I'm sorry, but I am listening to people in charge of federal disaster relief and they have heads up their collective ass.

 

Sec of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff was asked about the thousands of people stranded at the Convention Center on NPR this afternoon and said they didn't exist. Apparently he didn't turn on CNN, Fox News or anyone else today. NPR went back to the reporter who filed the report minutes before and said - these people have been here for three days and are being told to go here and NOTHING happens. They are chanting for help but none comes. They are living in their own filth.

 

A lot of them couldn't afford to leave. The average income for a black person in New Orleans is under 12 thousand dollars. It was the end of the month.

 

It took our president three days to say a thing on the damn storm. We couldn't send a hospital ship to Florida in advance of the storm? Instead we keep it in Virginia and don't send it in until 3 days after we realized what happened? Thats a week now before it gets to New Orleans. By the time the hospital ships get to Louisiana, the people its coming to help will be dead.

 

Today he said, "we didn't anticipate the levees breaking." Funny, I read USA Today on Monday morning. There was an article talking about how it was likely that a levee would break. CNN carried the story on Sunday. If the press figured it out, and the Army Corps of Engineers said that it would happen as early as 1995 in this situation, why didn't he realize it until yesterday?

 

I'm not blaming anything on anyone. All I'm saying is that we didn't get ready to keep this from happening - and we could have.

I'm not blaming anything on anyone. All I'm saying is that we didn't get ready to keep this from happening - and we could have.

 

I said it before, the biggest problem was that New Orleans has been knowingly relying on dumb luck for more than a century. It was never a question of IF they would get hit by the big storm, only WHEN.

I said it before, the biggest problem was that New Orleans has been knowingly relying on dumb luck for more than a century.  It was never a question of IF they would get hit by the big storm, only WHEN.

 

I think you're both right. There was a great article in the paper this morning about the history of NO and the Frenchman who settled it. His own engineers told him this was a terrible site for locating a settlement but he did it anyway. Wait a second! WE CAN BLAME FRANCE FOR THIS!!

Can someone fill me in as far as talking about these 'snipers'? I haven't been paying enough attention to this, shame on me, but can someone tell me a little bit about what's going on...?

Can someone fill me in as far as talking about these 'snipers'?  I haven't been paying enough attention to this, shame on me, but can someone tell me a little bit about what's going on...?

 

i guess a bunch of maniac looters had stolen a bunch of guns and are basically confronting and threatening medical workers. Right now, those people have the power for prolly the first time in their lives and are ruining others because of it. A sniper was shooting at a humvee convoy evacuating patients from the flooded hospital in NO

On the way home there was a report that there have been rapes at the convention center. I have yet to see that in print but I hate to say I would not be surprised.

On the way home there was a report that there have been rapes at the convention center. I have yet to see that in print but I hate to say I would not be surprised.

that was also reported on CNN around 5ish when i was watching.

 

 

 

why the f*** would you be shooting at your help? it's boggling my mind

that was also reported on CNN around 5ish when i was watching.

why the f*** would you be shooting at your help? it's boggling my mind

 

 

Good God...

Good God...

there were rapes AND murders, but i don't know if they said IN the convention center, they may have been talking about surrounding areas

 

Either way, it's like hell on earth down there

CNN is reporting that Charity Hospital is on fire...?

Can someone fill me in as far as talking about these 'snipers'?  I haven't been paying enough attention to this, shame on me, but can someone tell me a little bit about what's going on...?

 

I also saw an interview with a guy who was shuttling old folks out of a convalescent home to a shelter. On his way back he was carjacked. IIRC, they said there were 47 carjackings LAST NIGHT ALONE!

 

madness

 

Like they said on CNN, the big elephant in the living room that no one's talking about is that these are virtually all african-americans who are suffering, dying, looting and shooting.

that was also reported on CNN around 5ish when i was watching.

why the f*** would you be shooting at your help? it's boggling my mind

 

 

There were a lot of locals who were going around on their personal boats helping people out and they have been stopped by authorities because of the shootings. f***ing savages!

OK.. question..

 

When the water is all gone and they tear down all the destroyed homes will they just rebuild on top of it thus raising NO higher than sea level?

Anderson Cooper is browbeating Senator Landrieu

I don't know who he is.. but there is a reporter tearing into a Louisiana rep on CNN.

Anderson Cooper is browbeating Senator Landrieu

 

 

That's him. And she's an idiot.

OK.. question..

 

When the water is all gone and they tear down all the destroyed homes will they just rebuild on top of it thus raising NO higher than sea level?

 

good question. They had a big flood in '95 at which time they came up with a massive civil engineering project to shore up the levees and pump systems, but federal funding went away in 2000 and the project has virtually died. I can't imagine abandoning a major U.S. city and port, but what do you do?

Federal Funding was not axed until 2002 and 2003. Homeland Security, The Iraq War and tax cuts were cited as reasons for the funding cuts.

good question. They had a big flood in '95 at which time they came up with a massive civil engineering project to shore up the levees and pump systems, but federal funding went away in 2000 and the project has virtually died. I can't imagine abandoning a major U.S. city and port, but what do you do?

 

 

I can't believe that they KNEW this would happen, planned on fixing it, but cut the funding. Unreal..

Federal Funding was not axed until 2002 and 2003. Homeland Security, The Iraq War and tax cuts were cited as reasons for the funding cuts.

 

I stand corrected

Federal Funding was not axed until 2002 and 2003. Homeland Security, The Iraq War and tax cuts were cited as reasons for the funding cuts.

 

 

I'm not going to start any bashing.. but clearly that wasn't a very good decision.

Contractors worked on the Levee project for FREE for a whole year without funding because it was so important... and then they stopped because they no longer could get the funds for the supplies necessary to finish the job.

 

Some of the failed levees were actually only 80% complete.

My God.. this couple had to leave their baby behind and have had no idea for FOUR days if he was dead or alive... they just found him.

Contractors worked on the Levee project for FREE for a whole year without funding because it was so important... and then they stopped because they no longer could get the funds for the supplies necessary to finish the job.

 

Some of the failed levees were actually only 80% complete.

 

There's going to be a major backlash. Major. Politicians pointing fingers, civil rights leaders claiming discrimination, civil suits, negligence claims...

 

:headshake

Those people shooting at medical workers and other helpers deserve to be thrown in jail for life. My father went down there yesterday to help as a doctor on an emergency response team, and he said it's just an absolute war zone.