Do I dare ask? Weigh in on your thoughts about Katrina

[T'sNana]

This article (that I just started reading) may add to the discussion. I looked it up because CNN interviewed the author earlier.

It's dated October 2001, btw.

Pretty much hits the nail on the head!

 

[shopper]

You got it, babe. The ground is not being built up by natural deposits that would occur if the levy system were not in place. Instead, the land is actually sinking......

Thanks, I'm glad I got it right because it made complete sense to me.

Are you holding up okay?

 

[shopper]

This article (that I just started reading) may add to the discussion. I looked it up because CNN interviewed the author earlier.

It's dated October 2001, btw.

Great article, thanks. You are a blood hound when it comes to articles, I tell ya!

 

[kgeaux]

Thanks, I'm glad I got it right because it made complete sense to me.

Are you holding up okay?

We're doing fine. Our city has taken in thousands of evacuees and we are all busy trying to get them comfortable and trying to come up with a long term plan. These people can't live in communal type shelters for long!

I have seen such good in people this week. Our school parents are bringing uniforms to displaced children. Our businesses are trying to find job placements for those who have lost jobs. It's just incredible. One of our local hospitals was receiving patients from Tulane, supplies stacked to the ceilings! Extra nurses called in to be sure that every single patient has the care they need--they even thought to get extra towels so these poor patients could get cleaned up as soon as they arrived. Another hospital took in all the babies from a neo-natal center in N. O., and then spent the day tracking down these infants' parents to let them know where their little ones were and that they were ok.

They announced on the local news last night at 10:30PM that some more people had arrived from New Orleans, and they asked for more blankets, etc. No one was expecting much response because it was late and on a work/school night. But the response was overwhelming. Cajuns are good people, always ready to help. Big hearts.

We've had a little trouble too. There have been some cars broken into at the CajunDome (that's our little version of the Super Dome) mostly to steal change that was left visible. A few instances of evacuees stealing cigarettes and cokes from a local store. But the good far outweighs the bad. Far outweighs.

 

[concernedperson]

We're doing fine. Our city has taken in thousands of evacuees and we are all busy trying to get them comfortable and trying to come up with a long term plan. These people can't live in communal type shelters for long!

I have seen such good in people this week. Our school parents are bringing uniforms to displaced children. Our businesses are trying to find job placements for those who have lost jobs. It's just incredible. One of our local hospitals was receiving patients from Tulane, supplies stacked to the ceilings! Extra nurses called in to be sure that every single patient has the care they need--they even thought to get extra towels so these poor patients could get cleaned up as soon as they arrived. Another hospital took in all the babies from a neo-natal center in N. O., and then spent the day tracking down these infants' parents to let them know where their little ones were and that they were ok.

They announced on the local news last night at 10:30PM that some more people had arrived from New Orleans, and they asked for more blankets, etc. No one was expecting much response because it was late and on a work/school night. But the response was overwhelming. Cajuns are good people, always ready to help. Big hearts.

We've had a little trouble too. There have been some cars broken into at the CajunDome (that's our little version of the Super Dome) mostly to steal change that was left visible. A few instances of evacuees stealing cigarettes and cokes from a local store. But the good far outweighs the bad. Far outweighs.

I knew I could depend on you to be the spirit of all things that are good. I wish I could be there to help you.Thank you for making me proud of my home state and bless your every effort.

 

[Nova]

This is certainly a fair topic for discussion, Annegelique, but there's a problem with our collective logic.

NO hadn't seen a hurricane of this severity in 100 years or more, if I remember correctly. It is possible, but not necessarily probable that another such storm will strike there in our lifetimes - nor in the reasonable life of any replacement buildings that are constructed.

SF was destroyed once, in 1906. But though it has seen earthquakes since, it has survived for five generations without comparable destruction.

NO is a special case, of course, because so much of it lies below sea level. And some areas along riverbanks may be questionable.

But we can't possibly evacuate every fault line or hurricane-prone site in the US. (Let's set the rest of the world aside for the moment.)

So simply abandoning places that have been totally or partially destroyed in the past (which could arguably include Chicago (fire), New York (9/11), all of California (earthquakes), Missouri (biggest earthquake in US history), Puget Sound (ancient tsunamis), and much of the "tornado" belt) merely concentrates even more people in areas that may host the next disaster.

 

[kgeaux]

This is certainly a fair topic for discussion, Annegelique, but there's a problem with our collective logic.

NO hadn't seen a hurricane of this severity in 100 years or more, if I remember correctly. It is possible, but not necessarily probable that another such storm will strike there in our lifetimes - nor in the reasonable life of any replacement buildings that are constructed.

SF was destroyed once, in 1906. But though it has seen earthquakes since, it has survived for five generations without comparable destruction.

NO is a special case, of course, because so much of it lies below sea level. And some areas along riverbanks may be questionable.

But we can't possibly evacuate every fault line or hurricane-prone site in the US. (Let's set the rest of the world aside for the moment.)

So simply abandoning places that have been totally or partially destroyed in the past (which could arguably include Chicago (fire), New York (9/11), all of California (earthquakes), Missouri (biggest earthquake in US history), Puget Sound (ancient tsunamis), and much of the "tornado" belt) merely concentrates even more people in areas that may host the next disaster.

Hawaii (volcanoes) You are right.... It's everywhere! Danger, Will Robinson!

The below sea level thing: I am trying to remember my Louisiana geography classes, but my memory may be shaky. However, I think MOST of south Louisiana is at or below sea level.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

It bothered me immensely to see the older people on the streets , close to death at any moment ... those in hospitals who couldn't get out.
Those folks in the hospitals are the responsibility of the hospital, I'm sorry to say.
They should've got them out sooner.

 

[Marthatex]

That bothers me too. But I know I saw pictures of some of the hospital patients being moved out beforehand.

Maybe they thought these others couldn't be moved very easily, or there wasn't enough space elsewhere to move them.

I think they must have thought if they stayed on the higher floors they could stay there a few days. But evidently they ran out of food, supplies. It's part of Tulane, and I know Tulane immediately evacuated all the students up to Mississippi. My nephew was there.

You got me? There's going to be alot of things to figure out and account for. But no, I've never in my life seen the sight of a 90-year-old sitting on the sidewalk, uncared for, ill, with an aide frantically waving for help. Never, never.

 

[Dara]

Here are two stories about patients who apparently couldn't be moved:

Managers at a New Orleans nursing home were prepared for power outages and had enough food for days, but then the looting began. The Covenant Home's bus driver surrendered the vehicle to carjackers. Bands of people drove by the nursing home, shouting to residents, "Get out!" Yesterday, 80 residents were being evacuated to other nursing homes in the state.

"We had enough food for 10 days," said Peggy Hoffman, the home's executive director. "Now we'll have to equip our department heads with guns and teach them how to shoot."

I first read that yesterday. I don't know how they're doing now.

At the United Medical Rehab Hospital in New Orleans, 14 patients, 11 staff members and their families awaited rescue.

Nurse Bernadette Shine said the facility was nearly out of oxygen, and several diabetic patients had been without proper treatment for nearly a week. After the fruit cocktail and peanut butter ran out, the staff broke into the candy and drink machines to keep patients from going into shock.

"There are people that are not going to make it," Shine said. "One I've known since I was 10 years old. But we did what we could for them."

I'll look for updates later.

 

[T'sNana]

I just wonder if Osama Bin Laden is going to claim responsibility for this?!! :loser:

 

[Marthatex]

He couldn't be more pleased. That's 1000 fewer Jihadists he's got to recruit now to do dirty work.

 

[bulletgirl2002]

But should the taxpayers have to pay the cost for you to rebuild that home? Or homeowners for the higher insurance rates because of the loss of homes from storms like that?

YES they should. You don't get to pick and choose your disasters that you want to cover. You are in a building that gets blown up, one that gets swept away by a tornado, one that gets blown away in a hurricaine, one that gets destroyed in a fire.....that is what insurance is for.....Just in Cast it does happen. Taxpayers help pay for Tsunami relief....why shouldn' t we pay for hurricaine victims in our own country?

 

[bulletgirl2002]

The short answer - yes, several of them and even from at least one country we typically oppose (Venezuela). However, we don't help out on all disasters, and nor do all other countries. This is small compared to the tsunami.

Maybe not .....I have heard reports of over 10,000 dead

 

[concernedperson]

YES they should. You don't get to pick and choose your disasters that you want to cover. You are in a building that gets blown up, one that gets swept away by a tornado, one that gets blown away in a hurricaine, one that gets destroyed in a fire.....that is what insurance is for.....Just in Cast it does happen. Taxpayers help pay for Tsunami relief....why shouldn' t we pay for hurricaine victims in our own country?

And I agree. I just want to be sure that they address the issues. Levee breaches and re-building at storm level not below that factor. These are all the things that have been avoided before.Responsibilty at all levels not just for the States coffers.Or, particulary for the States treasure trove for political reasons but for the people.

 

[bulletgirl2002]

Many of the people who hadn't left New Orleans because of the storm were unable to leave due to not being able to afford a tank of gas since it was end of the month. Some of these people may not be able to afford property in other places. I just hope that they all really do get some good long term help.

We have 150 people (that I am aware of) coming to Augusta Georga and the good folks of Warren Baptist Church are taking them in and planning on this being a long term task. Also the schools here have said that any hurricaine refugee child can register for school here with no paperwork. Churchs here in the Augusta area are rallying together to clothe, house and feed these people for as long as it takes. I am sure that other southern communities are doing the same, but I just know about my city.

 

[bulletgirl2002]

It bothered me immensely to see the older people on the streets , close to death at any moment ... those in hospitals who couldn't get out.
Those folks in the hospitals are the responsibility of the hospital, I'm sorry to say.
They should've got them out sooner.

The people in the hospitals were too sick to move...sadly. If you remember there was not much warning. That hurricaine was in south Florida and category 1. Went back out into the gulf and with less than 48 hours was a cat 4 hitting the gulf coast.

 

[Mabel]

I just wonder if Osama Bin Laden is going to claim responsibility for this?!! :loser:

How's this for a scary thought? What better time would there be for someone to hit the US with a terror attack? We don't have any military power to spare.

 

[Linda7NJ]

How's this for a scary thought? What better time would there be for someone to hit the US with a terror attack? We don't have any military power to spare.

I was thinking the same thing this morning:chicken:

 

[Toby]

Where do many of you live? Alec Baldwinia?? Where life is perfect?
There is no place on Earth which doesn't represent some form of risk.
When you step outside, you risk your life.
Get over it.
Life IS risk...its full of it. If you can't deal with that, maybe you should "thin the herd" a bit.

Why rebuild New Orleans? There are many reasons to do so, far too many to list here.

Reason #1: The beignets at Cafe' du Monde

That's enough of a reason to rebuild a whole city...to support beignets all around the world.
They need our support.
:furious: