Posted on 08/30/2005 10:10:45 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
It is with heavy heart I write this...
I have finally reconnected with my best friend who is a paramedic who was sent from Georgia 2 days ago to Gulf Port, Mississippi before the hurricane hit.
He just reached me within the last 10 mins via emergency cell phone to tell me he was alive.
Thousands of bodies have been discovered throughout Mississippi in Gulf Port, Waveland,Hancock County,Bay of St.Louis.
They are hanging in trees and they are pulling them out 30 at a time. Entire families found drowned in their homes and washing up on shore.
The stories he could tell me were brief. National Guard is on the scene and arresting anyone seen on the streets.
The numbers are staggering and what I have been told tonight will shake people to their foundation as the numbers will be coming out in the next 24-hours of just how many people have actually perished in these and 3 other beach communities.
More to follow....
It was a metaphor. An Astonishing exclusive BREAKING NEWS article about a rumor of lots of bodies is obviously not intended to be a literal snapshot of reality
Thank you.
Yes, the media is describing the devastating conditions quite well: widespread flooding and destruction; no power, communications, running water, air-conditioning; raw sewage and chemical contamination; dead bodies (human, animal and fish)...
Absolutely horrific conditions...
That's why it's surprising to me that they aren't mentioning the specific plagues that usually accompany these conditions.
Perhaps some news outlets have, but I haven't heard it yet.
Prayers to you and your family, Toll. You all have each other. Things will get better. This is very hard on your parents, I'm sure; as the older we get, the tougher it is....
Morning Jenny...Just took me 30 mins to read through this entire thread for what has been said...they have set up a few morgues just reported on CNN and it appears they are getting streams of bodies in.
It takes time and patience during a recovery operation. I have yet to hear from him this morning, slept til 9:45...no voicemail back yet...but last we spoke he said nobody would be able to understand what he and his fellow medics have seen and are seeing unless they were there.
Still using spray cans,markers on homes and bodies to keep track...that was around 3:45 this morning...my bet is he went to rest for 6 hrs or so and will try again. The signal went out and was going to voicemail. For those wondering...he was keeping his work/emergency cell phone charged in their ambulance and the teams from around the country are arriving.
To avoid panic? Because they want survivors out first? Because they are rescuing people and not counting bodies yet?
Bump. :-(
In this case I hope I am wrong. I know there are levee boards all over Louisiana, having lived there off and on for about 10 years. However, I also know that the Corp of Engineers has a lot of responsibility also and especially for the spillways.
I was referring to an article in a Phildephia paper, which I linked to, and that is what they said. I prefer you to be right but I am not optimistic.
The history of incompetence and corruption is bearing much fruit in all this mess.
Considering MFH has journalism training, I think he knows how to be careful with wording.
There's a very good reason why the government would be hiding huge body counts right now. They do not want thousands of people to start trying to get in to these areas to confirm whether their relatives are alive or dead. At this point most relatives are being patient and optimistic. A release of a body count in the hundreds would cause them to panic ands try to get in there. This would complicate search and rescue efforts immensely. They do not want to have to take law enforcement people and put them on every road to keep people out, or have to deal with riots and anger from people who cannot get in. The media would certainly be sympathetic to this and stop releasing numbers until told to do so by government officials.
Your logic sucks.
I knew what you meant to say.
I'm off to put together boxes of clothes to send to the now homeless folks of my home state. Hopefully, there will be local charities organizing the shipment of supplies from here to there.
My guess is the the Corps of Engineers maintains the levees on navigable waters, the the one causing all the trouble is not on the river.
At any rate, it is scores of local governments over many decades that have made really bad decisions about the the Mississippi. they have built a house of cards.
Lando
"The history of incompetence and corruption is bearing much fruit in all this mess".
THAT is the news. The infighting on this thread overshadows this fact.
If you check most of the footage from reporters, you will notice they haven't gone much over a few 100 yards from where they were reporting from two days ago.
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