Katrina Live Thread, Part XIII

Various ^ | 1 September 2005 | Various

[Trust but Verify]

Unless Rudy Giuliani runs for the WH, then I think it could be used to Republicans advantage.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

There's a lot of truth there. I think maybe his figures are high on the death count, because I think a whole lot more people in NO survived than maybe we thought.

But this shows so many weaknesses in our own systems.

And I knew from day one that the repercussions were tremendous. All of the gulf coast until you get to the other side of Mobile is hurt horribly.

7 refineries shut down.

Lots of oil rig damage.

The Port of New Orleans out of commission (and a huge amount of trade went through it.

I even knew that coffee would go up. I grew up near one of the largest Folger's plants in the country - one of the favorite smells of my childhood.

Where do you put the over half a million people displaced? We have never had to deal with so many people who lost their homes so quickly?

I think everybody shell-shocked. If they don't get it moving today, Lord help us.

[Coldwater Creek]

God did that yesterday RAIN

[Warren_Piece]

I really felt for that man. I was sympathetic to him because he was reacting the way I would hope to react. Part of my prayers each night is that God give me a merciful spirit this is hard in the face of interviewees complaining about "army food" at the SD. I was so angry at that lady and hollered "you're WELCOME!" at the TV. But that wasn't a WWJD moment for me. Lord, please give me a merciful spirit.

[Alberta's Child]

What about building homes on stilts, as is done in other hurricane-prone areas?

Most of these are vacation homes (even if they are very expensive ones) in areas where there is no real expectation for big-city amenities. I couldn't imagine a scenario in which it would make any practical sense to build an entire city of more than a million people in this manner.

[bwteim]

. to that.

Guess I will put in some NOLA news again, Dear Lord, I hope this isn't copyrighted...

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html

Updates as they come in on Katrina
07:46 AM CDT on Friday, September 2, 2005

Tom Planchet

7:03 A.M. - Maestri: We had a plan and we followed it (on storm coverage). Mayor Nagin and those in Jefferson believed that within 48 hours food, water and security would be here. It didn't happen.

7:01 A.M. - Jeff Parish Emergency Operations Center Director Walter Maestri: 17th Street Canal Levee breach is now under control...not fixed...but under control.

6:59 A.M. - Jeff Parish Emergency Operations Center Director Walter Maestri: Civil unrest is basically under control in Orleans and Jefferson.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

exactly. NO police had a rotten job in rotten conditions even before the storm.

And now, nightmare time.

[Coldwater Creek]

AMEN!!!!!!!

[jwalsh07]

The term "martial law" does not exist in Louisianas laws or constitution. So to that extent "martial law" has not been declared.

The Governor has declared a "state of emergency" which by law gives her broad powers to suspend civil liberties etc.

The state of Louisiana is also swearing in National Guardsman which makes it legal for them to make arrests and use their weapons.

BUT, martial law basically means under military control. IOW's the highest ranking commander in the area of declaration IS the law. That has not been done.

[AFPhys]

It was a moronic phrase. The whole coordination structure for a hundred miles around was GONE. How the heck would YOU have taken care of this? Cell phones gone. Electric, including emergency generators, soon useless. Roads and bridges wiped out. You propose that every city, or FEMA, maintain a system of runners and boats to communicate? This is being handled quite well, considering nearly a hundred thousand square miles has been devastated by this disaster of epic proportions.

I can think of nothing - nothing - that rivals this problem - in history. Everyone who is keeping their head about them is doing quite well... I simply wish the governor had been more firm in the leadership position - but I don't think leadership is the reason she was elected. Perhaps, for that, the blame lies on the voters of N.O. and elsewhere.

The Netherlands' official is a total maroon.

[bvw]

Re the Convention Center: The FEMA director has to address in his remarks what the public sees and has seen, and not make statements that appear to deny what we have seen and heard. He has to affirm the legitimacy of what we all have seen and heard, otherwise we then come to deny what he says.

He can say something like "I understand what people have seen ...[say what that is]... and the situation we see on the ground is thus ...[make amore positive statement covering the same situation]... and to address that situation we are doing this ...[list of actions underway, to come, and that have been done]" PR 101.

[CindyDawg]

Not as a 1st resort but that is exactly what I meant. If you and your buddies are tearing a place up, and LE tells you to stop and your compadre fires a gun and is shot, you probably would cease you activities too.

[ohioWfan]

I hope people are praying for this nation, the refugees, our President, and the Federal Gov't. They all need it.

Amen!

The President WILL take the blame for this.........the left is already making idiotic attacks (and some here on the right)........in spite of the fact that he PRECEDED the storm by declaring it a disaster, and setting up the opportunity for the state and city to move freely to protect their people, and has acted quickly and resolutely to do everything possible to provide aid.

Thanks for the reminder to pray for this nation.

AND PRAY FOR THE PRESIDENT'S SAFETY THIS MORNING!

[cll]

What we're doing about it:

* The Puerto Rico National Guard has dispatched 1,122 troops to the disaster area, to include a Military Police battalion (minus a company that's deployed elsewhere), 22 water purification specialists and five C-130 airplanes.

* The Puerto Rico State Emergency Management Office is sending 60 disaster recovery specialists to MS.

* The following island universities will grant late admissions to NO area students displaced by the storm so they can complete their semester: Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, The University of Puerto Rico, Sacred Heart University, Pontifical Catholic University, Metropolitan University and Turabo College. They're saying they will try and comp it.

* Puerto Rico residents stranded on the mainland by the storm may call toll free at 1-866-280-4357 for assistance.

* The company I work for has adopted the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization and have raise $1,500.00+ so far, mainly from employees and company matching funds (we're not a big company).

[spectre]

I don't blindly follow any leader. I don't blame Bush..I blame FEMA.

That said, people are still dying, troops are coming in, hopefully bringing supplies to the poor people left.

You're wasting your time chastising people for bashing Bush on this forum...Turn off your TV or Buckle up after this crisis settles down. You ain't heard nothing yet.

[Coldwater Creek]

Some like you will see the glass half full, and then there are those who will see it half empty.

[SE Mom]

President on now

[cwiz24]

I would normally agree with you on this, but not now. These people DO need help, regardless of whether they were on welfare before the hurricane or not. There are plenty of people displaced by this hurricane that were not and have never been on welfare, and they too need help. You can only do so much for yourself when everything is gone and you have no way to leave.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

From the sound of the traffic, it seems that LSP, EOC, National Guard, NOPD are doing their own thing.

That's the problem. They need an IC to coordinate them, back them up, make sure they are all supplied.

It's not happening. If it doesn't happen today, Lord help us.

[ohioWfan]

It is my understanding that there were many civilians in those rescue boats.

Do you think they should have been allowed to continue their rescue in spite of being fired on?