Was a bit down amid the NOLA chaos, but you just cracked me up...thanks!
Posted on 09/02/2005 12:58:04 AM PDT by BenLurkin
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - First the federal government took the buses they had hired to evacuate them. Then their hotels turned them out onto the desolate streets.
They trudged for blocks to walk over a bridge, but officers wouldn't let them cross - and fired a few warning shots over their heads to convince them.
And the night was coming down.
Despairing, dozens of trapped tourists huddled on a downtown street corner and waited for dark.
"I grew up in an upper-middle class family. Street life is foreign to me," said Larry Mitzel, 53, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. "I'm not sure I'm going to get out of here alive."
The fate of tourists in dozens of hotels here was caught up in the days of chaos and confusion that came after Hurricane Katrina's 145 mph winds.
Many smaller hotels shut down. The largest housed hundreds and hundreds of guests and took in refugees from the storm. How many remained Thursday was unclear.
Tourists and hotel managers alike condemned government officials for ignoring them.
"The tourists are an afterthought here," said Bill Hedrick of Houston, who came to town on business and was trapped with his wife and elderly mother-in-law.
"We're appalled," said Jill Johnson, 53, of Saskatoon. "This city is built on tourism and we're their last priority."
Peter Ambros, general manager of the Astor Crowne Plaza in the French Quarter, said, "Guests who bring business to the hotels are treated 10 times worse than the people at the Superdome."
He helped arrange the hiring of 10 buses to evacuate 500 guests from his and a nearby hotel - at a cost of $25,000.
Then the Federal Emergency Management Agency commandeered the buses and police told the guests to go to the nearby convention center, where a crowd left without food, water or security was growing angry.
Instead, the tourists - dragging their rolling luggage through broken glass, smashed bricks and trash - tried to cross a huge bridge blocks away.
They were turned back when another group trying to cross began to threaten the officers, said Whit Herndon, 32, of Jonesboro, Ark.
As night approached, the tourists stuck close together on a corner of the downtown waterfront and within sight of a police gathering point.
Officers brought them food and water and promised buses would come for them. Most prepared to sleep, sheltered by a concrete overhang.
The tourists put on a game face and prepared to sleep.
Ann Robertson, a 50-year-old vocational counselor from Nashville, Tenn., looked on the bright side. They had food, there was safety in numbers - but then she looked at the sky.
"I don't know," she said, "I never slept on the street before."
Was a bit down amid the NOLA chaos, but you just cracked me up...thanks!
My notion of what Truth is has radically changed since I became a "member" of FReeRepublic!
Some tourists were trapped, legit.
Um what about their ignoring the mandatory Evac order? but I guess most members in the Dinasour Media find it easier to blame the Feds rathr then hold the tourists THEIR stupidty in staying when they were told to leave.
Anyone and everyone who is evacuated will initially require resources such as food / water etc... or do you think they will be driven to thier homes?? Once out - they will need to time to obtain tickets / transportation etc...
So, the argument holds no water. FEMA has set up evacuaton routes and centers for the processing of the refugees - screwing with these is just not a great idea. I would even be willing to wager that plans are being made / are in place to assist tourists in returning to the homes / home countries. None of this can be done effectively if everyone goes it alone.
Furthermore - how many additional security forces will be necessary to ensure the safety of the passengers of chartered bus?
Why are the tourists still in a city that was given an evacuation order on Sat Aug 17th?
Yeah as opposed to your side where all the politicians are hopping up and down screaming "It's all Bush fault" Have you side act like grownups for once and actually put the GOOD OF THE PEOPLE before their childish "I HATE BUSH ranting and we MIGHT take you seriously.
I think you've nailed it.
I also think these people need to be allowed to do what they can with what they can get. They've got enough screaming people there to take care of, without even beginning to consider all the screaming coming from people who aren't there.
Here's an edifying read:
They didn't ignore the order. Most of them were scheduled to leave well in advance, but the airport - unlike everything else - closed a day early and all their flights were cancelled. Also, the buses you keep reading about were not paid for by the hotels, but by the tourists themselves, and were then commandeered by FEMA before the tourists could get on them to escape.
Why are the tourists still in a city that was given an Presidential evacuation order on Sat Aug 17th?
Not only that but the tourists have homes to go to and once out of the city and on their way home they no longer require support unlike the permanent residents.
They couldn't get out, you moron.
As this debate roars over what the tourists should have done, add to the fire the information that the hotels were exempted from the mandatory evacuation order by the city government. I don't know what the hotels said to their guests, but I would suspect that many of them told their guests to stay as long as possible in the absence of a clear rescue plan.
I heard some of them interviewed yesterday from the Ritz, and they were unable to get flights or rental cars out of there...because there were none left. So they stayed, but not by choice.
As the story said, they'd hired buses to get out, but the buses were commandeered. Kind of a Robin Hood story there, huh?
And they continued to act like tourists..
As stated, there were a number of options:
Greyhound
Amtrack
Carpooling
Actually, instead of walking, those with "jobs" would be in a good situation to contact Car Dealerships and offer to move their merchandise for them.
I'm surprised a dealership didn't think of this and start calling hotels inquiring whether people were stranded but needed to get out.
But if tourists continue to think and act as tourists, you get your end result. People who expect to be given head of line privileges..
heard some of them interviewed yesterday from the Ritz, and they were unable to get flights or rental cars out of there...because there were none left. So they stayed, but not by choice.
And why did they not get out when the President issued the Evac order on Aug 17th? They weren't SUPPOSE to be there and now they are caught up in the disaster and the AP thinks we should feel sorry for them? How about a little personal accountablity?
Th LA NG has 30,000 stateside members?
Yep, but the Hysteric Left will not bother to actually solve the problem. They would rather scream hate at their political foes.
Th LA NG has 30,000 stateside members
Probably not but the Gov of a state can get help from all 50 states NG units JUST by asking. Why did they not ask or at least have a contigency plan in place. This is one of the disaster they have been gaming as part of the NHIS.
Um what about their ignoring the mandatory Evac order?
They couldn't get out, you moron.
Look at the time line. They were trapped AFTER the levee broke. AFTER. DO you understand UNREASON? They IGNORED the warning and were trapped when the disaster happened. AFTER the disaster they tried to hired buses. AFTER. Understand yet? But of course, that does fit your hysteric I HATE Bush rants so you will just ignore that little fact
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