New Orleans - We pray for you!

[SimpleDomaining]

This is off topic for name pros, but i just want to say this: PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEAN, WE PRAY WOR YOU! BE SAFE!

 

[The Equivocate]

I'm down at school in central Illinois and we definately got complete cloud cover and about 15mph winds from the hurricane, at least we didn't get any rain/tornadoes.

 

[ewomack]

How completely horrible. The news seems to get worse everyday about recovery rescue and water seeping in. New Orleans will never be the same. Wow.

One bright side: the Red Cross site must be getting billions of hits... it's taking forever to load. I've been trying to donate online all day. I may have to try the 800# soon.

 

[jmweb]

http://www.flhurricane.com

Nice site!

 

[gchick]

this is the time to lend out a helping hand............

 

[killaklown]

you know that its a huge storm when last night, we got a ton of wind and rain from it...the surprising thing is that i live in regina, sask, can. its gotta b a big storm

same here in manitoba

 

[faisj]

God, Please Be With Them And Protect Them, Let Not One Of Them Die, Please, Amen

Amen

 

[GeneCosta]

Well, I don't really have a God to pray to, but I do wish the best for those who are suffering. And let this anarchy crises come to terms soon.

 

[CrazyTech]

It would be nice if everyone were smart enough to evacuate but from what I've seen that is not the case.

Sorry, but this comment stuck out to me. Not everyone there has the means to evacuate - especially given such short notice. While I do share some of the same feeling for those who did stay and could have left, at the same time I don't wish this on anyone and it's absolutely horrible.

Given all the recent world attention as well as our own to places we should get some help. I hope some of the larger organizations and famous individuals step up to the plate and deliver what they can. For us American's this is our own back yard. If we cannot help our own first then we have a problem.

All that being said, God bless everyone affected by the storm. Some of these places will never be the same again and others will take a long, long time. I have some personal ties to people who live down there through my girlfriend and they've lost it all at this point. Luckily, they have a family behind them to help.

 

[The Equivocate]

It would be nice if everyone were smart enough to evacuate but from what I've seen that is not the case.

They also weren't counting on the levees to bust open and flood the city - when they broke, people didn't have power so they couldn't get the word that the levees had broken and to get to higher ground, so a lot of people could only get to the top of their roofs - and even worse, people trapped in their attics and drowned.

 

[movingconcierge]

The wife and I are into the hundreds for this disaster. BTW, when did they stop shooting looters and when did looters start shooting back?

I understand grabbing a pair of shoes because your feet are bloodied, or some food to feed your family, but I've seen some with TV's, and other senseless stuff. Cops too...I'd shoot the first ten to stop the potential thousand. It's actually stopping the rescue effort and costing innocent people to suffer and maybe even costing their lives while they wait for help to arrive.

It's a tainted story in what should otherwise be a community drawn together by tragedy.

 

[HHDomains]

They also weren't counting on the levees to bust open and flood the city - when they broke, people didn't have power so they couldn't get the word that the levees had broken and to get to higher ground, so a lot of people could only get to the top of their roofs - and even worse, people trapped in their attics and drowned.

Whether or not they thought the levies would break is irrelevant.
They could see this huge category 5 storm coming down on them for at least 48 hours in advance.

Yes, there are poor people out there that couldn't afford to leave the city but every single person in that city had the option to either leave or move to the safety of a shelter.

The shame of all of this is that dozens if not hundreds of decent people are going to die because of these scumbags who are slithering around the city robbing people and threatening police and emergency personel.

 

[rabid_nerd]

Had a couple F1 (relatively weak, although winds of 120MPH) tornados from the remnants of Katrina yesterday morning.

http://www.dynaweather.com

My weather site spiked predictably and I put a site wide link to my projected track a day or two ahead of time in my server-status bar where I have the link to Red Cross now.

I really, honestly believe the domestic impact from this is worse than 9/11 and that for many people who aren't glued to TV or news reports, they think "just another bad hurricane" hit.

New Orleans has been basically condemned for at least two months with thousands feared dead in what would be, if true, the worst disaster in Red Cross' history (exceeding the Texas hurricane of 1900 and 9/11). This doesn't include those outside metro New Orleans in Louisiana, Mississippi, and inland.

News reports here in Pennsylvania gave times and dates for people to go to Red Cross Volunteer class to train to go to the area. State Employees were told that those going would be given civic leave.

 

[NPQueen]

My heart breaks for everyone involved in this tragic occurence. I am in awe of Mother Nature and her vast powers. My prayers are with everyone who has been touched by Katrina.

 

[ThreeD]

I feel sorry for the people down there Lets just hope things get back into order soon, people can go back to their home towns and start a new life with the support of the rest of the world.

However, on CNN I just heard something that stood out to me - some people are going crazy shooting at the rescue helicopters? I mean do these people want to get rescued or not?

 

[The Equivocate]

To make things worse, some people that have stolen guns are actually SNIPING people trying to get evacuated from the hospital because they are critically ill... now THAT is sick.

 

[ThreeD]

yeah Matt, makes you wonder what's wrong with some people One moment they complain because nobody helps them, the next minute they shoot at the national guard and rescue helicopters.

 

[HHDomains]

The idiots that are shooting at rescue workers and tipping over ambulances are not the ones crying for help.
Do not confuse that or make that assumption.

These pieces of crap that are causing the problems right now don't give a damn if others die. They are in charge of the city right now because of a horribly inept response by government and authorities. They do not want to give up control of the city.

People are dying right now because authorities got caught with their pants down.

Congress does not even want to re-convene to vote to give FEMA a new budget to deal with this, because they are on vacation.
They had no problem rushing back to Washington when Terri Schiavo was getting unplugged. Of course she was a white woman with a vocal white family.

There are no white faces on the ground in New Orleans that I have seen.

Coincidence?

 

[movingconcierge]

I heard that they let the prisoners out just like that...no place to go, just out. And I don't think it is the cops getting caught with their pants down, they're people too, with family and once with homes suffering the same way as everyone else. Who would have expected people to act this way. Did they act this way in NYNY...hell no. So why would sensible people think that another tragedy would turn out so bizarre and unpredictable.

It's those ignorant MF's whose only power comes from preying on the weak and dying that they should be shooting and making it known that they are doing so. I was watching Fox (forgive me) and it was reported that there were 3 rapes and 2 shootings in the superdome lastnight.

(dryheave...dryheave)

Is the heat, humidity, dehydration, lack of food, and state of shock causing this....is it PTSD...I need an explanation.

 

[sunken]

While I certainly don't approve of it or condone it, and from the outside seems completely insane, given the situation they are in, it's almost understandable. The problem is when you deprive people of water and food for so many days with no bathrooms in swaltering heat, the primal survival mechanism kicks in. IE, their mind snaps. It doesn't happen in everyone, but it can happen in people and when it does, that firing on people or helicopters in their mind is perfectly sound. Now that's not to say that these people shouldn't be disabled from shooting, but it's all part of the chaos that is going on down there. Sitting in our chairs, watching it from here, we can't imagine really what's going through their minds. During hurricane Frances we were in a shelter that had no food (on the 3rd day), no air, and bathrooms that overflowed for 4 days and I can tell you that it was getting really nasty. Can't imagine that same situation with 26,000 people. I don't think it's a matter of not caring, like you and I see it. I think it's a matter of true insanity has set in from the magnitude of the predicament they are in. It's the same insanity that comes from jumping out of windows, etc...

I hope they can restore order there at some point to save the people from not only the disease, but from themselves. It's utterly devastating what's going on there.