Riehl World View

When The Levee Breaks

Again? This is troubling.

The levee manager is not too hopeful about the future. He says St. Bernard’s rebuilt levee system will be better than it was before Katrina for the next few years.

Then, Bob Turner predicts that the soft marshy soil that supports the levees will subside again, leaving a less than perfect barrier - a levee that even at full strength, will be no match for any hurricane like Katrina.

video here.

Pet Lovers Corner - Unfortunately

I'm afraid this isn't a warm fuzzy post. Actually, it's rather disturbing and several images are very graphic. A reader sent in a link to a Live Journal site with images of several dogs which were said to have been shot while housed in a Middle school post Katrina.

I didn't know what to make of it, so I Googled and did find a supporting news story here.

But there's also another rather bizarre twist. If you go to the live journal page and scroll down to the fifth image, there's a sex toy sitting on the landing of the middle school. WTF? I'd like to see some amateur sleuth figure that one out. I sure can't.

Talk About Insensitive

Someone accused me of being insensitive for laughing at this fellow's story. I'm witholding comment on this genuine AP headline for now.

Retarded Hurricane Victims From Louisiana Find a Refuge in East Texas

Rut Roh!

Looks like New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin may have some more explaing to do. It appears some pictures seem to indicate public buses were used to evacuate people from New Orleans - 48 hours too late.

Is this the deal where they couldn't get people to show up for work pre-Katrina I remember hearing about? If so, it sounds like maybe he should lay off those 3,000 people he's talking about - and start with the bus drivers.

Hurricane Katrina: Internet Fraud

If you donated funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina through a sight called airKatrina.com, you might want to contact the authorities. Please see link. h/t Cindi.

(CBS/AP) The nation's first Internet charity fraud case involving Hurricane Katrina has surfaced in Miami.

FBI agents arrested a Sunny Isles Beach man today in the country's first Internet charity fraud case involving the alleged exploitation of Hurricane Katrina victims for personal profit.

New Looting Breaks Out In New Orleans

Yes, it's sad, I know. But what is even more so is that through government inefficiency, mismanagement and waste, and perhaps a little profiteering thrown in, now they are looting from you and me. It appears the fleecing of America has begun.

Knight Ridder has found that a lack of oversight, generous contracting deals and poor planning mean that government agencies are shelling out as much as 10 times what the temporary fix would normally cost.

The government is paying contractors an average of $2,480 for less than two hours of work to cover each damaged roof — even though it's also giving them endless supplies of blue sheeting for free.

New Hurricane Katrina Photos

Take a look at what Katrina did to reader Jules' house - read the captions for an explanation.

The house was designed and built by Robert Seaton, an architect from New Orleans in the mid-1800's. The elevation of the land is 32 feet above sea level. The water came up up 4 to 5 feet in the house and smashed it like an eggshell and rocked it off its foundation.

I think the word is devastation.

Katrina's Wrath From Gretna, LA

Bob's church organized a relief team and were some of the first people back into Gretna, LA. They sent out some pictures displayed here.

Let Them Eat Cake

But why? Here's an ABC report from the New Orleans Convention Center dated Sept. 14th ... they were eating caviar.

Caviar and Camaraderie Found a Place Inside the New Orleans Convention Center

The cultural spirit of New Orleans was experienced by some Hurricane Katrina survivors, who managed to dine on gourmet provisions and create a sense of community while waiting for help to reach the city's crowded convention center.

While accounts of violence and disorderly conduct have been used widely to describe the scene in the flooded Gulf Coast city, a far calmer and more neighborly environment is being described by two of the hurricane victims who sought shelter at the convention center days after the storm tore through their city.

Images Of New Orleans You Haven't Seen

Bumped: Preview a few, then click through Snitch's place for a large number of artful post-Katrina photos of New Orleans you probably haven't seen before.