Categories: uncategorized
Date: 02 September 2005 14:16:10
Via Buddhabelly on the forums at OSX Audio.
Been talking with some friends and associates that either have relatives in the emergency service bureaus or are newshounds reporting about the crisis. Some scary things going on besides the natural disaster damage caused by the hurricane, rather from the people themselves.
1. Surely by now you've heard about the looting. What's bad is that they're no longer just looting food/water/clothes to survive. They've emptied gunstores, stealing material items like TVs. Even police in uniform are non-chalantly walking through stores picking things of the shelves.
2. The police are severely underarmed. Looters and gangs have relieved a majority of policemen/stations of there armor and weapons. Some of these groups have taken to shooting police on sight and even taking shots at would be rescue helicopters/boats. I just read a report about one policeman that was shot in the head execution style, but is expected to recover.
3. Close to 10,000 national guard troops that should be stationed in Louisiana and the emergency equipment needed to aid in the effort are instead stationed in Iraq, and long overdue for a return for duty thanks to the stop-gap policy.
5. Up to 40% of fuels that come from Venezuela and other places we import from, let alone other resources, foodstuffs meats and grains, coffee etc, can't be brought into the ports all throughout the Gulf. Major refineries and piplelines are out of commission either due to damage or lack of manpower or electricity to run. Gas prices which were falling here have risen $0.27 in 2 days. Natural gas prices are expected to double by winter.
6. Estimates between 50,000 to 100,000 people didn't evacuate. 25,000 were sheltered in the Superdome, which is now being evacuated by busloads to Texas, are now being rushed/carjacked by gangs of people with guns.
7. 15 to 20 weeks to drain all water from the flooded areas of New Orleans. By this time, almost any structure that has been underwater will be structurally unstable or heavily contaminated by mold/mildew or other health threatening damage.
8. Bodies are floating everywhere. Estimated thousands dead, but also as almost all graveyards are above ground, there are many more dead added. Health problems will be felt for months to come.
I know someone's brother-in-law that was in New Orleans airport when all flights were grounded. Not only were they not able to leave by plane, but they weren't allowed to leave the airport period. He and his brother, along with some others, scoured the airport for a way out, broke out, went to the car rental shop they had just returned a car, broke into it and went back to the airport to get their families and drove straight through to Houston.
This is just in Louisiana/New Orleans that were relatively marginally hit by the storm itself. Mississippi/Alabama bore the brunt of the actual storm.
This, like most disasters are bringing out the very best and worse in people. Sad indeed. Musical/cultural history is one of the least important items at stake here. Many lives are hanging precariously over the edge.
Before and after satellite images.