Shamrock Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Other disaster areas. Praying for these people. Insane. UPDATED: Martial Law Declared in New Orleans; Journalists Ordered Out; Suicide in Dome; 'Looting' by MeanBoneII [subscribe] Tue Aug 30th, 2005 at 07:37:42 PDT Shepard Smith on Fox News, who yesterday was overly optimistic from his reports in the French Quarter, appears to be the first on the news networks to actually get it: IT'S OVER FOR NEW ORLEANS. Smith said martial law has been declared, and all journalists have been ordered out of the city. The situation is getting exponentially worse, there are no resources, it is only going to become more and more "impossible to sustain life" in New Orleans. There are people dying there right now, trapped by the rising floodwaters -- up to approximately 87,000 people, according to the mayor's own (obviously rough) estimate. The worst-case scenario is unfolding, and New Orleans will be uninhabitable for the foreseeable future. MeanBoneII's diary :: :: UPDATE: As posted in comments, WWLTV is reporting that Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish are under martial law and the floodwaters are expected to rise to lake level. UPDATE 2: The mayor has now ordered an emergency evacuation of the entire city. Important to note: Mayor Nagin estimated that about 80% of the city's 485,000 people evacuated before the storm. That has to be a very rough estimate and HOPEFULLY VERY LOW. If about 20% of the residents are still in the city, that's approximately 97,000 people. Only 9,000 or so are at the Superdome, and only several hundred have been rescued from their homes. That leaves about 87,000+ trapped in homes rapidly flooding with toxic water, with no food or water or way to get out. UPDATE 4: Conditions at the Superdome are drastically deteriorating. Local reporter on scene tells CNN a man intentionally jumped to his death from the second level balcony in the dome. Water is rising around the dome, as victims with serious injuries are brought to the dome where they could soon be trapped. UPDATE 5: There are numerous reports of rampant "looting" in the city, but given the extreme life-or-death nature of these conditions, the vast majority of the thousands still in New Orleans are certainly just desperately grabbing any food, water and supplies they can get to stay alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSand Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying_Mollusk Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 This is so depressing. NOLA looks so bad. Its terrible to see the city I was just in a few days ago, hanging out with friends and just driving around, covered in water. Those poor people who couldnt get out. And the damage to people's lives and homes. A lot of people are going to lose a lot. Im counting my lucky stars our place was well above ground and my room was on the second floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TealFish Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? 921793[/snapback] You would think a country that spends so much on foreign issues (war) that we would spend as much as we could in a situation like this, sending in as many copters and people that we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest markotsay7 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? 921793[/snapback] You would think a country that spends so much on foreign issues (war) that we would spend as much as we could in a situation like this, sending in as many copters and people that we can. 921800[/snapback] I was waiting for someone to blame the Bush administration. :plain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TealFish Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? 921793[/snapback] You would think a country that spends so much on foreign issues (war) that we would spend as much as we could in a situation like this, sending in as many copters and people that we can. 921800[/snapback] I was waiting for someone to blame the Bush administration. :plain 921811[/snapback] Where are the copters? Where are the cargo planes? Highways are still there, you are suppose to be able to land warplanes on them, that is part of their function. Where were planes to get people out? Or cargo busses? They could have done so much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSand Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I'm sure they are doing the best they can...its too early for this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TealFish Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 I'm sure they are doing the best they can...its too early for this. 921827[/snapback] They haven't called in active duty troops yet, that would help, when you take into account that the national gaurd in some of these states is only 50% as strong as normal because those gaurds are overseas. They should have gotten people out of there. Something like 25% of the people in NO live in poverty, so most likely weren't able to get out on their own, and even if they went to the Super Dome they are trapped there now. Its not like this snuck up on us, there could have been a lot more that could have been done. I think after this, the next time a major hurricane threatens a weak area you will see more than busses taking people to shelters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FutureGM Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 A few months ago someone on either MSNBC or CNN commented that the massive deployment of National Guard and Reserve units to Iraq would severely hamper our natural disaster recovery operations. It looks like that prediction has come true here. I don't think it could get much worse for this city. I have heard that close to 80 percent of the city is flooded, and public schools won't be opening for a minimum of 2 months. I honestly think it will be much longer than that. It's going to take a LONG time to get anything working in this city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beetle Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 It gets worse... Even a cop joins in the looting Mike Perlstein and Brian Thevenot Staff writers Law enforcement efforts to contain the emergency left by Katrina slipped into chaos in parts of New Orleans Tuesday with some police officers and firefighters joining looters in picking stores clean. At the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, an initial effort to hand out provisions to stranded citizens quickly disintegrated into mass looting. Authorities at the scene said bedlam erupted after the giveaway was announced over the radio. While many people carried out food and essential supplies, others cleared out jewelry racks and carted out computers, TVs and appliances on handtrucks. Some officers joined in taking whatever they could, including one New Orleans cop who loaded a shopping cart with a compact computer and a 27-inch flat screen television. Officers claimed there was nothing they could do to contain the anarchy, saying their radio communications have broken down and they had no direction from commanders. ?We don?t have enough cops to stop it,? an officer said. ?A mass riot would break out if you tried.? Inside the store, the scene alternated between celebration and frightening bedlam. A shirtless man straddled a broken jewelry case, yelling, ?Free samples, free samples over here.? Another man rolled a mechanized pallet, stacked six feet high with cases of vodka and whiskey. Perched atop the stack was a bewildered toddler. Throughout the store and parking lot, looters pushed carts and loaded trucks and vans alongside officers. One man said police directed him to Wal-Mart from Robert?s Grocery, where a similar scene was taking place. A crowd in the electronics section said one officer broke the glass DVD case so people wouldn?t cut themselves. ?The police got all the best stuff. They?re crookeder than us,? one man said. Most officers, though, simply stood by powerless against the tide of law breakers. One veteran officer said, ?It?s like this everywhere in the city. This tiny number of cops can?t do anything about this. It?s wide open.? At least one officer tried futilely to control a looter through shame. ?When they say take what you need, that doesn?t mean an f-ing TV,? the officer shouted to a looter. ?This is a hurricane, not a free-for-all.? Sandra Smith of Baton Rouge walked through the parking lot with a 12-pack of Bud Light under each arm. ?I came down here to get my daughters,? she said, ?but I can?t find them.? The scene turned so chaotic at times that entrances were blocked by the press of people and shopping carts and traffic jams sprouted on surrounding streets. Some groups organized themselves into assembly lines to more efficiently cart off goods. Toni Williams, 25, packed her trunk with essential supplies, such as food and water, but said mass looting disgusted and frightened her. ?I didn?t feel safe. Some people are going overboard,? she said. Inside the store, one woman was stocking up on make-up. She said she took comfort in watching police load up their own carts. ?It must be legal,? she said. ?The police are here taking stuff, too.? Link It's anarchy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fritz Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 After reading Beetle's story, I think an Army Blackhawk should sit at the entrance and machinegun anyone walking out with something other than essential supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreshFish Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If you can't beat them, join them :plain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteyrave Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? 921793[/snapback] You would think a country that spends so much on foreign issues (war) that we would spend as much as we could in a situation like this, sending in as many copters and people that we can. 921800[/snapback] I was waiting for someone to blame the Bush administration. :plain 921811[/snapback] How about this?: Imagine if the around 3,000 people the Louisiana National Guard are missing weren't out fighting an illegal war they weren't trained for. :whistle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotcorner Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I really despise looting. It's one thing if it's food or clothes maybe and people are trapped and starving and powerless, etc, etc... but I don't think that stolen TV is what your family needs right now. :blink: Then again I can't imagine the abject misery and hell they're all going through, so what do I know. Plus the cops can't do a thing about it right now. Where are they going to put people? And they can't arrest everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodge Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 That's what happens when one of the poorest areas of the country spirals out of control. I can't even imagine being down there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fritz Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? 921793[/snapback] You would think a country that spends so much on foreign issues (war) that we would spend as much as we could in a situation like this, sending in as many copters and people that we can. 921800[/snapback] I was waiting for someone to blame the Bush administration. :plain 921811[/snapback] How about this?: Imagine if the around 3,000 people the Louisiana National Guard are missing weren't out fighting an illegal war they weren't trained for. :whistle 922867[/snapback] How was the war illegal? Also, our troops are quite well trained for desert/urban combat. Everyone knew the battles of the "future" would be fought in urban areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Texan Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 new orleans has crime out the ass on a good day, is this really all that surprising? still let them loot, chances are they arent getting out with any of it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 new orleans has crime out the ass on a good day, is this really all that surprising? still let them loot, chances are they arent getting out with any of it anyway. 922916[/snapback] *loots Das basement* I got a whole bunch of Astros paraphanelia. Anyone wants some? I'm thinking of putting some of this crap on ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanks1212 Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If that many are trapped can't the coast guard go in with rafts to evac them? 921793[/snapback] You would think a country that spends so much on foreign issues (war) that we would spend as much as we could in a situation like this, sending in as many copters and people that we can. 921800[/snapback] I was waiting for someone to blame the Bush administration. :plain 921811[/snapback] How about this?: Imagine if the around 3,000 people the Louisiana National Guard are missing weren't out fighting an illegal war they weren't trained for. :whistle 922867[/snapback] There are already sufficient national guardsmen in the South to help contain the chaos, if necessary - don't blame the war for insufficient guardsmen in the area, because that's simply not true. Here's a good, short piece on this fallacy from a respecatable blog site (and I'm not saying you are one of the people they generalize about having this assumtion here, either): Our Guardsmen on duty in Iraq -- and at home.? By: trevino ? Section: News? A profoundly stupid meme circulating about the left (no links, you can guess where and whom) asserts that people are dying in New Orleans and elsewhere because there are insufficient Guardsmen on hand to deal with the Katrina catastrophe. Bush's war in Iraq, the line goes, has depleted the National Guard's ranks and is therefore harming Americans in need. Let's strangle this one in its cradle. First, let us note that the National Guard Bureau some time ago committed to the various state governors to keep approximately 50% of Guard strength undeployed for precisely these situations. Second, let us note that of the stricken states now, roughly 60% of their Guard strength is available for disaster duty now. That breaks down to about 6,500 Guardsmen in Louisiana, 7,000 in Mississippi, and 10,000 in Alabama. That's just the numbers available: of those activated, we see that it comes to 3,500 in Louisiana, 1,600 in Mississippi, and 750 in Alabama. Or, 50%, 19%, and 7.5% of available totals respectively. This doesn't even begin to account for Guardsmen from adjacent states: the Arkansans are ready to deploy, and there are 8,200 Guardsmen available in Florida -- for starters. The modern American left is shot through with men who cut themselves shaving and blame Bush's war in Iraq for the blood thus spilt. There's no point in trying to convince them otherwise, or that Katrina's devastation is not somehow, somehow the Administration's fault. But you, dear reader, can and should know better. Link If you click the link, the article then links to their sources about this information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Texan Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 new orleans has crime out the ass on a good day, is this really all that surprising? still let them loot, chances are they arent getting out with any of it anyway. 922916[/snapback] *loots Das basement* I got a whole bunch of Astros paraphanelia. Anyone wants some? I'm thinking of putting some of this crap on ebay. 922927[/snapback] goto hell. we dont have basements here in south texas dumbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Really, it's tough for me to relate with the people who could have evacuated and didn't. Except for the elderly and the kids, I almost have no reason to feel sorry about this. But look at the bright side... None of us are dyin'. Don't live below sea-level. I'm just evac-u-hatin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fritz Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Really, it's tough for me to relate with the people who could have evacuated and didn't. Except for the elderly and the kids, I almost have no reason to feel sorry about this. But look at the bright side... None of us are dyin'. Don't live below sea-level. I'm just evac-u-hatin'. 922955[/snapback] What about people that didn't have enough money? They deserve to die for being poor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passion Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Really, it's tough for me to relate with the people who could have evacuated and didn't. Except for the elderly and the kids, I almost have no reason to feel sorry about this. But look at the bright side... None of us are dyin'. Don't live below sea-level. I'm just evac-u-hatin'. 922955[/snapback] Disgusting post. What about handicapped? What about those with no transportation and those cut off from communication? What about those who werent in areas that they sent evacuation crews to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Really, it's tough for me to relate with the people who could have evacuated and didn't.? Except for the elderly and the kids, I almost have no reason to feel sorry about this. But look at the bright side... None of us are dyin'. Don't live below sea-level.? I'm just evac-u-hatin'. 922955[/snapback] What about people that didn't have enough money? They deserve to die for being poor? 922979[/snapback] I was just gonna say that.....NO is one of the poorest areas in the country, a lot of the people simply could not afford to leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buckeye Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Really, it's tough for me to relate with the people who could have evacuated and didn't.? Except for the elderly and the kids, I almost have no reason to feel sorry about this. But look at the bright side... None of us are dyin'. Don't live below sea-level.? I'm just evac-u-hatin'. 922955[/snapback] What about people that didn't have enough money? They deserve to die for being poor? 922979[/snapback] Transportation was free on Sunday. F-R-E-E. Homeless homies could have gotten out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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