Katrina's aftermath

lyra, i've been outta the news loop.. link to the article on prayer day?

And for every National Day of Prayer that the president proclaims, there's also a National Plastic Bag Suffocation Awareness Week. Big Whoop.

Bush Pledges to Expedite Aid to Gulf Region; Day of Prayer Is Set

"The government is going to be with you for the long haul," Mr. Bush said in a brief speech at the White House as he and Vice President Dick Cheney tried to counter charges that their administration had reacted slowly and ineffectively to the crisis. The president said that Sept. 16, next Friday, would be designated a national day of prayer and remembrance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial/08cnd-bush.html

also http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4227974.stm

and more:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=katrina+day+of+prayer&btnG=Search+News

I also love the new Republican song: "Let's Not Point Fingers (It's The Mayor's Fault)"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9255741/

Though it's a bit... unexpected to have this small story at the top of the MSN news bar.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/091904ccktWWLIvanFlaws.132602486.html

I'm going to Houston on business next week, and I think I got the *last* hotel room in the city. Everything is full up, which I think is a good sign.

In the parking lot outside the hangar sits George Lainart, a police officer from Georgia, who has led a flotilla of nine airboats over land to try to pitch in with the rescue. But his crew has been on the bench for two days, waiting for FEMA to assign them a mission. After making serial inquiries, Lainart is climbing out of his skin, and I later find out that his team circumvented FEMA altogether, got down to New Orleans, and stayed busy for five days straight. Though he shredded his hull by running over asphalt, cars, fire hydrants, and other debris, his crew saved nearly 800 people.

"FEMA was holding up everything, they didn't have a clue," complains Lainart. "They were an absolute roadblock, nobody was getting anywhere with those idiots. Everybody just started doing their own missions." While opinions on the ground differ wildly as to who deserves the most generous serving of blame pie among George W. Bush, Louisiana's governor, and New Orleans' mayor, everyone I speak with agrees that FEMA officials should spend their afterlives in the hottest part of Hell without any water breaks.

The longer Brown stays...

"Mike Chertoff made those decisions and I certainly support him," Cheney told reporters at the Austin convention center, which is housing about 1,500 evacuees. Some have called for Brown to be fired, but Cheney deferred to Chertoff.

also:

Cheney said the evacuees he spoke to in Texas on Saturday did not raise concerns about the FEMA shake-up but detailed their stories of escaping the devastation.

"Not one of them mentioned any of it," Cheney said in response to a question. "They're all very thankful where they find themselves right now."

Pat Robertson on Sunday said...“By choosing an avowed lesbian for this
national event, these Hollywood elites have clearly invited God’s
wrath,” Robertson said on “The 700 Club” on Sunday. “Is it any surprise
that the Almighty chose to strike at Miss Degeneres’ hometown?”

Robertson also noted that the last time Degeneres hosted the Emmys, in
2001, the September 11 terrorism attacks took place shortly before the
ceremony.

Where is Saladin's army when you need them?

http://datelinehollywood.com/archives/2005/09/05/robertson-blames-hurricane-on-choice-of-ellen-deneres-to-host-emmys/

there are six of us staying in a one bedroom house right now, but we plan to rent a bigger place soon and splitting the rent (possibly more than 6 ways as there are a couple more of our friends considering moving out here). the only problem is that the landlords around here are heartless bastards who will charge 50 dollars per night per person for anyone who spends the night at their properties who aren't signed on to the lease. one even said "we can't have all of new orleans just moving in here. this is a respectable community"

SO... if anyone has any leads on good jobs please drop me an email. i'll be checking my email here at the public library fairly regularly. this is probably a stretch, but if anyone knows a way a brother can get into Foley Arts in this town, let me know. I'm a lot more qualified/interested in starting that line of work than grip/electrician (though please, if you've got any leads there, let me know).

and if i get wheels/employment i'll need to know some cool clubs/bars/shows/whatever to check out so drop me some names plz.

Also, some insider info on Katrina:

My best friend's older brother was working at Charity Hospital until the "national guard" evacuated everyone from that hellhole. I use the quotes because despite what the news claims, he was actually rescued by renegade texas wildlife and fisheries agents who lied their way past FEMA and the national guard in order to help out. until then he had been sleeping on the roof with the rats for 3 hours every night to escape the stuffy cesspool of the hospital interior. The national guard had promised help on tuesday and then on every following day but no help ever came. at one point they told him to have his worse-off patients up on the roof ready to be flown away in helicopters. the helicopters chose instead to rescue comparatively healthy medical staff from the tulane clinic next door. two of his weaker patients died from the stress of being carried up and down the stairs on a stretcher by exhausted hospital workers. He had to treat all of his patients by penlight in oppressive heat, humidity, and stink. he's safe in cincinatti now with some of his family, but he's still fatigued, malnourished, and shell-shocked.

a friend of my dad's stayed uptown during the storm and wasn't rescued until a week after the storm hit. a tree fell on his house and it flooded on monday. during the looting crisis he had to fight for his life on multiple occasions (in hand to hand combat) and during the chaos was separated from his dog Rosco. he was rescued by the coast guard only to find out that his sister and brother, his only family members, had both lost their homes to the hurricane. he might be moving out here with us for a while. we got a message from him this morning that a firefighter from gonzales LA rescued his dog and he's on his way there now for a seriously emotional reunion.

one even said "we can't have all of new orleans just moving in here. this is a respectable community"

maybe this is worth publicizing?

It's really something. Trying to rush because I'm late for work and passing a Blazer with Louisiana plates, a family inside - the wife in the passenger seat looking at a map - well, it certainly can humble ya.

It's a new running joke around here: Some car poking along in the way on the street, turning suddenly without a blinker, and we get all riled up before we see the La or Miss plates. Then all is forgiven.

The other day, a good Christian co-worker stopped himself from saying "Godddamn" by exclaiming GOD -blessLouisiana!

Seal Beach is just one town over from my old stomping grounds in Belmont Shore so if you need any ideas give me a shout.

Seal Beach is kinda out of the way, but since you're without wheels at the moment, your best bet to get around would be to take the OCTA #1 bus to the Long Beach VA hospital and switch to the Long Beach Passport A or D bus to downtown Long Beach and then you can get the Blue Line train to downtown LA or Hollywood.

They still gave me some training on how to register folks, so i might just wander in for a bit over the weekend.

The Associated Press
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – An Idaho weatherman says Japan's Yakuza mafia used a Russian-made electromagnetic generator to cause Hurricane Katrina in a bid to avenge itself for the Hiroshima atom bomb attack — and that this technology will soon be wielded again to hit another U.S. city.

Meteorologist Scott Stevens, a nine-year veteran of KPVI-TV in Pocatello, said he was struggling to forecast weather patterns starting in 1998 when he discovered the theory on the Internet. It's now detailed on Stevens' Web site, www.weatherwars.info, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported.

Scientists discount Stevens' claims as ludicrous.

"I have been doing hurricane research for the better part of 20 years now, and there was nothing unusual to me about any of the satellite imagery of Katrina," said Rob Young, a hurricane expert at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. "It's laughable to think it could have been manmade."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002508576_webkatrinatheory20.html

cool!

"We are not saying these MREs are unfit or unsafe. We're saying they don't meet the importation standards, and they are being set aside."

that should ease some people's minds, but now that i've actually seen firsthand just how pitiful their individual aid packages are, i'm rethinking all the nice things i've said about the organization.

We've been thru so many of these things and communications technology has improved so much that we can do this all better.

but it won't. At least they're making some noise in our city up in the Pacific NW that "hey, when the Big One finally hits, we might be completely fucked."

I bought one of those shake-for-2-minutes flashlights the other day. Bring on the Seattle earthquakes, I'm prepared with my little shake-powered-LED-flashlight!

i live at the top of a hill, but ya never know.

in portland?!?!?? you're insane bro!

but yeah, i'm far more likely to die in an earthquake, or by one of our local prominent volcanoes decides to wake up again...

but ya never know.

I heard on the news just this morning that approx 75% of the whites on N. O. and 65% of the black had vehicles according to the last cencus. I blamed everyone at the time because I thought no one cared enough to provide transportation for the poor etc. to get out of harms way but now I find that most of them choose to stay. This doesn't take any of the responsibility off the local officials that did not provide any transportation for those who did not have a way out. I can't help but feel some would have left if they could.

People become to laid back about their safety because they have not experienced things like hurricanes etc. Living in Florida all my live I have seen and been through many. I do not and will not stay if anything more than a cat 2 is coming through. I live in Okeechobee, Fl. and we too have a levy that sourrounds Lake Okeechobee and almost everyone knows this levy will not hold should a Cat 3 stall over the lake. Anyone living near the lake who doesnot evacuate puts their lives in danger and in the hands of GOD.

FlMoonshadow

Fl. Native

I doubt many families evacuated the city using all the vehicles in their household. This is just one reason why you're talking crazy talk.