Hurricane Katrina

[StarSparkle 10]

Originally posted by Mathom

What the disgrace is, is not the fact that there has been a disaster, I don't think there's a lot that can or could be done about that; the disgrace is that a relief effort was not kicked into action much sooner.

 

Whether people were right or wrong not to leave when the warning was given the fact remains that some simply could not leave whether they were old or too poor. And there will be those who simply decided to stay; not all of these will have been 'lowlifes' by a long way. Some may have wanted to protect their property, thought it wouldn't come to anything, or maybe had other people or animals they wanted to care for. That's all academic really. I think it's a given that some people will stay if not physicaly forced to go.

 

Just watching it from over here makes me feel frustrated and puzzled. I'm sure Americans feel just the same. That's why I say it's a disgrace. It wouldn't matter who was in power, it would still be the same.

 

Well said, Mathom. That's it in a nutshell. The most sensible posting on this thread.

 

I agree with every word you've said.

 

StarSparkle

[noseyrosie 10]

Originally posted by back2basics

OMG! You just not just say that.

 

Seriously the haters show themselves when something like this happens.

 

Why spin this? Your are not even a politician.

 

The forcasts, as you know, were showing a Cat 5 direct hit TWO DAYS before. They were being told that it would be worse.

 

Lookthe headlines from a right wing news source on SUNDAY.

 

http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/dsp/links_recap5.htm

 

 

 

On Sunday

 

 

 

It's not FRIDAY of the following week and there are still not enough people there. And trapped people will have died, unessesarily.

 

And when you know;

 

1) That the levee systems was only designed for a CAT 3.

2) When you have two days warning, enough for 50% of the population to get out, the ones that could afford it.

3) When 5 days after the event still, no real search and rescue is under way.

4) When people are begging for help and Hellecopters in airbases in Texas are still on the ground.

5) When finding was cut 5 years in a row for the levees.

6) FEMA heads are spending more time on TV doing interviews trying to spin their way out of it, spending time on PR, rather than helping organize as they should be.

 

All you can think about is people being anti-american? Critisism of something that deserves critisism is not anti-American, its the very definition of being American. This country did not get great by accepting the status-quo. Well i have news for you, America is OUTRAGED. You should be too. So we stand with America, we stand with the people, the vast majority of good people who feel this is not acceptable. We stand with America, not againts it, we stand agains YOU and you stand against the vast majority fo America. And then you say that people are helping the terrorist, you are quiet clearly a mad partisan hack.

 

Hear, hear.

[back2basics 10]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050902/pl_afp/usweatherdeaths

 

BATON ROUGE, United States (AFP) - US Senator David Vitter said that the death toll from Hurricane Katrina could top 10,000 in Louisiana alone.

 

"My guess is that it will start at 10,000, but that is only a guess," Vitter said, adding that he was not basing his remarks on any official death toll or body count.

 

Ten thousand people may dead in one area alone.

[noseyrosie 10]

My mum and I have been shouting in anguish all day. The injustice is absolutely unreal! Excuse me while I go ARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH in frustration and upset for the situation of the people in Louisiana.

[chuffinel 10]

Originally posted by StarSparkle

Well said, Mathom. That's it in a nutshell. The most sensible posting on this thread.

 

I agree with every word you've said.

 

StarSparkle

Me too. When peoples lives and health are no longer in danger I think that some heads should roll. Maybe starting at the top ?

[Pipine 10]

Originally posted by chuffinel

Me too. When peoples lives and health are no longer in danger I think that some heads should roll. Maybe starting at the top ?

 

 

I wish... Bush has let down his country in the most unbelievable way. The is no way people should have been left that long, to get that desperate.. the TV reports are breaking my heart - I have never seen people in such a state. It is truly horrific. Even more horrific because america is the most able country to deal with this kind of thing.

 

How hard can it be ffs... don't they have emergency planning over there? Hadn't they thought of what a cat5 hurricane might do to NO?

[pattricia 578]

Why is Bush using all his energies in Iraq ? In a war he cannot win. This is worse than 9/11, get his ass up and do something!!

[back2basics 10]

America is the most technologically advanced country in the World. No matter what anybody says, this could have been stopped. Holland has storm levees that would protect it form 20 foot storm surge. They knew the defences were not suitable for a CAT 5, they knew this 20 years ago. They knew the Wetlands were needed and they opened them up for development in 2003. If the wetlands had been expanded this may not have happened.

 

I just cannot beleive 10,000 could be dead... in America of all places.

[Greybeard 10]

Originally posted by back2basics

They knew the Wetlands were needed and they opened them up for development in 2003. If the wetlands had been expanded this may not have happened.

 

I just cannot beleive 10,000 could be dead... in America of all places.

 

Reading around some of the US newspapers in the last couple of days it also seems that much of the funding to improve and raise the levees around New Orleans was diverted to other 'projects' by the Bush administration over the last three years. These funds had originally been awarded because studies in 2000 had indicated that anything more severe than a cat 3 hurricane would inevitably breach the defences.

 

It's an enormous tragedy for the people of the US.

[noseyrosie 10]

Originally posted by Anne23

I wish... Bush has let down his country in the most unbelievable way. The is no way people should have been left that long, to get that desperate.. the TV reports are breaking my heart - I have never seen people in such a state. It is truly horrific. Even more horrific because america is the most able country to deal with this kind of thing.

 

How hard can it be ffs... don't they have emergency planning over there? Hadn't they thought of what a cat5 hurricane might do to NO?

 

You'ce said in two short paragraphs what I've been trying to say all along, thanks!

 

Only today does it look like more help is going in, hopefully things are on the mend. It's just too late for so many people though...

[rubydazzler 11]

We're ALL very upset about what's going on over there ... the more so because of the very close links between the UK and USA. We might be voicing our outrage about the way the most vulnerable people have just been left to work out their own fate. BUT that shouldn't be confused as baiting or hating the people of the USA.

 

I think the emergency rescue services deserve acclaim for the way they've worked so tirelessly to rescue people from the water, off roofs etc. It's hard work keeping a helicopter steady and being the winchman ... bearing in mind that they are from the area themselves and have probably lost their homes and belongings too.

 

New Orleans is about the same population as we have here. As 90% of them have already left, that only leaves about 30,000 needing assistance and 20,000 of them were in one location. How difficult could it have been to concentrate the effort there? I don't think that if this had happened here, we'd have had to wait four or five days for the rescues and clean up to kick in. No wonder the looting and violence started when desparation and despair set in. IMO the National Guard and police should have been breaking into the stores and overseeing the rationing out of the goods in them, not shooting people for trying to help themselves. The priority of property over people is all wrong in this sort of situation.

 

I have my own ideas as to why this has been such a logistical shambles but we'll see what is revealed when the debriefings start later.

[nightrider 13]

Originally posted by willman

has anyone actually spoken to the people there, the press can construct newsflashes to push"your" buttons whenever they want.

the governor's of the state & the mayors are at fault, the infrastructure & local government are to blame for not removing people quick enough. by the way they were advised days ago to move & some refused to leave their stuff, why is that anyones fault.

imagine sheffield under water, the local government should be responsible for emergency evacuations etc not tony Blair.

 

a large number of looters are moving in to the area from other counties, so this should become a national priority.but in fairness how long does it take to move 7000 troops from across the US into one state.probably more than 48 hours,and aid won't be given unless requested. (treading on toes etc.)

 

48 hours? dont they have aeroplanes?