Official Hurricane Katrina Thread

[T Park]

Reunion Arena filling up now.


Hey J-6 do you have anymore links to some scanners online like National Guard and what not.

[jcrod]

:depressed

I can't even imagine what these poor people are going though. It is unforgivable and shocking that its like this. It hurts.

[timvp]

Agnostics are so wishy-washy, was how you put it, if I recall correctly.

I reserve the right to be wrong.

I do not recall such a post. I don't even know if I knew you were agnostic.

But perhaps I did post that. Who knows. You've been around these internets for a long, long time.

:hat

[j-6]

Reunion Arena filling up now.


Hey J-6 do you have anymore links to some scanners online like National Guard and what not.


I think JohnnyBlaze posted a whole list of them this morning.

[timvp]

Man, MoveOn.org? Talk about a shady website to be filling out a form on...

[Kori Ellis]

Is the moveon.org site the only one that is taking requests for people who are willing to house refugees? Is that a legit site?

We would be willing to take in kids who lost their parents. It may be selfish but I don't think that I could handle taking in adults. I'm sure there's a lot of kids that are orphaned or at least separated from missing parents.

[Guru of Nothing]

I do not recall such a post. I don't even know if I knew you were agnostic.

But perhaps I did post that. Who knows. You've been around these internets for a long, long time.

:hat


Well, thoughts of my previous bouts with agnosticism are neither here nor there, BUT, I want to go out on a limb and accuse you of NOT opposing wishy-washy souls, within this thread.

Hey, look at the time! It's late, no time to argue.

[timvp]

Well, thoughts of my previous bouts with agnosticism are neither here nor there, BUT, I want to go out on a limb and accuse you of NOT opposing wishy-washy souls, within this thread.

Hey, look at the time! It's late, no time to argue.

Be safe.

:smokin

[Spurminator]

Here's another site...

http://www.katrinahome.com/

[Vashner]

They found Fat's Domino, he and family where airlifted.

[MannyIsGod]

MoveOn.org is a VERY legit site. You guys may not agree with their usual politics (although they do a lot of good work that is non partisan) but they are very legit and I have no problem in vouching for them not using your info in a wrong way.

They get a bad rap, but they are good people.

[MannyIsGod]

There are reports that some precients may be down to half strength because of desertion. I don't care how you spin it, its fucked. If you're a cop, you're needed now and you should'nt be running like a little bitch.

[Kori Ellis]

MoveOn.org is a VERY legit site. You guys may not agree with their usual politics (although they do a lot of good work that is non partisan) but they are very legit and I have no problem in vouching for them not using your info in a wrong way.

They get a bad rap, but they are good people.

But, will they reject us because we are Republicans? :)

[Spurminator]

There are also some "Meetup" groups being formed for different cities for people to offer rooms. Doesn't look like there is a SA one yet.

http://hurricane.meetup.com/groups/

[Spurminator]

Honestly, I'd probably go with MoveOn.org too, if I was looking for something web-based.

But I'm sure many churches in the area will be organizing groups.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I think I am going to agree with T Park. How long has it been known what would happen if NO got hit with a major hurricane? Years. How long has it been known that a major hurricane was on it's way to NO? At least a week, IIRC.

Things there are seemingly running in slooooooooow motion. People are starving. People are still trapped in attics and on top of roofs. There is little order from what we see. It's a mess.

To me it looks like there is a lack of leadership. I realize it is a daunting task, but damn. The hurricane hit on Sunday and here we are going into Friday and people are still waiting to get rescued and waiting to eat for the first time.

I agree with all you said.

I listened to WWL tonight here outside Houston the radio. They had the mayor on and he was cussing up one side and down another.

The most telling thing was he said that a lot of the military folks were standing around in a daze. He said he needed to thank Pres. Bush because he told the pres. they needed troops and needed leadership and within hours some general showed up on a shopper.

The mayor said something like "the minute he got off the helicopter he started cussing people out (the general), and then people were all of a sudden hauling ass and getting things done. That's been a big change since he got here."

The mayor was pretty pissed though, he said FEMA was sucking. He even said something like "FEMA keeps saying help is on the way. I'm tired of it, and pardon my cajun French but they need to get us some G*d damn troops in here and buses and food and water right now."

Pretty wild, and it was live on the air.

Tragedy aside, I think FEMA's in for a major shake up when this is all said and done. The only explanation I can come up with for why they are so clueless is they weren't expecting this many people to live through it.

But it scares the hell out of me to think these idiots are in charge of disaster relief in the wake of any tragedy in the country. I shudder to think what happens the day AQ sets off a nuke or dirty bomb somewhere.

[timvp]

The local authorities, the federal authorities, FEMA, the Red Cross ... pretty much everyone has sucked. The response has been pitiful.

The best work was done by regular citizens who just got into boats and started rescuing people.

[Vashner]

I would just stay away from moveon.org .. I mean not for political reasons. If you want to house someone contact the local shelters or the red cross.

[j-6]

There are reports that some precients may be down to half strength because of desertion. I don't care how you spin it, its fucked. If you're a cop, you're needed now and you should'nt be running like a little bitch.

Manny, I'm gonna disagree with you here. The very people you are sworn to protect and serve are trying to kill you, and you stayed behind through this kind of clusterfuck when you could be safe, dry, and comfortable, you have every right to turn in your badge and get out before you're waiting in line at the Convention Center waiting for a promised bus for days on end.

How many people were actually shot for looting? It's like the town knows the police are hamstrung and is waving it in the officers faces.

If it's all about survival for anyone in NO right now, the cops are no exception. It's not like they've been given the proper tools to do their jobs to the best of their ability. They have every right to get their asses out of that cesspool before some group of people decides that cops are their targets of oppression.

I've never really thought of myself as a coward, but I'd hightail it at this stage of the game. Let the National Guard and the Army, the folks with the big guns, run things from here.

[Kori Ellis]

I would just stay away from moveon.org .. I mean not for political reasons. If you want to house someone contact the local shelters or the red cross.

I think you are right, we'll go directly to the source for information. The sites that have the refugees sign up and then the housers sign up and then they match them is weird to me. Do the refugees have internet access to sign up?

I don't know, it seems like a weird system. Anyway, like I said, I wouldn't mind taking care of some kids. We'll enquire through our church and the Red Cross.

[timvp]

Another thing to consider ... imagine what type of hard ass decides to be a cop in New Orleans. You have to be one brave, brave, brave mofo to work some of those wards. NO is probably the most dangerous city in America to be a cop in.

If these cops are turning their back on the situation, then I'll trust that it's bad. These cops are the hard asses of all hard asses you are dealing with.

[MannyIsGod]

The refugees are being given internet access at places like the Astrodome in order to atempt to find out information on family members, etc etc.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Someone asked about the levees, looks like they've about got the 17th street one closed off from the lake.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168235,00.html

[timvp]

Someone asked about the levees, looks like they've about got the 17th street one closed off from the lake.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168235,00.html

So the same plan that was to be put into place Monday night ended up working?

WTF did they wait so long?

This is so pathetic it's laughable.

:lol

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

BTW, to back up LJ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8999837/

(Story about murders in New Orleans).

[MannyIsGod]

No, the 17th street levy was really a floodwall and that was being closed by steel plates, concrete and other shit like that.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

So the same plan that was to be put into place Monday night ended up working?

WTF did they wait so long?

Not the same plan. The original plan was just the sandbags. This company out of I think they said Houston or maybe it was Baton Rouge came forward with the idea of using the pilings to block off the canal from the lake, drain the water in the canal, then repair the levee.

So they brought in the company, which has been working since Wednesday afternoon on the pilings (they said they have to drive these things 30 ft. into the earth for it to work!), sounds like they're about done with that part, then the city is in effect sealed off from the lake.

[Vashner]

Because moving big equipment takes a lot of logistics. Also the engineers need to study and develop a plan first..

Chill the fuck out already.. Bush bashing is one thing but talking trash about the guys flying choppers and trying to drive sand bags and other things is bullshit.

This is not star trek where you can beam a road or tracktor down by calling Scotty's ass out to do it.

[MannyIsGod]

I'm actually getting annoyed with the way CNN is painting the Astrodome situation. Yes, it sucks that they have to drive further, but this shit is being planned on the fly and they are better off on that damn bus than on some rooftop or in the Superdome.

[timvp]

Not the same plan. The original plan was just the sandbags. This company out of I think they said Houston or maybe it was Baton Rouge came forward with the idea of using the pilings to block off the canal from the lake, drain the water in the canal, then repair the levee.

So they brought in the company, which has been working since Wednesday afternoon on the pilings (they said they have to drive these things 30 ft. into the earth for it to work!), sounds like they're about done with that part, then the city is in effect sealed off from the lake.

Okay, good. I thought the ol' drop sand bags from a helicopter trick ended up working.

[MannyIsGod]

They were dropping sandbags from Blackhawks today, however. But that was on the big levy break that was near the industrial area (I think). That was a pretty stupid looking idea, though. It just looked retarded and like it would take years to fix it taht way.

[2pac]

(although they do a lot of good work that is non partisan)



What has moveon.org ever done without partisan intentions?

[MannyIsGod]

Congress Votes to Restore $100 Million to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (June 2005)
We are delighted that we were able to help restore some of the cuts made to NPR and PBS. MoveOn.org members sent in more than 1 million comments and made more than 40,000 calls to tell Congress to save Big Bird and Mr. Rogers. We are glad to have helped protect such an important service.

Share the Holiday Spirit with Those in Harm's Way
During the holiday season, our hearts go out to those in harm's way. That's why we're highlighting the United Service Organizations' (USO) "Operation Phone Home" to help a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan call home, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) courageous efforts to bring vital services directly to Iraqi civilians.

Repair the Vote
Several great bills have just been introduced in Congress to repair the embarrassing flaws in our election system -- from electronic voting machines to long lines to partisan election officials. Everyone's waiting to see if this new legislation will pick up speed or fall victim to partisan bickering. We can give these bills the early momentum they need. There's no time to lose: In the coming months, states are poised to buy a billion dollars worth of unreliable electronic voting machines without paper trails.

And those are just recent actions. There's the Katrina actions as well.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Manny, the sandbags were on the 17th street breach. But further down from that is where the pilings were getting driven down to close the canal off to the lake.

Part I is the pilings, and while they do that they are dropping sandbags in as part of part II to close up the levee breach.

I think they just realized that dropping the sandbags in while the water is still rushing in was a losing battle. With the lake sealed off, they have a static water pressure situation to deal with.

No, I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night but did have to suffer through two semesters of fluid dynamics engineering at A&M.

[MannyIsGod]

Ok cool.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Just me thinking, but save for the Saints possibly using it (and even then...), why not offer up the Alamodome?

[MannyIsGod]

It is booked at this time.

[MannyIsGod]

We do have freeman, and other options as well. As the weather gets cooler, a tent city doesn't seem as bad either.

[j-6]

Speaking on CNN's "Larry King Live," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the evacuation of New Orleans should be completed by the end of the weekend.

Either...

(1) No fucking way. The goddamn Superdome isn't even cleared out yet.

(2) If they aren't rescued by late Sunday, they're already dead.

(3) DHS took a page from FEMA's book and is talking out of their ass.

Any takers?

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Just saw the list. Thanks.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I don't know if this is live, but Paula Zahn is going off on somebody about the convention center right now.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

3. Although FEMA is now under DHS, so technically they took a page from their own playbook.

Actually I guess now I think about it I'd have to go with #2. People just can't survive that long with no food and water.

[MannyIsGod]

It isn't live, but I think thats the same guy Ted Coppel fucking grilled. The dude is making the rounds as news bitch.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

She's going off on Mike Brown, the asshat FEMA Director. Same dick who said part of the blame for the victims is their own for not getting out when they had the chance.

The more and more I watch, listen, and read, the more I get the feeling that FEMA was planning on Katrina just wiping everyone out and not having to worry about survivors.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I swear, this fucking guy.

I've basically got all my info on this from this thread and very rarely from TV and online simply because most of my time this week was in the office and our computers were being really shitty.

What a tool.

[Nbadan]

Anyone willing to host a family is a true blessing and can find information here (http://www.shareyourhome.org/)


Thousands of families are in immediate need of housing because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. This organization has been started to match those in need of housing with those that are willing to provide it. If you have room to share or need a place to stay please click one of the links below.

URGENT: Local volunteers are needed to help match families with homes. Please email [email protected] if you can help.

<snip>

Volunteers are needed to help man the phone bank in Shreveport - call 888-827-2525 to volunteer. If you are calling from Shreveport, please call 318-636-4395 instead of the 800 number.

(this site is being managed from Baton Rouge Louisiana - please bear with us through any technical difficulties - our power and online access is still intermittent)

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Well one thing's for sure, he's fixing to be out of a job. The military is taking over and I think the country is going to want heads to roll at FEMA for their shitty response.

He's making himself a rather obvious target.

[T Park]

Hey Johnny

did you have links to scanners for the National Guard and such?

[Nbadan]

Hey Johnny

did you have links to scanners for the National Guard and such?


Try this: Scannerbuff (http://scannerbuff.net/hurricane.php)

[j-6]

She's going off on Mike Brown, the asshat FEMA Director. Same dick who said part of the blame for the victims is their own for not getting out when they had the chance.

The more and more I watch, listen, and read, the more I get the feeling that FEMA was planning on Katrina just wiping everyone out and not having to worry about survivors.

I know I said this earlier, but FEMA director is way too important of a job for a political appointee to have. He might be a good guy and all, but we need someone that used to have stars on their shoulders running this department rather than an attorney.

[Kori Ellis]

Thanks for the info on shareyourhome.org, Dan. We filled out the form as we are willing to take in 2 kids if necessary.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Kori and LJ,

I've always thought you two were awesome people but you just went up a couple of notches in my book with your offer to house orphans.

:tu

I wish I was living in a house and had room, I'd be right there with you.

[T Park]

not suprising.

Kori and LJ are platinum.

If I was home, Id be more than willing to house a family.

[Vashner]

I just heard a C130 fly over heading towards Kelly.

[Vashner]

Well one thing's for sure, he's fixing to be out of a job. The military is taking over and I think the country is going to want heads to roll at FEMA for their shitty response.

He's making himself a rather obvious target.

FEMA is a co-ordination agency.. not an actually staffed agency.. They just do direction.. I.E. tell military and other civil service where to go and what do to. Also they handle funding issues ... but FEMA itself is not some kinda of aid organization. Just a command and control thing.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

For everybody complimenting WWL-TV (and I know I have, the Times-Picayune) for their coverage, I thought you might get a good read out of this.

-----

Media Converge on LSU Campus

By Jill Geisler (more by author)



More in this series

In Baton Rouge Saturday night, faculty, staff and graduate students of Louisiana State University's Manship School of Journalism mingled at Dave Kurpius' home. Over tandoori chicken, they talked about the new school year and the hurricane that appeared to be turning in a safe direction. Kurpius, the school's associate dean, thought he wouldn't get the call he had worried about.

But hours later, it came. WWL-TV, owned by the Belo Corporation, was bailing out of New Orleans. Staffers were on their way to LSU, following a plan put into place a year earlier, when WWL's execs saw the challenges stations faced in Florida storms. Knowing the station was in an area vulnerable to flooding in a storm, they identified LSU as an emergency back-up broadcast site.

By Sunday afternoon, Kurpius, a former TV news director, was greeting the first wave of broadcasters –- some refugees from New Orleans, some support staff from other Belo facilities. A satellite truck from Belo's KHOU in Houston settled in near Hodges Hall, the j-school headquarters, to be the broadcast lifeline for WWL's newscast.

The Manship school boasts a state-of-the-art news studio. While professionals re-configured it to align with the sat truck specifications, students showed up to help. School is officially closed through September 6, but many are still on campus. Those from hurricane-hit areas can hardly go home.

Kurpius watched students turn into teachers, schooling the refugee broadcasters on the school's graphics system and switcher. When WWL took to the air at 9:30 Sunday night, students ran studio cameras, and had helped cover stories.

"When I told the chancellor (Sean O'Keefe) that WWL might be coming, he said 'Let us know, we'll give them everything they need,' " said Kurpius.

They needed plenty. The estimated 100 staffers from Belo were joined by CNN crews, then several dozen journalists from The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune. The newspaper crew moved into the school's computer lab to publish the Web edition of the paper.

As of Wednesday afternoon, university dining services had been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to the crews, then dropping by with bottled water and coffee. Kurpius lined up dorm rooms for weary workers, while others caught rest in classrooms and even the news studio. Because they are working around the clock, the journalists simply rotate through the available dorm rooms.

But the university sent more. Aware that many of those on duty left families and devastated homes behind, LSU called out counselors. According to Kurpius, some are on site, others on call.

Professors and news execs are both expected to pinch pennies these days –- so what's the bottom line on all this generosity?

Kurpius, the point man for so much of this support, didn't negotiate contracts or set up an elaborate billing system. He says the chancellor told him, "Just do it, we’ll figure it out later."

To understand that response, Kurpius says all he need do is look out his office window and see the helicopters landing. The school's Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a triage point for people being brought in by land and air -– some dead, he says, others almost dead. The nearby indoor track and field center is a special needs shelter for Katrina's casualties.

Kurpius understands the critical role of information for those victims and their families, and how the university's safe haven for journalists provides an essential service in critical times. The school says they're welcome "as long as they need to be," and when school resumes next week, students from the advanced TV news course will adjust their syllabus to include helping out on what might be the biggest story of their budding carriers.

A few displaced journalists will be sleeping at Dave Kurpius' house, too. His wife Allison encouraged him to bring them home. He says the LSU faculty and staff feel this way: "We have our homes, we know where our loved ones are. We're very lucky. We just need to help."

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/hurricane_katrina/

I hadn't seen this picture before...I don't even know what to say. The first one in the series.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Damn, just got done talking to big sis. Some perspective for the "where is the aid" Monday Morning Quarterback types...

The disaster area for this event (I know everyone is focused on NO) is 90,000 square miles.

Read that number again - NINETY THOUSAND square miles. Just something to think about when you're bitching it's taking too long to get help in places.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Didn't you rip FEMA earlier in this thread, AHF?

[gospursgojas]

http://www.time.com/time/photoessays/hurricane_katrina/

I hadn't seen this picture before...I don't even know what to say. The first one in the series.

WOW

[MannyIsGod]

Thats true AHF, but the real place in need of help is much smaller. It really is only NO that is in need of immediate aid. It's just not the same. I don't honestly know what the situation is and whos fault if anyone's it is, but lets keep things in the proper perspective.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

WOW

I was hoping KRT had the rights to that photo so that I could see the hi-res version of it, but AP owns the rights instead.

[Vashner]

We need to stop eating our own...

New Orleans is not San Antonio... we grew out of the Ashes of war and the advent of Air Power. They grew off crawdads and beads

Different breed of folks..

That being said let's remember who we are.. Spurs Fans.. and spurs fans must chill. Because we are all good people..

The world is about to see how a first class city treats Americans in need. We are gonna have a fiesta baby and every fugee is gonna want to party here in town...

We about to get a big Cajun injection of love....

[whottt]

Thats true AHF, but the real place in need of help is much smaller. It really is only NO that is in need of immediate aid. It's just not the same. I don't honestly know what the situation is and whos fault if anyone's it is, but lets keep things in the proper perspective.




Hurricane, Levys, People who could have left that didn't, People engaged in criminal acts(this does not include survival needs), City Gov, State Gov, Federal Gov.

In that order.


And it's not just NO that needs help...the media just isn't covering Mississippi as well. Mississippi took that Cane head on...

[MannyIsGod]

MS defeinetly needs help, but the people are much easer to access because they aren't in a flooded toilet bowl with mobs running around.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Didn't you rip FEMA earlier in this thread, AHF?

Yeah, as I got some info. outside the media my opinion has changed.


MS defeinetly needs help, but the people are much easer to access because they aren't in a flooded toilet bowl with mobs running around.

Another thing from my conversation - this simply isn't the case. Everything is fucked up for 5 miles inland in Mississippi.

She said that the biggest problem is logistics... all the roads are covered with debris, trees, houses, boats, etc. in Miss. The only way to get any aid into anywhere in coast MS and Alabama, as well as New Orleans, is by rotory air (helicopter).

There's only so many choppers they can get.

For example the Army pre-positioned teams in northern MS, Alabama, and Florida that had helped with tsunami relief last year, particularly rebuilding essentials (lots of engineers). They started out by deploying teams via ground, only to find that the roads are totally impassable.

So they've had to regroup and try to fly in the teams, problem is almost all helicopter resources in the southern US are being focused in NO.

[whottt]

Tragedy aside, I think FEMA's in for a major shake up when this is all said and done. The only explanation I can come up with for why they are so clueless is they weren't expecting this many people to live through it.

.

Uh..no...the Mayor said he was pleased with the prestorm evacuation effort. I don't think anyone knew there were this many people left in the city.

Look...the responsiblity for city evac drills falls on the city government...the responsiblity for National Guard placement falls on the state government...the Govenor of Louisiana is CIC of the Lousiana National Guard....a shared responsbility with the President. Louisiana had 8000 guardsmen available in State to support this operation at the beck and call of the Govenor...where were they? Nowhere in sight.

It's the up the local governments to know their cities and the situation...not the fed, the Fed doesn't go around chasing mayors around...the Fed has to worry about the entire freaking country...the speciffics are up to the local governments...

And if the local governments tell you differently, they are lying to you.

Did you ever see this kind of crap happen in Florida? Is the Federal response crappy in Florida? No...because their city and stat governments take the lead on this crap in the early stages and the Fed steps into for the mass evacs.


You can blame the Feds for not being able to get in there fast enough today...but every thing that lead up to today is on the City and State Governments.

[whottt]

MS defeinetly needs help, but the people are much easer to access because they aren't in a flooded toilet bowl with mobs running around.


Agreed...

Then again...Mississippi doesn't have rape, murder, and sniper squads in their shelters, attacking their rescue workers, forcing other responsibilities on their workers, and running around sending the city into total freaking anarchy.

The people of NO don't get a free pass on this disaster...they have large groups of people engaging in serious criminal activity, weak civil leadership, and an uncommitted police force.

New Orleans has always been a wild freaking town...that's part of what makes it New Orleans...and much of this situation is because of the type of town that it is.

I mean New Orleans is the murder capital of the Wolrd you know...and has been for many many years.

It's a dark ritualistic city, that's part of it's mystique...and the compunding factors of this disaster are just reflection of that.

[whottt]

Man, listening to these interviews New Orleans is a living hell.

The main doctor at either the convention center or the Superdome said that there was no security and he and his staff were being threatened...he said in one night there were 3 murders and one rape. He said he got the fuck out and won't be going back until his safety can be guranteed.

At one of the places there is one fucking nurse and she has no supplies.

At one of the hospitals the National Guard is having to protect the hospital staff from angry mobs wanting food and water...even though they don't have any food or water themselves.

The cops are saying they won't get out of their cars when they are one cop being expected to control 2000-3000 people that have guns...


Another guy said that the Police haven't slept, seen their families, or changed clothes in 4 or 5 days, theri own homes are destroyed, and are having as much trouble finding food ...he said some of them are doing good just to protect their own headquarters and keep each other alive.


In some of the precincts 50-60% of the Police Force disappeared...



The CNN Producer I am listening to now said he was getting fired on by the looters.
Said the looters are firing on the police the instant they see them.


Insane.

[whottt]

Military analyst on CNN said that the President cannot empower the National Guard to act as Law Enforcement Officers in a State...only the Govenor of the State has the power to authorize them as Law enforcement officers(make arrests, shoot to kill orders).


Said the Guard was ready to evac New Orleans after the Hurricane but when the Levy broke it made it as difficult for them to get in as it was for everyone else to get out.

Govenor of New Orleans is saying she needs 40,000 National Guardsmen...Holy shit...for one City with 50 K people left in it? That's almost a guardsmen per person...

It only took 10k troops to seize Baghdad initially and that city has millions of people in it.

Mayor of New Orleans is passing the buck....from Baton Rouge...piece of shit needs to be in his city, didn't he watch Guilianni...No wonder things are going to shit...if he bailed how can he expect his cops to stay?

[whottt]

This Mayor of New Orleans is a Grade A piece of shit...blames everyone but himself and accepts no responsibility. I guess he doesn't realize that there is only one person in charge of that city..it's him, and he's not even there... while his cops are getting their asses shot off and having to fight for food. What an asshole.

[TheTruth]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/01/scene.blog/index.html


It's tough to verify from our vantage point here, but one of the officers said that some of the inmates at the Orleans Parish jail may have taken control of the prison. From what we are hearing, the prisoners have weapons. They have not left the jail. They can't get out. But we heard that they have control of weapons inside the jail.

That could get pretty hairy when they try to get control of that prison back.

If this was already posted, I'm sorry...

[Extra Stout]

Well one thing's for sure, he's fixing to be out of a job. The military is taking over and I think the country is going to want heads to roll at FEMA for their shitty response.

He's making himself a rather obvious target.He's lucky he's in the United States.

In many countries, he'd get a bullet between the eyes for this kind of performance.

[Marcus Bryant]

Depot explosion in NO, per Yahoo.

[SpursWoman]

(AP) -- Major developments in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:


The relative calm of night was disrupted early Friday with a series of massive explosions on the riverfront a few miles south of the French Quarter.


Congress rushed a $10.5 billion recovery bill to President Bush, who called the relief effort the biggest in U.S. history.


Texas agreed to triple to 75,000 the number of evacuees being taken in from Louisiana. Houston officials temporarily stopped admitting people to the Astrodome late Thursday after accepting 11,325. Others will be housed in the adjacent Reliant Center, where the Houston Texans play football.


President Bush planned a tour of Gulf Coast communities battered by Hurricane Katrina, a visit aimed at alleviating criticism that he engineered a too-little, too-late response.


Asia-Pacific nations including tsunami-battered Sri Lanka promised Friday to send money and disaster relief experts to the United States to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.


Lawmakers demanded an investigation into gasoline prices after thousands of motorists called a government hotline to complain of price gouging. The Energy Department reports more than 5,000 calls, though there was no way to immediately determine how many of the allegations were valid.


Crude oil prices eased slightly Friday and gasoline futures fell for the first time in a week as several energy facilities on the Gulf Coast resumed operations. Crude oil contracts from November through February traditionally high demand months were all trading above $70 a barrel.


The military expects to put 30,000 National Guard troops on duty in the Gulf states as demands grow for more security and relief assistance, officials said.

[SWC Bonfire]

http://www.aggienetwork.com/katrinasupport/

TO: All Faculty, Students and Staff
SUBJECT: Assistance to Hurricane Katrina Victims

We are announcing today (see statement below) that Texas A&M, including the Galveston campus, will accept up to 1,000 students for as long as one year from universities and colleges unable to offer classes this fall due to Hurricane Katrina. This is a significantly higher number of students than any other university has offered to take in (as far as we are aware), but entirely in keeping with our culture, our traditions and our Spirit. We also have offered to provide – to the extent we can -- a temporary home for faculty to continue their research while their own campuses are unavailable. We are, again as far as we know, the only university to extend the offer of assistance to all colleges and universities affected by the tragedy. The statement includes a number of other actions we have taken and are taking. I am confident that other initiatives, likely thought up by students, faculty and/or staff, will be forthcoming. I know that the Aggie family will respond with warmth, sympathy and support to those displaced by this disaster. A significant number of students from the affected states would clearly have an impact on class sizes and more, but I am confident that faculty and students will make the best of the situation in order to help our neighbors. Also, I request that all faculty and staff be especially sensitive to the feelings and emotional state of students who are directly affected by this tragedy—certainly including those who have lost family members or else do not know the fate of some of them, in addition to having significant property losses in some cases. Significant help to friends and neighbors in trouble is what Aggies do best.

Robert M. Gates

Statement by Robert M. Gates, President of Texas A&M University
The hearts of the entire Texas A&M University community go out to all victims of Hurricane Katrina. Service to others is a core value of this University, and we feel a special obligation to do all we can to help college students and faculty in the affected area continue uninterrupted with their education and their work. I have formed a special university task force, which will continuously update our ability to assist in this very difficult period. Our current activities are summarized below.

ACADEMICS

Texas A&M will welcome up to 1,000 students for as long as one year from all four-year colleges and universities unable to offer classes this fall because of the hurricane, including schools such as Tulane, Dillard, Southern, Xavier, Loyola and the University of New Orleans. These students will be charged the minimum tuition allowed by state law.
Students from impacted universities who are interested in attending Texas A&M this fall should contact Ms. Mary Jane Baldwin in the Office of Admissions and Records at (979) 845-1064 or by e-mail at [email protected] .
Texas A&M will make available for students from impacted schools approximately 140 campus housing assignments and provide assistance in arranging off-campus housing as needed.
Texas A&M will make available classroom and laboratory space after hours to institutions that want temporarily to re-locate their programs here. We also are prepared, with available facilities, to host faculty from these universities wishing to continue their research for the next few months.

FINANCIAL AID


Texas A&M has set aside $200,000 to provide students resources for immediate needs while arrangements are being made for longer-term financial assistance.
We also will provide assistance to Texas A&M students whose homes are in the ravaged areas and whose families have been forced to migrate to the local area and are now in need of housing and other daily necessities.
Student Body President Jim Carlson is urging Texas A&M faculty, staff and students and other members of the local community to donate canned goods and clothing during the Memorial Student Center (MSC) Open House MSC on Sunday, September 4 from 1-6 p.m. Additional student-led activities will be announced subsequently.

OUTREACH


The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is sheltering animals displaced by the hurricane and subsequent flooding.
We can all take pride in the work of one of our sister agencies based here on campus. Texas Task Force One, operated by the Texas Engineering Extension Service, has 126 personnel providing search and rescue service in Louisiana.

[samikeyp]

:tu A&M Hopefully others will step up and do the same.

[2pac]

THe black man who lost his wife and was telling the reporter about her saying goodbye - they found his wife's body today.

:( :( :(

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

That could get pretty hairy when they try to get control of that prison back.

If this was already posted, I'm sorry...

Actually one National Guard bombing run solves that one ;)

Damn, Bush called FEMA's work unacceptable so far. So long, Mark Brown.

[MannyIsGod]

http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smidepressed.gif
THe black man who lost his wife and was telling the reporter about her saying goodbye - they found his wife's body today.

:( :( :(

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

^^^^ Way to go President Gates (A&M). Methinks if he were in charge in NO things would be running much better.

I agree with y'all now, the mayor has copped out. How can you leave your city in this time, then expect the cops to stick around? Total BS.

[Extra Stout]

Actually one National Guard bombing run solves that one ;)

Damn, Bush called FEMA's work unacceptable so far. So long, Mark Brown."Unacceptable" is manager-speak for "your ass is so fired."

[SpursWoman]

THe black man who lost his wife and was telling the reporter about her saying goodbye - they found his wife's body today.

:( :( :(



:depressed :cry


At least they found her, though....if it could have been any worse, he could have spent the rest of his life wondering.... :(

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

"Unacceptable" is manager-speak for "your ass is so fired."

Yep, Brown may as well start cleaning out his office. For the President of the US (and your boss) to say that the federal coordination and recovery efforts have been unacceptable so far (when usually we get to hear politik speak) means his ass is toast.

I saw that on CNN this morning with that man who lost his life, they said people were calling in from all over the country offering to help out him and his kids.

[samikeyp]

"Unacceptable" is manager-speak for "your ass is so fired."

http://luminomagazine.com/2004.03/spotlight/officespace/images/bobs1.jpg


"We fixed the 'glich' "!

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

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.

Other news, Entergy already has crews in fixing electricity, but had to pull them because assholes were shooting at them.

Damn, send in the Marines and wax all this trash.

[Marklar MM]

http://www.campushopper.com/hub/pictures/communities/110142024e0b97812.jpeg
Your fired.

[2pac]

Shoot To Kill Orders Issued

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The National Guard wants hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to know, the cavalry is coming. Lieutenant General Steven Blum of the National Guard says seven-thousand National Guardsmen are arriving in Louisiana today to "to save Louisiana citizens."

He says the only thing they'll be attacking is "the effects of the hurricane," but adds they are prepared to "put down" the violence "in a quick and efficient manner."

Shoot 'em in the head, spray paint looter on their forehead, and leave them in the street.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Thanks for the info on shareyourhome.org, Dan. We filled out the form as we are willing to take in 2 kids if necessary.


:tu thats awesome!
I wish I had the room to help out myself.
It's so great that ya'll are willign to open up your home! :princess

[ObiwanGinobili]

Scientist had allready estimated (beofre Katrina) that this year alone LA would loose 35 square miles of coastline.
they were saying that in another decade the entire city of NO would've been exposed to the ocean.

[2pac]

Louisiana loses aprox. the size of the island of Manhatten every year from the delta area.

[CharlieMac]

I didn't know it lost that much land every year.

Would it make sense to rebuild that city? Even better levees might not be able to withstand another Category 5 hurricane.

[Marklar MM]

I didn't know it lost that much land every year.

Would it make sense to rebuild that city? Even better levees might not be able to withstand another Category 5 hurricane.

They will rebuild. But if they are smart, they will fill in the bowl to at least make the land sea level, so the water doesn't stay in there.

Ya, they do lose a lot of land. That is why they were trying to fix the coastline, to help prevent land erosion.

[SWC Bonfire]

Would it make sense to rebuild that city? Even better levees might not be able to withstand another Category 5 hurricane.

No insurance company would insure a new building built below sea level. They will have to raise NO to above sea level.

You can fight city hall more effectively than you can fight a wall of water.

[SWC Bonfire]

The coastline was eroding in the delta because they have the Mississippi confined within levees. Confined in a narrow channel, the water doesn't slow down enough to replenish the silt that has been constantly deposited over the ages to offset the sinking of the land under its own weight.

There was a great article about this in National Geographic about a year ago.

[Extra Stout]

They will rebuild. But if they are smart, they will fill in the bowl to at least make the land sea level, so the water doesn't stay in there.

Ya, they do lose a lot of land. That is why they were trying to fix the coastline, to help prevent land erosion.They'll have an opportunity to engineer the Louisiana coast correctly this time.

The same levees that allowed cities to exist down there also have been the doom of south Louisiana. Without floods to deposit new river silt on the delta, the Gulf of Mexico slowly reclaims the land.

[Ginofan]

10:33 A.M. - (AP) A large fire erupted today in an old retail building in a dry section of Canal Street. There's no immediate reports of injuries.Earlier today, an explosion at a chemical depot rocked an area of New Orleans east of the French Quarter.



10:16 A.M. - HOUSTON (AP) -- The U.S. Postal Service is making arrangements to get mail to evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. Officials are urging the evacuees to file change-of-address cards listing their shelter's address. The plan could help reunite familiy members sent to shelters in various cities.


A change of address can be filed by telephone at 1-800 ASK-USPS.


People who believe they may have family members at the Houston Astrodome can address their mail to the named individual at " General Delivery Houston, Texas 77230." Similar arrangements are being made for major shelters set up for people evacuated to other areas of the U.S.

10:03 A.M. - An untold number of vacationers remain trapped by Hurricane Katrina. Dozens of them from places like Tennessee, Arkansas, even Canada, have banded together to stay alive.


Their hotel tried to get them out yesterday, hiring ten buses for them. But federal authorities commandeered the buses. They were told to go the convention center. There, they found no food or water, only an angry crowd.



9:59 A.M. - DENVER (AP) -- The Dave Matthews Band will perform a Sept. 12 concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, with all profits to go to charities supporting victims of Hurricane Katrina. "The amount of generosity from around the country I'm sure is staggering right now from people just giving what they can," Matthews told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday.


"We're just getting in line behind those people, getting in line a long way behind the Red Cross or National Guard, but we all have to do a little bit."



9:53 A.M. - LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hilary Duff has pledged to donate $250,000 to help Hurricane Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast. The 17-year-old singer-actress will give $200,000 to the American Red Cross and $50,000 to USA Harvest, which is supplying food to shelters, according to a statement released Thursday by publicist Cece Yorke. The latter donation will amount to more than 300,000 cans of food being provided to victims.


Duff encouraged fans to bring canned food donations to her concerts and to give money to charities.

[polandprzem]

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/weather/0508/gallery.katrina.tues.pm/01.10.ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/weather/0508/gallery.katrina.tues.pm/01.09.ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/weather/0508/gallery.katrina.tues.pm/01.01.ap.jpg

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/weather/0508/gallery.katrina.tues.pm/02.04.ap.jpg

[MannyIsGod]

The first busses have arrived at Kelly USA. Its live on KSAT. Might be on other local stations as well.

[polandprzem]

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/SPECIALS/2005/hurricanes/interactive/fullpage.nola.flood/images/map/before.jpg http://i.cnn.net/cnn/SPECIALS/2005/hurricanes/interactive/fullpage.nola.flood/images/map/after.jpg

[ObiwanGinobili]

Last night at the convention center a women went into labor with no medical attention.... sadly the baby didin't make it. :depressed.

that made me cry.

[T Park]

cops riding around with guns drawn in daylight

buidlings burning

looting, trucks with food and supplies coming in to help.



WTF is this, Bosnia?!?!?

[spurster]

There might be some interest in how communications are working (or not).

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/technology/AP-Katrina-Telecom-HK3.html

September 2, 2005
Katrina Rescuers Improvise Communications
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 1:08 a.m. ET

When the phones don't work, improvise. That's what emergency responders and civilians were forced to do in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which trashed the telephone system on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi.

Police in New Orleans, their main communications system knocked out, have been taking turns talking on a single radio channel with their walkie talkies. The Mississippi National Guard even resorted to ancient battlefield tactics, sending runners back and forth among commanders with information.

And a local sheriff, Sid Hebert of Iberia Parish, helped keep an ambulance company handling medical evacuations across southern Louisiana running by loaning it a portable command center.

''He personally drove it to (our headquarters). He got us back on the air,'' said Richard Zuschlag, chief executive of Acadian Ambulance Service Inc.

By Thursday, nearly 10,000 satellite-based wireless phones had poured into the hurricane zone to coordinate relief efforts by federal disaster personnel and Red Cross workers, said service providers Globalstar LLC and Iridium Satellite LLC.

But satellite phones were spread far more thinly among the ranks of local public safety personnel and emergency responders.

Before the storm, a few thousand satellite phones at most were in use across the three-state region hit by the hurricane, and perhaps only a few hundred of those were in the hands of local authorities, including at least four Louisiana Parishes.

Though government officials have never before had to contemplate a communciations breakdown of this magnitude, it was not immediately clear -- with $8.6 billion in federal money handed out to states since September 11 for emergency preparedness -- why more satellite communciations systems were not in place.

Without such handsets, the most drenched and devastated areas of the Gulf Coast were cut off from the outside world in more ways than one.

The grim TV footage showing a collapsed bridge that once crossed Lake Pontchartrain, one of the main roadways into New Orleans, make it clear why evacuations have been so difficult. That bridge also happened to hold the fiber-optic cables that transported calls and Internet traffic to and from the city as well.

While every major phone company has been scrambling to patch its way into the city and other hard-hit areas using alternate routes and backup equipment, it could be some time before many local phone and Internet lines are back in service to receive calls and data.

BellSouth Corp., the local phone provider for much of the region, said about 1.6 million customers could be without phone service in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The company said it was able to restore service for about 150,000 customers between Wednesday and Thursday.

In the meantime, emergency personnel were often struggling to communicate as they dealt with desperate circumstances.

In New Orleans, police officers crowded a single frequency on their patrol radios.

''That has posed some problems with people talking over each other,'' said Warren Riley, the deputy police chief. ''We probably have 20 agencies on one channel right now.''

Worse, with little power to recharge their batteries, some of those radios were running out of juice. Riley said the police were setting up a new communication system next to the Superdome and waiting for a generator to fire it up later Thursday.

In storm-ravaged southern Mississippi, the national guard was doing things the old-fashioned way.

''We've got runners running from commander to commander,'' said Maj. Gen. Harold Cross of the Mississippi National Guard. ''In other words, we're going to the sound of gunfire, as we used to say during the Revolutionary War.''

Restoring phone service isn't merely a matter of waiting for the flood waters to recede and restoring power. While many cables may be salvageable, the electronics that pass the signals across those lines will need to be replaced.

''It's essentially analogous to putting a PC in your bathtub. It's not going to work once it dries,'' said Jim Gerace, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless.

[Kori Ellis]

Diddy, Jay-Z Step Up with $1M

NEW YORK -- Two big names in hip-hop want to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Diddy and Jay-Z have pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross.

And they hope others, especially black Americans, will give, too. Jay-Z told The Associated Press he's called NBA star LeBron James and fellow rapper Kanye West, seeking donations.

Jay-Z told the AP that when he watches coverage of the disaster, he sees "a lot of black people on the streets" and reminds people that victims of the storm "have been hit hard."

Pop star Celine Dion has also stepped up, also donating $1 million to the Red Cross.

[Shelly]

Stars Step Up Hurricane Relief
by Josh Grossberg
Sep 1, 2005, 5:15 PM PT
back to story

With the Gulf Coast in a near apocalyptic state Thursday, Hollywood continued to put its charity efforts in overdrive.

Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, who owns a residence in the Mississippi Delta that escaped damage from Hurricane Katrina, is helping organize an online auction to raise money for victims of the disaster.

The auction, on CharityFolks.com, will feature such items as VIP tickets to The Jimmy Kimmel Show, a visit to the set of That '70s Show and a signed script from the cast, and a chance to attend the premiere of Freeman's latest flick, An Unfinished Life, with Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez.

All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which has as of press time collected $21 million, $15 million coming from online donations via its Website.

"Now, charity begins at home, so we call on anybody who has even the thought [of giving] to get beyond the thought and help these people," the 68-year-old actor told the Associated Press in an interview.

Also heeding the call were Jay-Z, Diddy and Celine Dion, each of whom pledged $1 million to the organization. The two rappers jointly announced their donation and called on other African-American stars to lend a hand.

"This is our community," Jay-Z told AP. "When I turn on CNN, I see a lot of black people on the streets. I know it's other people too, but those projects have been hit hard."

Added Combs: "We are all descendants from each other's families. When you hear black people say 'brothers' and 'sisters,' it's really true. These are all people that I know I'm related to somehow, some way--the human race family."

Legendary comedian Jerry Lewis announced Thursday that his annual Labor Day Telethon benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association will also reach out and solicit funds for Katrina relief efforts.

"While the needs of 'my kids' are with us all year round, Hurricane Katrina is a national disaster on a scale that's difficult to comprehend,"Lewis said in a statement. "We simply couldn't ignore the need to help. We already have the infrastructure in place."

Additionally, Lewis confirmed that the MDA has pledged $1 million of its funds to aid those in the stricken states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

In the wake of the calamity, several media conglomerates announced telethons across the dial.

NBC, MSNBC and CNBC will jointly air an hour-long special Friday at 8 p.m. dubbed A Concert for Hurricane Relief. An updated list of performers include New Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr., Aaron Neville and Wynton Marsalis, along with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Also appearing on the broadcast to solicit donations: Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, Lindsay Lohan, John Goodman, Claire Danes, and Mike Myers.
"jay-z"

Viacom also confirmed it will simulcast a multi-artist, multi-city concert special on Sept. 10 on MTV, VH1 and CMT that will benefit the American Red Cross and other relief efforts and feature artists such as Ludacris, Green Day, Gretchen Wilson, Usher, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp and Rob Thomas. Also on the bill is the Dave Matthews Band, which separately announced it was planning a Sept. 12 benefit concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver.

Viacom-owned BET, which announced Wednesday that it would host its own telethon with the National Urban League and the American Red Cross on Sept. 9, offered more details Thursday at a press conference in New York attended by Russell Simmons of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Jay-Z and Chris Rock.

"It's the worst disaster we'll ever see," Rock said. "I'm here to use whatever celebrity I have to help bring attention."

Among the recording artists expected to participate in the two-and-a-half-hour special are Jay-Z, Diddy, New Orleans hip-hopsters Master P and Juvenile, both of whom lost homes, Mississippi rapper David Banner and Wynton Marsalis. Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.

Meanwhile, CBS, ABC and Fox are prepping a one-hour commercial-free telethon similar to the post 9-11 celeb-filled Tribute to Heroes special. Ellen DeGeneres, who was born in New Orleans and whose 82-year-old managed to survive the carnage, is reportedly in talks to host, but there's been no official word. The networks are aiming to have the lineup set and ready to go next Tuesday or Wednesday at 8 p.m. and will offer the telethon to other broadcast and cable outlets, including NBC, UPN and the WB.
"ellen"

However, according to Daily Variety, what should have been simply a charitable endeavor has been marred by some behind-the-scenes bad feelings after NBC jumped the gun and announced its own benefit.

Rival network executives expressed concern that with so many relief drives underway, there wouldn't be enough talent available to attract an audience.

An unnamed NBC source told the trade that the company felt compelled to do its own event after Connick called NBC Universal TV honcho Jeff Zucker and pleaded for a fundraiser.

"This is not about competition. This is about raising money for those in need," a network rep told Variety. "We're interested in helping out the victims of the hurricane. We can't raise enough money." To that end NBC says it will make its Friday broadcast available to other networks.

Here's a look at some of the other hurricane-related news from the entertainment world:

* The Tonight Show with Jay Leno announced it will have celebrity guests autograph a Harley-Davidson motorcycle to auction off on eBay later this month to raise relief funds. The John Hancocks will start being collected next week and potentially include Samuel L. Jackson, Denis Leary, Jennifer Garner, Dolly Parton and Bon Jovi.
* Comedian Eddie Griffin plans to donate his fee from two Friday performances at the Delta Downs Race Track Casino & Hotel in Vinton, Louisiana, to relief efforts. "Performing so close to New Orleans (230 miles away), my first thought was, 'How could I not help these unfortunate people?' " Griffin said. "I ask everyone to reach into their pockets and do the same to help these people."
* Jane Kaczmarek and Bradley Whitford's fourth annual Clothes Off Our Backs Primetime Emmy Auction will donate its proceeds from the sale of celebrity clothing and accessories to the American Red Cross.
* 3 Doors Down is encouraging concertgoers to bring canned food, clothing and other supplies to donate to the Red Cross. "Everything you can think of having is gone," bassist Todd Harrell, whose family in Biloxi, Mississippi, lost its home and business in the hurricane, told E! Online. "I imagine that there's still a lot going on right now but we'll do quite a few things to help those guys down there that lost so much."
* Tim Farris of INXS announced on Wednesday night's Rock Star: INXS that the band had made a donation to the Red Cross to aid victims of the hurricane. "New Orleans is one of our favorite cities and the people there have always treated us well," Farris said.
* On her Website, Britney Spears, who was born in Kentwood, Louisiana, writes, "My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and any other states that might be affected by Hurricane Katrina. All of my family members there are safe and thank you to all my fans for your concern."
* Patricia Clarkson told reporters at the Venice Film Festival where she's promoting her new film, Good Night, and Good Luck, that her mom, Jackie, a New Orleans city councilwoman, has been by the side of mayor Ray Nagin throughout the ordeal. "She's all right. Otherwise I wouldn't be here," Clarkson said.
* Boogie-woogie piano maestro Fats Domino, who had been initially listed as missing, was safely pulled from the floodwaters.
* Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner and Simpsons star Harry Shearer both said they were awaiting news on whether their homes in New Orleans survived the deluge.
* Finally, the producers of American Idol announced Thursday that the show auditions scheduled for Monday in Memphis have been canceled "due to the extensive relief efforts currently being coordinated in that city." Thousands of displaced persons from the Gulf Coast have fled to the city.

[ObiwanGinobili]

Military Convoy of FOOD, WATER & SUPPLIES has just pulled into NO between the Superdome and Convention Center!!!
:elephant.

although they are having a hard time finding a plac to park with all the water......

[ObiwanGinobili]

ALSO-
Convoy of Buses coming into NO. Looks to be more than 50 ..... alot more than 50.

[Shelly]

washingtonpost.com
After the Deluge, New Orleans's Mayor Nagin Stands His Ground

By Peter Carlson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 2, 2005; C01

His city is under water. There's no electricity, no water to drink. Broken gas lines cause flames to erupt from filthy floodwaters. Mobs loot stores and exchange shots with police. Hungry people fight over food. Dead bodies float through the streets while the living huddle on rooftops, awaiting rescue.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin stares at the apocalyptic wreckage of his city from a window in his makeshift command post in the Hyatt hotel, which sits across a flooded street from City Hall. His wife and three children have been evacuated. He has sent most of his staff to higher ground in Baton Rouge. But he remains behind, like a captain determined to stay with his sinking ship.

"He's gonna be there until this thing turns around," says Don Hutchinson, the mayor's director of economic development, speaking on a cell phone from Baton Rouge. "He's showing the leadership a mayor should show."

He's not a politician, not really. Nagin, 49, was a cable TV executive at Cox Communications, a man with no previous political experience, when he beat out 14 candidates to win election as mayor in 2002. Back then, he was a fresh face in New Orleans politics, a young guy with a shaved head who promised to clean up a corrupt city.

"Ninety-five percent of the time, it's the greatest job in the world," he told New Orleans magazine in 2004, "and 5 percent, it's the highest pain you could ever imagine."

Back then, he could not possibly have imagined the pain he is witnessing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.

"My heart is heavy tonight," he said Monday, sitting in the studio of WWL-TV in New Orleans. Dressed in a white T-shirt topped with what looked like an unbuttoned police or firefighter's shirt, he ticked off a list of problems in his slow Nawlins drawl -- "80 percent of the city is under water . . . we have an oil tanker that has run aground that is leaking oil . . . you see flames sparking up from the water . . . we have buildings that look like a bazooka was shot through them."

With the TV lights gleaming off his head, he summed up the scene: "It's really kind of a surreal situation, like a nightmare that I hope we'll wake up from."

That was Monday night. Since then, things have only gotten worse. Yesterday at the New Orleans Convention Center, where more than 15,000 people have taken refuge, corpses lay out in the open and mobs angered by a lack of food and water battled with police.

"This is a desperate SOS," Nagin said in a statement released to the media. "Currently, the Convention Center is unsanitary and unsafe and we are running out of supplies for 15,000 or 20,000 people."

In the halls of the Hyatt yesterday morning, the mayor was mobbed by citizens demanding to know when they could go home, when normal life would resume.

"You need to listen very carefully," Nagin told them, according to the Associated Press. "For the next two or three months, in this area, there will not be any commerce, at all. No electricity, no restaurants. This is the real deal. It's not living conditions."

Somehow, as his city collapses around him, he remains calm.

"The mayor is a very confident, very levelheaded person," says Hutchinson. "He's not one to react on a personal level. He's not panicky."

"He stays very calm under fire, and he stays very focused," City Council member Jackie Clarkson, mother of actress Patricia Clarkson, told the AP. "Through all the demands coming at him from different directions, he's stayed very focused on human life."

Nagin was born in 1956 in New Orleans's Charity Hospital, one of the hospitals that have now run out of food and water and been besieged by looters. His mother worked at a lunch counter in a Kmart. His father worked two jobs -- a fabric cutter in a clothing factory by day, a custodian at City Hall at night.

A hotshot pitcher in high school, Nagin went to Tuskegee University on a scholarship, graduating in 1978 with an accounting degree. He worked for General Motors in Detroit, then for financial services companies in Los Angeles and Dallas. In 1982 he married a childhood friend, Seletha Smith. Three years later, Nagin was hired by Cox and he and Seletha returned to New Orleans, where they raised two sons, Jeremy and Jarin, and a daughter, Tianna. He was making about $400,000 a year when he was elected mayor, a job that paid $110,000.

"I'm going to need your help," he told his supporters the night he won the election. "I don't have a Superman undershirt on underneath this coat."

He promised to take on the city's entrenched culture of corruption and kick-start the economy. Flood prevention was not a major issue in the election, although it must have been on the new mayor's mind: In 2004, he told New Orleans magazine that his favorite book about the city was John Barry's "Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America."

Yesterday, Nagin had more important things to do than talk about his personal reactions to the destruction of his home town. But Pat Owens, a 64-year-old woman living in Ocala, Fla., thought she knew what was going through Nagin's mind. Owens was the mayor of Grand Forks, N.D., in 1997, when the city of 50,000 was wiped out by the flooding of the Red River.

"It's like a nightmare," she says. "You're torn in so many different directions. You have to make decisions and you can't wait. You have to act immediately. . . . It's hard. You really feel like you're all alone."

She dealt with looting, angry citizens and an evacuation that was, she says, the biggest in U.S. history since the Civil War.

"I worked on adrenaline for months," she says, "because I didn't sleep. My staff and I worked 20 hours a day for weeks."

Dealing with the floodwater was tough enough, she says, but dealing with citizens was tougher.

"They were very testy because they couldn't go back to their homes," she says. "They blame the city officials for the flood. You are blamed for water coming in."

And then, when federal money finally arrives, she says, "people get so angry because somebody got more dollars than them."

Three years after her flood, Owens ran for reelection. She lost by about 300 votes.

"They just looked upon me as the flood mayor," she says, "and they think that if you're gone, the flood will be gone, too. I was very, very hurt."

Yesterday, she had a bit of hard-earned advice for Mayor Nagin: "You just have to do what you think is right, because you're not going to please everybody."

Adam Nossiter of the Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Extra Stout]

Thank God for the Marine Corps. Things are looking up.

[timvp]

Now hopefully people can separate their political views from this news thread so that I don't have to spend 20 minutes splitting a 120 page thread.

Thanks.

[Horry For 3!]

I'm locking this thread and you guys can all go to the political forum. Thanks for ruining a thread that was for information and news, assholes.

:flipoff
Yay :)

[samikeyp]

Thanks LJ and Kori for letting us continue. Maybe people will now listen. I caught something on CNN briefly about an oil slick in Mississippi near the LA border...anyone heard anything about that.

[SpursWoman]

I'm locking this thread and you guys can all go to the political forum. Thanks for ruining a thread that was for information and news, assholes.

:flipoff


Thanks, Kori. :)

[Kori Ellis]

The political stuff has been moved out of this thread (thanks to LJ). Keep posting in this thread but keep the Bush-love or Bush-hate out of it. I set up the Political Forum for a reason, use it.

[MiNuS]

Peace TPark.

[MannyIsGod]

:lol

This forum never cease to give me entertainment during the day. For that, I thank all of you.

[samikeyp]

This is all I have seen on CNN.com


AP: Huge oil spill spotted near storage tanks on Mississippi River downstream
from New Orleans, state officials say. Details soon.

[T Park]

caught something on CNN briefly about an oil slick in Mississippi near the LA border...anyone heard anything about that.



I think Fox News said something about a Oil Tanker has sprung a leak and is now leaking 2 million gallons of oil.

[CosmicCowboy]

Thanks LJ and Kori for letting us continue. Maybe people will now listen. I caught something on CNN briefly about an oil slick in Mississippi near the LA border...anyone heard anything about that.

yep...two storage tanks leaking...Tanks have about a two million barrel capacity but they don't know yet how full they actually are. IMHO it should be reasonably easy to contain/repair.

[2pac]

They are using LSU's basketball arena as a morgue.

[Marklar MM]

They are using LSU's basketball arena as a morgue.


Well if no one goes to the games, they can definitely say that the place is dead...no pun intended.

[T Park]

Senator David Vitter> The death toll in LA may reach 10 Thousand.


:depressed

[MannyIsGod]

Evactuations for the Hospital that was suspended due to gunfire is ongoing. They've gotten a lot of the people out.

[mouse]

: Originally Posted by Kori Ellis I'm locking this thread and you guys can all go to the political forum. Thanks for ruining a thread that was for information and news, assholes.http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/smilies/smiflipoff.gif


Didn't Kori shoot someone else the bird about 30 days ago? It must be that time of the month? :lmao

[timvp]

Well if no one goes to the games, they can definitely say that the place is dead...no pun intended.

There have been so many bad jokes in this thread. This one, that one about not being able to swim.

I know people like trying to be funny but please if you insist on being the comic, at least have it be somewhat humorous.

Thanks.

:hat

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Bad joke.

Damn, now an oil spill headed for the Gulf. Mother Nature really did a number on us.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Senator David Vitter> The death toll in LA may reach 10 Thousand.

Go back and look (it's somewhere back in this thread :lol ), my sister said FEMA was expecting 1 million homeless (already nailed that one), and 50,000 dead (hope not, but not looking good).

Their internal communications say they think over 200,000 stayed :(

[T Park]

Mother Nature really did a number on us

her time of the year is August.

Hottest time of the year

Hurricanes

oil spills in the gulf.

Jeeeeees.

[T Park]

Their internal communications say they think over 200,000 stayed

Great googly moogly.

[TheTruth]

Go back and look (it's somewhere back in this thread :lol ), my sister said FEMA was expecting 1 million homeless (already nailed that one), and 50,000 dead (hope not, but not looking good).

Their internal communications say they think over 200,000 stayed :(
:depressed :depressed :depressed :depressed

[Marklar MM]

Sorry for the joke. I agree, it was a bit tasteless. :(

[SpursWoman]

Go back and look (it's somewhere back in this thread :lol ), my sister said FEMA was expecting 1 million homeless (already nailed that one), and 50,000 dead (hope not, but not looking good).

Their internal communications say they think over 200,000 stayed :(



If 200,000 stayed...they certainly haven't gotten out even 100K....I don't think 50K is out of the question if that's the case. :(

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Yeah unfortunately they've got a really bad feeling they will hit the 50,000 mark and then some. Projections are that it will take over six months to come up with a final tally, as they will have to go into every building in NO to check for victims.

Totally depressing.

[Horry For 3!]

I wonder how long it will take to rebuild New Orleans...I bet probably years.

[Marklar MM]

The sad thing for many families is that they will not know if their loved ones perished. Many bodies will never be found. :(

[Marklar MM]

I wonder how long it will take to rebuild New Orleans...I bet probably years.


I think I heard that it will take like 5-6 months to get all the water out(But could be wrong here). Then they will have to probably demolish many buildings and fill in the "bowl", then build on that. Very stupid if they don't raise the city.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

(AP): A mix of cheering and swearing has greeted National Guardsman pouring into New Orleans.

As a convoy of relief trucks swarmed through downtown, some near the city's convention center threw up their hands and screamed "Thank You, Jesus!"

Others weren't as pleased. One man says "hell no," he's not happy to see the Guard, saying troops should have shown up days ago. Michael Levy says he'll be pleased when 100 buses arrive to evacuate people.

Levy says people at the center have been sleeping on the ground "like rats." And he says if he had his way, New Orleans would be burned down.

Michael Levy, aka NBAdan.

[SpursWoman]

One man says "hell no," he's not happy to see the Guard, saying troops should have shown up days ago. Michael Levy says he'll be pleased when 100 buses arrive to evacuate people.

Perhaps they should just turn around and leave, then. :fro

[T Park]

hell no," he's not happy to see the Guard

If I were the National Guard, Id say, alright well take this food and water and leave then asswhipe.

[Marklar MM]

Just throw him in handcuffs and give stuff to everyone else first.

[Vashner]

People get mad when hungry.. little MRE and MSG later he will stop bitching..

This one guy they showed shaking .. I think he was a heroin addict going thru withdrawl.. (just guessing)

[SpursWoman]

People get mad when hungry.. little MRE and MSG later he will stop bitching..

This one guy they showed shaking .. I think he was a heroin addict going thru withdrawl.. (just guessing)

People get the shakes when their blood-sugar is low also, don't be so quick to judge. :)

[Horry For 3!]

New Orleans mayor is going off on the federal government. :lmao

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

New Orleans mayor is going off on the federal government.

In all fairness, dude needs to look in the mirror too. I can sympathize with him to an extent, but he didn't even order a mandatory evacuation until Sunday when Katrina was all of a sudden a cat 5.

It was a Cat4 Saturday and he should have been booting everyone out of the frickin' city.

Those buses he's crying about now? He should have been commandeering them Saturday to truck people out.

A lot of this right now looks like he's determined he's going to deflect the blame for so many people being hosed by pointing the finger at the gvt.

[Al Sharpton]

There have been so many bad jokes in this thread. This one, that one about not being able to swim.

I know people like trying to be funny but please if you insist on being the comic, at least have it be somewhat humorous.

Thanks.

:hat


^ Rack LJ !
http://www.boomspeed.com/woaimouse/owned.jpg

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

St. Bernard Parish officials say that FEMA has not called them yet...five days after the storm.

3:07 P.M. - BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- U.S. Sen. David Vitter said FEMA's efforts to deal with the hurricane have been completely ineffective, and he called the federal government's response a failure.

"I think FEMA has been completely dysfunctional and is completely overwhelmed, and I don't know why. This situation was utterly predictable," said Vitter, R-Metairie. "It seems like there was no coherent plan, which I don't understand because this precise scenario has been predicted for 20 years," he said.

Pathetic. Michael Brown, time to clean out your desk.

[Al Sharpton]

Great googly moogly.

I don't know why But, I love when T park says this ^ :lmao

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Drudge caption...

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050901/capt.flpc21109012015.hurricane_katrina_flpc211.jpg


Why didn't you use the buses to evacuate the people before the storm mayor?

[Extra Stout]

Pathetic. Michael Brown, time to clean out your desk.Time to take Michael Brown outside and fire a .38 into the back of his head.

[Marklar MM]

Time to take Michael Brown outside and fire a .38 into the back of his head.


Just feed him to sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.

[Marklar MM]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9173940/site/newsweek/

Audio of NO Mayor talking about calamity and such in NO. They both break down in the end...with emotions.

[Horry For 3!]

It is fixing to start pouring here....

[SpursWoman]

I love this sign :lol


http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/04/03/20050902011309990001

[SpursWoman]

http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/04/05/20050902011509990001

[SpursWoman]

:( :(


http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_photos/02/05/20050901131709990023

[Horry For 3!]

Fuckin shit! My electricty cut off then on :bang

[whottt]

Drudge caption...

http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/ap/20050901/capt.flpc21109012015.hurricane_katrina_flpc211.jpg


Werd...this Mayor is a grade A ass covering piece of shit.


Let's not even get into his police force which never maintained any semblance of law and order....from day fucking 1. They couldn't even hold 1 spot...and from day 1 you can just see them driving past without doing shit.

60% of them quit.

100 of them were driven out of the convention center...

I can't really blame them though...he wasn't even in fucking town and they were fighting for their lives.

Someone needs to let that asshole know that he commands the city police and their failure is a reflection of his leadership abilities.

[Horry For 3!]

That Lightning is getting pretty close to my house

[MannyIsGod]

Yeah, I'm pretty upset with the way the police handled the situation. Those than ran off had no business ever being cops.

[atlfan25]

Fuckin shit! My electricty cut off then on :bang
-horry

[Horry For 3!]

I have no satellite :(

[Ginofan]

Could you make all your comments about lightning and rain coming to your house in one post from now on? thanks.

I heard on CNN that it would take anywhere from 36 to 80 days to get the water out of New Orleans... :(

[Horry For 3!]

Could you make all your comments about lightning and rain coming to your house in one post from now on? thanks.

I heard on CNN that it would take anywhere from 36 to 80 days to get the water out of New Orleans... :(
How come?

[timvp]

Bro, I don't think a thunderstorm in Poth is comparable to a Cat 5.

[Spurminator]

My wife's cousin is driving a bus of supplies to NO tonight, with armed guard. We're staying with his wife... She's prtty scared, but from the looks of it the danger has subsided quite a bit.

[Kori Ellis]

The Hurricane Dog has arrived.

http://spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=473120#post473120

:elephant :elephant

[Horry For 3!]

Bro, I don't think a thunderstorm in Poth is comparable to a Cat 5.
I don't live in Poth? :lol

[Extra Stout]

How come?Because there's so much of it, and not a lot of good options as far as pumping it out.

New Orleans is a sizable lake right now. What they have to do is pump out Lake New Orleans into Lake Pontchartrain. Draining a lake takes a while as it is, bu an additional problem is that the bottom of Pontchartrain is above the ground in New Orleans.

It's just not a great place to put a city.

[Trainwreck2100]

edited

*cause I'm off today

[ObiwanGinobili]

3:34 P.M. - (AP) The evacuation of Superdome refugees was interrupted briefly when school buses rolled up so some 700 guests and employees from the Hyatt hotel. They were move to the head of the line to be evacuated -- much to the amazement of those who had been crammed in the stinking Superdome for days.


The 700 had been trapped in the Hyatt just like the others, but conditions were considerably cleaner, even without running water, than the unsanitary crush inside the dome.

[whottt]

Snipers are firing on a fireman...and firing to keep some people, including children, trapped in a building, while they loot another building.



The Looters are heroes. We should be paying them for saving lives.

[timvp]

Snipers are firing on a fireman...and firing to keep some people including children trapped in a building.

With the amount of misinformation, I find this hard to believe. The media is trying to dehumanize these survivors by classifying them all as looters and people who were too stupid to leave.

Don't believe the hype.

[Trainwreck2100]

3:34 P.M. - (AP) The evacuation of Superdome refugees was interrupted briefly when school buses rolled up so some 700 guests and employees from the Hyatt hotel. They were move to the head of the line to be evacuated -- much to the amazement of those who had been crammed in the stinking Superdome for days.


The 700 had been trapped in the Hyatt just like the others, but conditions were considerably cleaner, even without running water, than the unsanitary crush inside the dome.


Considering that busses sent for the hotel were already diverted yesterday, what would you expect.

[whottt]

With the amount of misinformation, I find this hard to believe. The media is trying to dehumanize these survivors by classifying them all as looters and people who were too stupid to leave.

Don't believe the hype.


The reporter had the fireman that was being shot at on the phone.

[SpursWoman]

He really is everywhere, he's like Waldo


http://img278.imageshack.us/img278/6986/image12ho.jpg


That is a picture of one man covering up a dead man's body. Didn't you read timvp's post about extremely un-funny jokes?

[Trainwreck2100]

That is a picture of one man covering up a dead man's body. Didn't you read timvp's post about extremely un-funny jokes?


I did know he was dead, I'll remove it at once

[timvp]

The reporter had the fireman that was being shot at on the phone.

So he gave up and got on the phone?

Nice.

[whottt]

The reporter was watching it and was trying to get help for them....A Sherrif's deputy had been shot dead already.

Do you seriously think there aren't maniacs preying on these people there...you need to listen to the stories of some of the people that have gotten out of the Superdome and Event Center.

[whottt]

The authorities are there trying to get the sniper now.


Also...a bus carrying refugees flipped over and 1 person is reported dead so far.

[timvp]

The reporter was watching it and was trying to get help for them....A Sherrif's deputy had been shot dead already.

Do you seriously think there aren't maniacs preying on these people there...you need to listen to the stories of some of the people that have gotten out of the Superdome and Event Center.


Of course there are. It is the murder capital of the world for a reason.

Hell if there was a flood in San Antonio and I didn't get help for five days, I'd be pissed too.

[Ginofan]

Anyone hear anything about when more busses will get to the Superdome? It still looks like there are a TON of people there!

[Extra Stout]

With the amount of misinformation, I find this hard to believe. The media is trying to dehumanize these survivors by classifying them all as looters and people who were too stupid to leave.

Don't believe the hype.
Well, the people trapped in the building are survivors, too.

Most of hardcore criminals in New Orleans stuck around hoping to become the kings of hell. They want to get to those survivors before the rescuers can so they can rape and kill them and see what they might have to steal before they move on to their next victims.

That's what the authorities are up against. FEMA might have been caught off guard because in the tsunami last year there was none of this kind of thing. Asia doesn't have this kind of evil.

[MannyIsGod]

This is the kind of shit that will make a man pro death penalty

[whottt]

Of course there are. It is the murder capital of the world for a reason.


Actually...that was my bad...it's been 10 years since it held that title...but it has risen the past few years...to 10 times the National rate...

[whottt]

With the amount of misinformation, I find this hard to believe. The media is trying to dehumanize these survivors by classifying them all as looters and people who were too stupid to leave.

Don't believe the hype.


Correction...they said it was 50 firefighters and their families being held hostage...dead Sherrif on the site. I thought I'd lower the hype...

[timvp]

If it's true, that's a shame.

But we've seen too much exaggeration to believe everything that comes across the wires.

[Shelly]

I just heard Castro offered to send doctors and medicine.

Hmmm....

[T Park]

Geraldo is down at the convention center.

Need buses now, people are about to riot.

I couldn't help laugh though at Geraldo, the guy, at the most freakin serious times, acts like such a freakin cheeseball.

[T Park]

I just heard Castro offered to send doctors and medicine.


If I was BUsh I would say, dont call me well call you.

Then after hanging the phone up roll my eyes and get back to work.

[Trainwreck2100]

Geraldo is down at the convention center.

Need buses now, people are about to riot.

I couldn't help laugh though at Geraldo, the guy, at the most freakin serious times, acts like such a freakin cheeseball.


Are we sure there are not more hurricanes that he will give directions to survival shelters to.

[T Park]

huh?

[T Park]

This Civil rights activist says,

"If there were more white people in NO, than the govt would've acted quicker"

I was wondering when this would come.


BTW, just was asked what would you do, if you came to a house with someone who stole 5 big screens.

"Well, I would first find out if they are proffessional looters"

Then after that bit of genius says,

"Well if we are gonna arrest people for stealing TVs and shoes, you better arrest the cops and doctors who are stealing medicine out of drug stores"

sigh.......

[timvp]

This Civil rights activist says,

"If there were more white people in NO, than the govt would've acted quicker"

I was wondering when this would come.

Couldn't have acted much slower ....

[T Park]

Oh come on. They acted slow because they were all black???

commmeee ONNNNNNNN.

[timvp]

I didn't say that. I just said they acted as slow as humanly possibly.

That'd be like if I fell out of a ferris wheel and nobody sent a doctor for three days.

[Kori Ellis]

No, they acted slowly period.

I understand the logistics on how it's difficult to get people out. But I really can't understand forgetting about the people in the convention center and not getting any food or water to them until last night.

[E20]

Yeah that is pretty fucked up.

[Mr. Ash]

"Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity."

[Jelly]

Oh my god. Did anybody just see that incident on the NBC red cross special?

[T Park]

Not arguing against that.


Hope you understand that. People still being there is ascanine.

It was a tremendous undertaking, and, its lacked a strong LOCAL leader.

A rudy giuliani.

[T Park]

What happened Jelly??

[Jelly]

They are doing a fundraiser. Mike Myers and the guy he was presenting with (I dont' know who he was, maybe a rapper or actor). Mike Myers did his bit and then the black guy just went off. He definitely wasn't reading from the teleprompter. Mike Myers looked like he didn't know what to do. The black guy was obviously very emotional and started saying we are letting this happen because the victims are black and "now they're saying it's okay to start shooting us" . And "George Bush hates black people." or something like that. The guy was kind of incoherent and you could tell Mike Myers was stunned. Then they cut the cameras to someone else (Chris Tucker, I think) who wasn't prepared to start talking, so that guy just started rambling a bit. It was very weird and probably really uncomfortable to everyone there.

[Mr. Ash]

(I dont' know who he was, maybe a rapper or actor)

Kayne West. Rapper/Hip hop artist.

[T Park]

Now theyre saying its ok to start shooting us.

Uh Kanye.

THEY ARE KILLING PEOPLE SHOOTING AT FIREMAN AND HELICOPTERS>


Get of your fucking drugs asswhipe.

[ChumpDumper]

Geraldo and Shep Smith are going off on the feds on Fox.

Smith says the refugees can't get walk out of town even if they are able to -- turned back at a checkpoint.

Geraldo looks like he wants to start a riot.

[timvp]

I haven't seen it yet and Kanye was probably out of line, but here we are five days later and people are still there dying. At the rate they're moving, it'll be another week before everyone is evacuated.

I'm still waiting for a sense of urgency. There should be cruise ships there picking up 5K people at a time. There should be non-stop buses. Hell, take SUVs or pickups and take who you can.

I guess history will compare this to when San Francisco goes under when the big one hits.

[ChumpDumper]

You can talk about West all you want, but the news reporters are going off in similar ways now.

[T Park]

Kanye was probably out of line, but

probobly??

Accusing a president of being a racist? And saying shooting at people that are shooting at citizens is bad??


How can that be excused with a probobly BUT.

There is NO NO NO Probobly.

HE WAS out of line. PERIOD.

[T Park]

Geraldo is about to have a freakin anxiety attack.

Shepard Smith as well.....

It doesn't seem anyone is paying attention to them though....

[Kori Ellis]

The big disconnect on New Orleans
The official version; then there's the in-the-trenches version

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Diverging views of a crumbling New Orleans emerged Thursday, with statements by some federal officials in contradiction with grittier, more desperate views from the streets. By late Friday response to those stranded in the city was more visible.

But the conflicting views on Thursday came within hours, sometimes minutes of each of each other, as reflected in CNN's transcripts. The speakers include Michael Brown, chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, evacuee Raymond Cooper, CNN correspondents and others. Here's what they had to say:

Conditions in the Convention Center

FEMA chief Brown: We learned about that (Thursday), so I have directed that we have all available resources to get that convention center to make sure that they have the food and water and medical care that they need. (See video of Brown explaining how news reports alerted FEMA to convention center chaos. -- 2:11)

Mayor Nagin: The convention center is unsanitary and unsafe, and we are running out of supplies for the 15,000 to 20,000 people. (Hear Nagin's angry demand for soldiers. 1:04)

CNN Producer Kim Segal: It was chaos. There was nobody there, nobody in charge. And there was nobody giving even water. The children, you should see them, they're all just in tears. There are sick people. We saw... people who are dying in front of you.

Evacuee Raymond Cooper: Sir, you've got about 3,000 people here in this -- in the Convention Center right now. They're hungry. Don't have any food. We were told two-and-a-half days ago to make our way to the Superdome or the Convention Center by our mayor. And which when we got here, was no one to tell us what to do, no one to direct us, no authority figure.

Uncollected corpses

Brown: That's not been reported to me, so I'm not going to comment. Until I actually get a report from my teams that say, "We have bodies located here or there," I'm just not going to speculate.

Segal: We saw one body. A person is in a wheelchair and someone had pushed (her) off to the side and draped just like a blanket over this person in the wheelchair. And then there is another body next to that. There were others they were willing to show us. ( See CNN report, 'People are dying in front of us' -- 4:36 )

Evacuee Cooper: They had a couple of policemen out here, sir, about six or seven policemen told me directly, when I went to tell them, hey, man, you got bodies in there. You got two old ladies that just passed, just had died, people dragging the bodies into little corners. One guy -- that's how I found out. The guy had actually, hey, man, anybody sleeping over here? I'm like, no. He dragged two bodies in there. Now you just -- I just found out there was a lady and an old man, the lady went to nudge him. He's dead.

Hospital evacuations

Brown: I've just learned today that we ... are in the process of completing the evacuations of the hospitals, that those are going very well.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta: It's gruesome. I guess that is the best word for it. If you think about a hospital, for example, the morgue is in the basement, and the basement is completely flooded. So you can just imagine the scene down there. But when patients die in the hospital, there is no place to put them, so they're in the stairwells. It is one of the most unbelievable situations I've seen as a doctor, certainly as a journalist as well. There is no electricity. There is no water. There's over 200 patients still here remaining. ...We found our way in through a chopper and had to land at a landing strip and then take a boat. And it is exactly ... where the boat was traveling where the snipers opened fire yesterday, halting all the evacuations. ( Watch the video report of corpses stacked in stairwells -- 4:45 )

Dr. Matthew Bellew, Charity Hospital: We still have 200 patients in this hospital, many of them needing care that they just can't get. The conditions are such that it's very dangerous for the patients. Just about all the patients in our services had fevers. Our toilets are overflowing. They are filled with stool and urine. And the smell, if you can imagine, is so bad, you know, many of us had gagging and some people even threw up. It's pretty rough.(Mayor's video: Armed addicts fighting for a fix -- 1:03)

Violence and civil unrest

Brown: I've had no reports of unrest, if the connotation of the word unrest means that people are beginning to riot, or you know, they're banging on walls and screaming and hollering or burning tires or whatever. I've had no reports of that.

CNN's Chris Lawrence: From here and from talking to the police officers, they're losing control of the city. We're now standing on the roof of one of the police stations. The police officers came by and told us in very, very strong terms it wasn't safe to be out on the street. (Watch the video report on explosions and gunfire -- 2:12)

The federal response:

Brown: Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well.

Homeland Security Director Chertoff: Now, of course, a critical element of what we're doing is the process of evacuation and securing New Orleans and other areas that are afflicted. And here the Department of Defense has performed magnificently, as has the National Guard, in bringing enormous resources and capabilities to bear in the areas that are suffering.

Crowd chanting outside the Convention Center: We want help.

Nagin: They don't have a clue what's going on down there.

Phyllis Petrich, a tourist stranded at the Ritz-Carlton: They are invisible. We have no idea where they are. We hear bits and pieces that the National Guard is around, but where? We have not seen them. We have not seen FEMA officials. We have seen no one.

Security

Brown: I actually think the security is pretty darn good. There's some really bad people out there that are causing some problems, and it seems to me that every time a bad person wants to scream of cause a problem, there's somebody there with a camera to stick it in their face. ( See Jack Cafferty's rant on the government's 'bungled' response -- 0:57)

Chertoff: In addition to local law enforcement, we have 2,800 National Guard in New Orleans as we speak today. One thousand four hundred additional National Guard military police trained soldiers will be arriving every day: 1,400 today, 1,400 tomorrow and 1,400 the next day.

Nagin: I continue to hear that troops are on the way, but we are still protecting the city with only 1,500 New Orleans police officers, an additional 300 law enforcement personnel, 250 National Guard troops, and other military personnel who are primarily focused on evacuation.

Lawrence: The police are very, very tense right now. They're literally riding around, full assault weapons, full tactical gear, in pickup trucks. Five, six, seven, eight officers. It is a very tense situation here.

[Kori Ellis]

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta: It's gruesome. I guess that is the best word for it. If you think about a hospital, for example, the morgue is in the basement, and the basement is completely flooded. So you can just imagine the scene down there. But when patients die in the hospital, there is no place to put them, so they're in the stairwells. It is one of the most unbelievable situations I've seen as a doctor, certainly as a journalist as well

:(

[timvp]

probobly??

Accusing a president of being a racist? And saying shooting at people that are shooting at citizens is bad??


How can that be excused with a probobly BUT.

There is NO NO NO Probobly.

HE WAS out of line. PERIOD.


I'll wait until I see it myself.

I don't think racism is playing a part in how sloooooow acting everyone has been and the portrayal of everyone black in New Orleans as a looter.

I really hope it isn't.

[T Park]

Mayor Nagin: The convention center is unsanitary and unsafe, and we are running out of supplies for the 15,000 to 20,000 people

Then how come Mayor, you fuckin dickweed, you put 700 people out of the freakin HYATT, in the front of the line for buses, and not the CONVENTION CENTER PEOPLE HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[ChumpDumper]

Then how come Mayor, you fuckin dickweed, you put 700 people out of the freakin HYATT, in the front of the line for buses, and not the CONVENTION CENTER PEOPLE HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMLink to where the Mayor ordered that? Hyatt sent their own supplies to the hotel and FEMA and Hyatt released the story about their evacuation. Hell, folks with operable cars were allowed to DRIVE out.

[Jelly]

Naturally, he is very upset and I don't blame anyone for going off right now. Just not at what is supposed to be a solemn dignified fundraiser on live television. He was obviously supposed to say something entirely different and then he hijacked the event to go on a rant about racism and George Bush. I'm sure the producers panicked. He has a right to his anger (though I disagree with the racism charge) but he didn't even stop his rant to ask people to donate... it was all angry political accusations. Not what the Red Cross is about. It's too bad because the rest of the program was nice.
BTW, Eric LaSalle (from E.R.) also presented...anyone ever notice the striking resemblance between him and Tim Duncan? At first, I thought it was Timmy.

[JoeChalupa]

He spoke and was heard and that is the important thing.

[T Park]

Link to where the Mayor ordered that?


Heard that about an hour or two ago.

700 people were put at the front of the lines at the buses.

Ahead of people that were at the Superdome for 3 or 4 days before that.

[T Park]

He spoke and was heard and that is the important thing

So its good, for him to stick up for murders and shooters in NO???

Well thats hunky doory.

[ChumpDumper]

Link to where THE MAYOR ordered that.

[timvp]

Heard that about an hour or two ago.

700 people were put at the front of the lines at the buses.

Ahead of people that were at the Superdome for 3 or 4 days before that.

Even if he did that, HTF is there only one bus there? You can't tell me they can't find 2000 buses to just start going back and forth from NO to evacuation cities. There should be no wait.

And what about packing 10K on a ship? Is that asking too much?

[JoeChalupa]

So its good, for him to stick up for murders and shooters in NO???

Well thats hunky doory.

I didn't hear him stick up for murders and shooters.
He acknowledged that there were some knuckleheads out there.

But maybe that's just me.

[ChumpDumper]

I can believe the mayor and FEMA cleared it out so they could expand their operaitons there.

So what?

[T Park]

Even if he did that

Wait.

He put, out of towners, and rich muckety mucks AHEAD of people down at the Superdome.

YOUR OK WITH THAT!??!!?

[timvp]

Wait.

He put, out of towners, and rich muckety mucks AHEAD of people down at the Superdome.

YOUR OK WITH THAT!??!!?

Was there only one bus for the day?

[T Park]

I didn't hear him stick up for murders and shooters.


"NOw its OK to shoot at US"

THe only people they are shooting, is murders and the shooters.

So tell me again how hes not defending them?

[ChumpDumper]

They even let folks drive out if they could.

Now the others can't leave period.

Which am i going to be more pissed about?

[timvp]

"NOw its OK to shoot at US"

THe only people they are shooting, is murders and the shooters.

So tell me again how hes not defending them?

What happened to the judge and the jury? What if there is a guy trying to protect his family from the "looters" and they kill him because he has a gun?

Nice.

[T Park]

Oh for chirst sake TIMVP use common fucking sense.

Im talking about the shit fucks who are shooting at helicopters and Fireman.

Come the fuck on.

Your actin like Sequ, wantin to start shyeiiitt.

[Extra Stout]

We're left with two choices here:

1) An Administration so utterly incompetent that even given five days it can't organize logistics to evacuate its own citizens from an assembly point, much less feed them or get them water. (Meanwhile Texas cities are able to care for evacuees on an impromptu basis)

2) An Administration so callous that it doesn't have any sense of urgency about rescuing its own citizens from disaster. I don't know whether that's racism or what. They bungled the Mississippi operation too where there are plenty of white folks, but Gov. Barbour knows what he's doing over there and could pick up the slack. Gov. Blanco is useless for anything but weepy press conferences.

There are no good options here. The federal government failed as miserably in a crisis as I can remember. This is on the scale of Herbert Hoover-type failure. And don't tell me that the scope is just too big. If they didn't plan for a Category 5 hurricane in New Orleans, that's incompetence. If they didn't count on flooding, or unrest, or refugees, or loss power and sanitation and communication, they're incompetent. They've handled hurricanes, bad ones like Andrew, before. And cities like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are figuring out how to care for a swarm of refugees with what, 24 hours' notice, if that? It can be done. The feds just fucked it up. They have any resources they need in this country available to them. They just don't know what to do.

Anybody who's done so much as read a newspaper in the last four years knew what would happen to New Orleans if a big hurricane hit it. Somehow the federal government didn't get that message or plan for it.

And don't get all partisan on me. I'm one of those conservative types who thinks that the government is best when it sticks to things like national defense, major infrastructure, and the like. Well, national defense to me includes being ready for natural disasters. Our national security has been deeply compromised, and the strongest country in the world is clueless about how to staunch the bleeding. It shouldn't take a week to get shit mobilized.

This is totally unacceptable. I know workers are busting their asses off in awful conditions, but they've been let down by the people above them in charge of command and control. That's the governor of Louisiana, the FEMA chief, the Director of Homeland Security, and the guy who hired the latter two -- the President of the United States.

I'm just disgusted.

[Kori Ellis]

I don't understand. Why did they turn people back at the checkpoint? Why would they send people back into the city?

[timvp]

We're left with two choices here:

1) An Administration so utterly incompetent that even given five days it can't organize logistics to evacuate its own citizens from an assembly point, much less feed them or get them water. (Meanwhile Texas cities are able to care for evacuees on an impromptu basis)

2) An Administration so callous that it doesn't have any sense of urgency about rescuing its own citizens from disaster. I don't know whether that's racism or what. They bungled the Mississippi operation too where there are plenty of white folks, but Gov. Barbour knows what he's doing over there and could pick up the slack. Gov. Blanco is useless for anything but weepy press conferences.

There are no good options here. The federal government failed as miserably in a crisis as I can remember. This is on the scale of Herbert Hoover-type failure. And don't tell me that the scope is just too big. If they didn't plan for a Category 5 hurricane in New Orleans, that's incompetence. If they didn't count on flooding, or unrest, or refugees, or loss power and sanitation and communication, they're incompetent. They've handled hurricanes, bad ones like Andrew, before. And cities like Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are figuring out how to care for a swarm of refugees with what, 24 hours' notice, if that? It can be done. The feds just fucked it up. They have any resources they need in this country available to them. They just don't know what to do.

Anybody who's done so much as read a newspaper in the last four years knew what would happen to New Orleans if a big hurricane hit it. Somehow the federal government didn't get that message or plan for it.

And don't get all partisan on me. I'm one of those conservative types who thinks that the government is best when it sticks to things like national defense, major infrastructure, and the like. Well, national defense to me includes being ready for natural disasters. Our national security has been deeply compromised, and the strongest country in the world is clueless about how to staunch the bleeding. It shouldn't take a week to get shit mobilized.

This is totally unacceptable. I know workers are busting their asses off in awful conditions, but they've been let down by the people above them in charge of command and control. That's the governor of Louisiana, the FEMA chief, the Director of Homeland Security, and the guy who hired the latter two -- the President of the United States.

I'm just disgusted.

:tu

Best post of the thread.

[spurster]

I don't believe there was any overt racism, but if the Superdome had lots of blonde young white women, there would have been a faster response.

[timvp]

I don't understand. Why did they turn people back at the checkpoint? Why would they send people back into the city?

Um ... because ... you see ... uh .... good question.

They want them dead? That's about all I can come up with.

[Kori Ellis]

This is totally unacceptable. I know workers are busting their asses off in awful conditions, but they've been let down by the people above them in charge of command and control. That's the governor of Louisiana, the FEMA chief, the Director of Homeland Security, and the guy who hired the latter two -- the President of the United States.

I'm just disgusted.

Good post.

Two days ago, I was saying give them a break - it takes time, blah, blah. But it's going into Saturday now and it's really disgusting. I can't handle that people were left in the Convention Center without food/water for four days without any sense of direction or hope. And I can't handle that the transportation to get the people out is at a snail's place. I don't get at this point why there isn't non-stop buses taking people out.

I don't know who's "fault" it is, and I don't really care right this second. But every person involved needs to take responsibility immediately and save all the people they can. It's a horrendous situation. This shouldn't happen in America.

[Vashner]

Even if he did that, HTF is there only one bus there? You can't tell me they can't find 2000 buses to just start going back and forth from NO to evacuation cities. There should be no wait.

And what about packing 10K on a ship? Is that asking too much?

There is no port to dock.... the ports where destroyed..

No need for a ship when the main big runway is open at the airport.. hence the ongoing airlifts out of people.. this will be 24x7 operation now that they have generators at the airport for portable radar and runway lights.

[Kori Ellis]

Um ... because ... you see ... uh .... good question.

They want them dead? That's about all I can come up with.

I can tell you this, if I was trying to get my children out of there and they were hungry/starving/sick/distraught and I was turned back. I seriously don't think I could handle it. I'd lose it.

[Kori Ellis]

There is no port to dock.... the ports where destroyed..

No need for a ship when the main big runway is open at the airport.. hence the ongoing airlifts out of people.. this will be 24x7 operation now that they have generators at the airport for portable radar and runway lights.

Did the generators just get there today?

[MannyIsGod]

You know, I don't know if it was some grand scale racism, but shit keeps adding up. Only missing white girls get coverage. The media labels black people looter, white people as "finders". The govenrment plays with itself for days while a city made up of mainly poor black people dies.

At what point do you notice that thing quacking and walking like a duck is a fucking duck?

[timvp]

I can tell you this, if I was trying to get my children out of there and they were hungry/starving/sick/distraught and I was turned back. I seriously don't think I could handle it. I'd lose it.

So you'd become a "looter"?

Interesting.

:fro

[T Park]

Yup.

Were purposely killing black people.

Adds up....



Only missing white girls get coverage

incorrect.

Fox news reporters are interviewing blacks, and asking who is missing and they answer...

Going a tad overboard.

[Kori Ellis]

So you'd become a "looter"?

Interesting.

:fro

Oh, I would have looted for food on Day One.

At this point, I'd probably go JohnQ.

[Shelly]

So you'd become a "looter"?

Interesting.

:fro

Fuck yeah! As would I. That would be after I came down from the shrooms that Manny and I snuck into the Dome.

But seriously, I would.

[Extra Stout]

Um ... because ... you see ... uh .... good question.

They want them dead? That's about all I can come up with.

There has been a complete breakdown in command and control, and nobody knows what they're supposed to be doing. That's my take.

[MannyIsGod]

Oh, and another thing. The people are refugees. If you are a member of the black community using on air TV time to argue these people aren't refugees based on their American citizenship, you are a complete and utter fool who is wasting air time that could be used for an actual purpose that does not involve being politically correct but instead furthers the effort to save lives.

[TheWriter]

Yup.
Fox news reporters are interviewing blacks, and asking who is missing and they answer...

Going a tad overboard.

I think he's talking pre-Katrina. You know.

[Jelly]

You know, I don't know if it was some grand scale racism, but shit keeps adding up. Only missing white girls get coverage. The media labels black people looter, white people as "finders". The govenrment plays with itself for days while a city made up of mainly poor black people dies.

At what point do you notice that thing quacking and walking like a duck is a fucking duck?

I could argue the opposite. I could say the poor, desperate black people are getting all the press and all the national attention while the poor, desperate white people in Mississippi and other parts Louisiana aren't getting any attention whatsoever. All eyes are on New Orleans, but there are thousands of whites barely surviving and the media is practically ignoring it. My neighbor finally got word that his sister is alive (but not well) and she and her family also went 3 days without food, barely enough water and no sign of national guard or police or anything.

[Trainwreck2100]

huh?

Geraldo gave out troop movements, when he was embeded w/ troops in Iraq.

[Extra Stout]

I could also go on a nice diatribe about the abject failure of the state of Louisiana in emergency efforts, except that their performance neither surprises nor disappoints me. I knew they didn't have their shit together. They never have in the entire history of the state. There's a reason a place with the natural resources they have has remained such a backward-ass shithole.

But the performance of the feds really upsets me. After 9/11, I thought we really had it together. Not so. If Texas runs into trouble, now I know we're on our own.

[spurster]

I agree the state of Louisiana has totally sucked as well. Their weepy governor needed to order their National Guard to do whatever it takes to get help to NO, or maybe their National Guard was too decimated (combination of Iraq and NO evacuations before the hurricane hit) to help much.