Programming Note

[talktooloose]

I deleted the entry about the Yahoo!News photos because the links changed to other photos.

Thank you, Tim, for your comment.

My own thought about the looting is "who is owed what?". I've heard that the levees were known to be only strong enough to survive a Level 3 hurricane. If this is the case, what plan exactly was put into place to evacuate the city when an inevitable 4 or 5 showed up? Specifically, what plans were there to help those too poor, elderly or infirm to be able to jump in a car and head north?

Either the levees had to be better or plans needed to be in place.

Comments

[33mhz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Yahoo is bad about changing their URLs out from under people. If anyone is curious, other people have already taken extensive screenshots.

From all that I had heard, anyone who could was supposed to pack they shit and leave, and the people who couldn't were supposed to go take shelter at the big domed football stadium.

There were plenty of people who were just plain ignunt and refused to do either, though.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Yeah, with the locals shooting at the rescuers now, the situation has moved beyond morality to a zombie movie.

[kuriadalmatia.livejournal.com]

My cousin was one of the stupid ones who could evacuate but decided to stay because he'd weathered all the other hurricanes -- including Camille -- and he was on "high" ground in the city. Oh yeah. High ground. Five feet below sea level. Uh-huh. The rest of the extended family got the hell out beforehand. We didn't hear from my cousin until late Monday night. My mom was freaking out the whole time.

The devastation of the city is painful for her, because she grew up in New Orleans proper. I remember her story about how her parents wanted to visit "the old neighborhood" in the late 80's and took her along. She was very proud of her father for being quite calm as they drove through the rows of crack houses and flashes of guns from gang members. Scary that my lovely, sheltered grandmother never seemed to catch on just how far the place had gone downhill.

The levee system is old, and you're right -- designed for up to a Category 3 hurricane. My fave liberal, ex-Army coworker ranted this a.m. about where the fuck the Marines and National Guard were because -- hey! -- they have resources for this kind of stuff. Oh yeah. They're off in Iraq because Dubya wanted to finish what his daddy started.

Environmentalists will feel justified: they predicted the dire circumstances if wetlands around the city were compromised. It is sickening that "the rest" of the country has to learn from a massive loss of life that urban sprawl is not progress.

When I visited the city in May, I had been excited about returning to my mom's hometown. But I quickly learned that if I strayed from "the tourist" areas -- long story on why I had to -- that it was a bad thing. I wanted to love the city because of my family ties to it, but found myself embarrassed because the state it was in. Of course, that's my childhood of fond memories vs. my more worldly view now...

What has been most (distrubingly) interesting has been that Louisiana hasn't given a death toll yet, because they're 'focusing on survivors'. I hope that our US lawmakers realize that federal flood insurance is a bunch of BS and that coast cities realize that planning IS the best thing.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Selfishness follows:

As weather wonk and political instability increase in the world, there will be more and more places I will have wished I had visited while I had the chance.

Time to get travelling.

Poor Nola.

Having little or nothing to do with your actual post.

[ringthebells]

Hi there, talktooloose! I've just friended you, in honour of narrowly missing meeting you in person this weekend, and everyone (read: snowmit, redrunner, and appelle) telling me I'd really like you.

I would have knocked on your door on Saturday if appelle hadn't woken up and found me on her doorstep before 11 a.m. And you wouldn't have been there anyway!

Re: Having little or nothing to do with your actual post.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Hi, I heard you were around but saw no sign of you. You must be quiet and/or invisible.

Re: Having little or nothing to do with your actual post.

[ringthebells]

Why yes, I am!

Haha!

[codystrum.livejournal.com]

You are thinking oh so much like a responsible CANADIAN citizen. This is the USA South honey! (excepting Texas oil patch) In a population full of Black Americans I think the disaster plan is probably "let them fight it out 'cause we don't really give a shit" and this has come to be ne?

Now two days after this post the CBC is reporting how republicans in Alaska are building highways to nowhere and other such "political priorities". SO there ya have it, poor black AMerica gets shit all.

Here's another wrinkle; um, how much of the main militia folks are in Iraq as well as the EQUIPMENT !? How much can a bunch of shell shocked Iraq/Gulf War vet reservists do in a swamp?

Also add in there that this typhoon/hurricane issue lately is that global warming is creating bigger and bigger storms. So will the USA now sign or is Bushie gonna continue to circle and gape...!

The bright spot int he evil is that this may be the wake up call which finally routs the Republicans in the next few years - paid for in blood, sweat, and oil - and a lost city (I don't think the big easy is coming back in the form it once was; a city has just been killed).

Cody