what's happening in New Orleans?

**forestdale** · 09-02-2005, 04:55 PM

I saw a report on our TV news last night about Australian tourists caught up in the devastation of New Orleans.  They said they'd been two days without anyone offering them food or water and they had to go with all the other looters to find water and food in the stores there.  They said they'd seen murders, stabbings and rapes. They asked to phone home and no one would give them assistance.  The Australian consulate officials aren't allowed into the city to help them.  These tourists said that when they asked a police officer for help, he apologised and then broke down crying.  He was overwhelmed.  In the end, the Australian TV reporter got them water, gave them his phone and eventually drove them out of the city.

What is going on over there?  Why is there so little assistance for these people?  Why do I see old people in the streets dying and no one there to help them?  Why are babies dying?

I'm not trying to criticise but I would have thought that after Septemebr 11 America would be the place with the best plans to respond to an emergency like this. 

Are we getting bad reporting over here or are things as bad as they appear? 

**pqb57** · 09-02-2005, 05:24 PM

From the news on tv, they say that government dropped the ball.

**pip** · 09-02-2005, 05:28 PM

**baxjul** · 09-02-2005, 05:34 PM

I've been watching CNN today, they are still trying to get the food and water in to the people, and the people out of New Orleans. The water is 5 ft. deep and up, and is making it hard for them to get in. Also, they are still rescuing people from their houses, and office buildings. The National Guard arrived today with their weapons to help fight the crime, and help.

In my opinion, I think it is taking a little to long to get them out of there. It is just all so wrong!

**Mom23boys** · 09-02-2005, 06:29 PM

IMHO, I think that someone isn't doing their job. I know we are hearing the bad things happening, but there are also good tihngs happening there. The people are just scared. I am sure we all would be if we were put in their conditions. It looks like a third world country there.

It is very heartbreaking to see the survivors of the storm dying in the street from lack of medical care and food/water. I think that assistance should have been sent in two days ago, not just today. They could have air-lifted more food and water than what they did.

If our government wasn't prepared for this disaster, how are they prepared for a terrorist attack as they state they are?

As President Bush stated earlier today, this is "UNACCEPTABLE".

**sunshine** · 09-02-2005, 06:37 PM

In my opinion the local governments dropped the ball-- not the federal government!

And the people there! Oh my goodness! When help finally arrives, they shoot at the rescue workers. . . turn up their noses at the MRE"s saying it's not good enough? ! ? Excuse me?

**Mom23boys** · 09-02-2005, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by Mom23boys

As President Bush stated earlier today, this is "UNACCEPTABLE".

Opps, he said "NOT ACCEPTABLE".

**Mom23boys** · 09-02-2005, 06:44 PM

Originally posted by sunshine
In my opinion the local governments dropped the ball-- not the federal government!

I agree that the local government should have been prepared! They knew it was coming and they should have took actions for the worst way before it happened. I think honestly they should have always been prepared since they are below sea level.

**Kimberlina** · 09-02-2005, 06:45 PM

Rhonda, I do believe it is as bad as you are being led to believe.

While I think it is taking a long time to get assistance in there, I don't think it is because nobody is trying. There are a lot of factors coming together to make it very hard for people to help.

-The water is still there, making it hard for help to actually get where it is needed.
-People who are trying to help are being shot at, both in choppers and on the ground. (Most likely by drug addicts who are looking for a fix and have found guns, according to the mayor, which, I must point out, is a problem that was around long before Katrina was.)
-Police have no place to put anyone who is doing something malicious- the jails aren't safe.
-The ground coordination doesn't appear to be good enough that the people coming in to help know where to go to give help in many areas.
-The people who ARE there to help are busy still trying to evacuate people- they were too busy trying to save those who were still alive to worry about looters.

I don't think the federal government should shoulder all the blame here. The local governements of these areas have admitted on television that they didn't have a plan in place for a disaster of this magnitude, yet everyone seems to have known it was a possibility. FEMA says they DID hav plans in place for this, and they even ran an simulation exercise last year. The state of Louisiana was supposed to have enough food and water in their shelters for 3-5 days, which would mean that the federal government wasn't PLANNED to be coming in to povide water until about today. Obvisouly, they didn't anticipate that well enough. One of the people in charge of that exercise said there would only be so much the government would do in a worst-case-scenario. This was a quote from him last year after the drill, ""Residents need to know they'll be on their own for several days in a situation like this," Brown, who is not related to the FEMA director, told the paper."

So I don't know if they weren't told or were burying their heads in the sand. I DO know that I have a friend whose son lived in N.O. He said they had no idea the hurricane was going to be so bad, even though it sems the rest of the country did. H explained, "well, we've been hrough this before, so we just thought it wasn't going to be a big deal." Which sadly, seems to sum this all up.

The feds have already approved 10.5 billion dollars to keep FEMA working down there. Hopefully it will be enough to make a difference to all those poor, suffering people. This is very, very bad.

ETA- For those of you who don't know this, the National Guard has shoot-to-kill orders.

**Darlene** · 09-02-2005, 07:58 PM

Thanks Kimberly, that is how I see it too. This is a lingistic nightmare. To make sure that this group knows when this group is coming and they are ready for that group is being played over & over & over again. This is unprecidented. We will learn from the mistakes of this but in the meantime we don't need people like Al Sharpton and whopever making this into a race thing. We don't need scum shooting at good people.
Lets just get these people out of there and spread out over this great nation of ours to rebuild their lives.

My heartfelt thanks and awe for the open arms the state of Texas has shown for their fellow neighbors. There is so much good out there & we need to cling to that with all we have.

The USA is full of wonderful people and the bad you hear about are a very small fraction. This all just so frustrating and heartbreaking. To cordinate to take care of this many people, I haven't a clue. It is truely heartbreaking.

**SHOPGIRL** · 09-02-2005, 08:06 PM

I think the federal government is doing everything they can. The local government, particularly in New Orleans, seemed very disorganized with absolutely no leadership. On the news they said it would take the mayor 2-3 hours to make a decision, so it really starts from the local level. It wasn't until late Monday that they started having problems with the water.

It is totally unacceptable that there are people down there looting and shooting at people who are trying to help them.

I was in New Orleans 3 summers ago, and I thought it was horrible. I was amazed at the filth in the streets. It seemed to always have a stench in the air. I was there in early August. I stayed at a nice hotel in the French Quarter, enjoyed great food. However, I just wanted to hose down the streets. There was trash in the streets, and water lying when I was there. And, of course, it was soo hot! The one time when I had to go out alone on the street, during the day, I felt very unsafe. I'm in no hurry to go back.

The heat was unbearable. I feel for the people that have been trapped there. I really think the local government should have done a better job getting people out of the city early. News reports claim that these people didn't have cars or money. Still, it really seems like poor planning.

**Kimberlina** · 09-02-2005, 08:25 PM

Oh, and I actually left my most important point out- this isn't about and shouldn't be about blame. There are a lot of people who we could point fingers at on every level, I am sure, but that doesn't help. I just hope we learn every thing we can from this.

And it really is a shame some people are making it about race. There are people of every race being hurt by this, and sadly it is the poor, the un(der)-educated, the elderly, the ill, and those who otheriwse just didn't understand enough to get out who are still in danger there.

**Kimberlina** · 09-02-2005, 09:01 PM

Rhonda:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050902/...d_world_images

**PrairieRose** · 09-02-2005, 09:11 PM

I have to add a couple of my own 2 cents worth here. Hope I don't start a fuss....

Has anyone besides myself considered the possibility that all of our national guardsmen are, um otherwise occupied? We have not enough people to squelch the violence and restore law and order b/c we are spread too thin.
The water has made a nightmare for anyone to go in, but we SHOULD be able to get our guardsmen in and at least restore order so that help CAN reach those most desperately in need as it arrives. We could airlift food in and drop it but then I personally think that a few would end up with it all. I'm very ashamed of how we've handled this, it truly breaks my heart.

**fernykins** · 09-02-2005, 11:15 PM

Well the people were told to leave the area. Some did not. I can understand taking food and water maybe blankets. But to be so greedy and take it all. They had to close the hospitals because they were being shot at. At least we are still trying to save people. By the pictures I have seen. Its a nightmare down there.And they are saying at least 3 months before all the water goes away. It only takes a few bad people to make it seem like everyone the is bad.
Fern