Katrina and Rita?! Don't remind me of those two. Ugh! Oh wait... you're talking about hurricanes.
I have been away from Freep for some time (I originally joined Sep 15, 2000) and have been deeply involved in other matters related to this clustermess we have down here, I personally assembled a facsimile database of all 535 members of the United States Congress and put into a comma-delimited text format for easy import into a FAX application among MANY other tasks I have quietly undertaken to try to help those more affected than myself.
I'm in Plaquemines Parish and have personally launched my boat MANY times to fish the backwaters of Grand Bayou.
I also recently travelled down the road to the end of Plaquemines Parish for the first time since K-Day and our little water-bombing party and took a LOT of photographs. I just couldn't bring myself to do it before now and I wasn't really whatsoever surprised at what I observed nearly after K-Day. Completely pathetic IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Here are several threads on my forum that summarize the situation in Plaquemines, and I am also confident it pretty much is the same situation over in St. Bernard Parish.
Do we need to ask the United Nations for help?
Articles and threads:
Miseries of Hurricane Katrina continuing http://www.louisianaway.com/forums/index.php?topic=600.0
LOUISIANA STILL PAYING FOR PEREZ GREED TO THIS DAY http://www.louisianaway.com/forums/index.php?topic=491.0
TWINS KAT & RITA LET GO 10,500,000 gallons of oil, Exxon Valdez was 11 MILLION http://www.louisianaway.com/forums/index.php?topic=588.0
PORT SULPHUR GOT 40 FT OF WATER ACCORDING TO MODELS http://www.louisianaway.com/forums/index.php?topic=429.0
Wind gauges broke at about 185 mph during Katrina at Empire http://www.louisianaway.com/forums/index.php?topic=549.0
Debris, despair plague bayou Six months after Katrina, many still left stranded http://www.louisianaway.com/forums/index.php?topic=502.0
But spamming this message into every category is not a good idea.
What, specifically, are you asking for?
I have to agree some with Nathan on this. I can repsect you are upset at the govt for things (they are not perfect, which is why we want to shrink em instead of grow em) but I think it would do your cause more good to say something like:
"Hey, we have the follow issues needing fixed in X area. So far pleas to govt officials have not helped so we are turning to the folks here to help us" - WHICH, btw, is a good way to say if you are for smaller govt and more folks helping each other out, this is your chance to put your money where you mouth is while also quickly summarizing the problem.
The local/state govt should take a lead on this. Local taxes, tolls, etc were used to build and maintain the infrastructure there - any federal roads, parks, etc should be handled by the feds. They can, and often do, help out on issues as well - but the state govt needs to do it's part as well.
It would also behoove the senators from the state to push to get them help (that is why you put em in office), get on talk shows, bang some pots and pans etc.
Your post seems to whine that the US govt is spending more on Iraq, et al, while not detailing in a simple way the issues so that one could focus on whose repsonsibility it is to handle them.
So let's start over. What is/are the issue/s, what is the solution you see as best, and how can we assist you in getting said solution implemented?
Well, thanks all...
From East Texas here.
Part of the problem you haven't had help is 2 fold. First of all, your name isn't New Orleans. Seems New Orleans was the only ones who suffered during Katrina and Rita.
Second, our politicians were in such a hurry to try to point fingers and blame the President and Mr. Brown and everyone else involved for something "mother nature" did to us. You want to know why you haven't had help, the media has forgotten you. The government has forgotten you. Because your name is not New Orleans. The politicians sitting in their DC homes have no idea what you've been through and frankly are thankful it wasn't their state that got hit.
Here in East Texas we have had our fair share of disaster from Hurricane Rita but to see the news, you'd never know. Thankfully for us in Texas, we have a great governor, senators and congressmen/women who helped us out.
Sad to say but whoever said your politicians locally are to blame, they are right.
One last thing, its hard to rebuild and cleanup when 1/2 of the residents (in Louisiana) have not returned to their homes and communities.
When New Orleans focused on Mardi Gras and it was pulled off in the fairly undamaged French Quarter most of the country thought "I guess they have it all back together down there"
New Orleans was the focus after Katrina and getting Jazz Fest running and Bourbon Street flowing was the focus of the media. It's and lot more fun to do a story with a bunch of drunks in the Quarter than with bunch of devastated fishermen (or the entire oil and gas industry in Plaquemines Parish)
WWL radio broadcasting on 50,000 watts and the internet spent a whole bunch of time discussing parade routes and who was unhappy that their "krewe" did not get to "roll" at the same schedule as in the past
You see most of the country does not understand the "culture" of New Orleans. Generally most work and complete the job before they play.
When the parties started most decided all was well
The focus of Lousiana's rebuilding should have been forced on the MSM to be oil and gas and shipping, and the commercial, economic significance of New Orleans, and the region.
The nation can understand the importance of Louisiana in shipping and oil. It has difficulty however understanding why the oil industry also needs Jazz Fest in order to pump petroleum.
On another note:
I've lived in the South for a long time and thought that Louisiana considered Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Florida as neighbors that they would welcome to assist in the rebuilding. What many of your Southern state neighbors discovered when they showed up to help is a local and state government that fleeced the helpers. We also experienced a bunch of Louisiana residents who had the ability to pay for help but stiffed the rebuilders. There is a limit to how much free labor and materials one can provide to the destitute. Even a more severe limit you can provide those same items to the wealthy
I worked in Mississippi and Texas after Katrina and Rita and felt welcomed and appreciated. In Louisana an out of state license of a car (from Alabama even, a state that got whacked by Katrina too) is a notice that locals should screw over the occupants.
By the way my business was and still is in demand in Louisiana but I won't be going back. Attitude is everything and Louisiana has a bad one.
I wish you well, not everyone in Louisiana can possibly be like everyone I ran across while there.
Move somewhere else.
Katrina and Rita?! Don't remind me of those two. Ugh! Oh wait... you're talking about hurricanes.
I've been through 4 myself, and while they are no picnic---I don't recall any of my neighbors here in Florida stating the "someone needs to do something" line like it was somehow preventable.
I don't recall any looting either on the ones I went through (but Andrew back in '92 evidently had some)
Is this by chance just a Louisiana thing?