hurricane

[elaine1]

how awful for those poor people. Someone i chat to has lost their home completly.

luckily they went to florida before the hurricane hit.

theyve lost their house and most of thier possessions. Last night on the news i saw someone looting from the wrecked houses.

Give me strength!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tez]

I agree Elaine. The problem is that as no shops are open the only way some of these people can get food is to loot the shops (not the houses I agree). The police are turning a blind eye to those just getting the food they need but are coming down heavier of those trying to take masses of things away.

 

I've been following the news quite closely on this because we're booked to be in New Orleans and Gulfport in 3 weeks time, but it's looking like we might have to replan our route. Sky News is reporting that the mayor of New Orleans is saying that it might be 3 to 4 months before New Orleans is inhabitable. What on earth are they going to do with over a million homeless and jobless people for 4 months. Although the death toll is lower than the Asian tsunami the devasting effects seem far greater.

 

Did you see that poor man who was hunting for his wife? She'd told him to let her go so that one of them could survive and told him to take care of the children.

[Auriel]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

 

its a blog of an I.T guy in orleans.

[hollymg]

I wondered what kind of news the world was getting on this. The hurricane was originally supposed to come here (I'm 5 hours east of Louisiana) and have a BIL in New Orleans, but luckily he evacuated to my MIL's beforehand...since he just has a bachelor pad he hasn't lost much materially. Friends in Gulfport still have a home (the lucky ones) but are trying to keep out looters and are also trying to figure out how to get asthma medication in since they are out of gas and can't leave. (they have a generator and are emailing).

 

But beyond the initial catastrophe, as the days have gone by we are increasingly horrified at our inability to deal with it. I did not vote for our President and now I'm even more embarrassed that he has represented us with such hubris in the world and we have handled things so badly at home.

 

4-5 months is a very optimistic prediction and I'm thinking it will be at least a year, so I hope you can make alternative travel plans!

 

Sorry, I know this isn't what this board is for but it is very much on my mind!

[Suze]

<'> <'> .....Holly watched our news last night and could,nt believe the devastation.The news over here is very critical of the U.S government s inability to help those who are suffering.....it,s shocking to think one the worlds richest most powerful technological countries has done nothing to help its people!!!!Images we are seeing are very similar to the Tsunami disaster and they are saying 1000,s have died it,s awful BUSH where are you.........30% of the home guard are in Iraq ......

[Auriel]

    Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.

 

    It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

 

    Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.

 

    There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.

 

    Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

 

    The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

 

    The buses never stop.

 

    Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

 

    He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

 

    He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.

[Tez]

The whole thing has been really badly handled. It is shocking that a country the size of America with the resources available to it has not been able to organise this better.

 

What on earth are they going to do with about 2 million displaced people? Even if they got the refugee centres working efficiently, you cannot keep that number of people crammed in together with no ability to live a life for more than a few weeks. Optimistic estimates say that no one will be able to return to New Orleans for 3-4 months but realistically it's going to be much longer. Most of these houses are built of wood and are going to need to be pulled down.

 

It's too late now for these people but hopefully this will make all governments realise that disasters can happen to all of us and as well as contingency plans for terrorism they need to think long and hard about how they will cope with any number of possible disasters.

 

What is even more unbelievable is that our own Foreign Office is still saying that it is ok to travel to these states although the USA has asked that only emergency workers enter Louisianna, Mississippi and Alabana.

[oracle]

This did not happen in New York after 9/11. OK this was a terrorist attack but the people in Louisianna, Mississippi and Alabana are still American are they not? Or are they for some reason second class American citizens

 

Their Government is disgusting me

 

Carole

[lil_me]

<'> Holly sorry to hear your family and friends are caught up in this, I was sat complaining about having no power after storms here the other night then felt incredibly guilty after seeing that on the news and realise how lucky I am.

 

I am shocked at how badly this has been dealt with so far, just hope the strength of the people shows through and they come out of it fighting regardless to the pathetic response from the country's government.

[Tez]

Fox News are reporting that the situation in the New Orleans Superdome is getting worse. The stench is unbelievable, the toilets are unusable. The police are telling the reporters that they have effectively lost control of the dome and it is no longer safe to enter. There is currently no food or water there and it is controlled by refugees with guns.

 

It is being reported that last night in the dome there were 3 murders, 6 rapes, 1 suicide and 1 military policeman shot. Horrifying.

 

I am shocked that this could have disintegrated to this level in America. I wish there was something I could do to help but realistically there isn't. I really hope that the world learns something from this and that we can move forward and put in place adequate policies to help in any future disasters.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Tez

[hollymg]

Our news is getting very critical of the administration as well. Yes it was a horrible natural disaster but we are all increasingly horrified and angry as the days go by and the response is not improving.

 

This is the poorest region of the country and the situation is getting increasingly political. Citizens are pouring money into the Red Cross and I have friends in Houston and other evacuation areas that are stepping up to the plate, but we can only do so much without leadership and I am ashamed.

 

I appreciate your updates on how the news is playing out overseas, so far it sounds like you are getting the same news we are.

 

Since we often have hurricane preparations here I now have to keep reassuring my son that we're still in a safe enough spot that our house won't blow away! I think he understands...

[call me jaded]

They have betrayed those people who went to the dome. They said get out of town, if you can't, come to the dome. The dome should have been the first place evacuated.

 

They all seem so helpless. My heart goes out to them.

[lil_me]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4208986.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/4208792.stm

Latest on the news from over here, but what he says and what he does are a different matter

 

Always wish there was more we can do when things like this happen

Edited September 2, 2005 by lil_me