Hurricane Katrina

[s-man]

I work for an insurance company and its been one of the toughest jobs Ive ever had because of the claims we are getting from this tragic event. I have talked to a number of those who have lost their houses and belongings and everytime I do I feel like crying! Such a sad situation....

[UnrulyAppendage]

He should be fired then, I would imagine,if that's the case. Don't you think?Unless all the bus drivers had split, which I think was what had happened.

 

It's not that hard to drive a bus. If the mayor could not get bus drivers, then he is truly incompetent.

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory2/3334317

 

The first busload of New Orleans refugees to reach the Reliant Astrodome overnight was a group of people who commandeered a school bus in the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and drove to Houston looking for shelter.

 

Jabbar Gibson, 20, said police in New Orleans told him and others to take the school bus and try to get out of the flooded city.

 

Gibson drove the bus from the flooded Crescent City, picking up stranded people, some of them infants, along the way. Some of those on board had been in the Superdome, among those who were supposed to be evacuated to Houston on more than 400 buses Wednesday and today. They couldn't wait.

 

The group of mostly teenagers and young adults pooled what little money they had to buy diapers for the babies and fuel for the bus.

 

After arriving at the Astrodome at about 10:30 p.m., however, they initially were refused entry by Reliant officials who said the aging landmark was reserved for the 23,000 people being evacuated from the Louisiana Superdome.

 

"Now, we don't have nowhere to go," Gibson said. "We heard the Astrodome was open for people from New Orleans. We ain't ate right, we ain't slept right. They don't want to give us no help. They don't want to let us in."

 

Milling about the Reliant entrance, Sheila Nathan, 38, told her teary-eyed toddler that she was too tired to hold him.

 

"I'm trying to make it a fairy tale so they won't panic," said Nathan, who had four grandchildren in tow. "I have to be strong for them."

 

After about 20 minutes of confusion and consternation, Red Cross officials announced that the group of about 50 to 70 evacuees would be allowed into the Astrodome.

[Aman619]

new reports state that most everyone heeded the evacuation call that wanted to. Mots of those who stayed behind chose to stay as they were longtime residents who felt they had lived thru so mant near misses that this too would be one, or were too cash-stricken to get out, or stayed with loved ones who were staying or were infirm and could not be moved.

 

I also read that, contrary to the image in that picture of traffic jams on the outbound lanes of the highway next to empty lanes going inward, that other highways had indeed commandeered ALL lanes for outgoing evacuees.

 

and that NO has one of the highest levels of population under the poverty line (28%) and highest crime rates of all major cities. And that FEMA an dthe Federal government were slow to acknowledge the crisis. Various recovery and communications outfitters were ready to move in awaiting only FEMA's okay that funds would be approved to pay for it... FEMA never did the paperwork. So FEMA was negligent, but the case can be made that signed contract or not, these companies should have gone ahead anyway and deployed their equipment. But, business is business and government id government.

 

And DR Bill Frist spke with the mayor on TUESDAY. They had travelled to view the tsunami damage together, so they had a relationship of sorts. But when warned just how bad th esituation had become, Frist could not or would not believe it, and did not act immediately. The mayor assured him NO had it worse than tsunami. I think the Fed gov just did not want hear it until it was obviously a public and PR disaster a few short days later.

[Zonker]

The mayor assured him NO had it worse than tsunami. I think the Fed gov just did not want hear it until it was obviously a public and PR disaster a few short days later.

 

see, I thought at the time, and think today, that kind of hyperbole was not helpful to the mayor's cause.

 

11 February 2005 estimate tsunami death toll stands at 275,950

[Aman619]

that could have been part of Frists reaction. Maybe Frist got to know him as a bit of a blowhard on that trip...so their 'businesss acquaintance" actually hurt rather than helped.

[oldmilwaukee6er]

Check out the bee swarm that swooped into my backyard this evening in less than 1hr! Bet you guys didn't know I was running a shelter for bees displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A bee keeper is coming tomorrow to remove them (gonna tap into the budget a little)... Baton Rouge is a changing city!

 

[s-man]

Check out the bee swarm that swooped into my backyard this evening in less than 1hr! Bet you guys didn't know I was running a shelter for bees displaced by Hurricane Katrina. A bee keeper is coming tomorrow to remove them (gonna tap into the budget a little)... Baton Rouge is a changing city!

 

 

Would make quite a beard though...