and trailer parks to help them folks?
Finally...is there a Hamas-type George Bush that can bring in promises of $100 billion and help rebuild the area?
"Finally...is there a Hamas-type George Bush that can bring in promises of $100 billion and help rebuild the area?"
More likely our George Busch will promise $100MMM of our money.
I wonder if this is how the pali-maroons accidentally bump into reality, and if it happens all the time?
Even common sense dictates that if you live downstream from a HUGE SEWAGE RESERVOIR, you either move away, or get-your-ass up there and check for cracks!! .................. FRegards
The director of engineering at my first job out of school told me he was on some board in his town. He decided to get involved when they wanted to build the water works on the downstream side of the sewage treatment plant.
Incredible! And it happens all the time!
Usually, it's some member of the City Council, who just happens to 'control' the land (the rights aquired the week before), that pushes his/her land for the municipal development.
Been through it, and I owned the land! Still do! ............. FRegards
They wouldn't be living in poverty if they weren't a bunch of murderers ,terrorists,and criminals.On average,they are too dangerous and must be isolated.It's sad for the children,but the rest of them live in a hell of their own making.
What a horrible way to go!
Reminds me of a joke about hell but I won't tell it now.
Turd world country?
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