Truth Out Loud

February 28, 2006

New Orleans fakes Mardi Gras

Blue tarps are becoming a permanent roofing material. Business signs are left in ruins. Businesses are still closed or only open very limited hours. Fallen trees on trailers are becoming permanent landmarks. Debris is becoming the hedge of choice.

Watching New Orleans fake Mardi Gras is just embarrassing. Its like watching Christmas unfold when no one believes in Christ or Santa Claus. People are going through the motions but the heart is gone because the people are gone.

Virtually none of the people living here ever thought they would need a calendar to plan their Mardi Gras, since that would be like planning to attend February. But this year, many people pulled out their calendars and pointed their fingers at the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and wondered whether to go.

New Orleans is in trouble and no amount of false optimism is going to change it. Four hurricanes have hit New Orleans, Katrina, Rita, disaster planning failure and disaster recovery failure. In the last 6 months FEMA has almost destroyed the local economy. They have flooded New Orleans with free housing, free food, free money and inflated pay for little or no work. Local businesses are choking to death trying to compete but why should someone work for a living when government assistance is practically forced on people. New Orleans will recover when the government stops paying people to sit idle. Assuming the damage is not already permanent.

Posted by Sid at 05:05 PM | Comments (0) | Disasters

February 05, 2006

Egyptian ferry sink themselves

This is a clear indication of ignorance or dereliction of duty.

"The ferry sank due to firefighting operations. Water flooded the garage (car deck), which is where the fire started, and it pooled on one side," he said.

"Then the water increased and increased until the ship listed sharply. It listed five, then 10 degrees and then 15 and then 25 degrees and that was the beginning of the end," added Kamal, who was rescued from a dinghy by Saudi coastguards.

I can only assume the man in charge was there through political connections. No boat master with half a mind would do something this foolish.

Posted by Sid at 04:50 PM | Comments (0) | Disasters

January 02, 2006

New Orleans rejects FEMA housing for hurricane victoms

After all the complaints FEMA had to endure from New Orleans hurricane victims we now find that New Orleans residents are rejecting temporary housing provided by FEMA. A rejection based on property values and concerns over possible criminal elements among the returning refugees.

Vivianna Meskill cited a very different bottom-line consideration in explaining her opposition to a park approved for Loyola University staff in Kenner, where she lives. "Nobody can guarantee that the price of my property won't be affected," Meskill said. "Compassion is all right, but compassion can't be at the expense of my property."

Nobody wanted to see a great big -- well -- a slum, and those things have a tendency to get that way," said John O'Leary, who works for the Army Corps of Engineers but was the director of community/

That galls Glendalyn Lewis, who lost her eastern New Orleans home and is living in Texas with her husband. She said she is anxious to return to the city and pointed to her long education career and the success of her children as evidence that evacuees shouldn't be branded as riffraff.

"You forgot about those who did hold down their jobs, who reared their kids: just everyday people," she said. "That's what they forgot about. We weren't the enemy, but now it seems that we are. My city appears not to want me. That's the worst part."

It is a travesty against compassion that total strangers in neighboring states will take New Orleans residents into their homes and their city neighbors won't even allow them temporary housing back home.

Posted by Sid at 12:09 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

October 19, 2005

FEMA is the Bull in the China Closet

FEMA through its blind generosity may do more to destroy New Orleans through assistance then the Hurricanes ever hoped to do with wind and water. This is not really new concept; the policies of the great society that tried to eradicate poverty devastated the black and poor communities of American by creating financial incentive for poor behavior. Why should someone work if they are paid not to and why should someone move out of crime ridden government subsidized housing if it’s practically free.

Today we have FEMA creating much the same damage by throwing money around in ways that distort and disrupt normal sensible actions by individuals. Local businesses are loosing long time employees to the get rich quick paying practices instituted by FEMA. There has been much talk about Bush suspending Davis-Bacon which requires the payment of comparable wages but if anything this allowed local officials to pay MORE instead of less and avoid the red tape. Our company alone just lost an employee of 8 years who abandoned his job in the middle of the day to go haul trash at obscene FEMA subsidized pay levels. There is no way this will be considered long term employment but the lure of fast easy money can be huge.

Combine that with yearlong subsides for people lodged outside of New Orleans and zero subsidies for individuals staying with family or friends and you have a recipe for disaster. I have a horrible suspicion that these new FEMA trailer parks are going to become the next great American slum zones attracting all sorts of human debris. Our company has a standing policy of refusing to hire anyone who quits without a two week notice. This young man threw away 8 years of career good will and training for a fast buck. What will he do when the FEMA gravy train leaves?

Posted by Sid at 12:26 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

October 13, 2005

If Illegal Aliens Can Find New Orleans Why Can't its Citizens

We have to sit here and listen to people like Jesse Jackson complain that the Bush administration is racist and not doing enough to get the native residents back to New Orleans to fill the job opportunities that are all over the place. I have seen the street corners myself with multiple firms begging for workers. Business are only open part time because they lack the staff for full hours. Now we get this.

At a recent seminar about the rebuilding efforts, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin asked the crowd: "How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?"

Forget the short sighted response which would stifle the rebuilding or the racist undertones. How is it that illegal aliens can overrun a city with law enforcement supposedly keeping them out and the native citizens of New Orleans cannot get back without government assistance?

Hat-tip: Wizbang

Posted by Sid at 11:58 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

October 08, 2005

What I Personally Saw and Heared in New Orleans

The company where I work has an office in New Orleans and I had to go up there this week to do some work. What I saw made me sad in a lot of ways, New Orleans has never been what I would call a clean town but now it is littered with debris. Most buildings are still standing but many are damaged and some even appear to be abandoned.

I would say about a third of business have reopened on a limited hours basis. Some gas stations had fuel but usually not of all grades. Some restaurants were open but usually with limited hours or menus. Store shelves in some cases notably had certain stocks while missing others. Home Depot was doing a booming business but was also selling bottled water and canned tuna. Not something I would consider normal home improvement fare. It was odd how you could go to one place and eat a excellent combo shrimp and catfish dinner and then know in other areas there was still no electricity or clean drinking water.

While traveling in from Houston I passed FEMA shelters with people lounging outside still homeless with no idea what to do next. There are still a few abandoned cars on the side of the road. On the lake side of I-10 I passed row after row of houses where the streets were lined with destroyed carpet, furniture, trees and other water damaged debris. There is definitely more than one story playing out here. Streets are now packed with cars and trucks hauling off debris though it is still practically impossible to catch one of the rare flights in which is why I am driving. The airport is all but empty of planes.

As for the people, there are those that just accepted the setback and leapt into action, there are those that are trying to make sure outsiders are kept out so they reap any benefits and there are those that have just abandoned New Orleans all together.

The contractor I was working with was eager to get back to work even though their office was under 7 foot of water. She told me about a fellow employee of hers that found his father dead in his home. Our office manager tells me about the week she had without power and the 15 or so relatives, friends and friends of those friends now living with her that had their homes totally washed away at Crystal Beach where she used to live. We have had 3-4 employees that have decided not to bother coming back to New Orleans and have heard of many other businesses suffering the same loss. This explains the limited hours as many businesses no longer have a full staff. The streets are lined now with many small signs letting people know which businesses are open and who is hiring.

I listen to the local radio and hear a town meeting in progress. One person wants to make sure the schools are rebuilt right this time rather then rebuilt in the old failed manner. A second man wants to make sure any rebuilding money goes to local contractors instead of outside contractors. Why is someone always more interested in his share then speedy recovery?

I did not get to see much of New Orleans and this was probably one of the least damaged sections so I shudder to think of what some areas may be suffering particularly where the storm surge had its most significant impact. Like one picture from my friend showing a refrigerator in a tree near a pile of debris that used to be her friends home. New Orleans will recovery eventually I am sure but it looks like it will take some doing.

Posted by Sid at 01:38 AM | Comments (2) | Disasters

October 05, 2005

Is Nagin a Ghostbuster?

Mayor Nagin has announced layoffs affecting 3000 city employees. Some of us wonder if these are actually real people or are they members of the phantom police department.

An investigation into the department defections was showing evidence that many of the officers never existed but were instead an attempt to paper over manpower reports to prevent federal takeover of the force. Others claimed numbers were inflated as a deterrent to crime. That’s right; they wanted to deter crime by telling people that cops were there when they weren't. I wonder how they decided when to send real or phantom cops?

This could be the largest paranormal exorcism in American history.

Posted by Sid at 12:58 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 28, 2005

The New Orleans Levee Was Another Success by Louisiana Standards

In another display of success we get this comment about the New Orleans levees.

And despite the catastrophic flooding, Huey says, "As far as the overall flood protection system, it's intact, it's there today, it worked. In 239 miles of levees, 152 floodgates, and canals throughout this entire city, there was only two areas."

Just think, the levee was a success by Levee Board President Jim Huey own words. It only suffered two small holes. This is why it was OK to spend the excess money elsewhere.
Luckily this fountain did not flood New Orleans thanks to the boards Herculean efforts.

The unveiling of the Mardi Gras Fountain was celebrated this year in typical New Orleans style. The cost of $2.4 million was paid by the Orleans Levee Board, the state agency whose main job is to protect the levees surrounding New Orleans — the same levees that failed after Katrina hit.

Beyond the fountain, there's the $15 million spent on two overpasses that helped gamblers get to Bally's riverboat casino. Critics tried and failed to put some of that money into flood protection.

There was also $45,000 for private investigators to dig up dirt on radio host and board critic Robert Namer.

Namer sued and the board then spent another $45,000 to settle.

With this standard I can rest at ease next time I cross a Louisiana bridge.

Posted by Sid at 12:33 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 26, 2005

Poor Bush, All of the Blame, None of the Credit

Bush got blamed for every failure during Katrina regardless of who was at fault. He was also criticized for not being involved.

Now the Rita evacuation moves unprecedented numbers of people out of the storm path where local and state officials get well deserved credit (except for some fuel glitches).

Bush gets no credit for the successes. All his coverage revolves around concern that his presence may distract from rescue operations. Where are the Jessie Jackson’s and others praising Bush's efforts to evacuate minorities?

The reality is Bush had no responsibility for either. Texas (like Florida, Alabama and Mississippi) demonstrated what competent state and local officials can do. Louisiana demonstrated unequaled state and local incompetence. Bush deserved no credit or blame for either result. It breaks my heart that Louisiana's recovery is in the hands of the same corrupt people that led them to disaster in the first place. Billions will now be flushed down that rat hole and the people of Louisiana will be left with nothing in return.

Posted by Sid at 12:59 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

Louisiana State Sponsored Looting Begins

Louisiana has always been known for its corruption but it seems no disaster is too horrific to be used as an opportunity to elevate this avarice to unprecedented heights.

Louisiana's congressional delegation has requested $40 billion for Army Corps of Engineers projects in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, about 10 times the annual Corps budget for the entire nation, or 16 times the amount the Corps has said it would need to protect New Orleans from a Category 5 hurricane[emphasis mine].

Why so much when it is not needed for levee construction?

The bill, unveiled last week, would create a powerful "Pelican Commission" controlled by Louisiana residents that would decide which Corps projects to fund, and ordered the commission to consider several controversial navigation projects that have nothing to do with flood protection. The Corps section of the Louisiana bill, which was supported by the entire state delegation, was based on recommendations from a "working group" dominated by lobbyists for ports, shipping firms, energy companies and other corporate interests.

Pure unrepentant political pork.

Louisiana is probably the one state in the union that could spend 16 times the money needed to build levees specifically on levee construction and still not end up with any levees.

Posted by Sid at 12:26 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 24, 2005

Back Home Safe and Sound From Rita Evac

Well Rita seems to have been 90% Katrina hype. It appears the evacuation created more death and mayhem then the storm itself.

On my way back home I passed about 200 cars that were abandoned on the side of the road. Most were about 100 miles from Houston. Seems those closer in were being moved by wreckers. I saw one motor home on the way back that was a burned out wreck on the side of the road. No idea if anyone was hurt. There was some roof damage and fallen trees along the way back down I-59 but not much more. Still no gas though.

At my house just up I-45 from Galveston I still had all utilities including internet as you can see. At this point I am sitting pretty as I saw very little traffic coming in so it was an easy drive.

Posted by Sid at 04:20 PM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 23, 2005

I Rode the Rita Evac Down I-59 and Survived

We arrived in Nacogdoches safe and sound. We spent 16 hours making what is usually a 3 hour drive and I consider us the lucky ones. I heard some people spent 16 hours just trying to exit the Houston city limits. Next time I think I will just stay home and drown. I was one of those poor souls that spent some time sentenced to the I-59 creeping parking lot. Imagine a 100 mile long parking lot moving along at 3 miles an hour and you get a small idea of what happened.

We were lucky; I filled up with gas just as I left Houston and was able to make it to my destination on a single tank without having to get a refill. Others were not so lucky. We must have passed at least 200 cars on the way that were out of gas, broken down or wrecked. While not quite as bad, someone of the radio described it fairly well. Imagine the superdome in Louisiana but spread over 100 miles of highway. Half the gas stations in route were out of gas and the rest had lines of 10-20 cars snaking away from each pump. Stop to use the bathroom and the lines for the women’s restroom were 5-10 deep (You know us men, we don't need no stinking restroom).

I have to say I was surprised at the gridlock but I managed to avoid most of it by taking some back roads. Others were not so creative and suffered for it. What really irritated me though were the people trying to make an extra lane out of the shoulder and cutting in front of those more patient. There was a constant stream of these retards which I am sure was wearing on everyone’s nerves. Then it got worse. No longer satisfied with a shoulder lane some decided to start a DITCH lane next to the shoulder lane. That’s right, they pulled into the ditch and started passing those trying to be good civic examples. I really hope they one day they get what they deserve for this behavior. My guess is they are the kind that would snatch up a baby and use it as a shield from a sniper.

Another interesting thing I noted was the litter. The parking lots of those stores remaining open were converted into dump sites by those passing through.

That said I have to give some credit to my daughters friends. They are letting us stay with them at their apartment and all they know about us is that our daughter is a hottie. What can I say, they are college boys.

Posted by Sid at 12:31 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 22, 2005

Preparing to Run From Rita Like a Frightened Little Girl

Hurricane Rita is bearing down on the Texas coast. Here is what I did:

(03:30) Last night I backed up my office computers and this morning I loaded all system backups into my van. Our Office in Houston is concrete warehouse construction so our hope is it will weather the storm OK. While at the office I covered all the sensitive equipment and files with drop cloth in case the ceiling leaks. The roof is strong but is prone to leaking in some areas. Most of the sensitive stuff is on the second floor so water damage risk there is minimal. Being on the bayou though I expect flooding on the first floor may be possible. I left the office about 2PM to go home and help load up to leave. I 45 out of Galveston was a bumper to bumper crawl. On the upside it appears the Galveston officials know how to use their buses. I saw a bunch headed off the island full of evacuees.

The wife has been packing most of the day I have been loading the stuff into the van and picking up the yard. As usual the term travel light has no real meaning. I expect we will have a van full before we head out. It turns out formal wear (suits, prom dresses, etc) are absolute necessities.

(05:41) I just managed to get TWO, yes I said TWO wasp stings on my right wrist while clearing the yard. They hurt like hell but what can you do. We checked and every single hotel in Texas is full. It appears we will be heading up to Nachedoches where my daughter is going to school. Just heard Rita is category 5. This is going to be ugly.

(06:53) Loaded more stuff, got the plywood out for the windows. Dodged TWO more wasp nests. I had no clue my backyard had become so infested. Wrist is all swollen now. Sure am glad I precut most of the plywood for the windows about 12 years ago. I mostly just have to lift it in place and fasten it in. Rita is now the 3rd strongest hurricane in history.

(07:55) All the windows boarded up that we could. Still packing. Good greif I am getting too old for this. It seems fossil collections are a necessity. If I am lucky we may forget to take the cat with us when we leave. I have my fingers crossed.

(08:48) Wife made me take Benedril. It seems that when your wrist swells up the size of your ankle it's a bad thing. Most everything is packed and battened down. time to eat and think of those last minute items.

(12:44am) Boarded up, loaded up and heading out. I suspect I will be on the road for the next 8 hours in crawling traffic. Wish me luck.

Posted by Sid at 05:25 PM | Comments (2) | Disasters

September 19, 2005

Rita Wants me Dead

That path goes right through my attic.

Posted by Sid at 05:49 PM | Comments (1) | Disasters

September 17, 2005

Slow Response to Katrina is Not About Race But Rebuilding Will Be

That giant sucking sound is your tax dollars being spent at a record rate.

Given the fierce political backlash to the stumbling relief effort in the days after the hurricane struck, House Republican leaders have been reluctant to stand in the way of any emergency legislation.

This disaster response has been turned into an issue of race regardless of what some may say. When race gets injected into the discussion no amount of government largess is too small. The guilt and fear of being considered a racist is a two edged sword that can bring the most responsible politician in line.

There is no doubt that the nation needs to assist in the recovery of the region but this may be going too far. Many lost everything but the bill is already $64 billion and is expected to top $200 billion in federal aid before we are done. I will be watching, if this level of government spending results in the renewed corruption, crime and poverty that existed before I will be one unhappy voter. Bush has never been a fiscal conservative but this effort to buy his way out of political trouble does not inspire my support.

Posted by Sid at 12:17 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 15, 2005

Reliable Source Says Levee in New Orleans Blown Up

So says Louis Farrakahn.

"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach," Farrakhan explained. "It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry."

Do black Americans every get upset that their "so called" leaders think they are that ignorant?

Posted by Sid at 12:04 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 12, 2005

FEMA May be One of the Few Who did Their Job

Jack Kelly actually compared the FEMA response to Katrina to previous hurricanes. It appears FEMA responded faster then ever.

Jason van Steenwyk is a Florida Army National Guardsman who has been mobilized six times for hurricane relief. He notes that:

"The federal government pretty much met its standard time lines, but the volume of support provided during the 72-96 hour was unprecedented. The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne."

For instance, it took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in strength on the scene in Homestead, Fla. after Hurricane Andrew hit in 2002. But after Katrina, there was a significant National Guard presence in the afflicted region in three.

You would never know this seeing how they are being ripped in the mainstream uninformed media.

Posted by Sid at 12:46 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

The Last Train and Another Lost Opportunity

The more you look the uglier it gets. Flooded and useless buses, blocked food and water and now a missed train.

In fact, while the last regularly scheduled train out of town had left a few hours earlier, Amtrak had decided to run a "dead-head" train that evening to move equipment out of the city. It was headed for high ground in Macomb, Miss., and it had room for several hundred passengers. "We offered the city the opportunity to take evacuees out of harm's way," said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. "The city declined."

So the ghost train left New Orleans at 8:30 p.m., with no passengers on board.

Sometimes you wonder if they seriously wanted people to leave town.

Posted by Sid at 12:02 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 09, 2005

Man's inhumanity to man Louisiana style

In another example of Louisiana third world regional fiefdoms we get this dispicable response from the neighbors of New Orleans.

So late Wednesday afternoon, the group set out for a bridge called the Crescent City Connection, where they would find the help they so desperately needed. But when they arrived atop the highway, the paramedics said, they were met by more police officers, this time from neighboring Gretna, La., who weren't letting anyone pass.

"If I weren't there, and hadn't witnessed it for myself, I don't think I would have ever believed this," Bradshaw said.

The officers fired warning shots into the air and then leveled their weapons at members of the crowd, Bradshaw said. He approached, hands in the air, displaying his paramedic's badge.

"They told us that there would be no Superdomes in their city,'' the couple wrote. "These were code words that if you are poor and black, you are not crossing the Mississippi River -- and you weren't getting out of New Orleans.''

And when exhausted hurricane victims set up temporary shelters on the highway, Gretna police came back a few hours later, fired shots into the air again, told people to "get the f -- off the bridge" and used a helicopter to blow down all the makeshift shelters, the paramedics said.

When the officers had pushed the crowd back far enough, one of them took the group's food and water, dropped it in the trunk of a patrol car and drove away.

Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson confirmed that his officers were under his orders to seal off the suburban city of 17,500 residents.

The whole thing is worth reading because the remaining New Orleans officials weren’t much better. Is this what Louisiana calls a disaster recovery plan?

Posted by Sid at 11:05 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

Governer Blanco Was in Charge

Here is what appears to be a fairly evenhanded article from the New York Times on what many suspect was the political wrangling going on behind the scenes. It appears the Bush administration did consider taking control when they saw the Governor floundering but ultimately backed off.

What does this mean? It means Blanco was in charge the entire time and all decisions regarding planning, preparation and implementation were hers including the refusal to allow food and water delivered to those at the superdome. Face it, that was the flash point, seeing 30,000 men, women and children suffer night after night when all they had to do was walk out or have supplies delivered in, supplies that were less then 5 miles away but blocked by authorities because they wanted to flush people out of the city.

"Can you imagine how it would have been perceived if a president of the United States of one party had pre-emptively taken from the female governor of another party the command and control of her forces, unless the security situation made it completely clear that she was unable to effectively execute her command authority and that lawlessness was the inevitable result?" asked one senior administration official, who spoke anonymously because the talks were confidential.

Personally I would have liked to see Bush take control of the situation and let them whine. The words Nazi, Fascist and dictator would have covered the landscape like mosquitoes in a Louisiana swamp afterwards though. Bush was in a no-win situation. The question now is do we really want to federalize all potential natural disasters to avoid these partisan/incompetence issues.

Will the media and the democrats recognize Blancos control and responsibility? I doubt it.

Posted by Sid at 12:39 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 08, 2005

Governor Blanko Tries to Starve Blacks Out of the City?

Charges of racism are flying all over the place now. As usual, anytime the African American community is adversely impacted the race pimps beat the Bushes for the next available white male republican to blame. In this case they had to pass on the police chief (black), mayor (black) and Governor (female) to climb all the way up to President Bush. Forget the fact that all the president usually does in these situations is provide resources. Well in this case the first responders under the direction of Governor Blanco became in the words of Michelle Malkin "first obstructers".

The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.

But, what they have said consistently is, and what they told the Red Cross, we don't want you to come in there, because we have evacuees that we want to get out. And if you come in, they're more likely to stay. So I want your listeners to follow me here. At the very moment that Ray Nagin, the Mayor of New Orleans was screaming where's the food, where's the water, it was over the overpass, and state officials were saying you can't come in.

What kind of government tactic involves basically starving 30,000 men, women and children out of the city, particularly when you are making no effort to rescue them.

Red Cross web site confirms that local authorities would not allow them in:

The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

The Red Cross explaination is well worth reading in its entirety. It confirms the local governments responsibility for the total lack of rescue response.

Posted by Sid at 12:07 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

Louisiana Prepares to Loot America Over Katrina

Here is an excellent article highlighting Louisiana's long history of Corp of Engineer boondoggles, misappropriations and poor priorities.

Yesterday, congressional defenders of the Corps said they hoped the fallout from Hurricane Katrina would pave the way for billions of dollars of additional spending on water projects. Steve Ellis, a Corps critic with Taxpayers for Common Sense, called their push "the legislative equivalent of looting."

"Saving New Orleans gets no more emphasis than draining wetlands to grow corn and soybeans."

Obviously state priorities have never been about protecting the states citizens. Hang on to your wallets.

Posted by Sid at 12:05 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 06, 2005

How Does a Six-Year-Old Get Left In Charge of Five Babies

Unbelievable.

In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard, this group of refugees stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader.

They were holding hands. Three of the children were about 2 years old, and one was wearing only diapers. A 3-year-old girl, who wore colorful barrettes on the ends of her braids, had her 14-month-old brother in tow. The 6-year-old spoke for all of them, and he told rescuers his name was Deamonte Love.

Read the entire story of love, sacrifice and the happy ending.

Posted by Sid at 12:59 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

Rescue 'ticket'

This is what happens when people are taught that others don't care.

I am stunned by an interview I conducted with New Orleans Detective Lawrence Dupree. He told me they were trying to rescue people with a helicopter and the people were so poor they were afraid it would cost too much to get a ride and they had no money for a "ticket." Dupree was shaken telling us the story. He just couldn't believe these people were afraid they'd be charged for a rescue.

This is what happens when you live in a community where everyone is fighting with each other for survival. This is what happens when your educational institutions and law enforcement are failing you.

Posted by Sid at 12:30 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

New Orleans Style 3rd World Rescue Hospitality

Demand that hurricane victims show their breasts if they want rescue.

"I could not describe how bad the authorities were, taking photographs of us as we are standing on the roof waving for help, for their own personal photo albums, little snapshot photographs," Scott told BBC News.

Scott said there was a group of girls standing on the lobby's roof, calling out to passing rescuers for help.

"[The authorities] said to them, 'Well, show us what you've got' – doing signs for them to lift their T-shirts up. The girls said no, and [the rescuers] said 'well fine,' and motored off down the road in their motorboat. That's the sort of help we had from the authorities," he said.

Had this been anywhere but New Orleans I would have written it off as utter nonsense.

Posted by Sid at 12:21 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

Nagin Praises Bush and Slams His State Leadership

Even Mayor Nagin recognized the changing tide.

"I'm so happy that the president came down here," Nagin said of Bush's Friday visit to Louisiana in an interview with CNN. "He came down and saw it, and he put a general on the field. His name is General Honore. And when he hit the field, we started to see action."

But Nagin had harsh words for his state's leaders, telling CNN: "What the state was doing, I don't frigging know. But I tell you, I am pissed. It wasn't adequate."

Posted by Sid at 12:05 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 05, 2005

Mayor Nagin, Man of Action

Posted by Sid at 02:31 PM | Comments (0) | Disasters

You May Know Me, I Play a Hero in the Movies

This is what happens when a publicity stunt goes bad.

Penn had planned to rescue children waylaid by Katrina's flood waters, but apparently forgot to plug a hole in the bottom of the vessel, which began taking water within seconds of its launch.

The actor, known for his political activism, was seen wearing what appeared to be a white flak jacket and frantically bailing water out of the sinking vessel with a red plastic cup.

With the boat loaded with members of Penn's entourage, including a personal photographer, one bystander taunted the actor: "How are you going to get any people in that thing?"

It's a shame his personal photographer wasn't catching the action. It has academy award winning comedy written all over it.

Posted by Sid at 12:19 AM | Comments (1) | Disasters

Watching the New Orleans Police Department Disentigrate

This is heartbreaking.

There may be no better way to explain the desperation on the city's ravaged streets than this: In the past few days, two police officers took their own lives and dozens have turned in their badges.

Several dozen of the city's 1,600 police officers have failed to report for duty, and some have turned in their badges.

Published reports put the number as high as 200, but Riley declined to comment on those figures, saying more than 100 officers may have been trapped in their own homes or unable to reach command centers.

Especially when you consider that these first responders are the ones tasked with maintaining order until state and federal aid can arrive.

Posted by Sid at 12:05 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters

September 04, 2005

When Stealing is Heroism

One of the more interesting stories of heroism to emerge from the chaos that is hurricane katrina is the story about the theft of a school bus. This brave resourceful soul filled the bus with as many people as he could find and headed to Houston for shelter.

When he arrived at the Astrodome about 10 p.m. Wednesday, 20-year-old Jabbar Gibson modestly confessed that he had commandeered a school bus in New Orleans, then picked up about 70 passengers before heading out for the 13-hour trek to Houston.

Stealing a bus is a felony.

It's also an act of heroism.

Word is he had never before driven a bus in his life.

Posted by Sid at 03:06 PM | Comments (2) | Disasters

September 03, 2005

New Orleans Local Government Incompetance on Display

Bush calls the governor and calls for the evacuation while the governor and mayor sat on their hands.

Gov. Blanco said President George W. Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.

Speaking Sunday, Bush said that he "cannot stress enough the dangers this hurricane poses to Gulf Coast communities."

"I urge all citizens to put their own safety and the safety of their families first by moving to safe ground," he said

New Orleans mass transit left in ruins when it should have been carrying people out of the city.

Nagin lashed out at federal officials yesterday for the government's relief efforts, pleading for the government to round up "500 buses" to send to New Orleans to evacuate survivors.

Before Katrina hit, the New Orleans Regional Transportation Authority operated at least 364 buses, probably more.

Not including school buses.

If each bus could hold just 60 people, NORTA's 364 buses had the capacity to take almost 22,000 peope out of harm's way per trip. Given that Nagin ordered the compulsory evacuation of the city two days before the storm hit, there was sufficient time for more than one trip - sufficient time to move tens of thousands of the city's poorest residents out of New Orleans by bus before Katrina arrived.

Nagin is screaming for buses now, but when he had them he failed to use them.

Things will get much better fast now that the adults have arrived.

Posted by Sid at 12:54 AM | Comments (0) | Disasters