[randita]

The cruise ships already come with their own tender craft.

Not to mention enough lifeboat space for everyone on board the ship. A tender could haul a bunch of lifeboats behind it and get some able bodied young fellas to volunteer to leave the stinking confines of the Superdome to row some folks (and themselves) out to the cruise boat. Or the tender could pull a few of the lifeboats out. Or maybe the lifeboats are equipped with motors - don't know.

If worse comes to worse, couldn't a bunch of inflatable rafts be air dropped in?

[flutters]

From WWL: Jeff Parish President. Residents will probably be allowed back in town in a week, with identification only, but only to get essentials and clothing. You will then be asked to leave and not come back for one month.

[owl37]

The levee is very close to the Superdome. They could just pull some barges up the river and load the people into them from the levee and tow them to Texas. The accomodations wouldn't be great, but this is about saving lives, not about deluxe accomodations. I'd rather be on a barge and breathing fresh air than in that dome right now.

While many people have commented they are glad that their house isn't "next to the levee" the Mississippi levee is the highest point in the city. The first thing that people do if a flood is anticipated is park their cars on the levee. If I were in N.O right now I'd walk out of the city via the dirt road that is on top of the levee. It might take some days to reach a place where you could catch as ride, but what else would you be doing?

[Daus]

Great plan. Unfortunatley, the looters just stold the cruise ships. :)

But seriously, I do see the cruise ships as being a peice of the puzzle here. If not for rescue, for ongoing housing.

[blu]

To: randita To work a solution for this backwards,how about this: The gov guarantees hotels within a 200 (guess) radius of the expected landfall areas a certain amount per room. The rooms are used for the folks who can't afford or are not able to evacuate. That way, the folks at highest risk (nowhere to go, no $ to stay at hotel, no transportation) are rescued *before* their rescue from a rooftop is required. Saves lives, saves the Coast and National Guard, and saves clean up time and material.

Of course, eligibility would be determined by FEMA lists (which is one of the great features of those Hippa forms you sign at the doctor's office sarcasm). If your name doesn't show up (eventually) on their list, YOU pay the hotel. Tranportation provided by whatever local entity has busses.