Katrina

Kares4Rush · Post by **Kares4Rush** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 10:53 am

I know everyone here is aware of the incredible devastation wrought by this storm. Especially in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Alabama.

I'm so afraid of the flooding now that the levees are breached in New Orleans. I can just see that beautiful city I love and even put Creole seasoning in my soup today without thinking. by-tor, you've got to be beside yourself at this but I won't bug you for response. Someone I know has lost her home and now I don't know where she is.

My thoughts and prayers out to all who are affected by this disaster.

Mother Nature=Still In Charge

awip2062 · Post by **awip2062** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:12 pm

Weather amazes me at times. I am SO blessed to live where I do. I have it so easy.

Walkinghairball · Post by **Walkinghairball** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 5:48 pm

The pix and video footage is horrible. I'm glad we have a volcano in our backyard sis. And the rare tornado.............ice storms..................forrest fires....................... and the occasional earthquake.

We do have it lucky here.

Xanadu · Post by **Xanadu** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 6:57 pm

I feel sorry for the poor dogs people left behind

awip2062 · Post by **awip2062** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:51 am

And the ones that drowned.

Grandpa Grizz · Post by **Grandpa Grizz** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 11:14 am

What a horrible tragedy.

by-tor · Post by **by-tor** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 11:35 am

All of my family and friends, save one uncle, left the area before the storm hit. My uncle stayed back because he's a member of the Louisiana Army National Guard. My sister and mother live in Slidell (35 miles north of New Orleans), and they will be able to go back in tomorrow to see if they have a house left (according to reports, 80% of all businesses and houses were either destroyed or damaged beyond repair). The rest of my family and friends live in either New Orleans, Metairie (suburb of N.O.), and Kenner (another suburb; where the airport is). They will not be allowed back in anytime soon. More than likely, my mother, sister, and her kids will be coming to live with us here in Buffalo for quite some time. Best estimates right now is that Slidell will not have power for at least two months, and may not be habitable for 6 months to a year. Even when power is restored, most businesses will not be back up and running (if they rebuild at all) for over a year. In New Orleans, they can't even begin to make those estimates until they figure out how to get the water out, and fix the breaks in the levees. The house we lived in before moving up here 18 months ago is gone...not flooded and broken mind you....gone. The storm surge took it somewhere. In a way, I'm glad we wern't there, but at the same time, I feel that I NEED to be there.

Grandpa Grizz · Post by **Grandpa Grizz** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:43 pm

John, it's so good to know that your loved ones are safe. That's the most important thing.

I do feel deep grief for that beautiful city and it's lovely inhabitants.

Soup4Rush · Post by **Soup4Rush** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:39 pm

What a nightmare down there. The stories that are being told are unreal. I hope they find some answers quickly before more people perish. and what is with people looting and reports of snipers? My God, you think a tragedy such as this would pull people together.

Me · Post by Me » Fri Sep 02, 2005 5:45 am

My heart goes out to the victims of hurricane Katrina.

I wish people would stop blaiming our president

The logistics of people and supplies are just not sitting around in a warehouse someplace waiting to get deployed. If anything the governor of the states that requested a mandatory evacuation surely must have been aware that a lot of his or her constitutes were poor and made arrangements before hand for them to have the means to evacuate. It amazes me how many people refuse to help themselves, always give me, give me. What ever happen to famous quote by John F. Kennedy "ask not what the government can do for you but what you can do for the government"?
In my humble opinion I think that perhaps people should not build below sea level in the first place. I'd like to see the government pump out the water just to bulldozer it all up, burn it, then destroy the levees. The estuary's are a good defense against storms and we are loosing them at a rapid rate. When we learn to work with nature and not try and control it we will all be better off.

Xanadu · Post by **Xanadu** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 8:49 am

So stupid how the gov't knowing that there are allways poor people who cannot leave the city DID NOT SEND ANY BUSES BEFORE IT HAPPENED to ged them but waited until after! WTF is wrong with that picture?? Now as for the ones who chose to stay...that's their own fault.

schuette · Post by **schuette** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 1:49 pm

4 days after the storm hit was when the National Guard arrived? Why was all the horrendous crimes allowed to go on for so long? Why is this allowed to happen in America? This is America one of the most powerful Nations!
I'm sorry if you lot disagree but Bush has let the people of New Orlene's down badly...if fact 'badly' doesn't even begin to describe it...

Walkinghairball · Post by **Walkinghairball** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 4:43 pm

It starts with the states government before it get's to Bush Schu, but yeah, the ball got dropped big time.

schuette · Post by **schuette** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 5:30 pm

State government my ass...I'm sorry hairy but Bush is seemingly the 'leader' of your country....he's been that concerned with 'things' outside the USA that he's forgetting the people in there.
The state government would have realised within hours what they were dealing with and they would have asked for 'advice' ...the whole tragedy is disturbing...

Kares4Rush · Post by **Kares4Rush** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 5:50 pm

The whole thing is absolutely heartbreaking. All those poor people.

But, schu, hair has a small point. Finger-pointing can go all ways. Technically it starts on the local level...the Mayor...(get his people where? And how? Where was the command center? He KNEW a cat 5 was coming!) Then to the state. Then to the Fed. The Federal government can't just swoop in on any crisis unless it is ASKED for and it wasn't...first. They rely on the local and state government to assess the situation. No level of government was prepared even REMOTELY close (which is so sad) for this catastrophy which, according to ALL signs it SHOULD have. YES, FEMA should have been there earlier, YES the mayor should have been on top of it, YES, the governor was slow and YES Bush was slow. It was a bumbling BAD chain of events. Costly. Those poor people who died. Crap. Things should have been in place, yes...days or at least hours earlier. The world sighed relief when N'Awlins so-called "dodged the bullet" and the skys were sunny.

All off the hook, yah, until the levee was breached. But ALL, esp. the mayor and governor should have been prepared for this when the levees are to hold only a cat 3 storm. ALL should have been out and NOT shoved in the Super Dome without provisions. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. This is New Orleans, guys! Not Fargo, North Dakota. (sorry--my opinion)

A lot of balls have dropped but it wasn't just Bush's balls (although I'd like to yank them off his Crawford Crotch now). It makes me sick.

Remember, it isn't just those thousands of evacuees we're seeing on CNN or BBC or FOX or ABC or channel of choice.

Think about it. An enire CITY has been displaced by this...whether rescued (because the remainaing people wouldn't or couldn't evacuate) or not. ALL had to evacuate one way or another. ALL citizens of that beautiful city... (and all hoped-for-safety-which-didn't-happen) do not have a place to call home. One of the most beautiful, rich-in-culture jewels in this country has been demolished as well as the Mississippi and Alabama coast line. by-tor's family got out. My friends Monsi and Glenda are in Texas now. I found them. They got out. Where do they go?

I've been though anger at who to blame and beLIEVE me I have my armchair quarterback opinions as do all my friends. I can afford it living far away here in NYC but none of it helps them. by-tor, all my best to you, your family and friends and what you they may be going through.