Hurricane Katrina

[ZephyrZodiac]

ROMANTIC IMAGES??? I used to live in Melbourne, and some of my friends had their houses destroyed the year I was in grade 12, and we lost our beach house (yeah, yeah, boo hoo) in a bushfire. I don't attach any romance to the word. Who are they thinking of? This is the stupidest explanation I have ever heard.

A bit like saying that because the word "avalanche" has quite a pleasant sound,  that avalanches are not really dangerous! It doesn't matter what word is used to describe something devastating, it doesn't become less devastating if you use a different word, but just confuses people!

[veilchen]

The federal government of the US was extremely sluggish to respond; this was admitted by your president himself. National Guard personnel from Virginia, a 12 caravan convoy, was turned around mid-way to the Gulf Coast, because the government and FEMA could not coordinate. The Armory in D.C. is full with Guard personnel, waiting to be deployed, and they are waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

The Mayor of NO has my full support for his words. He sees his people suffer and die, while the government drags its heels. The last time I looked, the Gulf Coast region was part of the United States, so why can't the rest of the country rally around its stricken comrade? Since they are part of the federal government they can damn well expect help from them, just as they would provide help if Boise were hit with a natural disaster.

It is callous to tell those people to build elsewhere, this is their home after all. The Louisiana seaports are very important to the Federal Government, somehow I don't think they would care to lose them.

The European Union is dipping into their raw materials reserves to help out. Europe has no Oil production to speak off, but they will help. It is sad that the European Union was quicker on the ball than the US Government of which the Gulf Coast is a large and income-providing part.

[ZephyrZodiac]

And certain US officials and newspapers had the nerve to criticize the response in London to the London Bombings!

I think if there was a disaster on the scale of what's happening in Louisiana, then European government leaders would tell all their emergency services to get things moving and worry about getting the funding later!

[Inge]

And certain US officials and newspapers had the nerve to criticize the response in London to the London Bombings!

Well that does surprise me, cos even us Brits were quite pleasantly surprised how well the authorities coped with that

[ZephyrZodiac]

Yes, Inge, there was definitely criticism!  Plus a lot of misinformation - they apparently knew things in the US about what was happening that people over here didn't know - I think most of which was based on personal opinions and rumour!

[Sandilou]

ZZ  was the criticism directed at the shoot to kill policy, (even though we don't know who we're shooting at), rather than the immediate emergency response to the 7th July bombings?  Because the immediate emergency response was brilliant.  Even those who positively dislike our police spoke up in their favour.  However, the subsequent shooting of the Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes was a fiasco of the highest order, with what can only be described as the worst cover up campaign of all time, so I'd understand if British Police were criticised for that.

[ZephyrZodiac]

That was wrong, I agree, and from what I read it was the armed response police's macho "we'll take over now" attitude that was the cause of it all.  but no, the critisism I referred to was such remarks as were made by FBI people saying they'd warned our government and insinuating they should have been able to prevent it.  (Rather the same criticism they received after 9/11!)  The point about any terrorist attack is that, even though you know one is inevitable, you can't predict where or when it will happen!  And if our security services had insisted on excluding certain religious leaders who they knew were fomenting hatred before the London bombs killed quite a few British Moslems there would have been an outcry from even moderate moslems.

[Database]

J.M. Pescado.

I maybe young, but I have a heart, and I'm sure you do too...somewhere. For God's sake, use it! Many thousands of people have DIED and cites have been ripped apart.

You can't change the past, so why go saying they should have made their buildings out of stuff that won't fall over? You make me SICK. I really feel for Reggiko, and everyone else who has been affacted by Katrina.

JM, I have lost all respect for you, and hope you show your true feelings (Yes I am sure you have some) for the people affected by Katrina.

I love your hacks, and sense of humour, IN OTHER POSTS. In a crisis like this, I cannot believe that you can joke!

And don't think you can insult me and think it will be ok. I do not care.

You should be ashamed.

[Liss]

Bah, you have to have some semblance of a sense of humor in life or it would be very depressing indeed.

Chiming in from the "Boise-Billings"  area, (Pocatello, ID close enough)  We don't mind doing what we can to help out either.  We are still a nation that contains some semblance of humanity, we are happy to help all we can.  All we have to worry about is the supervolcano of Yellowstone killing us all   (Ack! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!  sheesh.)  This is said facetiously for anyone missing the humor.

What I'm peeved about is the right-wing complaining about everyone "politicizing" this and "bashing Bush" when we should be "worried about helping the victims."  Ok, I challenge any one of them to go for an hour without saying "Bush-bashing." (Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, et. al)

What makes me sick is the people in this area charging exorbitant prices for gas that they already had in their tanks in the ground that we get from nearby refineries in Utah and Wyoming.  Price gouging, anyone?

The thing I feel the worst about is that I can't do more to help.  If I was closer I'd happily open my crappy house to any of them

Oh, and BRAVO to the Mayor of New Orleans for his screaming diatribe!

[Judecat]

Maybe the delayed respons of government help is that on Friday evening when the national weather service said a catagory 5 hurrican was heading for New Orleans,  the Mayor did not call the governor,  did not make evacuations plans and did not call out the national guard.

That on Saterday when he called for a mandatory evacuation of NO,  he did nothing to call in help,  buses on trains to help evacuate the poor and disabled.   

That on Tuesday,  the poor of NO were wandering around without food or water screamin where is our Mayor.

Or maybe it's because the federal government can't take over until the state government calls them in.

Or yes go up a level -- after 4 days of me --in Baltimore knowing that they people at the convention center and super dome were without food and water -- the head of Fema operations saying he wasn't aware of the situation cos no one told him. 

Or how about even days after Bush had declaired a state of ememrgency Jerkoff,  I mean Chertoff was still waffling around like a ship without a sail

Or we can even place the blame on Regan and Bush one and Clinton,  for cutting back the military budget.  Durring hurricain Camille -- during the Viet Nam war we had enough troops left over for Nixon to show up with troops and aid withing 48 hours.

There are a lot of levels of blame before you get to Bush.  White, black,  republican or Demicrat or bipartisan.   There is plenty of blame to go around,  and there will be plenty of time to spread it around after the living are rescued and the dead are burried..   

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, I just hope the right people do get the blame and the buck doesn't get passed to subordinates, as is the usual case with governments everywhere!

[veilchen]

You said it ZZ.

And I agree with the fact that right now the first, second, third - 100th priority are the poor people in the Gulf Coast region. They are in desperate need of help; blame pushing later - help now.

[ZephyrZodiac]

However, perhaps if certain people are aware of the strength of feeling throughout not just the US but much of the rest of the world they will feel encouraged to take a lead and get things moving a bit faster!

[kim]

Well, I just hope the right people do get the blame and the buck doesn't get passed to subordinates, as is the usual case with governments everywhere!

i don't really give a squat about blame.  doesn't matter whose fault it is. this nations' federal government has been turned over to people who will not accept the responsibility of doing what the federal government is supposed to do.  i don't have a link handy right now, but you could google  "us constitution preamble" it's a short quick read.
what's most annoying is that those same people refuse to accept responsibility for their stupid actions and the consequent damage.  shifting lies on shifting lies, and somehow, many citizens insist on being unwilling to catch the odor of what they're being fed.
we have a city and a region to rebuild right now, but i'm hopeful that, next good chance, we will choose a government that will be responsible to the needs of the nation,  while we still have a nation.
so why am i writing and posting this?  damned if i know.  ignore it.

reggikko, be safe, be well.

it took some time but i've made my inner peace with pescado's ways.  his approah is defensive, and not so terrible anyway.  plus, he allows sane voices to speak here.

[reggikko]

Update:

My son drove down to New Orleans from Baton Rouge and checked on my house. Most of my fence was blown over, my porch doors were torn to shreds, and my sycamore tree dropped a large branch on one corner of the roof. We lost a lot of shingles, but that was the extent of the damage. We do have water service, but don't yet have electricity and telephone service is spotty. . Apparently many of my neighbors have returned and are starting to clean up. I don't plan to go back until we have power, but i don't think that will take very long to restore. The neighboring parish has electricity, and we are the next step on the grid.

Most of my relatives have been accounted for. My elderly aunt and uncle are in Birmingham, Alabama. My best friend has not been heard from since before the hurricane.

In defense of Mayor Nagin, he did begin asking people to voluntarily evacuate before the storm. His hands were somewhat tied by state evacuation policy and the state police. How do people propose that he could have fully evacuated a city of nearly a half million people? The city does not have those kinds of resources. One other point. The city survived the hurricane just fine. Yes, there was damage and some flooding. It wasn't until the levee broke that all hell broke loose. The levee system is under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers, not the city of New Orleans.

I don't think that blaming the victims of this is fair or rational. We all (except Pescado) are vulnerable to forces of nature. As someone else commented, last time I checked, we were part of the same nation. I pay my taxes and I expect my government to respond to the needs of my neighbors, no matter where in this country they may live.

[Bane~Child]

JM, You are such a Gun-Ho, why don't you go have a field day and organize with the KKK or some of your fellow Wyoming militants?

I have nothing to do with the KKK. I'm not racist. I hate everyone.

That would have been my next guess.  You are the most unbiased of all - you hate everyone equally.  JM, you are a virtuous man.

For the love of whatever God you don't worship - It's OK to show and receive compassion without inflicting PAIN - Really it's OK

THat has to be the biggest load of crapola I've ever heard. Didn't anyone ever tell you that love hurts?

Only if you can't find the strength to withstand something which causes greater pain than love.

I just thought of something and I am truly not trying to be funny, as most of you know I am incapable of that anyway, however - Do you realize those poor people are actually living out the Email Challenge?  A Cell with no walls and no toilet!

Hey, maybe they'll get perfect scores, too.

No doubt they shall and emerge as the winners!  Maybe the challenge should be renamed - Reg, what do you think?

[Bane~Child]

Update:
Most of my relatives have been accounted for. My elderly aunt and uncle are in Birmingham, Alabama. My best friend has not been heard from since before the hurricane.

Reg, I am truly glad for those you have located and I am sincerely concerned for those you have not.  I won't say I am sorry except for your anxiety from worry and fear, because I still hold hope that they will be found safe.

I don't think that blaming the victims of this is fair or rational. We all (except Pescado) are vulnerable to forces of nature.

That's because he believes he is a force of nature, but everyone has their Achilles heel, even Pescado.

[cabelle]

The blame game won't get people to safety, feed them and care for them. I hope what will be taken from this tragedy is better plans for future crisis situations. May no one ever have to suffer that sort of Hell again.

Reggikko, I'm glad to hear that most of your relatives are OK. I hope you'll hear good news from your best friend soon. I'm also glad to hear that your home & neighborhood are in pretty good shape. I love your beautiful city and still plan to visit there someday (I'm a big nut for historic homes).

I heard an alarming story late today about the levee break. Comedian Steve Harvey was there at the center in Baton Rouge to help and spoke to a resident who lived right near the levee. The resident said that he saw a couple of barges (perhaps blown into the lake during the hurricane) smash into the levee and cause the break. I'm not sure how much accuracy there is in that statement, we'll probably find out more later. My heart breaks for the resident though; he told Steve Harvey that along with losing his home, he lost his wife and children too. That's the sort of nightmare I don't think I could survive. Perhaps the engineers need to get in there and think of better ways to keep this from happening in the future. But since I'm no engineer I will leave that to those who are knowlegable enough to decide what to do.

I consider us all to be part of the same nation. We all help each other in all crisis situations (fire, flood, earthquake). Regardless of the mistakes any governmental official could make, helping each other is the right thing to do.

[Bane~Child]

I live in 'Tornado Alley' in North Texas and a tornado hit the end of the building where I worked.  I told Brynne that I thought hurricanes were much worse and I would not want to experience one.  I have been through tsunamis, too and though I love the ocean, I believe hurricanes are the worse type of storm.  The book, Isaac's Storm, is a historical account of the one that hit Galveston at the turn of the century.  It is a chilling story, even without the exerpts from interviews with some of the survivors.

[cabelle]

The book, Isaac's Storm, is a historical account of the one that hit Galveston at the turn of the century.  It is a chilling story, even without the exerpts from interviews with some of the survivors.

I watched the History Channels documentary of "Isaac's Storm." You're right, it's quite the chilling story. The horror of it stayed with me for a long time.

I grew up in Tuolumne County in CA and lived through the forest fire dangers every year. One year my grandparents had to be evacuated and the fire came within a couple of acres of their home. I live in the Sacramento area now but I still get anxious every Aug-Oct, especially for extended family who lives in those areas. I still have nightmares about the firestorms. And in the Sacramento area we face levee failure for the Sacramento & American Rivers which has caused terrible flooding in the past and will likely happen again(luckily I live outside the flood area but it would still be an awful prospect). Some wise person once said that Mother Nature's a bitch and barely tolerates us. I think that person's right and we should never be complacent about the area where we live.

[Bane~Child]

I live in the Sacramento area now but I still get anxious every Aug-Oct, especially for extended family who lives in those areas. I still have nightmares about the firestorms. And in the Sacramento area we face levee failure for the Sacramento & American Rivers which has caused terrible flooding in the past and will likely happen again(luckily I live outside the flood area but it would still be an awful prospect). Some wise person once said that Mother Nature's a bitch and barely tolerates us. I think that person's right and we should never be complacent about the area where we live.

Yes, you can't take anything for granted.  Even though we have tornadoes here, nobody has basements because you can't build them in the kind of ground we have.  It's thin rocky soil on top of a heavy layer of clay and limestone over the Trinity River springs basin.

I know what you mean about becoming antsy at certain times of years.  My husband's parents had built a house out in an area where grass fires were problem enough in the dry months.  Because it was in an unincorporated part of the county, people would come and park above the yard on what they thought was a stretch of tar and gravel country road and shoot off fireworks for July 4th and New Years.  One night we came home and found ourselves following the Volunteer firetruck, which turned at every corner we had to go.  My heart had sunk so low in my gut that it met my stomach on its way up.  When we arrived the fire was mostly across the road on the other side, but in a neighbor's field where he had a pedigree sheep herd.  We were so scared, but so damn angry at the thoughtlessness.  Even though our house could not be seen from the road, the neighbor's house certainly could and those idiots knew people lived around in that area.

[Inge]

What is niggling me is - and this is only speculation rather than an allegation, because I don't have any evidence.  Well what I am trying to say is look how quickly aid started arriving at the dome in New Orleans after Bush had visited the devastated areas.  If it could get there within a couple hours of him signing a piece of paper when he got back to Washington, then if he had signed the paper before he started his journey, the aid could have got there even sooner.

I have this horrible sick feeling that the aid was held back until after his visit to make it look even more like he was the delivering angel who made it possible to help people.   So people would associate seeing Bush with the relief of finally receiving food and water.

[J. M. Pescado]

My son drove down to New Orleans from Baton Rouge and checked on my house. Most of my fence was blown over, my porch doors were torn to shreds, and my sycamore tree dropped a large branch on one corner of the roof.

Well, clearly, you need a new fence and a new door. I recommend getting proper doors and fencings, ones that don't simply turn to junk in a little wind. You need one of the smaller doors that I have. It's made of solid steel, weighs a quarter ton, seals air and watertight to protect against flooding and sudden decompression (the kind that would result if the Earth's atmosphere were to ignite or be stolen), and opens easily with a hand wheel and some physical force. It mounts in solid steel frame embedded in solid rock, and the only way to get through this would involve extended cutting or lots of explosives. *THIS* is a door. It's not quite as impressive as my external sets of blast doors, but they're well-suited for both interior and exterior use for entrances that do not need to accomodate vehicular traffic. It also makes a satisfyingly resounding *CLANG* when closed. It will repel even sustained gunfire with only cosmetic damage.

As for a fence, I recommend you get one of the ones I have. They're made of concrete reinforced with steel cores, and run all the way to the bedrock and 30 feet down. They'll easily withstand even ramming from armored vehicles like tanks, and can sustain multiple direct hits from even an artillery cannon with only minor cosmetic damage. To prevent scaling, it is topped with electrified razor wire and decorated with numerous warnings admonishing that trespassers will be shot in multple languages, including a graphic description of a stick-figure man being shot. Truly a fence for ages. This is not a fence some wussy hurricane is going to touch.

We lost a lot of shingles, but that was the extent of the damage.

Shingles are for wimps. I recommend solid concretium reinforced with steel. Not only is it low-maintenace, it's durable and will withstand nearly any form of conventional attack. Still, they are cheap and expendable, so that's no great loss. I hope you didn't buy expensive shingles.

I don't think that blaming the victims of this is fair or rational. We all (except Pescado) are vulnerable to forces of nature. As someone else commented, last time I checked, we were part of the same nation. I pay my taxes and I expect my government to respond to the needs of my neighbors, no matter where in this country they may live.

Seems fair to me. After all, didn't this exact same thing happen not all that long ago? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Wasn't it just a year ago that this happened? A wise man learns from the mistake of others. Naturally, the government's response to this matter was atrociously bad. What did you expect? Since when has the government really succeeded in doing anything right?

[laeshanin]

I have to wonder, J.M., if the defenses you describe are to keep out the massing hoardes of forum users that have tracked you down and want to use torture implements on you? I'm certain there are folk out there who have pretty inventive minds and could think of lots of alternative uses for a blunt spoon, some rubber bands and nice nail gun? 

[Bane~Child]

Update:  LyricLee says there is still no word on Jack Woods.  She also has added him with MSNBC's site.

Jack Woods at MTS2 lives in the Southeast most part and he posted a note on the 29th that he was hoping for the best and may be out of pocket for a while.  He actually apologized for the inconvenience of possibly being unavailable - Can you believe this?  Nobody has heard from him yet. 

Here is an excerpt from Delphy:

08-31-2005, 10:01 AM ..."Our thoughts and prayers will be with these victims and their families. JWoods is one of the Simming Community's most talented artists and modders. He is also a moderator at MTS2, and a loving friend and father. He was in New Orleans with his family as the hurricane hit. We can only hope that he and his family are safe. If we hear anything, we will keep you informed. But please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as well..."

Kind Regards,
Delphy, and the MTS2 Staff
~~~

LyricLee said he has her cell phone number, but as of today there is still no word on him.  She even posted on the website for the Red Cross to try and request some additional information.
Here is the thread, if anyone is interested:
http://www.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=87245&page=5&pp=25