Hurricane Katrina Discussion Thread 3

This thread is for discussion of Hurricane Katrina and related information.

Comments

[farmgirl]

Just read that the Zoo in N O had great disaster plan inplace and only lost a few animals.

now we have to see if they get out with the volunteers who stayed behind to care for them.

There is a cookout today for evacuees here..I will be slinging hash..no tips please.

Tyson's Chicken donoted (we asked for hind quarters) they gave us breasts...and of course the usual suspects made up the list of donors for the rest of the menue..all volunteers had to provide for today is man power.

I dont' know how much a BBQ will help these people..but it makes us feel good and maybe give them a respite..after all its labor day and being outside at at cook out isnt' the worst place you can be.

If I get any stories i will relay to you.

Thing I do know is ..that life as we have known it is over.

Prices are sky high, that's a given.

But our security for homes and persons has to immediately be upgraded.

If you want to understnad what I am saying: think about the marauders who were left over after military disbanded in Civil war..that raided farms and towns in the South and West.

We have those same souls (reincarnated?) ready to do that here.

We cannot throw out the victims becasue of these thugs, but they are going to make our lives more difficult with their lawlessness.

All I am hearing is "who's in charge"? and not getting very clear answers.

What do you do with 500,000 people stipped of everything.

Note: don't have this confirmed but it might be tht the home owners with insurance there are screwed on that too...

[farmgirl]

did you notice that I didnt' crow about being first?
wish I hadn't been but had to get up early ..got to get out of here..oh the Starbucks coffee I drinking is sooo good..I am really appreciating the simple comforts of homw right now.

[farmgirl]

Have to go..you all keep safe and keep the news logged for me to read when i get home tonight.

Let's hope that our elected leaders and the "natural"leaders this country is blessed with have had their heads together all weekend and by tomorrow will have a plan of action and give us all some idea of where we are going.

We are just like those poor people being put on busses they dont' know where are going..

But we will have it figured out soon ..and you know, once America has a plan and a goal the rest is easy for us.

Going to do my bit today ...and yes, its related to food..but then all mylife is..Its what we do in the South..we feed people when they hurting.

[FloridaPatty]

http://www.abc.net.au/sydney/stories/s1453511.htm

An Australian's story of inside the Dome in NO.

[coolbeans]

Well that is not a nice article at all.

The tourists were the first ones on the bus out according to FOX news. And all got special treatment.

She should be happy to be alive and grateful she had a dry place. I hate people like that.

I was crammed in a JCC in florida while being a camp counsler during a hurricane and we were GRATEFUL we were allowed to stay. (We were Christian). We had no food and 120 kids.

[usmcmom]

Going to do my bit today ...and yes, its related to food..but then all mylife is..Its what we do in the South..we feed people when they hurting.

Posted by: farmgirl | Sep 5, 2005 6:44:14 AM

Thanks so much for sharing your stories with us. Take care of yourself and thank you for helping all those folks. You're one of those points of light that gives people hope and a direction. Thank you for serving your people.

[WI Mom]

Bless you 1,000 times over farmgirl. You are truly one of the heros.

[toothfairy]

FYI,

Just got back from Matthew 25 ministries in Cincinnati, Ohio. They were a buzz with clothes, food and $$ on the way. Dropped off a van load of shoes, clothes, sheets, towels, toothpaste & brushes etc that I could dig up here.
Steady stream of folks dropping off items. Good to see.

[AkekoaHoAlethia]

I thought this was some good information to inform others about...

Fox News reported sites for people wanting to share a home or those wanting to find one:

http://www.ShareYourHome.org = 1-888-827-2525

http://www.HurricaneHousing.org = 1-800-638-4559

http://www.Relief.WelcomeWagon.com

http://www.OpenYourHome.com

http://www.HomeFlood.org

http://www.NOLA.com

http://www.KatrinaHousing.org

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn.nsf/vw-news/D487FBC1AC38B46D8025706F00067C7A?opendocument
.......................................................................

Disclaimer! I did not check them out! - I don't know if school busses will be provided......

[usmcmom]

If any of you can, make sure you get to see a replay of the press briefing this afternoon by Chertoff, Brown, and Lt General Honore.... It was great!!!! General Honore for President LOL

[TexasGal]

General Honore for President LOL

Posted by: usmcmom
He DOES kinda grow on you, doesn't he?!

[Wayne]

coolbeans -

The article is a first hand account that stated facts. She did not give an opinion nor bash the relief efforts.

The tourists were not the first ones out. Maybe a few but I would bet a lot (majority) of them got stranded.

Go read some of the earlier posts on the Katrina threads.

[Wayne]

General Honore for President LOL

Posted by: usmcmom
He DOES kinda grow on you, doesn't he?!

Posted by: TexasGal | Sep 5, 2005 3:19:33 PM

I saw it. Finally someone speaking the truth and telling the MSM to get off their butt and go get the facts themselves!

[Wayne]

Not to beat a dead horse but the conditions inside the Superdome were deplorable.

As an example, yesterday Geraldo Rivera on Foxnews stated he had seen two bodies in the Dome. One a man who had been shot in the head in the process of raping a 13 year old girl. He did not say who did the shooting.

[jt]

The mayor allowed 400 tourists that were at the Hyatt.. these included people from other countries... to cut in the line ahead of the folks in the superdome. Yes, he did! It was reported first by Shepard Smith/FNC. Wonder how much the mayor charged those tourists to jump the line.

[Isanah]

The mayor allowed 400 tourists that were at the Hyatt.. these included people from other countries... to cut in the line ahead of the folks in the superdome. Yes, he did! It was reported first by Shepard Smith/FNC. Wonder how much the mayor charged those tourists to jump the line.

Posted by: jt | Sep 5, 2005 4:25:00 PM

IMO, tourists should be a priority in being evacuated from N.O. The airlines shut down prematurely prior to the storms. Rental cars were unavailable, as many tourists tried to secure one. They were trapped in a city that loved to have their tourist dollars, then abandoned by those same people. Local people were very aware of the dangers and there are additional reasons why they did not evacuate, and it is sad that lives were lost if it was solely based on lack of money to evacuate. However, the local mayor and state Gov. need not do their jobs PRIOR to the storm. Plenty of blame to go around. But, my stand is that the city did have a special responsibility to tourists in their city.

Also, many families from other states looking for their loved ones in N.O. Many people looking for others that chose to stay behind when they smartly evacuated. While people are throwing the blame around to officials, there still is a lot of personal responsibility for those who did not evacuate. We will never know, but money wasn't the only factor that many did not evacuate, ignorance for sure a factor too!

There was a young woman and man on television looking for the woman's 4 children. It seems they evacuated and the children were left with their grandmother in N.O., explain that one? My unofficial take was the grandmother felt the children were safer with her, then evacuating with a Mom who appeared to be a drug addict. Who knows but I hope grandma and the kids are OK....

[sleepy]

I would like to add something here about the stories saying white people or tourists were permitted to board busses before the evacuees at the Dome. I have seen one story, that they were in the Hyatt and the mayor and his staff comandeered that space for their temporary offices. If that is so, that would explain why they were given preferential treatment. So, let's not be overly critical.

[toothfairy]

any word on Snowball?

[Isanah]

I hope they found Snowball! That was the last hit on my already broken heart about the whole situation!

[clintcarter]

I agree that regardless of country of origin tourists, visitors to the city, should be protected and evacuated in the spirit of hospitality world wide.

[GrannyToad]

I sure wouldn not want to be someone of the 'heads' in Homeland Security. We have to get resources to the Gulf destruction and at the same time be prepared nationwide for What Ifs, such as terrorist attack.

[GrannyToad]

Posted by: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch |

Whaddisit with you Cymraeg - more letters better than fewer?

[!]

read this about snowball.

SNOWBALL MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND. READ THE ARTICLE BELOW.
:o) HOPE SO...NOW IF THEY CAN FIND THE LITTLE BOY!
http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&catid=04061773-BDB9-396E-

[Wayne]

http://news.bestfriends.org/index.cfm?page=specialreports&catid=04061773-BDB9-396E-9001EF6EC01318A4&mode=entry&entry=240889CA-BDB9-396E-99310168DCEC2EF1&stid=1

The full snowball link.

[Isanah]

Thanks ! and Wayne,

Brought tears of joy to my eyes! I so hope Snowball, attitude and all, gets reunited with his owner! I hope all the animals are gathered and given the care they need. The large red lab in one picture and the boxer in another, are also dear to my heart. All of them are dear, but those that were in pictures give you a visual that is hard to get out of your head!

[farmgirl]

Oh ! thank you thank you for telling me about the site for Snow Ball..I think you might be right..now if someone would jsut get CNn to run his picture (if its him) and I know they can find the boy.

It has put hope in my heart after a long day.

I did't know so many people were starting a campaign to save Snow Ball..I just couldn't bear that he got left behind..and felt after learning Saturday that so few pets were coming out of NO..tht Snow Ball was the rally cry and that somehow we just have to get him back.

I wonder if Dan's blog did this? Can this man work magic or what?
smiling now smiling now

[farmgirl]

I didn't want to post this next information with my Happy ONE about Snow Ball :

I am spending a lot of futile time discussing with people about the problems a few of the evacuees are causing and my point:

There are 500,000 plus evacuees..a very very few of them are terrible people and these are causing shifts in attitudes by some toward all the evacuees.

At the Walmart store an employee reports that they are buying items with the gift cards, and then taking the items to the customer service desk for cash refunds..The suspicion is that they then buy alcohol and cigarettes witht eh cash.

One man who was given a furnished house complete with stocked freezer and pantry came in and with his gift cards bought TWO tV's ...some thought that excessive under the circumstances..

I said,, maybe there are children and they want different programing for them..yet want to watch the news 24/ 7 for the adults.

NEVER would I want children to see over and over what CNN is showing..Did we ever dream that they would show actual footage of abandoned bodies in death in the graphic reality of that death? Even in the goriest of crime scenes the bodies are draped..Not so today in the water..

Around the shelter for a six block radius there have been numerous break in's and auto vandalism. Women are being told not to go out alone.\
\

A local black chuch has fed the evacuees breakfast every morning since they started arriving ...there has been complaints about the lack of varity on the menue..its eggs, sausage, bacon, grits

The church ladies are tired, stressed and feel "unappreciated".
What we have to keep in mind..the blessing in this is in the giving..not in the thanks we might or might not receive.

Point: this is a VERY few people out of the whole.

Please please do not judge the other 485,000 evacuees by these thugs.

Yes, we are getting some of the least capable of good judgement in our groups...and they simply do not know how to act better..this is the way they were before the storm and this is how they will be after.

But the other 485,000...they desparately need all our help and support.

you can figure that for all the high profile fund raising, the individual in this number will not really receive much in help except from us.

Its too bad but its the way things work.

Also I keep stressing that these people really are still in shock and starting the grieveing process..They may make remarks that seem inappropriate and thankless, but cut them some slack..we weren't there.

We have to hold it together and brace for the next jolt..

There is just too much dancing around with remarks like "the death toll isn't going to be a happy number" while people are sitting on cots in shelters franic about their lost loved ones.

We have some bad ones in the basket but we have a lot of treasures in that same basket.

Pray for me..I sure need it right now.

[Isanah]

It's called a sense of entitlement and it will only get worse in many ways. But, yes, I'll pray for you and that you can continue to help those that are truly deserving. Perhaps that is why the many evacuees did not show for another poster's relief dinner, they were cashing in on their walmart cards. The church invited many in the area and had 2,000 meals available and only one family showed. They called the police and Fire departments and fed them instead. Maybe the evacuees didn't like the menu the church was serving. LOL! Sorry that wasn't nice.

[clintcarter]

Farmgirl thank you for all that.

A friend and I were just talking about entitlement last night, only it was the sense of entitlement expressed by some of the wealthy around where I live. The notion that you might be owed service and obedience by virtue of your social standing.
I am not advocating control, but the culture our country sees on tv, with it's glorification of material wealth and a lifestyle unreachable by many, must be awfully depressing to watch on a daily basis.

Achurch had 2000 meals and ONE family showed up? What's wrong with this picture? WalMart cards can be redeemed After dinner. Where they redeemable only during certain hours?
One thing is obvious: the hungry people did not know about that food.

[primum_non_nocere]

I am not advocating control, but the culture our country sees on tv, with it's glorification of material wealth and a lifestyle unreachable by many, must be awfully depressing to watch on a daily basis.

Posted by: clintcarter | Sep 6, 2005 9:51:57 AM

Covetousness has been around a little longer than tv. Nobody's making them watch it.

[clintcarter]

Yes, but so much more to be covetous about, and so much less to dream...

Nobody makes people believe in a fantastic being who will grant them entrance to his paradise after they die and fete them with figs and wine, either, do they?

They just do.

[bhm mom too]

What if someone decides to assume the identify of someone else during this fiasco? What if someone they knew--famiy perhaps --died in the storm and they assumed their identify--might be interested in doing something like that is a person had a criminal record. How do people really prove who they are when they had to evacuate in a hurry with possibly no id?