Hurricane Katrina

[sugar and spice]

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

[lifesaver]

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.

[RACooper]

Originally posted by lifesaver
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?

[Rudey]

Originally posted by RACooper
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

[KSig RC]

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.

[ISUKappa]

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

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.

[Honeykiss1974]

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

[lifesaver]

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.

[xo_kathy]

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

[lifesaver]

Originally posted by xo_kathy
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....

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by lifesaver
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.

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.

[lifesaver]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
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.

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.

[OleMissGlitter]

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.

[WCUgirl]

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.

[lifesaver]

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.