i woke up this morning thinking about all of the crap that has gone on with katrina and new orleans. i was thinking about why everything works so well in florida after a hurricane and wondering what went wrong on the bayou. i've been in florida during a couple hurricanes personally and have family in florida and seen how things work and started comparing the events. note, i was not in direct path both times and both times i was in st. pete and the hurricanes came across the state, hitting miami first, hence why we stayed put.

1- people in fl who see a hurricane is coming directly at them, be it cat 2 or cat 4, evacuation order or no order, get the fuck out of town the day before it is supposed to make land fall. the only people ever left in these towns are the reporters. even bums find away out. no not everyone has a car, no not everyone has gas money, no not everyone knows someone who can give them a ride, but they find one, someway somehow. pretty much every hurricane that is east coast of fl bound, my step brothers go over to st pete to stay with my mom and step dad.

2- those few who are too stubborn to leave or could not find a ride out (note, these are very few people), stockpile food and water and essentials. somehow this didn't happen in new orleans. i don't know if they were expecting to just chill till the storm passed and go back home to what they had left in their pantries or they were exptecting there to be food stored at the dome and convention centers for them, but the first thing to happen in florida when there is a storm coming is the grocery stores get emptied out about 4 days before the storm hits.

3- whole cities are not under 10 feet of water thus causing the only helicoptors and other aid vehicles available to have to do rescue missions and evacuations instead of carrying in supplies and water to those who may not have made it to the grocery store in time to have enough supplies to make it to the end of the week. humvees and other military vehicles are able to drive through the neighborhoods and offer assistance.

i know this offers nothing in the form of a solution, but hopefully some insight as to what went wrong here. just something that was bugging me and i had to put some sort of rational to it (tried talking to my stepmom about it, but she thinks too much with her heart and not enough with her head to make any logical compairisons)

9/3/2005 11:50:52 AM

THERE WAS A HURRICANE????

9/3/2005 11:51:34 AM

i'd criticize you for pointing out the blatantly obvious, but someone people dont get it

9/3/2005 11:53:08 AM

yes there was a hurricane

an attempt at GENOCIDE by the WHITE DEVIL against the BLACK MAN

9/3/2005 11:53:12 AM

^^someone had to say it, i see people on the news and hear people on the street blaming the goverment for lack of action while forgetting the obvious facts. i tend to be the only that will point out the obvious to make people atleast start using 1/4 of their brain power to make sense of things.

9/3/2005 11:59:30 AM

do you really think your train of though is new and insightful?

9/3/2005 12:04:23 PM

I agree. I just spoke with a french girl. She is so pissed at Bush. And I'm like "Its not his fault that 500,000 people stayed below sea level, at the beach, with no supplies when it was announced 2+ days ahead of landfall that a cat 4 or 5 storm would be coming in." They werent expecting that many idiots. And before you jump down my throat, dont you dare tell me than most of these people had no way out. There are certainly some, but not most of them. And this so called Mayor of the city... He should be pissed at himself. I see a damned school bus yard of 200 buses. Why the hell didnt you pull them out in those?

9/3/2005 12:04:24 PM

hahahh that mayor is hilarious

GET OFF YOUR GOD DAMNED ASSES!!!1

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 12:05 PM. Reason : he shoulda been saying that during evacuations]

9/3/2005 12:05:39 PM

Quote :

"do you really think your train of though is new and insightful?"

hardly, never said it was, but for most people, the obvious is very insightful.

9/3/2005 12:06:21 PM

i was just wondering

i read it like you were having a revelation or some shit

9/3/2005 12:09:35 PM

Quote :

"I see a damned school bus yard of 200 buses. Why the hell didnt you pull them out in those?"

HAHA, that was one of the shots used as they played the mayor's clip

9/3/2005 12:11:26 PM

psst... do you remember how fast bush responded to the folks in florida during a crucial election year? coincidence?

9/3/2005 12:13:27 PM

who tha fuck cares - bush won re-election. he's now in an exclusive and elite group of two-term presidents

and no amount of crying from the left will change that fact

9/3/2005 12:20:25 PM

yep, like 3 days after, when his security detail told him it was safe, he was in mississippi 2 days after, what's your point? he won't get the ok to go into new orleans for like 2 months.



[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 12:23 PM. Reason : not that there's any point in him being there, not like he's doing much in the way of helping.]

9/3/2005 12:20:32 PM

Quote :

"and no amount of crying from the left will change that fact"

wow. nothing like critical thinking to end a discussion. should we just throw in the towel now and concede to your brilliant observations?

9/3/2005 12:26:43 PM

yes

9/3/2005 12:31:42 PM

and the funny thing is
you have 345093803850398 hurricane threads to put this in, but yet...you make another fucking hurricane thread

what is your problem

9/3/2005 12:57:42 PM

its about hurricane education

i lived in south florida during hurricane andrew. we were lucky enough to have hurricane shutters permanently built onto our house and we lived far enough inland that flooding wasn't a major concern. i don't recall a mandatory evac for andrew, but i'm sure if there were one we would have gone

as for new orleans, mississippi & alabama, whats done is done and a lot of people fucked up. all that can be done now is to help these people out

9/3/2005 2:51:42 PM

Quote :

"psst... do you remember how fast bush responded to the folks in florida during a crucial election year? coincidence?"

exactly right. the day after charley FEMA was in town (orlando) in full force clearing trees and handing out money left and right to people that didn't need it. They reimbursed people for EACH hurricane. Therefore people got paid for 3 generators and 3 chainsaws when they bought one. Some honest people even said "hey we only bought 1" but FEMA said thats how it works. This was even going on in areas that were not hit at all (miami). 6 days after a real disaster in the gulf and the feds had done nothing. Maybe New Orleans is being punished for voting for Kerry...

9/3/2005 5:36:23 PM

Thats because they had ROADS to send people in. Jesus people. You act as if this hurricane were something normal. The entire fucking city is a swamp. There are no homes for people to stand in front of to collect a check. They essentially had 2 natural disasters within 24 hours. The roads are all under water.

Quote :

"6 days after a real disaster in the gulf and the feds had done nothing."

And that comment is nothing but 100% ignorance.

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 5:46 PM. Reason : /]

9/3/2005 5:44:35 PM

katrina hit on the 29th, people were being evacuated by bus to houston by the 31st

9/3/2005 5:51:00 PM

Lets not forget the coast gaurd was in there with lots of helicopters getting people off rooftops on day 1.

9/3/2005 5:51:56 PM

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Hannity-Colmes-Smith-Rivera-freak-in-NO.wmv

take a look at this. this is from ultra conservative pro bush fox news.

the server can be overloaded at times.

9/3/2005 5:53:03 PM

Quote :

"The disaster recovery response to Katrina began before the storm, with Federal Emergency Management Agency preparations that ranged from logistical supply deployments to a mortuary team with refrigerated trucks. More than 11,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen and 7,200 active-duty troops are currently stationed in the Gulf Coast region to assist with hurricane relief operations. An additional 10,000 USNG troops are currently in the process of being called up and are expected to join the relief efforts shortly. The military relief effort, known as Joint Task Force Katrina, is being commanded by Lieutenant General Russel Honoré of the US First Army. At President Bush's urging, the U.S. Senate quickly approved a bill authorizing $10.5 billion in aid for victims on September 1, 2005. The U.S. House of Representatives voted and approved on the measure Friday, September 2, 2005 without any debate; Bush signed it into law an hour later. This is said to be only the initial aid package. The people of Alabama have thanked President Bush and FEMA through their representative Govenor Bob Riley who said "Thank you for all the help. FEMA has been absolutely great."[37] Governments of many countries have offered help to the U.S. for disaster relief, inter alia the governments of France and of Germany [38]. In addition to asking for federal funds, President Bush has enlisted the help of former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush to raise additional voluntary contributions, much as they did after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Canada is sending three warships and one coast guard vessel to the US Gulf Coast to assist in the relief and reconstruction effort"

9/3/2005 5:55:15 PM

that press release does not portray the reality of what has occured in new orleans. FEMA issued a press release that said they had no reports of looting or violence and that evacuations are going just fine. this was a few days ago.

9/3/2005 6:02:03 PM

http://media.putfile.com/cnn51

better freakout

9/3/2005 6:06:37 PM

funny but irrelevant

9/3/2005 6:17:29 PM

Quote :

"that press release does not portray the reality of what has occured in new orleans. FEMA issued a press release that said they had no reports of looting or violence and that evacuations are going just fine. this was a few days ago."

How about you find this press report and post a link.

9/3/2005 6:17:36 PM

interview with fema chief

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html

9/3/2005 6:45:00 PM

all the major news networks were broadcasting from new orleans a day after the hurricane. i guess they have greater mobility than the military. the issue is really why was the response so slow. these are the kind of events the federal government is supposed to be prepared to handle. right this second people are still stranded there.

9/3/2005 6:55:28 PM

well, i think this is the first major hurricane to hit that area. it seems like florida has 5 or so a year, so they have been through serious hurricanes before. so you can't blame the population for not responding. similarly, when the tsuanmi hit last year, some people ran to the water when it receded. it was the first time. as for them leaving, some people are just that poor. some people were that weak and disabled. the cat bus in raleigh won't take you to greensboro. so what exactly would you expect them to do? remember, not everyone is as fortunate as you, to be able to go to school, to be able to read, to be able to travel, to be able to look up storm paths on the internet and such.

9/3/2005 7:00:43 PM

Lunican, all you did is prove how completely wrong you are and how you are going your best to spin the situation to your twisted perspective...
1) There was no press release
2) FEMA did not say 'evacuations were going just fine.'
3) His interview said NOTHING about looting or violence.

He DID say they had no idea people were at the convention center in such mass, but also said no one intimated to them that this was a staging area. Again, completely tangential to your completely bogous statement. Its not wonder we have misinformation.

Care to try again?

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 7:20 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2005 7:19:49 PM

Quote :

"well, i think this is the first major hurricane to hit that area"

well, i think this is the first major hurricane to hit that area
idiot

9/3/2005 7:20:30 PM

why is that?

9/3/2005 7:21:46 PM

read a little more carefully... when they say civil unrest what do you think they are talking about?

Quote :

"Brown: I've just learned today that we ... are in the process of completing the evacuations of the hospitals, that those are going very well."

Quote :

"Brown: Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well."

Quote :

"Brown: I've had no reports of unrest, if the connotation of the word unrest means that people are beginning to riot, or you know, they're banging on walls and screaming and hollering or burning tires or whatever. I've had no reports of that."

if my statements are so bogus why are people STILL out there dying 6 days later?

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 7:26 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2005 7:25:26 PM

forget it. This is going to be a circular argument. I really dont care what you think.

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 7:35 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2005 7:31:09 PM

^^cause idiots are shooting at the damn helicopters. No one wants to go back in there to save anyone.

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 7:36 PM. Reason : .]

9/3/2005 7:35:49 PM

so 1 person (or even 10) with a handgun is enough to scare away the most powerful military in the world. dont let that little secret out.

9/3/2005 7:57:29 PM

haha, yeah, the public would love if the military started shooting at our own people.

9/3/2005 8:07:36 PM

this sounds like a bunch of excuses to me. they declared martial law and authorized the national gaurd to use lethal force to stop the looting. if you are shooting at police or military personnel under any circumstances, you should expect return fire. that is not an acceptable excuse for leaving thousands of stranded people to die. do you really think the situation that has unfolded looks better than shooting at a person firing at them?

9/3/2005 8:32:04 PM

Two days ago, there was no Martial Law. It is a whole new ballgame now.

9/3/2005 8:35:12 PM

exactly my point. everything happened way too slowly. NOW things are getting done and people are being saved. its too late for a lot of people.

9/3/2005 8:44:54 PM

I don't think it's Bush's fault at all (and I'm NOT a Bush fan)


However, the reason that people did not get out might be as follows:

1. Perhaps the government in Florida has a better technique of disseminating evacuation orders

2. Perhaps the Floridians take evacuation orders more seriously because they have been in MANY hurricanes before and understand the destruction it brings

Let us not forget that when New Years 2000 came we had a bunch of people (some in the government mind you) telling us to stockpile food and water because the world was going to end. How many of us did THAT? And was that preparation necessary? SO maybe these people don't have a lot of faith in the government.........what a shock!

9/3/2005 8:51:10 PM

All of those points are irrelevant. A city whose average height is two feet below sea level and a river 14 feet above sea level separated by a levee system that--30 years ago--was inadequate to contain a Category 3 hurricane should have planned a little better.

Now the mayor is swearing on the radio and blaming the Governor and the President for the problems he could have avoided?! Are you kidding me?!

9/3/2005 10:26:23 PM

I think it is 12 feet, not 2.

9/3/2005 10:33:17 PM

Quote :

"psst... do you remember how fast bush responded to the folks in florida during a crucial election year? coincidence?"

and

Quote :

"exactly right. the day after charley FEMA was in town (orlando) in full force clearing trees and handing out money left and right to people that didn't need it. They reimbursed people for EACH hurricane. Therefore people got paid for 3 generators and 3 chainsaws when they bought one. Some honest people even said "hey we only bought 1" but FEMA said thats how it works. This was even going on in areas that were not hit at all (miami). 6 days after a real disaster in the gulf and the feds had done nothing. Maybe New Orleans is being punished for voting for Kerry..."

Goddamn there are some fucking dumb people on here.

I'll say it once.

THERE WERE NO FUCKING PEOPLE SHOOTING AT THE FUCKING HELICOPTERS AND RESCUE VEHICLES. GUN STORES WERE NOT LOOTED AND MOBS WERE NOT SHOOTING AT POLICE WITH AK-47S. MY GOD ARE YOU THAT DUMB YOU FUCKING WITLESS CUNT?

[Edited on September 3, 2005 at 10:40 PM. Reason : DAMMIT]

9/3/2005 10:39:23 PM

It is a fact that people shot at helicopters. You need to STFU, quit with the caps.

9/3/2005 10:43:22 PM

I think he was saying that as a fact, emphasizing with CAPS that people are stupid to try and compare the hurricanes in FL with the one that his LA/MS/AL.

And I came up with 2 feet below looking at the entire city. Even so, that's still 16 feet below Lake Ponchartrain.

9/3/2005 10:47:36 PM

Quote :

"It is a fact that people shot at helicopters. You need to STFU, quit with the caps."

AND I'LL FUCKING REPEAT

Quote :

"Goddamn there are some fucking dumb people on here."

9/3/2005 10:52:21 PM

Quote :

"MY GOD ARE YOU THAT DUMB YOU FUCKING WITLESS CUNT?"

You're in college now. Grow up.

9/3/2005 10:54:21 PM