Not Just Another Hurricane. A Historically Big Deal

I was wrong.

The news over the last week has been unrelenting in the depth, breadth, and width of the destruction, not just the buildings -- and not even merely the infrastructure.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Saying the city was "completely destroyed" and "a hazard," the New Orleans deputy police chief urged remaining residents Monday to get out because there was no power, drinkable water or food supply.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/05/katrina.new.orleans/index.html

Half a million people used to live in New Orleans, and perhaps another quarter million in the surrounding 50 mile radius?

It could be three to eight months before all the water is pumped out.

This is not just Hurricane Andrew, it is Pompeii.

Post 1

Monday, September 5, 2005 - 6:53pm

True, but still the bulk of the responsibility lies with governmental incompetence. From the failure to adequately reinforce the levees to the guards at the Astrodome to the lack of communication within FEMA, the situation is far worse than it would have been if government had been half-way competent before the hurricane and had simply gotten out of the way during and afterwards.

Post 2

Monday, September 5, 2005 - 6:55pm

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Michael E. Marotta said: �NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Saying the city was "completely destroyed" and "a hazard," the New Orleans deputy police chief urged remaining residents Monday to get out because there was no power, drinkable water or food supply.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/05/katrina.new.orleans/index.html�

Oh, bullshit. Here�s the reason the police chief wants everyone out: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2005/050905policelooting.htm. At least here they do it openly. Make no mistake about this unbelievable video: the scary part isn�t that they are stealing openly in front of an NBC camera... the scary part is that we, as a �society,� have been conditioned not to care and to ignore it.

Ignore it at your peril.

- B.

www.loveisearned.com

Instant Messenger:

AOL: brilovett, MSN: blovett@gsb.uchicago.edu, Yahoo: bm_lovett

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Post 3

Monday, September 5, 2005 - 8:09pm

I'm just enraged. All I can think of is the lead-up to the train wreck in Atlas Shrugged. A dozen bureaucrats all falling all over each other trying to NOT take blame. So busy doing so that they have failed to do ANYTHING constructive.

This is a disaster far beyond the scope of any private entity to cope with. A half-dozen industries, at least, took a huge hit because of the storm. The number of displaced people is going to put an unimaginable strain on the entire South. If there is any time a government might be needed to step in and straighten things out, this is it.

Except that the idiots in charge can't even manage to build a dam or stop anarchist looting. About all they can do, apparently, is stage photo-ops for Bush to hug people, and then pack up and leave before they get asked to ACTUALLY help out.

It just makes me sick. So much *preventable* death and destruction, so many moochers doing nothing but passing the buck.

Post 4

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - 5:47am

A positive view of relief efforts appears here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05254/568876.stm

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is not a "real" newspaper, but rather a rightwing blog. Even so, it offers insights you will not find elsewhere -- and you can filter the crackerbarrel conservatism as you see fit.

Michael

Post 5

Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 8:38pm