muddysmind.com

I thought she was just a cat 4....well, actually, it doesn't really matter. Poor folks down there will be draining this stuff out for months as it is. So, I'm going to take this time out to say - holy "poo"! and we're keeping everyone in our prayers. Folks of New Orleans please GET OUT! (because as of yesterday, people down there were still in the bars having a beer. One last hurrah - or just one for the road, maybe?)

Gee I watch that from far away. This sounds really scary.

Hope you people have no friends in the mess overthere.

And the worst thing is the hurricane season is bound to last till october and the noaa says it's bound to be awful.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.html

Gee. Hope everything will works fine from now on, with rescue workers and the rest.

Thanks, speaking of bad things what's going on with the Paris fires all of a sudden??

There ain't "fires".
IT's just two buildings who vaught fires at one week interval, both packed with poor people and illegal immigrant, and in bad shape. THus causing many deaths. We have a housing problem in Paris, and France, and illegal immigration and high unemployment, i guess this is a product of these things together.
I don't know if there are chances that they could be related to a criminal act. I thought that the second one could have been a criminal act.

Sometimes you know series happen, just like the 3 planes crash of this summer. In themselves it's not very unusual, what's making them important is the fact that they happen within a short period of time.

For the record, 1/3 of my unit and their families is based in NOLA. We're trying to get some of them home right now.

Well, I've been praying so fervently for everyone who has been affected by what's happend in the south (as I'm sure we all have). So, I do hope everything turns out for those in your unit and their families. Keep us posted.

Well I sure hope everything will turn out for the better. News keep coming up and it's really scary.
I read they are now talking of deaths by the thousands and months before people can come back home, water and electricity are brought back !!

muddy and I have been completely baffled as far as how they could even rebuild. The good news is that New Orleans has stopped flooding....the bad news is that it's stopped flooding because water level in the city is now level with the surrounding body(ies) of water. I mean, you can pump the water out of the area, then disinfect the place (which they're planing on doing) but do you *really* want to rebuild a city in a place (12ft *under* sea level!) where another huricane will eventually wreck the same havoc?! I don't think that would be even *close* to a "good" idea myself but....

Now, they're trying to relocate these people to Huston, and now they're talking possibly even Dallas too. It's just heartbreaking to watch.

Honestly, the problem was the damned levy that broke!

It's getting pretty bad as far as violence in the area. We've had to call off several rescue attempts because they were shooting at the choppers!!!

My philosphy is of course simple: shoot back. Seriously, it should be an act of suicide to take a pot shot military aircraft.

Right now, we're trying to send our people back to get their families to something more permanent than where ever they are now. Some still do not have contact with all of their family.

"Honestly, the problem was the damned levy that broke!"

Well, duh. A broken levy would have been a problem on any given day. With or wihtout a hurricane. However, because of the level 4/5 hurricane, they would have had flooding in some areas anyway because of all the storm surges but yeah....the main thing was the huge section of levy that broke (I thought it was *two* levies that broke. Of course, they're under water anyway so....).

"It's getting pretty bad as far as violence in the area. We've had to call off several rescue attempts because they were shooting at the choppers!!!"

Yeah, we've heard about that too. And you're right...they should shoot back. What is the protocol for that anyway? Is it - don't shoot back least you hit an innocent? What?

Japanese have faced earthquake for centuries. THey manage it. What is truly appaling is that nothing (or not enough) was in place to manage a catergory 4 hurricane.

I mean anyway you look at it you still need a city to run the port linking missisissipy to the rest of the world, and a way to access to the oil in the gulf.

Do you really think people should leave the place because of the storm ? N O as a ghost city ?

what i think is pathetic is the way this becoming a racial issue. i trully wonder if you saw mostly white people on the news, would FEMA and other agencies be so slow to react. there are people out there dying from no water.

IMO, the whole looting thing is TOTALLY overblown. this stupid govenor in LA is trying to act tough, saying looters will be shot.

So your going to kill More people over stealing a TV? i dont condone people stealing TVs, but all that stuff is insured. The police could have been directed to rescue the trapped people. WHO CARES IF THEY STEAL. all of those business will be refunded. if the fools want to steal TVs, so be it.

secondly, when people do not have food or water, i do not consider it ill moral if you are stealing food out of a store. even medical supplies or diapers. the entire idea of killing people because of looting is pathetic. yes the looters stealing TVs are bad, but what about someone taking a radio and batteries?

this is not a situation where its just a minor thing and people are looting, like the LA riots. this is a enmorous Tragedy. theyre are talking 50,000 people missing assumed dead. there are people who havent had food in days.

lastly, has Anyone thought for a second Some of these people shooting at copters, are trying to get the Attention of rescurers?

IMO, the whole looting thing is TOTALLY overblown. the stupid govenor in LA is trying to act tough, saying looters will be shot.

So your going to kill More people over stealing a TV? i dont condone people stealing TVs, but all that stuff is insured. The police could have been directed to rescue the trapped people, Not stop looters. WHO CARES IF THEY STEAL. these are not local homes, all of those business will be refunded because their inventory is insured. if the fools want to steal TVs, so be it.

secondly, when people do not have food or water, i do not consider it ill moral if you are stealing food out of a store. even medical supplies or diapers. the entire idea of killing people because of looting is pathetic and wrong. yes the looters stealing TVs are bad, and if they are trying to shoot cops they should be taken down; ..... but what about someone taking a radio and batteries? would you kill someone over that?

this is not a minor situation where people are looting for the hell of it, like the LA riots. this is a enmorous Tragedy. theyre are talking 50,000 people missing assumed dead. there are people who havent had food in days. theyre are people that need medications. hell, i dont even consider stealing clothes bad because these people are out there in the cold night with no covers or anything.

has Anyone thought for a second Some of these people shooting at helocopters, are trying to get the Attention of rescurers? there are ALOT of copters going back and forth, many of them are news copters that video taping people but not helping. If im on a roof, and its been 2 days and i constantly see helos going past me, Maybe i should try getting attetion by firing some warning shots. Not because they want to kill rescuers.

here is an article that talks about the chaos going on there. just look at some of the stuff going on.

http://www.in-forum.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8CBVPE80

Donald Dudley, a 55-year-old New Orleans seafood merchant, complained that when he and other hungry refugees broke into the kitchen of the convention center and tried to prepare food, the National Guard chased them away.

"They pulled guns and told us we had to leave that kitchen or they would blow our damn brains out," he said. "We don't want their help. Give us some vehicles and we'll get ourselves out of here!"

I really dont know whats wrong with this country. I trully belive much of the animus and lack of quick action is because the people on tv arent the right color.

DF:

"Do you really think people should leave the place because of the storm..."

Are you talking about *before* the storm hit? Yeah, they needed to leave, because of the worst case sinerio. And they got it. Besides, gost town or no....it's during a storm. Who cares if you're not there in the city. No one else would be either (granted, that's if everyone would have gotten out like they needed to).

Mooseboy:

I don't think anyone is turning it into a racial issue. So far, with all due respect- mooseboy- you're the only one I 've heard go down that rout. Most of the people stuck there (as I'm sure you're well aware of by now) are people from the projects who had very little to no trasportation to get out. They mostley just happen to be black.

As far as the shooting goes. Trying to get the rescuers attention? Maybe. but doubtful. Muddy heard a peice yesterday (someone was talking about it. I don't know how true it is) where the guard or FEMA ( I forget which group of rescuers it was) they were trying to get their boats in certain areas to save people who've been trapped. In one case (and muddy, correct me If I'm not getting the story right) there was this little boy on a bridge and when rescuers when to get him, a group of guys (who ended up being gang members)jumped out to steal the boat. You may say they want them to save themselves. I understand we you have to get out, you'll do anything. But don't rob from the hand who is working to rescue you. They're (the guard, FEMA and all others involved) are doing the best job they can and quite frankly - under the circumstances, I think they're doing a damn good job.

As far as the looting, I don't care if you need food or diapers to help your family. That's understandable. In times like these, though, when tragedies develope, it reveals a persons true character. So what the hell is a person stealing a tv for. To float out on it? NO ...I don't buy that.

I was talking about reconstruction !
I'm amzed to see some americans seem to be ready to erase N O and say ... Well it's a storm area let's build elsewhere...
I mean, it's not that expensive to build levees that can stand hurricane 4.

As far as the evacuation goes, i think if those people had had a decent state governement, the evacuation would have been organised with bus and trains provided for free. You can't just hope that people will move not caring about the poors the youngs and the elderly.

I bet next time things will be better organised. I hope indeed for you all.

"I'm amzed to see some americans seem to be ready to erase N O and say ... Well it's a storm area let's build elsewhere..."

It's not that we're trying to *erase* N.O...besides, the main people in charge ( the government) want to rebuild.

As for myself, personally, I'm not trying to erase N.O either. I'm just thinking about what would be safer for these poor people who've already lost everything. Quite frankly, though, there are *alot* of places where towns and cities are built that don't make sence to me. Coastal areas that are constantly hit by hurricanes, places that are constantly hit with earthquakes, people who build their houses on the sides of mountains/hills that are *notorious* for mudslides; houses that are built in areas that get their fair share of flash floods; and last (but not least) people who live in tornado alley (oklahoma, kansas - and quite a few other states).

Obviously, every place has its good and bad parts and there's no way to live in a "perfect" area (considering it doesn't exist). My personal thing is that if you're going to live in these "hot spots" then at least have the proper insurance that will cover those specific disasters....which alot of people don't! That right there is the most mind boggling thing to me. You live in certain areas notorious for certain disasters and you don't have the insurace to cover it?! Well, either MOVE or build a cheaper house so you *can* afford the insurance. But that's just MO.

"I mean, it's not that expensive to build levees that can stand hurricane 4."

Well, I'm no expert on how much it would cost but, I agree that that should definaltely be built....no matter *what* it costs. Flooding would be inevitable anyway depending on the catagory hurricane and how big the storm surges it brings but, yeah...they should definately go out of their way to strenghthen them.

"As far as the evacuation goes, i think if those people had had a decent state governement, the evacuation would have been organised with bus and trains provided for free."

It's interresting you'd bring that up. Muddy found a picture on the web of a whole parking lot full of school busses in N.O that are underwater. And the question was basically....why weren't *those* put to any use?

I suppose there are 3 answers :
1 until now there never had been a major hurricane destroying a city.
I m sure authorities will learn out of this disaster
2 there's this take care of yourself attitude, when we see japanese doing hearthquakes exercise with one local chief of evacuation per block, nobody's surprised. That's the communitarian way of acting and good organisation. The US way is more, as a cultural trait, take care of yourself.
You know ... For instance in many countries insurances would be mandatory : no insurance, no house and you have to rent. No one can afford those, no problem, the state will provide housing for those in needs... A different mind...

3 There were not enough buses to save all people, so instead of choosing to evacuate a small amount of them and blatantly prove inefficient the government chose to hope that the levees would not break and poor people could stay hidden in safe places...

"what i think is pathetic is the way this becoming a racial issue. i trully wonder if you saw mostly white people on the news, would FEMA and other agencies be so slow to react."

I truly wonder if this was mostly a white crowd and the agencies were just as slow to react, if you would be saying anything at all.

No, you wouldnt.

God Bless those affected by this and my prayers are with them and their family.

To hell with those who use this as a tool to advance their political/racial agenda.