SSSS - Katrina

[kgsilvas]

Hurricane Katrina. So many people have died, and they're still finding more. All those others that have lost their homes.

[InfiniteNothing]

You have any numbers on the death toll? Seriously, I haven't heard much on the storm.

[kgsilvas]

It's getting close to 100. There were eight dead before it hit Mississippi. Here's some info from a current story. "The governor said the death toll in one Mississippi county alone could be as high as 80. "The devastation down there is just enormous," Gov. Haley Barbour said on NBC's "Today" show, the morning after Katrina howled ashore with winds of 145 mph and engulfed thousands of homes in one of the most punishing storms on record in the United States."

[nickel]

It's getting close to 100. There were eight dead before it hit Mississippi. Here's some info from a current story. "The governor said the death toll in one Mississippi county alone could be as high as 80. "The devastation down there is just enormous," Gov. Haley Barbour said on NBC's "Today" show, the morning after Katrina howled ashore with winds of 145 mph and engulfed thousands of homes in one of the most punishing storms on record in the United States."
it's sad, but i think we will find that most of those who have died were in areas where they were told to evacuate.

[DarkFury]

it's sad that most of those who have died were in areas where they were told to evacuate.
Such is the ultimate penalty for "hard headness" and "stubborness".

Growing up, we saw this all the time... you tell the folks on the beach to GET OUT NOW!!! and they act like it is playtime or something. But then they close the only access bridge out right before the storm is about to hit and they are trapped out there.

I'm just glad that my folks have learned... when anything greater than a Category 3 is bearing down on you... you board up and you get out of there. Traffic up I 65 is a b@tch heading to parts North, but staying alive is key... the stuff back there can be replaced and honestly with the time given you can't save most of it anyways.

It would be nice if people could afford the "tornado/hurricane" proof steel reinforced poured concrete houses... but honestly, they just cost too much relative to the economy down there. Those houses are designed to withstand 300+ MPH winds... if these folks were staying in those, then OK... hole up in there and hope for the best... Otherwise... Git the F out and live to rebuild.

Just tossin' their lives away due to pride and stubborness... it's just stupid. :2far:

[brainsmile]

unfortunately many times people underestimate the force of such storms or simply cannot get out in time.

[DarkFury]

unfortunately many times people underestimate the force of such storms or simply cannot get out in time.
While this may be true... honestly, hurricanes give you PLENTY of time to make the decision to go.

You have about 3 days lead time to prepare for it (buy food, water, batteries, plywood, etc...) and the forcasters give a pretty good heads up to where its projected path is. Now granted, if you are in the "watch" area, you don't pack up and leave... however in the "warning" track of a storm of this magnitude... you just don't chance it. We're talking about a 150 mile stretch here and even the parts just outside the eye are notorious for having numerous tornadoes touch down destroying stuff.

Honestly, you always think "it can't happen to me"... until it does. The really sad parts are... when they offered shelter locally and folks STILL refused to leave their homes thinking they'd survive. That close to the water and you already know that N.O. is below sea level... well that's just crazy. :2far:

[Cubsfan]

And then you get this guy, that GG quoted yesterday:


In downtown New Orleans, Chris Robinson who was calling via cellphone from his home was not doing so well.

“The water’s rising pretty fast. I got a hammer and an ax and a crowbar, but I’m holding off on breaking through the roof until the last minute. Tell someone to come get me please. I want to live.”

Translation: "I was too bullheaded to leave, so could someone else please put their life at risk so that I don't have to die because of my stupid decision?"

[chrisa86wm]

still, as a louisiana native, it sucks to see what is happening to new orleans.

[Hiro]

It would be nice if people could afford the "tornado/hurricane" proof steel reinforced poured concrete houses... but honestly, they just cost too much relative to the economy down there. Those houses are designed to withstand 300+ MPH winds... if these folks were staying in those, then OK... hole up in there and hope for the best... Otherwise... Git the F out and live to rebuild.
My girlfriends mother has one of these houses out in Palm Beach, FL. When the Hurricane hit their area last year, they had very little home damage. The only damage was a loss of some shingles. Their entire block was fine. If you walked two blocks over though, houses didn't do well at all.

These new houses are really built well to withstand this kind of devastative nature.

[kgsilvas]

OK, this sucks even more: "With much of the city flooded by Hurricane Katrina, looters floated garbage cans filled with clothing and jewelry down the street in a dash to grab what they could. In some cases, looting on Tuesday took place in full view of police and National Guard troops."

Looters filled industrial-sized garbage cans with clothing and jewelry and floated them down the street on bits of plywood and insulation as National Guard lumbered by.

Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold.

"To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said.

A man walked down Canal Street with a pallet of food on his head. His wife, who refused to give her name, insisted they weren't stealing from the nearby Winn-Dixie supermarket. "It's about survival right now," she said as she held a plastic bag full of purloined items. "We got to feed our children. I've got eight grandchildren to feed."

[zippyjuan]

OK, this sucks even more: "With much of the city flooded by Hurricane Katrina, looters floated garbage cans filled with clothing and jewelry down the street in a dash to grab what they could. In some cases, looting on Tuesday took place in full view of police and National Guard troops."

Looters filled industrial-sized garbage cans with clothing and jewelry and floated them down the street on bits of plywood and insulation as National Guard lumbered by.

Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold.

"To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said.

A man walked down Canal Street with a pallet of food on his head. His wife, who refused to give her name, insisted they weren't stealing from the nearby Winn-Dixie supermarket. "It's about survival right now," she said as she held a plastic bag full of purloined items. "We got to feed our children. I've got eight grandchildren to feed."

Sounds like the LA riots. They don't think that it is their neighbors they are stealing from. Most of the businesses and houses looted were local ones and it hurt the entire community. Some of the stores there never re-opened because of the looting and they lost places to shop and work.

[Mommypooh]

If anyone is going into the area to help or knows someone that is going to go down to help. Please help by passing this info on to help keep young children and babies safe. There is video on here of how to use sweat pants, shirts, or even a towel to carry a baby or child. This helps to keep them off the ground where they can get seriously hurt. As well as allows a parent to use both hands to steady themselves while climbing over debris. Thank you.

http://www.mamatoto.org/. (http://www.mamatoto.org/.)

[DarkFury]

My girlfriends mother has one of these houses out in Palm Beach, FL. When the Hurricane hit their area last year, they had very little home damage. The only damage was a loss of some shingles. Their entire block was fine. If you walked two blocks over though, houses didn't do well at all.

These new houses are really built well to withstand this kind of devastative nature.
Honestly, if I had the money... that's the kind of house I'd want down there. :D