Comments | platypush: The Horror of New Orleans

platypush

The Horror of New Orleans

Aug 30, 2005 20:13

I sincerely hope that all of your friends and family are safe and well. The scene developing in New Orleans is becoming truly horrific, and it seems as though the devastation and frustration are erupting into violence ( Read more... )

Comments 10

rowanswhimsy August 31 2005, 02:01:52 UTC

The photos of the water racing into NOLA from the breaks in the levees are terrifying.

God help the people left in the city.

platypush August 31 2005, 02:24:57 UTC

They just reported on CNN that another levee is expected to fail shortly, in part because sandbags that were supposed to have been delivered by the Army didn't arrive. Again, I just don't understand.

shipperx August 31 2005, 02:39:01 UTC

I thought they tried them and they didn't work. (To be frank, the engineers never really thought that they would.)

anonymous August 31 2005, 02:35:56 UTC

I think part of the problem is that there are so few ways to reach the city. I-10 is utterly impassable. So I don't think they can drive buses into the city. There's no way to get them there. Both airports are also under water. The helicopters have been used to both lifeflight the critically ill and to rescue those in less stable situations such as being on their roofs. They say they're working on ways to transport the people from the Superdome, but right now what resources they have (helicopter and boat-wise) are trying to get people out of even more dangerous situations than the center ( ... )

shipperx August 31 2005, 02:36:28 UTC

OOps. Forgot that I hadn't signed in yet.

platypush August 31 2005, 02:57:37 UTC

By the way, I'm very glad your parents evacuated and are (I assume) safe.

phantom_queen August 31 2005, 02:51:16 UTC

An e-mail went out today from one of the regional eng. directors saying that the only way into New Orleans was by Helicopter which, the company is trying to rent in order to get in and assess that damage at our facility.

I guess it's just one of those things that seems simple enough but when is actually much more difficult.

jerrymcl89 August 31 2005, 02:57:39 UTC

Since I don't like Bush, I'm aware that my knee-jerk reaction to blame him for things is likely to be a bit unfair, and obviously he didn't cause the hurricane. But I also think that the war, which is his doing, has sapped a lot of money away from other things, including projects to shore up the levees, and has left a big chunk of the National Guard units committed far away for their natural purpose, which is restoring order in the even of disasters, natural or otherwise. Compared to what seemed to be a strong reaction to the hurricanes that battered Florida last year (shortly in advance of a Presidential election in which Florida was critical, I might add) we seem to be a lot less ready.

platypush August 31 2005, 03:23:24 UTC

I'm trying not to turn it political, but your point was made this morning in the NY Times lead editorial, and it's not without significant merit, I think.

lesbiassparrow August 31 2005, 05:58:27 UTC

Hey, what more do you want than that the president actually cut his holiday short?

It's always horrible when bad things happen, but it's even worse when they happen to those who can least afford trauma and loss in their lives, the poor. And I can't imagine what it must be like huddling in the Superdome, wondering if any part of your city will be left. And I can't help thinking that this would be being handled differently if we were talking about Malibu, rather than New Orleans.