Posted on 09/01/2005 2:49:12 PM PDT by Fitzcarraldo
The New Orleans police chief says 15-thousand people are trapped in the city's convention center. And he says some are being raped and beaten.
Chief Eddie Compass says displaced tourists are "walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon."
Compass said he sent eight eleven-man teams into the convention center. But as soon as the first team arrived, he said, "they were beaten back within 30 feet of the entrance."
Earlier, the city's mayor issued a "desperate SOS" on behalf of the thousands who are stranded at the convention center.
He also gave the go-ahead for them to march across a bridge to a dry area of the city and look for whatever relief they could find.
Your ignorance is just stunning.
First, the President does not control National Guard assets.
Second, there are more than enough helicopters supporting the effort in New Orleans.
Third, since you are obviously not an engineer, I won't even ask you to describe the complexity of repairing a levee break in a flood zone, but just realize that you are clueless on that topic.
And finally, have you somehow missed the fact that this is one of the most major natural disasters to hit our nation in its history? Inherent to natural disasters is the fact that they are "disasters". That means that people die, things are destroyed, it takes months and even years to repair the damage...and this one happened just 4 days ago. Your head may be full of science fiction, but your body exists in reality. And the reality of this situation is that it will take time to respond and begin recovery.
Actually, the time to do that was on Tuesday. But we should definitely do that now. The situation is New Orleans is beyond belief: martial law should be imposed, and looters should be shot.
"It's one thing to make it mandatory but if there's just no way to leave, what were they to do?
My Wife and I have BUGOUT BAG and two feet!
Please no comments, thats what We decided We would do given the same circumstances.
The problem for tourists is similar but on a smaller scale. NOLA is a tourist city. At any given time, there are lots and lots of tourists, many of whom arrive by airplane and don't have a rent-a-car. The 40 hour evacuation notice is given and you bascally have about half that time to make a move because the airports shut down 12 to 24 hours before the storm actually hits. You might even have less time if you are out and about and not tuned to a TV or radio when the evac order is issued. Now, you have to scramble to find a flight or a rent-a-car while in unfamiliar territory. There are only so many seats available and you are competing with a lot of other people for those seats, and while you might be able to get one, that's not going to help if you're traveling with a spouse, child or other loved one. The last thing you want to do is to go to the airport and take a chance because that particular airport sucks and who wants to be stuck at any airport for several days. So you decide to ride the storm out in a hotel. Not a bad choice and indeed, from what I understand, most of the hotels, particularly in the French Quarter and near the River, survived Katrina with only minor to moderate damage (mostly windows blown out on the upper floors, and minor flooding). Late Monday afternoon, after Katrina has cleared the area, people are back out on the streets. You can even find a few bars and restaurants open in the French Quarter. Electricity is out, but NOLA is a party town so no big deal. Then, at 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning, the levies break, and that's the begining of the end.
So the no food or water would make people shoot people who are trying to rescue them? I don't think so. These people don't want the fun to end and they don't WANT the city to come back to order. The children and elderly are paying the price.
Funny how we can take out an evil dictator and overtake an entire country but can't control a mob of thugs. Sad sad day in our country as far as I'm concerned.
>Exactly what I was discussing with co-workers today....there's been no water/food drops....but we have the capability to do so outside the U.S. Makes no sense to me at all.<
How would you drop it in a urban environment?It would be like bombing the city.Think before you join the liberal whine.
These people were told to go to that convention center four days ago and buses would come.
Since then no one has come. No buses, no water, no food, no aid, no police presence, no news of when it will come. The media seems to get in there, but they bring nothing but cameras to gawk at the people with.
They can't leave. They are suffering. Some are dying. They have tried to maintain order for themselves, but they are reaching a breaking point.
Shame on you for calling them crybabies.
The FEMA director is covering his a@@. He's incompetent, just like everyone else in the government--at all levels.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8999837/
From the above link:
"But by last year (2004), the number in New Orleans had crept back up to 265. There had been 192 this year by mid-August, compared with 169 at the same time in 2004. Adjusted for the city’s size, those numbers dwarf murder rates in Washington, Detroit, Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City."
"The city now has 3.14 officers per 1,000 residents — less than half the ratio in Washington, D.C."
"NEW ORLEANS - Last year, university researchers conducted an experiment in which police fired 700 blank rounds in a New Orleans neighborhood in a single afternoon. No one called to report the gunfire."
So, has the crime rate gone up since the flood? I'm no longer so sure.
I'm just waiting for the rise of the warloads. Maybe the governor will have to negotiate with them for the freedom of the tourists...
All big screens gone?
Yeah, they were residents who didn't want their places getting looted. I guess that's a very understandable sentiment, given what is happening now. I never heard that about the rescue workers and police who had to stay, that's really heartbreaking.
Then why post it?
Another post in the live thread said crime in NO is 10 times the national average on a good day.
Helicopters can drop water and food...they do this in other disasters. Someone can live for a period of time on just water....without it, they die. Very simple.
Does this make sense to anyone else???
No.
I didn't think a sarcasm tag was necessary on that one.
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