Katrina

[Andromeda18_]

It's truly sad to see all of the destruction done by the Katrina and it breaks my heart every time I see someone on TV crying out for help. I wish there was some way I could help.
I just hope none of IA members, like Ka-Talliya and Schultz who live in Louisiana, have been injured.

[Nina182B]

Yes, it's really unbelievable. Some of the people being interviewed were talking about how to feed their babies and how they had to steal milk and food just to eat. I hope it gets better.

[cyborgninja828]

The whole thing is messed up. When I heard that people were stealing from people's homes and stores I stopped watching the news because it made me so mad. It's pretty sad to see that more than half of the cops quit and the army having to step in because the crime is so bad.

[Schultz]

I am not sure about teh Cops quiting. But the issue was the first 2 days or so all the cops and rescue people were worried about actually rescuing people that where stranded on roof tops etc. trying to save them.

But i just can't stand to watch people that even in the worst they are trying to think about what they can get. I can understand and partially even look away for people stealing food and water from stores to Survive. thats another issue. but people stealing tv's (which they won't be able to even use for a while) and other stuff just makes me sick.

and don't worry Katalliya and myself are in north-west Lousisana and we didn't get anything from the storm except for all the evacee's that are here. Which then again is bad because that has also brought gangs which came here from New Orleans. bad things..

[Elcoholic]

Wow, totally forgot you guys were in that region. Very glad to hear your alright.

Its an awefull event made even more awfull by the bad preparation of the government (did you hear the major). I believe they said that everyone was to evacuate but they didn't provide the means to do so for the people who couldn't afford it. Now the situation is totally out of control. I even heard that all the junkies (which N.O. seems to have alot of) are robbing hospitals of their drugs just so they can get their fix. Then there is all the looting which could also have been expected but no preparation was planned for. One thing bothering me is when I watch CNN you only see black people left in the city and thus are the only ones you see looting. I find that hard to believe. I even hear people over here making racist remarks about it. Very bad reporting. Also the news about resque choppers getting sniper fire and armed gangs patrolling the streets robbing people is very disturbing. Just imagine if that news is true (which I'm not at all sure it is, could be a diversion tactic of the government). You have everyone with a screw loose in their head walking the streets doing whatever they want. If they aren't stopped soon they might not want to let go of their newely received power and a small civil war could even break out (worst case scenario).

I really hope all those people get the help they deserve very soon.

[Schultz]

I hate to comment but pretty much everything is true.. And i hate to disagree but you can never fully prepare for this. no one can truely predict what the weather will do. And they didn't plan on levey's breaking which has caused majority of the damage. So they put there priority's first of saving people and now they are dealing with the looters. And yes the drugies are going after hospitals etc. but New Orleans getting destoryed is much worse then most people think for the US> because it will affect the whole U.S. as New Orleans was a big sea port for things coming in. and such like that.. can't remember the details.

Also the Governer of Lousiana has called or requested which has mostly been granted for like a few thoused National Guard and reserve to help out with the issue. So in time i think things will calm down and those gangs won't have much anymore. hopefully.. Either way its just sad to see everything.

[Andromeda18_]

African Americans make up 67.25% of the population of New Orleans (whites are only 28%) so it's normal to see a lot of black people, doing all sorts of things (good and bad), it's not bad reporting.
But this entire situation really shows how terrible humans can be, which just proves that people really need to be controlled by a strong hand. If society didn't have any rules everyone would be running amoc, absolute freedom would be wasted on people.
One think that also saddens me is the destruction of the city itself. New Orleans is one of those cities that are special to me, even if I've never visited them, and now it's completely destroyed. It will be rebuilt but it will never be the same.

[Cidien]

Also the news about resque choppers getting sniper fire and armed gangs patrolling the streets robbing people is very disturbing. Just imagine if that news is true (which I'm not at all sure it is, could be a diversion tactic of the government).

I'm sorry but this is the dumbest thing i've heard anyone say in a long time. The government isn't going to just leave people there and make up stories of people firing at choppers...

I wish they coulda gotten the national guard there sooner. I was very happy to see them given order to shoot to kill. Those dumbasses need to die. Now. So other people that aren't retarded can get rescued.

That's something i've been wondering lately. I havn't heard anything more about that, have the NG been able to find and get rid of any of these people?

[Andromeda18_]

no one can truely predict what the weather will do

We can't truly predict the weather but the weather has been changing for worse in the last few decades and it's all our fault. We're the ones who have been polluting the world and causing global warming and it's global warming that's been causing all of these storms, hurricanes, tornados, etc. Scientists have warned the world over and over again but people just don't seem to care and the US are very much at fault here. The US are responsible for about 25% of global emissions of carbon dioxide yet the government refuses to implement the Kyoto treaty on combating global warming. You're trying to save some money but in the end it's going to cost you a whole lot more than what you've saved. As the world keeps getting warmer the situation is only going to get worse. What happened in "The Day After Tomorrow" can happen in real life, exactly like that, the only difference being that while in the movie it happened over the course of a few days in the real world it can happen over the course of one year. As bad as the Katrina was I just hope it serves the good of opening people's eyes, at least the people with power to do something.

[Schultz]

no offense andromeda18_ but i doubt global warming (if its truely happening because all scientiests have conflicting reports even like the ozone how its not as bad as they thought it would be etc. etc. but thats a different story.) has alot to do with this. Also what i mean can't predict the weather. They were figuring it would slow down when it hit florida and basically weaken.. but it hit the lower part of florida and as it moved into the coast it got stronger.

But some other things about it. The tsunami that happened last year. had nothing to do with global warming it was done by an earthquake under the sea. But because of that earthquake the weather has been jacked up. They even think that it altered the earth's rotation that we have known and based off of. And who knows how that will affect the weather now and in the future. Just a side note a weird thing is a island around okinawa actually got Snow in late january febuary last yea. when that area is supposed to be somewhat tropical..


And my other question why will New Orleans be so special to yea? If you ever truely been there its a very dirty place.. I mean Burbon street was soo nastly.. about the only thing people like New Orleans for was mardi gra. plus the other thing about the City was the French quarters which was re-built by hispanics after the big fire or something like that when it was first destroyed. talk about Irony.

[Schultz]

But this entire situation really shows how terrible humans can be, which just proves that people really need to be controlled by a strong hand. If society didn't have any rules everyone would be running amoc, absolute freedom would be wasted on people.

i hate to admit but you are so right on this statement.

Kinda reminds me of the movie "The Village" how they use the threat of those who shall not be named to keep people in line and so they stay in the village.

[geo85]

Global warming has almost as much to do with this as mickey mouse. Global warming accounts for an extremly small temp increase that only really has an effect after a long period of time, yes its an issue but not in this case. This is a powerful hurricane that hit an area that does not get hit with hurricanes this bad. Unfourtunatly that caused a lot of destruction, its horible but when you have soo many people displaced all at once things are not going to go smoothly, thats human nature. There is so much that relief workers and government workers have to do
-rescue people
-evacuate them all to proper facilities
-get food and water to all of them
there is a lot they have to do so all the bad crap that the news if focusing on is problems that no one could have avoided, they are doing their best, there is no way that this could have gone smoothly, thousands of people that need food water and shelter and cities under water,
its going to take a lot of money but mainly patience and perseverence.

[Cidien]

I don't like the global warming debate. 20 years ago the same people bitching about global warming now were bitching about the next ice age...

Just because the world changes doesn't mean we did it. Could we have? Yes. Could it have been something else that naturally happened in the world (like the earthquake screwing with the weather for one)? Probably.

[Zagatto]

I have long called New Orleans one of my favourite cities in spite of the horrible crime rate and how dirty the city is. The amount of culture found in that city made it worth the visit for me.
I have to admit that I never made it to Bourbon Street (in fact I was avoiding it in favour of local places to hang out) but the other parts of the city that I made it to made me want to come back as often as I could.

The one thing that has always stood out in my mind was when I was talking with a local over 15 years ago and he pointed out that the city was below sea level and likely to be submerged with just one good storm. It seems that all the locals knew about this but nobody seemed to care or put any preparations in place. Now that this tragedy has happened we have an excellent view of the worst that can happen.

When I look back at disasters over the past decade I think of the ice storm in Quebec, the tsunami in Asia and of course September 11. In all of those horrible occurances I remember the overwhelming support that people gave each other and how people from around the world responded with aid and good will. I also look at how the residents dealt with their problems and have gone on with their lives.

I can't imagine things getting much worse than they have in New Orleans though. The report I heard on the news today said that fully half of the New Orleans police department had resigned rather than face the gangs and riots happening in the city.

I only hope that the problems of NO can be solved quickly and the process of rebuilding (or relocating) can start and people of that region can begin to heal from this wound that has been inflicted upon them.

[onizuka17711]

I don't like the global warming debate. 20 years ago the same people bitching about global warming now were bitching about the next ice age..

Are sure you're in college? You don't believe in global warming? I'm trying to decide whether I think all of your science teachers have sucked, or if you're just plain stupid...I think you need to go read a middle school Earth Science book...