Re: Speaking of looters
 

I saw that...Talk about ridiculous. As if because the face is a different complexion it's a more "heinous" offense.

While We can all suppose like I did years ago wondering why NO was below the Mississippi River and looking down from the levy saying to My self, this is not good!

LXA Web Site Dues have set up a Web Site for contacting each Fraternity to contact them on giving donations for flooded Members.

KC with The biggest Heart when it comes to givig, all of the Media Stations are having points to give and transprt Food, Money and Water there.

It is The most horrendous Natural Disaster in any Countrys History and it does take time to gear up to get releif there.

We can only give Our Prayers and hopes for them our fellow Americans.

Looters: If they cpome out of stores with goods needed, let them go, for those ass wholehoes are worried about TVs, jewelry, shoot them.:mad: They have no sense of propriety and survival.

What the F**k does some s**t need a big screen TV for?

Re: Speaking of looters
 

*SMH* There's no difference....


http://www.tvparty.com/vgifs13/goodtimes10.jpg


"I don't steal things, Mama. I just fiiiiinds them."

it gets worse at the Superdome
 

Superdome Evacuation Stops After Shots Fired At Military Chopper
Thousands Could Be Dead, New Orleans Mayor Says

UPDATED: 8:55 am EDT September 1, 2005

A medical official says the evacuation of the Superdome in New Orleans has stopped because of shots fired at military helicopters.

"We have suspended operations until they gain control of the Superdome," said Richard Zeuschlag, head of Acadian Ambulance, which was handling the evacuation of sick and injured people from the Superdome.

He said that military would not fly out of the Superdome either because of the gunfire and that the National Guard told him that it was sending 100 military police officers to gain control.

I don't think I have seen this posted anywhere else but I got it off the fraternal news listserve. Lambda Chi Alpha has started a new site: FraternalRelief.org It was created by LXA for coordinating Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and it appears they will welcome other GLO's to participate as Delta Chi has already joined in.

I'm sorry but this is a really dumb question.

They said the Astrodome hasn't been used for years. If that's the case, where do the Texans play?

I just read an article where a guy in Mississippi fatally shot his SISTER in the head over a bag of ice.

Sometimes my faith in humanity is almost nonexistant :(

U.S. disaster elicits worldwide sympathy, shock

U.S. disaster elicits worldwide sympathy, shock
Some question environmental policy and preventive measures in U.S.

Updated: 8:42 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2005
VIENNA, Austria - From papal prayers to telegrams from China, the world reacted with an outpouring of compassion Wednesday for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in messages tinged by shock that a disaster of this scale could occur in the United States.

Islamic extremists rejoiced in America’s misfortune, giving the storm a military rank and declaring in Internet chatter that “Private” Katrina had joined the global jihad, or holy war. With “God’s help,” they declared, oil prices would hit $100 a barrel this year.

Venezuela’s government, which has had tense relations with Washington, offered humanitarian aid and fuel if requested.

The storm was seen as an equalizer — proof that any country, weak or strong, can be victimized by a natural disaster. Images of flood-ravaged New Orleans earned particular sympathy in central Europe, where dozens died in raging floodwaters only days ago.

“Nature proved that no matter how rich and economically developed you are, you can’t fight it,” says Danut Afasei, a local official in Romania’s Harghita county, where flooding killed 13 people last week.

Mourning for 'European' city
Throughout Europe, concerned citizens lamented the loss of life and the damage caused to New Orleans, often described as one of North America’s most “European” cities.

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sent messages of sympathy to President Bush. Chirac, who has famously quarreled with Bush over the Iraq war, addressed this letter, “Dear George.”

Pope Benedict XVI said he was praying for victims of the “tragic” hurricane while China’s President Hu Jintao expressed his “belief that that the American people will definitely overcome the natural disaster and rebuild their beautiful homeland.”

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II also sent a message to Bush saying she was “deeply shocked and saddened” at the devastation caused by the hurricane and expressing her condolences, “especially to the families of those who have lost their lives, to the injured and to all who have been affected by this terrible disaster.”

The U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland — a capital at the foot of the Alps hit by flooding last week — said calls were rushing in from Swiss individuals and institutions looking for a way to donate to relief efforts.

“We are getting calls from the Swiss public looking to express their condolences, (and) people are also asking for an account number where they can make donations,” said spokesman Daniel Wendell.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz called President Bush offering condolences to the victims of the disaster.

On Monday, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Al-Naimi said that Saudi Arabia was prepared to immediately increase its crude oil production to ease the effects of Hurricane Katrina and stabilize world crude prices.

Arguing over aid
The Internet-edition of the Vienna daily Der Standard had recorded 820 postings commenting on a front-page story on the hurricane. One posting asked where money could be donated to the victims, but the question sparked a debate about whether a rich country like the United States needed such aid.

A response argued that hurricane victims who are poor still needed support.

Amid the sympathy, however, there was criticism.

As U.S. military engineers struggled to shore up breached levees, experts in the Netherlands expressed surprise that New Orleans’ flood systems failed to restrain the raging waters.

With half of the country’s population of 16 million living below sea level, the Netherlands prepared for a “perfect storm” soon after floods in 1953 killed 2,000 people. The nation installed massive hydraulic sea walls.

Amid sympathy, criticism
“I don’t want to sound overly critical, but it’s hard to imagine that (the damage caused by Katrina) could happen in a Western country,” said Ted Sluijter, spokesman for the park where the sea walls are exhibited. “It seemed like plans for protection and evacuation weren’t really in place, and once it happened, the coordination was on loose hinges.”

The sympathy was muted in some corners by a sense that the United States reaped what it sowed, since the country is seen as the main contributor to global warming.

Joern Ehlers, a spokesman for World Wildlife Fund Germany, said global warming had increased the intensity of hurricanes.

“The Americans have a big impact on the greenhouse effect,” Ehlers said.

But Harlan L. Watson, the U.S. envoy for negotiations on climate change, dismissed talk of a link between global warming and the strength of storms.

“Our scientists are telling us right now that there’s not a linkage,” he said in Geneva. “I’ll rely on their information.”

Re: it gets worse at the Superdome
 

I just heard this too and I can't find the words to describe my feelings. Being frustrated is one thing but to shoot and choppers and try to knock over ambulances who are doing NOTHING but trying to save lives is beyond belief to me. I'm sad and mad at the same time.

My family that left New Orleans has just decided to start over in Mississippi (where more of my family lives). My aunt said that she knows everything she had is gone including her business so it didn't make sense to sit and wait for something that isn't there anymore.

Even when New Orleans is rebuilt, it will take a while to get it back to what it was before in terms of population. Many people who are now homeless and jobless are moving to other Southeastern cities such as Houston, Birmingham and Atlanta and just starting their lives over again. On my way to work, a radio DJ was talking about how Atlanta companies have had an influx of resumes coming in from New Orleans residents.

They should shoot them. The looters are all Democrats.

Can we keep the stupidity out of this thread? Good grief.....


I just read that the water has finally stopped rising because the water level in NO is now higher than Lake Ponchatrain. :(

There are corposes of people that survive the initial flooding, but received no necessities like water/food and because of exposeure to the heat (including babies). I just can't even imagine all this happening. The sight, the smell...

http://www.foxnews.com/

Fats Domino is missing too.

Help Cox Find New Orlean Employees
 

My company is still looking for our unaccounted for employees. Here is the email we got today

From Cox Communications..

Help Us Find New Orlean Employees

We’ve established an employee hotline to locate our New Orleans system employees.

If you are in contact with any New Orleans area employee – either remaining or evacuated -- please have them call the Cox Employee Hotline at 1-800-637-3545 (option #7) to let us know they are safe and to receive important information.

Please call on their behalf if you’re not sure they have access to a working phone line.

Thanks for your help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you know anyone that works for Cox in the greater New Orleans area, please pass this info to them or PM me to let me know they are ok and I will pass it on.

Before NBC, MTV or anyone else puts on a telethon to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, they might want to explore some ancillary issues. To wit: New Orleans is a city famous for its famous musicians, but many of them are missing. Missing with a capital M.

To begin with, one of the city’s most important legends, Antoine "Fats" Domino, has not been heard from since Monday afternoon. Domino’s rollicking boogie-woogie piano and deep soul voice are not only part of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame but responsible for dozens of hits like “Blue Monday,” “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Blueberry Hill” and “I’m Walking (Yes, Indeed, I’m Talking).”

& more:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,168122,00.html#1#1

Why on earth did it take 2 to 3 days to get the airport up and running to get emergency supplies in by plane.

Even yesterday I was asking why they were BUSSING the survivors in to Houston. I'm no logistics expert, but to me it makes sense to load up C5's with food, water and ice, fly them into MSY (NOLA Airport) and then load up the planes and fly those people out to Hobby Airport (just a few miles from the Astrodome) and bus the refugees to the astrodome. They could make it from NOLA to Houston in an hour. Then load the planes back up with more supplies and fly back to NOLA. If you didnt need to take as many supplies (as the number of refugees there dwindeled), you could take in materials and pumps and such to repair the levee's, etc.

Why am I the one to figure this out?

ETA - The Houston Texan's play at Reliant Stadium right next door to the Astrodome. Houston dosent really know what to do with the Astrodome yet. This is a great use and probably its last. It will probably be redeveloped into Hotel space - or parking lots.

I have to agree with your sentiments about why does the relief effort seem haphazard and illogical... I mean they knew that the hurricane was going to hit, they knew it was going to be big - so why weren't contigency plans looked at and response teams organized to move in as soon as it was safe? Why has there been such a delay in organizing control and communications through the National Guard? Why the delay in accepting foreign assistance?

I'm not sure but does anyone know who is in command of relief efforts when it is a multi-state disaster? Is is FEMA? or is the White House or the Pentagon involved?

The president declared "a disaster even before the storm hit, enabling the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy early." Following this, the National Guard and Homeland Security are deployed.

I'm not really sure who is in charge, but logic indicates that no modern state would willingly allow its citizens to die in such a way and would probably follow the most effective route in rescue operations (for both moral and economic reasons).

-Rudey

It's important to remember that there is catastrophic damage to infrastructure in New Orleans, including power, sewage, potable water and all the rest.

We're talking a total loss of civil services.

It's not as simple as flying in a military transport filled with food and ice . . . the logistics of simply filling a plane with food and water would take hours or days to organize, not to mention landing a modern aircraft in what has essentially become a primal location.

It's sad to see panic overtaking the city, but this is a logistical nightmare - and it keeps getting worse, even beyond all reasonable worst-case scenarios. For instance, the number of people holed up in hotels and skyscrapers only became apparent when they rushed the busses at the Superdome.

I think, unfortunately, that it will only be possible to judge the actions of FEMA and etc in hindsight - make no mistake, though, according to some people who have a lot closer knowledge than I do, NO is very close to full-on riot, and conditions are even worse than you're seeing on TV.

Surreal.

With the flooding and debris, they had to make sure the runways were structurally sound enough to handle the pressure from large planes landing and taking off.

They can't bring in heavy equipment to start the cleanup process until they're sure the roads and bridges can withstand the weight of the trailers bringing in the equipment. Not to mention, they need to get more of the water out of the city, which is going to take a long time.

They can't bring in ships because the Mississippi river is effectively closed south of Cape Girardeau, MO., with a backlog of barges. There is considerable debris clogging up the southern port as well.

Sure, they could have had a contingency plan in place for the hurricane and its aftermath, but no one could have ever foreseen the magnitude of the destruction caused by the additional flooding.

Web sites help lost loved ones find each other

Desperate for information, concerned friends and families look online

By Bob Sullivan and Will Femia
MSNBC
Updated: 2:20 p.m. ET Sept. 1, 2005

"SHE'S ONLY 2," the message reads. "If any information on Veronique Verrett is known please contact us." A long series of phone numbers and other contact information follows in this note posted Tuesday to the message boards of the Nola.com Web site.

Veronique is Jakouri Williams' goddaughter. He says he last talked to the girl's mother — his cousin — at 3 p.m. central time on Sunday, as Hurricane Katrina drew near. His cousin had decided to ride out the storm with other family in East New Orleans, and at that point, regretted the choice.

But that's all Williams knows. Since then, the telephone has been useless, and Williams has no idea what became of his family. So like thousands of other people around the country, Williams has turned to the Internet for help. But so far, he hasn't heard anything.



Read The Article Here

Anyone know how long its been since a Cat 4 or larger hit a major US city? Andrew sort of counts in 1992, but Homestead could be described as a suburb.

Just looking to see how far back we have to go to see a simular death and destruction toll.

I am thinking Galveston in 1900.

I thought that Camille that hit MS in 1962(?) was Cat 5 when it made landfall.

Yeah, but I am saying that hit a MAJOR URBAN AREA. Camille grazed NOLA and made landfall at Pass Christian, MS. When I say MAJOR URBAN AREA I mean cities over 200,000 or so. Like Charleston, SC, Miami, FL, NYC (it has happend on long Island), etc. I know Corpus Christi, TX was hit in 1919, but dont know how populated it was then.

Thus the original question....

Homestead is essentially Miami. It's just minutes away from downtown Miami. I was only 11 when it hit but I just remember complete devastation in the area. Even where I lived in Parkland (1 hour north of Miami), homes were damaged and power was out for 3 days. The big difference between Miami and New Orleans is that Miami is built above sea level. Andrew, at a Category 5, was certainly more powerful than Katrina but once the storm moved out of the area, the flooding subsided within a day. Rescue workers were able to clear the roads to get to victims much sooner since they didn't have 25ft high flood waters to deal with.

I am just SHOCKED at what is going on in New Orleans. People are essentially being left to rot away. After the tsunami happened, I think every American was thinking that nothing like that could happen in our country. We were thinking that we could never have the disease, uprising of the people, and the casualties/fatalities that a 3rd world country did. New Orleans literally looks like a 3rd world country. It really hits home that America is not immune to this level of disaster.

Good point.

On another note, refugees are now coming to San Antonio as well. We are expecting 10,000 to 15,000.

My brother in law is a cop in Houston and one of his good friends Stephen (and his former patrol partner) is a cop there in NOLA. He called my brother in law yesterday begging him to find a generator for their patrol station. They also needed clean tshirts and hats that said POLICE, socks and Cetaphil (that waterless hand cleaner). The only generator he could find was in Corpus, so he went down there to get it. My sister cleaned Costco out of their supply of Cetaphil and Socks, and then did the same at two different Sam’s Clubs. My brother in law and his partner are headed to Lake Charles to drop the stuff off to Stephen’s father who will take it as far as he can, to the last checkpoint where Stephen will meet him. Stephen said the situation was indescribable.

I say load up the rest of the people at the Superdome and the NOLA Convention Center. The rest of the degenerates looting and shooting up the place should be left behind. They seem to want to fend for themselves. Then let them.

Particularly, I don’t want those people coming to Texas.

I finally just saw an aerial view of my parents house in Pass Christian, via the www.wwltv.com website. It is gone. But its okay all of our neighbors houses are gone and they are going to get everyone together to build somewhere near but way further back from the coast or in Hattiesburg, MS. Anyway, crazy times. But we are making it here in Oxford, MS.

Also, I'm from New Orleans, born and raised, but it seems to me that the people in New Orleans are so much more in desperation than the people on the MS Gulf Coast. It scares me so much for the city of New Orleans. My godmother's brother has left his house uptown because the looters were trying to get into his house. He has gone to be with his children in Houston. His wife is stuck, she is a doctor, at Oschner Hospital. She says it is like WWIII there. She doesn't know if she should leave because of the sick people there and she is a cancer doctor. Also, some friends of my parents from NOLA are moving to Nashville. They are leaving their house and not going back. They are scared of what will become of the city and how long it will take to rebuild it. I know that might seem like a bad attitude but it looks like it will never be the same and for some New Orleanians moving is the only option.

I saw reports on CNN that hurricane survivors are being raped.

Also, ham radio operators are reporting that they can hear students trapped in Xavier's dorms yelling for help.

I think I'm going to have to stop watching because it is getting harder to hold back the tears.

75,000 Refugees Coming to Texas
 

From nola.com:

Texas agrees to take 50,000 more Louisiana refugees
9/1/2005, 7:39 p.m. CT
By KELLEY SHANNON
The Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The state of Texas agreed to take in nearly 50,000 additional evacuees from Louisiana on Thursday, a day after opening the Astrodome in Houston to refugees from Hurricane Katrina.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced that 25,000 more refugees would relocate to San Antonio, and Dallas would host another 25,000. Those people would join 23,000 others who are already being sent from New Orleans to the Astrodome.

Perry declared an emergency disaster for the state, freeing up money to provide services for hurricane victims.

The hurricane "has created emergency conditions in Texas that will require all available resources of both federal and state governments to overcome," Perry said. "We will do all we can as a state and a people to help our neighbors to the east who have lost so much."

The governor asked the state Department of Housing and Community Affairs to set aside all vacant low-income housing units for refugees. So far 7,000 units have been reserved for hurricane victims.

A shelter is being created in San Antonio in a huge warehouse at KellyUSA, a city-owned complex that once was home to an Air Force base. In Dallas, the refugees will go to Reunion Arena, the former home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

"Whatever we are called upon to do ... we intend to welcome these people with open arms and to try to give them some dignity which these circumstances have taken away from them," San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger said.

Perry, who agreed to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco's request Wednesday to take in the evacuees, said Texas naturally wants to help its neighbor.

"I think we all understand it's by the grace of God that this terrible tragedy didn't come ashore a few hundred miles west," Perry said. "And knowing such a catastrophe could have happened here, I think Texans have a very special bond between our neighbors to the east who are going through an absolutely unbelievable ordeal at this point in time."


I just wish we could get them here ASAP so they wont suffer in that misery anymore.

Those that can afford to are packing up and leaving New Orleans for other cities in the Southeast. Radio DJs in Atlanta were talking about how New Orleans residents have been applying for jobs here in droves. My parents, who are in South Florida, have seen a bunch of Louisiana and Mississippi license plates! It's so weird to think that one of the biggest cities in our country is losing their residents not only to death but to people packing up and moving on to somewhere else.

One of my co-workers had her sister up here during the storm and they have decided to just stay here permanently. They're not even going to try to go back and see if there is anything left.

The mayor of Detroit is offering to take some of the "refugees". I'm having a hard time with that term because I think of refugees as those leaving a war zone type area, not a disaster stricken area, but at this point, there doesn't seem to be much difference.

Another co-worker, whose son is an internal medicine doc in the Air Force is being sent down there from his base near St. Louis. They are going to set up a mobile hospital unit. He's been told he will be there for a month.

I heard on the news tonight that they are bringing bodies out of the Superdome and some of them were victims of gun fire. The reporter sounded completely numb and in shock, not to mention scared.

Someone used the word surreal, and it truly is. One woman interviewed said "I just want to pinch myself and wake up".

Dee

Heartbreaking and horrific images on TV, but I think what a previous post mentioned is probably true: we're not being shown the worst of it. What has struck me is that even Fox (and, on another network) the ideologically somewhat similar "Scarborogh Country" are allowing significant indications of desperation, frustration with slow or nonexistent FEMA and state help, and "third world" conditions to be shown and discussed.

just horribly sad...
my high school kids were glib until they took it apart and realized how many folks were involved and what it really meant.
how sad.

CNN: People are dying in front of us
 

http://www.cnn.com/video/player/play...ew.orleans.cnn

This is a video clip. ***It's pretty graphic*** I usually turn away from this - but we need to know.

So sad. It doesn't even look like the US. My apologies if someone has already posted this.

there is a similiar video on MSN (sorry - i couldn't figure out how to post it) that focused on children though.

Heartbreaking isn't the word. All we can do is pray - pray that a miracle will happen for these people - pray that provisons will be given unto them - pray that violent thugs that shoot at rescue personnel will stop so that these people can be helped. Shoot, just pray....

I don't normally admit to crying. But, I am absolutely overcome with emotion. It's just so terrible. Terrible isn't even the word for it. Terrifying...

We have refugees here in TN. In fact, we are boarding some pets for people who have no place to keep them. Our church had been set up as a shelter for them. My friends have lost their homes.

Is anyone else just overcome with emotion over all of this?

This is how everyone was after 9/11.

The worst part then for all of us on GC was we couldnt even talk about it. GC was down for 2 weeks. Us not being able to talk about it isnt anything big, but at least its a place of support and we can share information and such.

BTW, the Astrodome is now CLOSED to refugees.

From The Houston Chronicle

Stadium calls halt to taking refugees
By BILL MURPHY and LEIGH HOPPER
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Officials closed the Reliant Astrodome to further New Orleans evacuees late Thursday, shortly before five more busloads arrived.

Although the passengers initially were told they would have to reboard the buses and go to Huntsville, officials relented and allowed at least one busload of 67 passengers to stay. The fate of the other four buses was still being considered late Thursday.

Houston Police Sgt. Nate McDuell said the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office ordered that no more evacuees be accepted....

Tippiechick - I am. When I first saw that video, my eyes welled up. I was looking at the body in the chair thinking "that could be someone's mother..." And the babies. I can't imagine. I go from sadness to extreme anger. All we can do is donate & pray collectively - like Honey said. :(