A completely insane sadness every time I think of New Orleans

[Caseyelan]

So today as I watched the news I was so overwhelmed with sadness.
Poor New Orleans.
I can't stop thinking about all the rebuilding they had done. All the people who have helped and all of the people who ARE still displaced from the last storm.
I heard the Rep. Convention was being pushed back..... I wonder how much of that is them wanting to avoid the split screen showing bodies floating down the street with stupid Bush's face telling us everything is AOK.

Anyhow the point is....

I think of New Orleans I cry.
Everytime.

[yojimbo7248]

same here. god, this is just horrible. thanks for starting this thread. I have been thinking about New Orleans a lot. It's a feeling of this can't be possibly happening again.

[Dude!]

katrina was awful and as an american the way it was handle embarassed me

however...one definition of insanity
is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

everyone knows that nola will be hit by hurricanes time and time again
it is below sea level
so why do people move back there and not expect a bad result

i have sympathy but with limits

[sailor]

katrina was awful and as an american the way it was handle embarassed me

however...one definition of insanity
is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

everyone knows that nola will be hit by hurricanes time and time again
it is below sea level
so why do people move back there and not expect a bad result

i have sympathy but with limits

agreed. also, there is a mandatory evacuation, so there's no reason for bodies to be floatin' down any streets.

[Tall_James]

My sister, brother-in-law and nephew live in New Orleans. Right now they're on their way to Jackson, MS to get the hell out of the way of the storm's path.

My Mom & Dad live in Florida and had to leave our home early several weeks ago because Hurricane Faye was about to hit their house.

And they all don't understand how I can live in Massachusetts where it gets so cold in the wintertime.

At least I've never had to evacuate my home due to the weather. If it snows too much, I just put another log on the fire, pour myself another scotch and wait to shovel out.

Seriously, I'm praying for everyone down there.

[A.J.]

agreed. also, there is a mandatory evacuation, so there's no reason for bodies to be floatin' down any streets.

Sadly there will be. There's always those that don't want to leave their homes.

Again, Nagin warned those that stay that "if you stay, you're on your own".

[ChrisTheCop]

It's a scary time for anyone with family or friends down there right now.
My thoughts are with them, that those few that do stay will be safe.

[Misteriosa]

they played this on pbs a few nights ago... i think it was on the katrina anniversary. its from Nova:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/orleans/

warning: it might make you cry more, but its very informative.

[booster11373]

There are a lot of different facets to this story be it political to environmental. That being said New Orleans is a great cultural piece of America has been greatly affected and the is sad I hope it comes back to the way it was and serves as a lesson and a warning

Just as a side note it makes me more angry then sad but both emotions are appropriate I think

[jonyrotn]

So many of the people affected by the current and past events were born holding the "shitty end of the stick" as it is..
It makes you wonder why certain people have to suffer such a dispoportionatly high amount of the worlds pain.. :( Enough already, how about a fuckin time out already..:surrender:

I certainly hope god has a hella sweet repirations package..

[RoseBlood]

There's so many misfortunes in this world to be sad over and New Orleans is definitely one of them. Many of these people were not just born without a silver spoon in their mouths, they were born with a steak knife at their throats. This is not an "every man for himself" situation. I just hope and thank God there are people with hearts and brains enough to see past the surface and give the less then fortunate a fighting chance, there are diamonds in the rough.

[bigredd]

Loss of life and home is always tragic and in the case of Katrina was made worse by the comeplete failure of the federal goverment. While I feel sorry for most of the people there and what they've been through, they at some point have to realize they're building homes and businesses below sea level...in a coastal town. Hurricanes will come, flooding will happen and people will die.

I hope Gustav shows more mercy for those folks than Katrina did.

[DiabloSammich]

If you want a really unsettled feeling, DirecTV has two channels devoted to the hurricane coverage. One channel is a local station affiliate running news and updates, not too bad, kind of like Weather Channel, but not as polished.


But the other one is just scrolling info of evacuation routes and emergency information, with really cheesy music playing in the background. Watching this made me very uneasy, thinking of how horrible it must be trying to pack up my life, scanning the ways to get out, deciding which one was better, all while listening to "Life Is A Highway"

[Tenbatsuzen]

Sadly there will be. There's always those that don't want to leave their homes.

Again, Nagin warned those that stay that "if you stay, you're on your own".

http://www.gregledet.net/hurricam//hurricam.html

[JerseySean]

Its weird. i moved to Lousiana in 06 right after Katrina. I drove through Arabi, St Bernard Parish, Plaquemins Parish and it was horrible. Take your suburban neighborhood anywhere and imagine the whole thing gone in an instant. My business partners grew up on the same street as Peyton and Eli Manning and the Landreius. they lost their home and had to move to SC. This one will be worse than Katrina. All of my friends are in Birmingham, AL or somewhere they dont want to be. This one may take out entire parishes and that is no joke. If you look at this map, basically all of the highlighted area was evacuated. If this thing hits right around Terrebone Parish to Orleans, South Louisiana could be done forever.http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/26/LA-districts-109-03.gif

[FezsAssistant]

agreed. also, there is a mandatory evacuation, so there's no reason for bodies to be floatin' down any streets.

But Nagin didn't want white people ordering him around, so he ignored their warnings. Lots of people died b/c of that. Then he blamed it on George Bush. the liberal media backed him up and he literally got away with murder. this is not to mention all the money that was given to them pre-Katrina to fix the levies, but they didn't fix a damn thing. they pocketed the money instead. then they blamed whitey for the results.

[ozzie]

As we headed back towards the coast this afternoon, it hit me just how many people were being evacuated. Traffic was backed up from Montgomery to Mobile. Then, heading East out of Mobile, it was slammed all the way to the Florida line. It's obvious most were not taking chances with this one. I'm not sure where everyone will end up, or if they'll have the money to stay once they get there, but I really wish them luck.

Now that it's here, this is no Katrina. Not even close, but you never know what these things can do.

New Orleans did not get the worst of the storm during Katrina. If the levees had held, the city would have come through just fine. Most suffered damage from flooding. The east side of the storm is the worst, and it was sad after Katrina that all of the media attention and support/supplies were going into New Orleans, but places just east of there were totally leveled, and they weren't getting the same relief.

We're on the east side right now, but far enough away that we're only getting feeder bands coming through at 50 mph or so, but a lot of tornadoes around.

I've been up for the last few hours trying to keep an eye out, and praying the power stays on. The radar images are scary, but it's easier knowing what's coming next, and how long it is supposed to last. Should be through here in the next hour or so... but I said that an hour ago too.

[Whiskeyportal]

In the town I'm living in the police set up road blocks and if you're i.d didn't read that you lived in liberty texas you are not welcome here. I met an elderly couple that had been driving for 17 hours and had no place to go. No motel rooms available anywhere near here. I felt really bad for them and all the people who just wanted to stop driving and rest but were unable to, at least not in this town. I can kind of see why they don't want those people here, but for the most part it's retarded. But they had a lot of crime problems during the last evacuation and they just want to watch out for the locals.

[ozzie]

Sorry, lack of sleep and too much stress. Last post was a little harsh.

Yes, I understand the sorrow for the people stuck in New Orleans after Katrina, and yes, it was sad. I wasn't taking anything away from their situation. I just wish the same attention was paid to those of us east of there.

If you tell someone you were in Southern Mississippi or Alabama during Katrina, most people not from this area wouldn't care, or even know where that was. But if you say you were in New Orleans, everyone wants to hear your story and give you their sympathy and support, not to mention the overwhelming relief that was sent to New Orleans after the storm, while a lot of the Mississippi coast (or what was left of it) was largely ignored.

The only thing I can think to compare (and this is a thin apples / oranges comparison) would be those in Jersey that were affected by 9/11. Most of us not from there only think of those affected in Manhattan and NYC, and forget how many of those people lived or had family in Jersey. If I hadn't been listening to WNEW during the days that followed, I probably wouldn't understand either.

Anyway, I was also feeling guilty about downplaying this storm. This is still very serious, and this time New Orleans will fall on the east side of the eye. The eye is coming on shore now, and I'm hoping it will break apart soon afterwards.

We're very fortunate that this thing didn't build more over the last two days, and Nagin and Louisiana officials were right to have mandatory evacuations. Everything was in place for this to be "the storm of the century".

Gas supplies are low, if there is any left at all at stations along the interstates. Travel back into the area may be difficult with closed roads, coastal flooding and lack of fuel. Many of the evacuees may be stuck away from their homes for days.

[ozzie]

In the town I'm living in the police set up road blocks and if you're i.d didn't read that you lived in liberty texas you are not welcome here. I met an elderly couple that had been driving for 17 hours and had no place to go. No motel rooms available anywhere near here. I felt really bad for them and all the people who just wanted to stop driving and rest but were unable to, at least not in this town. I can kind of see why they don't want those people here, but for the most part it's retarded. But they had a lot of crime problems during the last evacuation and they just want to watch out for the locals.

The area I'm in was the first point East after Katrina that had power back on after the storm, so we had a huge influx of refugees from LA and MS, but because of how many bridges were out, most of the evacuees from New Orleans were sent West into TX. We had our share of problems, but for the most part, people were willing to share what they had, and take in as many as they could. I'd be ashamed if I heard they were checking ID's today and telling people they had to move along. We've got shelters open all over the area, mostly set up for those along the coasts here that evacuated, but I would hope they would be open to anyone, no matter where they are from.

[Whiskeyportal]

The area I'm in was the first point East after Katrina that had power back on after the storm, so we had a huge influx of refugees from LA and MS, but because of how many bridges were out, most of the evacuees from New Orleans were sent West into TX. We had our share of problems, but for the most part, people were willing to share what they had, and take in as many as they could. I'd be ashamed if I heard they were checking ID's today and telling people they had to move along. We've got shelters open all over the area, mostly set up for those along the coasts here that evacuated, but I would hope they would be open to anyone, no matter where they are from.

I agree with you, they should be open to everyone. We're one the farthest towns east on the gulf that didn't have a mandatory evacuation. It's a small town with only a few motels and one small hospital. I'm sure that if worse came to worse they would have opened the shelters to whom ever needed them, but really we don't have the facilities to accommodate the large numbers of people that were trying to come here. I feel for everyone that was forced out of their homes.

[ahhdurr]

I was telling someone recently that I tend not to get personally hooked into news stories - even obvious tragedy like Katrina ... but that as my life changes it becomes more personal. When I see the old pictures of parents having to carry their babies out and crying and all it gets to me now.

It's hard enough when everthing's going right.

[sr71blackbird]

Why keep rebuilding a city that is near the coast and below sea level?

[Recyclerz]

Why keep rebuilding a city that is near the coast and below sea level?

The Port of New Orleans is one of the most important cogs in the country's economy.

If we had a government that was still able to think ahead and plan for the common good, we'd hire the Dutch to build a collection of locks, dams, etc. that actually worked. They've already done that in the Netherlands.

[sr71blackbird]

Not to be a dick, but if it was such an important port, why the hell wouldn't they have done that? The sea will always fill in a bowl of land with water, it is natural. If those lochs would work, they should build them there. If the government is unwilling, the state or the people should pony up the money. Me? I try to make my home in safe places. I dont live near tectonic instability, nor flood plains, nor on the sides of volcanos.

[bigredd]

Fuck the Dutch but not their liberal drug laws...I digress. Have an American company build the lochs and dams. Leave that money here and if its as big of a project as I'm imagining, it would not only create a ton of jobs, it'd bring in a ton of money to the area it was being built in via the service industry. I can see it now...we'll call it The New Orleans Deal. Put some of those apparently destitute people to work so they can rebuild their homes...below sea level.

[commish13]

They should build a dome around the city like in the Simpsons Movie.

[booster11373]

Fuck the Dutch but not their liberal drug laws...I digress. Have an American company build the lochs and dams. Leave that money here and if its as big of a project as I'm imagining, it would not only create a ton of jobs, it'd bring in a ton of money to the area it was being built in via the service industry. I can see it now...we'll call it The New Orleans Deal. Put some of those apparently destitute people to work so they can rebuild their homes...below sea level.

The contractor will only sub it and the sub will hire illegals

[bigredd]

Hire someone like Nader or a panel of them as an independent efficiency consultant to oversee those type deals. Hiring mostly local labor, budgets etc.

[sailor]

The Port of New Orleans is one of the most important cogs in the country's economy.

If we had a government that was still able to think ahead and plan for the common good, we'd hire the Dutch to build a collection of locks, dams, etc. that actually worked. They've already done that in the Netherlands.

it's only the 12th largest port in terms of value of cargo. and i don't think holland gets hurricanes, so that's to be taken into account. the levees work supperbly, until there's a giant hurricane, so who can tell just how good holland's set-up is..

[BinaryBimbo]

So today as I watched the news I was so overwhelmed with sadness.
Poor New Orleans.
I can't stop thinking about all the rebuilding they had done. All the people who have helped and all of the people who ARE still displaced from the last storm.
I heard the Rep. Convention was being pushed back..... I wonder how much of that is them wanting to avoid the split screen showing bodies floating down the street with stupid Bush's face telling us everything is AOK.

Anyhow the point is....

I think of New Orleans I cry.
Everytime.

Please put the bottle down and step away from the baby.


Just Kidding Casey!
:ohmy:

[BinaryBimbo]

So many of the people affected by the current and past events were born holding the "shitty end of the stick" as it is..
It makes you wonder why certain people have to suffer such a dispoportionatly high amount of the worlds pain.. :( Enough already, how about a fuckin time out already..:surrender:

I certainly hope god has a hella sweet repirations package..

Yeah agreed. It is unbelivable to wake up and watch this happening, (it looks like levees will fail at this point). That water is lapping hard at the tops of the levees, and this thing isn't half over yet.

I guess all we can do is hope for the best for those people; but it must suck to be them. I don't think I could handle losing everything twice in three years.

[debit]

Why would you live below sea level, next to a hurricane prone sea?

Smarten up.


Same with people who live next to active volcanoes. Or people who move next to the woods and then are surprised by wild fires or bears.

I feel bad for the children, who didn't chose to live there. But the adults are stupid and deserve what they get.

[Tall_James]

Why would you live below sea level, next to a hurricane prone sea?

Smarten up.


Same with people who live next to active volcanoes. Or people who move next to the woods and then are surprised by wild fires or bears.

I feel bad for the children, who didn't chose to live there. But the adults are stupid and deserve what they get.

Hey - Reggie Bush didn't ask to get drafted by the Saints. So its not his fault he's there either.

Just sayin.

[boosterp]

But Nagin didn't want white people ordering him around, so he ignored their warnings. Lots of people died b/c of that. Then he blamed it on George Bush. the liberal media backed him up and he literally got away with murder. this is not to mention all the money that was given to them pre-Katrina to fix the levies, but they didn't fix a damn thing. they pocketed the money instead. then they blamed whitey for the results.

He and the governor should have gone to trial. The head of FEMA at that time should have been shot for crimes against humanity, and we all know how inept Bush is.

In the town I'm living in the police set up road blocks and if you're i.d didn't read that you lived in liberty texas you are not welcome here. I met an elderly couple that had been driving for 17 hours and had no place to go. No motel rooms available anywhere near here. I felt really bad for them and all the people who just wanted to stop driving and rest but were unable to, at least not in this town. I can kind of see why they don't want those people here, but for the most part it's retarded. But they had a lot of crime problems during the last evacuation and they just want to watch out for the locals.

I was up at my property near Livingston and he evacuees were being directed north towards Tyler.

In 1901 Galveston, TX was leveled by a hurricane. At that time they trucked in loads of sand and dirt and raised the entire island then built a seawall that still protects it today. Now, while this would be too cost prohibitive to do in NO, maybe in certain parts you can. Like bulldoze the entire 9th, build it up, and build some fancy condos there for the people who actually contribute to society.