Hurricane Katrina

[Nathan Flowers]

Do we have any members down there? I saw pictures of the devestation down there on the gulf coast, and it looks horrendous. Lots of lives were lost.

Having lived through a few hurricanes myself, my prayers are with those still down there.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Whenever there have been hurricane specials on TV, the worst-case scenario has always been a category 4 or 5 storm taking dead aim on New Orleans.

This one was so huge and deadly, I would be suprized if it doesn't pass Camille in human death toll (Camille had 250-plus lost lives; the Galveston hurricane of 1900 killed over 6,000 people).

My prayers are with those folks who have lost family, friends, pets, homes, businesses.

As one survivor said to the press: "this is our tsunami."

karol

 

[scotrace]

Yes.

We have a brother who evacuated from New Orleans to Texas in time. He's waiting to find out... where he will live. His home appears to be submerged in water that also is now home to gators, vermin, sewage and bodies.

Also have a friend who lost an elderly uncle as he was transported to safety. He didn't survive the trip.

It's certainly a helpless feeling from here.

Many of the men who work for the utility company here save vacation time for such events. They'll drive down and work as linemen to help with the restoration of power (and be well-paid for it).

It's unimaginably awful. Now I read of looters. I think they'll have a front seat on the bus to hell.

Every now and then, it seems, nature reminds us who is in charge.

 

[jitterbugdoll]

My coworker has a friend that lives there; he text messaged her today and told her that he and his relatives (I think 20 in all) are staying in his one bedroom apartment. They have no power, and although they stocked up on food, forgot to purchase anything to cook with in case the power went out. Two of his family members know for sure that their houses are under water, and he has several elderly relatives that he?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not sure will survive the conditions.

Hearing about the looters bothered me immensely. Tragedy seems to bring out the worst in some people.

Mother Nature seems to be pretty angry lately.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Mother Nature's rampage reminded me of the huge floods in the midwest in 1993. People there had replaced the wetlands along the rivers with levees and built on land that was once swamp.

Louisiana lost 80% of its wetlands to development, etc., in past decades.
Without the wetlands, the rising tide or river or whatever has no place to go and so pushes against the levees.

Sometimes nature supplies what we need to survive in unstable places. When we tamper with it, much bigger disasters take place.

Tragedies bring out the best in humanity and also the worst. As for looters, I fear I am inclined to agree with the locals who are protecting their places with shotguns. "You loot, I shoot," states one sign.

karol


karol

 

[Biltmore Bob]

"Sometimes nature supplies what we need to survive in unstable places. When we tamper with it, much bigger disasters take place."

Or sometimes "Stuff Happens."

 

[Vanessa]

The looters deserve their front seat on the bus to hell. My family visits down there several times a year - we love New Orleans. We've been spending New Years there as a sort of new family reunion tradition. But to see people looting on the streets & stores I visit. . .it's just disgusting, when the cops are trying to help victims & they have to stop & waste valuable time dealing with thieves.
Grr to them. Just grrr.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Apparently there are also cops doing some of the looting, so the reports say.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Nawleens police are infamous and renoun for not being the best in the biz.

I think looters should be shot except if they are in a grocery store taking food that would otherwise be lost.

 

[MDFrench]

My uncle and aunt live there - They have lost their home and are in Vicksburg right now. I have no idea what they must be going through, but I am sure it is not good. They were away when the hurricane hit.

I don't mean to sound petty, but my uncle had a large golden-era collection of items, including family heirlooms like typewriters and firearms. My aunt collected vintage cookie jars. Guess that's all over now too.

Mike

 

[Biltmore Bob]

You don't sound petty, things like that mean alot.

 

[hatflick1]

Katrina

Katrina is a tragedy which will stalk this country for a long time to come. My heart and prayers and personal check to the Salvation Army have gone out to the victims of this awful event. I am frustrated and angered and truly saddened by the horror so many fellow Americans must endure throughout the Gulf Coast. On a brighter note, fund raising is on-going across the country. Texas welcomes the refugees and is making room for them from Houston to San Antonio. And the Rev. Jesse Jackson is on the ground. His presence will bring comfort to thousands who have at the moment no other source of inspiration.
And, without sounding trivial, becuase this is the Fedora Lounge, I would like to also remember Meyer The Hatter whose New Orleans shop was established in 1894. I purchased hats from this store and received the finest assistance, recommendations and time honored Southern hospitality. If you are not familiar with Meyer The Hatter, you can go to its website and read about its history. They survived the Great Depression. Let's hope they can survive again and furnish fine fur felt and straw fedoras to folks strolling the wonderful streets of a resurrected New Orleans..

 

[Angelicious]

I think looters should be shot except if they are in a grocery store taking food that would otherwise be lost.

Well, I'm a heck of a way from the action, but as far as I've seen in the news, looters seem to be coming in two flavours; families uplifting food, water, and medical supplies from stores, and opportunists taking to abandoned homes and businesses. For the latter, I applaud those families lucky enough to not need evacuation, and staunch enough to spraypaint things like "We are home, and we WILL shoot" on the front of their properties.

I hope, perhaps vainly, that things will be brought under control soon, before the food and water truly run out, and the disease sets in.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

I have changed my oppinion....

Let them loot...let them try to get on a helicopter or a bus with a wide screen TV or a rifle. Where are they going to plug a TV in anyway. I saw a guy with an armload of clothes forced to drop them on the ground by a cop. I'm sure someone else came by and got the clothes. The stuff has been written off anyway. It's going to be an insurance nightmare.

Those people don't have anything anyway...as long as they are non violent let them pillage. I say let them get some clothes and food if they can. If I was there and hungry and needed clothes and food I think I would be looting too.

I'm not talking about private residences.

 

[hatflick1]

Looting In Perspective

Much is being made of looting, especially on Fox News by the likes of Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, et al. Yet much of the looting has been done by families and parents desperate to get food and clothes for themselves and their kids. People in the Super Dome are dead...dehydrated corpses of babies and seniors lie covered by blankets. The city is in chaos. It has been four days without civil order or any perceptable leadership. Try going for a week in wet shoes and socks. See what it does to your feet. I did in Vietnam as did soldiers throughout many wars. Toes start to rot. Just like an unattended infrastucutre. I do not condone looting. I saw it up close during the Rodney King riots of Los Angeles where it was rage driven. But what has to be honored at some point in this country is looters for the most part represent a growing, unrepresented underclass. Over twenty per cent of New Orleans lived below the poverty level. For many of those folks what they owned was on their backs and it was wet and shreaded. And finally, to address looting in America, let's not forget the plundering of the failed S&L's that we the taxpayers ahd to 'bail out'. Or Halliburton which cannot account for billions in Iraqi 'reconstruction' money. Or the hundreds of American corporations now 'off-shore' in places like Grenada (remember that war? Now count the banks there) so they don't have to pay taxes to the IRS but can still loot resources at home while shipping jobs overseas. The only difference is visual. We have images of a mom running down the street with a box of Pampers over her head. We have never seen footage of Dick Cheyney using the US treasury as his own personal ATM. Too bad, too. We might actually have some real change in this once great country America.

 

[PADDY]

A natural US disaster in "black and white..?"

THE thing that has struck me as an impartial observer of the press coverage, has been how many 'black' african-americans are in the disaster zone, left with nothing. My heart goes out to them (as it does to those poor Iraqis who are dying everyday, just trying to live), it seems that those that are down already in life, just get kicked even harder.
These people probably didn't have very much to start with, and now they have nothing. I can't imagine that many of these folk have insurance (correct me please if this is just my ignorance). But there was a definite scarcity of white anglo-saxon Americans (other than Police Officers and Army Reserves). Why is that guys? Is there a huge 'class divide' down in these southern states still, where African-Americans are very much seen as second class citizens? Or is this a general thing across the US?
An American commentator was saying on BBC News this morning (you'd think he had been reading my mind), that 9/11 managed to help skim over the fact that there was a huge divide in the US between the few 'haves' (with money) and the 'have nots' (those bordering on the poverty line). But that this Hurricane has highlighted the divide even more so now.
It would really sadden and disappoint me to think that the country that carries the torch for freedom of rights and democracy, still tolerates an anglo-saxon white American governing over those of different colour, creed, culture, religion..etc. Surely those days are over and recognition is given to America's strength being in it's very diversity of people..?
Or am I just being a very naive, thick paddy here guys...? and are the likes of Condaleeza Rice and Colin Powell merely token gestures to the nation to be seen to be politically correct?

Whatever...those moving scenes of black folk just trying to survive clinging onto floating roofs or scavenging among war-torn homes, seemed more an image of a third-world country and not the United States of America.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

How 'bout oil price gouging, that's looting.

Looting is a criminal act for personal gain...

Foraging is for food, shelter, clothing and the other basic necessities of life.

Here's another thought...Why waste precious resources on the looters? The Gaurd and Reserve could be better used for rescue missions and the real needs of the surviving refugees. Get everybody out who whants out and close off the city. Leave the criminals to themselves.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

Coming from the New South myself I will speak to Paddy's question.

There is a class divide. But I don't think Blacks are second class citizens and for the most part they are not treated that way, at least around me. They are actually given every opportunity and sometimes more to better themselves. There is a welfare system in place that does not prepare the recipient to work for a living. Why work if I can get a check form the Government for not working? I can get a raise every time I have a baby too. Yeah, I know they aint gonna get rich off the Gov., but they can survive. That's just life down there.

It doesn't take much to pull yourself up from destitution, just initiative. The Government has created an entire class of citizens with no initiative.

 

[Vanessa]

It's just absolutely surreal to think that in one part of the country, there's chaos and the rest of the country is just moving along, beautiful weather, work in the morning, etc., at regular speed.

 

[Biltmore Bob]

We just went to shareryourhome.org

Going to sponsor a couple of grade school kids.

http://www.shareyourhome.org/formdone_offerhousing.php