http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/nola/ en-us Mon, 1 Sep 2008 21:26:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072607/posts http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/gustav.html Live coverage...levee is failing 350 feet of wall falling apart as we speak... wgno http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072607/posts#comment Mon, 1 Sep 2008 21:26:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071932/posts An Open Letter to God, from Michael Moore Dear God, The other night, James Dobson's ministry asked all believers to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance speech outdoors in Denver would have to be canceled. I see that You have answered Dr. Dobson's prayers -- except the storm You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the Republican National Convention. Now, heavenly Father,... Michael Moore http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071932/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:17:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071557/posts NEW ORLEANS -- Spooked by predictions that Hurricane Gustav could grow into a Category 5 monster, an estimated 1 million people fled the Gulf Coast Saturday _ even before the official order came for New Orleans residents to get out of the way of a storm taking dead aim at Louisiana. Mayor Ray Nagin gave the mandatory order late Saturday, but all day residents took to buses, trains, planes and cars _ clogging roadways leading away from New Orleans, still reeling three years after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed about 1,600 across the region. The... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071557/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:43:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071539/posts On a plane from Denver to Charlotte following the Democrats' convention, I found myself seated behind former National Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Don Fowler and Congressman John Spratt of South Carolina. Their conversation was interesting to say the least. For example, they made fun of Sarah Palin for several minutes, Fowler calling her "Dan Quayle" on steroids and Spratt creatively describing her as "just terrible." They both agreed that, "Other than the simple fact that she's a female," she has nothing to offer. Then there was this gem of a moment from Fowler: VIDEO So you see, it's... Redstate.com (via Drudge) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071539/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:07:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068417/posts NEW ORLEANS -- Louisiana officials and residents cast a wary eye on the Caribbean Sea as Tropical Storm Gustav strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane. Track The Hurricane At 11 a.m., the center of Gustav was located near latitude 17.9 north, longitude 72.4 west, or about 50 miles south of Port au Prince, Haiti. Gustav is moving toward the northwest at 9 mph. A gradual turn to the west-northwest and a decrease in forward speed is expected later on Tuesday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 90 mph, with higher... wdsu.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068417/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:13:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2040419/posts Here is video of police seizing guns from citizens of New Orleans after Katrina. While looters ran wild, cops were seizing guns from law abiding citizens. This video is unbelievable and really must be seen. Glen Beck Program http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2040419/posts#comment Thu, 3 Jul 2008 20:49:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037197/posts Hurdles of language, mistrust addressed: A burgeoning Hispanic population has helped rebuild New Orleans during the past two and a half years. Now officials are coming to grips with the challenge of moving and finding safe refuge for that population should another hurricane threaten. Since Hurricane Katrina, as many as 14,000 Hispanic immigrants have arrived in New Orleans to provide muscle and skills for the recovery effort. Now civic groups as well as government officials say overcoming cultural and language barriers between emergency officials and Spanish speakers -- especially the undocumented -- has taken on new urgency. nola.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037197/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:26:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019445/posts Despite more than $22 million in repairs, a levee that broke with catastrophic effect during Hurricane Katrina is leaking again because of the mushy ground on which New Orleans was built, raising serious questions about the reliability of the city's flood defenses. Outside engineering experts who have studied the project told The Associated Press that the type of seepage spotted at the 17th Street Canal in the Lakeview neighborhood afflicts other New Orleans levees, too, and could cause some of them to collapse during a storm. The Army Corps of Engineers has spent about $4 billion so far of the... SF Gate http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019445/posts#comment Thu, 22 May 2008 00:19:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988595/posts NEW ORLEANS (AP) - This hurricane-ravaged city and neighboring St. Bernard Parish top a U.S. Census Bureau list of fast-growing counties released Thursday, but some local officials aren't happy that the agency estimated New Orleans' population to be less than 240,000. The number, an estimate for July 2007, falls more than 30,000 short of at least one other estimate, and efforts based on more recent data had New Orleans topping 300,000 people. The city's population was nearly 454,000 in July 2005, the month before Hurricane Katrina hit and scattered hundreds of thousands of people along the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. City... Breitbart http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1988595/posts#comment Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:16:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1986904/posts "Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and actor Brad Pitt laugh with community members during a groundbreaking ceremony for Pitt's "Make it Right" house construction project in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans." Yahoo! News Photos http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1986904/posts#comment Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:35:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980924/posts Driving down to Austin lately has become a real trip. I-35 is usually packed for most of the 185 miles, and what used to take three or four hours now can take five or six. Flying down can take almost as long, when you figure in airline security delays, more flight delays, and the time it takes getting into and out of crowded airports. But what if it took 45 minutes to travel from the Metroplex to Austin by train or an hour to make a trip to Houston? Advocates of high-speed rail lines are floating these ideas once again... Fort Worth Weekly http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980924/posts#comment Wed, 5 Mar 2008 21:47:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972518/posts New Mississippi delta would limit hurricane damage 13:20 18 February 2008 NewScientist.com news service Phil McKenna The proposed diversion would create up to 1000 square kilometres of new delta by 2100 (Image: Science) Diverting parts of the Mississippi would create up to 1000 square kilometres of new wetlands between New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, forming a vital storm surge buffer against hurricanes, researchers say. The formation of new delta lands could also help stem ongoing coastal erosion without disrupting important shipping traffic. "The scientific and engineering barriers are easily overcome," says Gary Parker, a geologist and engineer... New Scientist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972518/posts#comment Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:42:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972251/posts A Florida teen-ager and two 24-year-old women -- one from New Orleans and the other from Galveston, Texas -- were hit by gunfire about 1 a.m. this morning in the French Quarter, police said. nola.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1972251/posts#comment Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:21:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1970958/posts I can't find the video of Patricia Konie being slammed to the floor and dragged out of her home after Katrina. Does anyone have a link? self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1970958/posts#comment Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:05:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970757/posts Did Mayor Take Aim At Chief? POSTED: 10:28 am CST February 14, 2008 UPDATED: 1:53 pm CST February 14, 2008 NEW ORLEANS -- A firestorm of controversy ensued after Mayor Ray Nagin, sporting a broad smile, seemed to aim an assault rifle at Police Superintendent Warren Riley in a Times-Picayune newspaper photo. Watch The Story | Poll: Did He Do It On Purpose? The photograph has pervaded talk radio and cyberspace, creating blog chatter and a forum for public opinion. Many pundits, bloggers and forum-posters took aim at the mayor. The shot was taken at a public unveiling of new... WDSU news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1970757/posts#comment Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:43:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969687/posts New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley on Tuesday used the floor of the Superdome to display more than $1 million in new armament and other equipment, largely for use by the SWAT squad in emergency and riot situations, including a fully equipped mobile command post, two armored cars and modern assault rifles. The Times-Picayune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1969687/posts#comment Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:02:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963381/posts Aerial photo of the disappearing wetlands of south Louisiana. Credit: Roy Dokka, Louisiana State University A study by NASA and Louisiana State University scientists finds that sediments deposited into the Mississippi River Delta thousands of years ago when North America's glaciers retreated are contributing to the ongoing sinking of Louisiana's coastline. The weight of these sediments is causing a large section of Earth's crust to sag at a rate of 0.1 to 0.8 centimeters (0.04 to 0.3 inches) a year. The sediments pose a particular challenge for New Orleans, causing it to sink irreversibly at a rate of about... www.physorg.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1963381/posts#comment Fri, 1 Feb 2008 19:47:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960947/posts NEW ORLEANS — Thousands of people are looking for a place to live in this city. Many thousands of houses are vacant or for sale, and acres of land sit empty. But turning potential housing into inhabited homes is proving to be a major challenge, even for a city that survived the fury of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the levees. For those who need shelter the most, these houses are out of reach. More than 8,800 houses are for sale in the New Orleans metropolitan area — almost as many as were sold in the last 12 months,... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1960947/posts#comment Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:21:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947167/posts <p>NEW ORLEANS -- The bloodiest city in the country in 2006, reeling from crime in its struggle to recover from Hurricane Katrina, got even worse in 2007.</p> <p>New Orleans registered 209 homicides last year, a nearly 30 percent increase from the 161 recorded in 2006.</p> Commercialappeal.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1947167/posts#comment Wed, 2 Jan 2008 16:20:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1945769/posts NEW ORLEANS - Fed up with crime and political corruption, New Orleans' business leaders in 1952 organized to flush out the twin poisons they believed were harming economic development. It was a time when illegal gambling and the Carlos Marcello crime family operated openly in a city that was a bustling business hub. Fast forward 55 years. Gambling is legal and the mob has faded into obscurity. The city's economy is a shadow of its former self, thanks to the 1980s oil bust, an exodus of big businesses and the shattering blow of Hurricane Katrina, which ran off at least... AP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1945769/posts#comment Sun, 30 Dec 2007 01:38:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944582/posts NEW ORLEANS — The National Rifle Association has hired private investigators to find hundreds of people whose firearms were seized by city police in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to court papers filed this week. The NRA is trying to locate gun owners for a federal lawsuit that the lobbying group filed against Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley over the city's seizure of firearms after the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane. In the lawsuit, the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation claim the city violated gun owners' constitutional right to bear arms and left them "at the... comcast.net News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944582/posts#comment Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:43:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944581/posts NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The National Rifle Association has hired private investigators to find hundreds of people whose firearms were seized by city police in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to court papers filed this week. The NRA is trying to locate gun owners for a federal lawsuit that the lobbying group filed against Mayor Ray Nagin and Police Superintendent Warren Riley over the city's seizure of firearms after the Aug. 29, 2005, hurricane. In the lawsuit, the NRA and the Second Amendment Foundation claim the city violated gun owners' constitutional right to bear arms and left them "at... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944581/posts#comment Thu, 27 Dec 2007 03:42:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941152/posts LAKE CHARLES, La. — With resignation, anger or stoicism, thousands of former New Orleanians forced out by Hurricane Katrina are settling in across the Gulf Coast, breaking their ties with the damaged city for which they still yearn. snip Now, they are adjusting to places where the pace is slower, restaurants are fewer, existence is centered on the home, and streets are lonely and deserted after 5 p.m., as in this city in southwest Louisiana. These exiles, still in semi-limbo and barely established in a routine, describe their new lives less in terms of what it now consists of than... NY Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1941152/posts#comment Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:33:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932787/posts NEW ORLEANS - Dozens of Hurricane Katrina victims still living in Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer parks will have to find new housing by today, as the agency works to shutter the temporary facilities it set up after the 2005 storm. Boston Globe via AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932787/posts#comment Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:53:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1922194/posts On a cool, clear mid-October weekend six people were murdered in New Orleans. The killings brought the tally of the slain in the Crescent City this year to 163, above the total of 162 for the entirety of 2006. The following weekend three more people were murdered in New Orleans - on Saturday alone. With nearly two full months left in the year, it is looking like the homicide rate in New Orleans will substantially outpace 2006's near-record numbers, which themselves far eclipsed even gang-plagued, hopelessly violent cities like Compton, California. Indeed, with a murder rate of nearly 70 per... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1922194/posts#comment Wed, 7 Nov 2007 13:35:12 GMT