Hurricane Katrina

[dattia]

Watching TV today has been painful. I'm sitting here on my computer, in the comfort of my home, lights on overhead and a refrigerator full of food. My family is around me safe and sound.

My heart goes out to all of those suffering the wrath of Katrina. The video on the television brings to mind the devastation of the Tsunami. There are reports that some people may not have power until the end of September. Hard to imagine in this great country. How much we have, and how often it is taken for granted.

We have a broad base of users here and I'm sure that some of you have been personally affected. My prayers are with you and all of your friends and neighbors.

[napster]

Yes I agree...I'm watching the TV now also. It appears that the destruction and death toll are going to be much higher then first anticipated. Its going to have a huge economic impact on all of us. These people need help fast...a lot of people have nothing to return to. Its sad!

[Dazzyman]

My heart goes out to everyone over in the USA affected and I wish you all well.

[monaghj]

On the brightside this should help with the Nutrina Problem. Giant Beaver sized Rats.

[luckydog]

The good thing is, if it would have hit New Orleans it would have been much worst.

And the Superdome held up, keeping all those people safe.

What ticks me off is all the looters afterwards!!!!!!!!

[compirate]

My father lives about 10 minutes from N.O. They got out to Jackson,Ms but left his 76 Corvette in the garage(he and I are going to have to have a talk about that, priorities man, priorities!)! We're sure the first floor is under water. Unfortunately, he can't carry anything very heavy and they didn't have that much warning so not much made it up stairs. I made it thru MS the day before. Would have gone to help but no roads to N.O. open. At least they only lost THINGS.

[slotter]

I'm sick hearing of his '76 Vette. He should have hooked a tow bar to it and taken it away. Priorities is right!

[azlew]

It is going to be interesting watching this thread as this is more serious today than anyone imagined it would be. All you have to do is turn on CNN and tonight all your news channels.

[Slotzilla]

I don't understand why some people believe for whatever reason that they need to stay at home and 'ride out the storm'.

If those residents who were told repeatedly to evacuate the area actually heeded the advice of the local Mayors, Govenors and President of the United States, the death toll would have been much less.

A house can be rebuilt, a car can be replaced.....A life cannot .

[luckydog]

and now the day after the storm, the levee is giving way and flooding New Orleans.

and the Superdome is flooding.

[luckydog]

storm damage pics on yahoo

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/ss/even...NlYwNzc25hdg--

[RKnarr01]

thats pathetic that people decide to loot when the south is in a situation this damaging and severe.

[napster]

thats pathetic that people decide to loot when the south is in a situation this damaging and severe.

Sadly, its just a fact of life. By no means am I justifing this. It just that these are some of the poorest people in this country. They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If they had money, then they probably would have evacuated. They are forgotten souls that just do whatever it takes to survive.

[RKnarr01]

for me it's just a matter of self-respect, ive always been taught to work for what you want, and ive followed that rule growing up and it's paid off.

The picture in the yahoo pic link shows the SWAT team patroling the city for looter very interesting.

[napster]

for me it's just a matter of self-respect, ive always been taught to work for what you want, and ive followed that rule growing up and it's paid off.

The picture in the yahoo pic link shows the SWAT team patroling the city for looter very interesting.

Thats because you never lived in poverty or had to fight for something to survive. (I gather this from your past posts) Life is easy if you have parents that provide for you. When you have to fight to survive, it changes your outlook on life.

[RKnarr01]

Thats because you never lived in poverty or had to fight for something to survive. (I gather this from your past posts) Life is easy if you have parents that provide for you. When you have to fight to survive, it changes your outlook on life.

This is true, no argument about that.

[luckydog]

After managing a store for 24 years I have always said.

There are poor people and there are thieves.

This was just an excuse to steal.

[RKnarr01]

I have to agree with luckydog their most likely the things they are steeling are luxury itmes not necessities. I would assume theyre stealing tv's dvd players and higher priced electronics. In the US we have many programs to help the needy.

Unemployment
Job placement programs
I cant count how many times a day i see a sign that says help wanted
food stamps
Etc.

I believe that everyone in life has a chance at being something not everyone has to have the biggest house on the block or the newest car. You have to live within your means. Like luckydog said this was an excuse to steal just like when riots break out.

[Tulsa]

Since I believe they have envoked marshal law, can't they just shoot these slugs on site without question?

[ocpachinko]

Tulsa, I wondered about this, too. To have a tiny number of evil people represent New Orleans to the world seemed wrong. To reinforce stereotypes of the poor yet worse. I read the entire weblog of breaking hurricane stories from the New Orleans Times-Picayune at

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakin...08.html#075234

Priority, naturally, is saving lives. The Louisiana Attorney General on Sunday made it clear that he had only one thought about hurricane issues:

State Attorney General Charles Foti is promising to aggressively prosecute businesses that gouge their customers while Louisiana is under a state of emergency due to Hurricane Katrina.

"There will be no warnings issued. ... We will file civil or criminal charges," Foti said during a Sunday evening tour of the Department of Homeland Security's emergency operations center in Baton Rouge.

As of 10 p.m., the attorney general's office had received nearly two dozen complaints from people claiming they had been gouged. Most of them involved people who believe they were overcharged for gasoline, or who booked a hotel room for a certain price only to arrive and be charged far more. Other complaints involved stores selling generators or canned goods at twice the normal price.

"People that would take advantage of the distress of these people are showing no regard for any human virtue and deserve to be prosecuted," Foti said.

The attorney general's office has set up a 24-hour hotline to field complaints: 1-800-488-2770.

Several stories since have emphasized the priority of life-saving during the cleanup. Where there is a priority, there is an opportunity: (from Tuesday afternoon)

Even a cop joins in the looting

Mike Perlstein and Brian Thevenot
Staff writers

Law enforcement efforts to contain the emergency left by Katrina slipped into chaos in parts of New Orleans Tuesday with some police officers and firefighters joining looters in picking stores clean.

At the Wal-Mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, an initial effort to hand out provisions to stranded citizens quickly disintegrated into mass looting. Authorities at the scene said bedlam erupted after the giveaway was announced over the radio.

While many people carried out food and essential supplies, others cleared out jewelry racks and carted out computers, TVs and appliances on handtrucks.

Some officers joined in taking whatever they could, including one New Orleans cop who loaded a shopping cart with a compact computer and a 27-inch flat screen television.

Officers claimed there was nothing they could do to contain the anarchy, saying their radio communications have broken down and they had no direction from commanders.

"We don’t have enough cops to stop it," an officer said. "A mass riot would break out if you tried."

Inside the store, the scene alternated between celebration and frightening bedlam. A shirtless man straddled a broken jewelry case, yelling, "Free samples, free samples over here."

Another man rolled a mechanized pallet, stacked six feet high with cases of vodka and whiskey. Perched atop the stack was a bewildered toddler.

Throughout the store and parking lot, looters pushed carts and loaded trucks and vans alongside officers. One man said police directed him to Wal-Mart from Robert’s Grocery, where a similar scene was taking place. A crowd in the electronics section said one officer broke the glass DVD case so people wouldn’t cut themselves.

"The police got all the best stuff. They’re crookeder than us," one man said.

Most officers, though, simply stood by powerless against the tide of law breakers.

One veteran officer said, "It’s like this everywhere in the city. This tiny number of cops can’t do anything about this. It’s wide open."

At least one officer tried futilely to control a looter through shame.

"When they say take what you need, that doesn’t mean an f-ing TV," the officer shouted to a looter. "This is a hurricane, not a free-for-all."

Sandra Smith of Baton Rouge walked through the parking lot with a 12-pack of Bud Light under each arm. "I came down here to get my daughters," she said, "but I can’t find them."

The scene turned so chaotic at times that entrances were blocked by the press of people and shopping carts and traffic jams sprouted on surrounding streets.

Some groups organized themselves into assembly lines to more efficiently cart off goods.

Toni Williams, 25, packed her trunk with essential supplies, such as food and water, but said mass looting disgusted and frightened her.

"I didn’t feel safe. Some people are going overboard," she said.

Inside the store, one woman was stocking up on make-up. She said she took comfort in watching police load up their own carts.

"It must be legal," she said. "The police are here taking stuff, too."

(Staff writers Doug MacCash and Keith Spera assisted in this story.)

So will the AG set up a looter hotline? Does the AG think looters "show no regard for any human virtue"?

My guess: the AG knows that "it is just that these are some of the poorest people in this country. They have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. If they had money, then they probably would have evacuated. They are forgotten souls that just do whatever it takes to survive. "

I refuse to believe that more than a small number of people are evil. But evil has been redefined. Looting from "rich businessmen" is not evil to certain politicians, and some of their supporters. Until the other supporters of those politicians refuse to permit holders of that opinion to represent them, the divide will grow.

The losers will be the city's honest citizens. "Loot Orleans" will be in the minds of every potential visitor (and a lot of politicians) the city will eventually need to recover. That's not fair to the many who could truly use either tourism business or emergency public assistance. The divide in this nation will grow ever stronger as long as there are those who use class warfare arguments to create a nation of sides called "prejudice" and "entitlement".