The stat and loal governments created the mess, then everything was compounded by the the feds. There was no leadership solving the logistical problems. The red cross only wants money so it can be misapropriated. read this http://beenthere.typepad.com/been_there/2005/09/the_power_in_us.html

If these people can get this kind of response AND manage to get the supplies to NO form Illinois, then the Red Cross should be able to it from anywhere in the country! The people don't need money right now, they need supplies. People and business will give you the supplies, they aren't asking for a dime, so why does the red cross need money first and foremost? What, we have to pay for our fellow countrymen to get rescued in advance? what kind of bullshit is that?

I'm sorry, but this whole mess has less to do with race and class than it does with lack of leadership at the state and local levels. If something like this was coming in Oklahoma, I GUARANTEE you there would be buses loading people up and carrying them out before the storm hit, they had 3 days notice it was going to hit and gave out the MANDATORY EVACUATION! but they did nothing to get the poorest people who don't have the means get out of the city. That people is why there are so many deaths and stranded people. It is the state governments resposibility and DUTY to ask the federal government for help, which is something they didn't do until much later. There laws requiring the state to ask, otherwise, the government would be infringing on state rights and the laws are written to protect the states. All they had to do was ask and they didn't and the mess is the result. I am helping the cause by donating goods. Don't call me out on the carpet for critizing the botched efforts, I am doing my part.

to all you people bitching about what the goverment is not doing,  what are YOU doing to help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...  donating money to the red cross doesnt count.  thats a B.S. way for you to feel better about doing nothing.  If you really want to help go to www.hurricanehousing.org.  I live in cincinnati (almost 1000miles from N.O.)  I have already been contacted by the coordinators,  they are making arrangments for 200 people to be bussed here.  I have opened my home for anyone that needs it.  I have voluntered to be deployed by my company to assist but have not been contacted yet,  so I may be heading there soon don't no.  I'm not saying im better then people that aren't doing anything,  just saying quite bitching and HELP!!!!!!!!!  also its a free country any one can run for office.  if you can do better then the current administration then run for president yourself,  if you don't like the way things are then change them

My wife and I are also donating clothes and toys for the kids to our local church which is bringing 4 families to stay at the church. I have offered to go get them as well. I will also be trying to assist them in getting jobs.

Quote from: 71buickfreakMy wife and I are also donating clothes and toys for the kids to our local church which is bringing 4 families to stay at the church. I have offered to go get them as well. I will also be trying to assist them in getting jobs.

 

Quote from: ktrimto all you people bitching about what the goverment is not doing,  what are YOU doing to help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...  donating money to the red cross doesnt count.  thats a B.S. way for you to feel better about doing nothing.  If you really want to help go to www.hurricanehousing.org.  I live in cincinnati (almost 1000miles from N.O.)  I have already been contacted by the coordinators,  they are making arrangments for 200 people to be bussed here.  I have opened my home for anyone that needs it.  I have voluntered to be deployed by my company to assist but have not been contacted yet,  so I may be heading there soon don't no.  I'm not saying im better then people that aren't doing anything,  just saying quite bitching and HELP!!!!!!!!!  also its a free country any one can run for office.  if you can do better then the current administration then run for president yourself,  if you don't like the way things are then change them

who's bitching, i live in the uk, look left when you read posts, all i can do is donate,NO option, live a little bit more than 1000 miles away

http://www.filecabi.net/v/file/hurricane-katrina-police-loot/wmv

haha, why did that kid steal a toy car? What is he going to do with it?

That really pisses me off, those people are not LOOTING! they are surviving! They are taking food, clothes sutff to clean themselves with. these people have nothing, thats not looting, looting is taking things for which you have absolutely no need like tvs, stereos, blenders, stuff like that. These people have no clothes, shoes food or even a way to clean the stench of dead bodies and rotten water off them. Give me a break.

but you did see that kid take that toy car that he can ride around, until the battery dies, which it is probably already dead, then just leave it in the street. there are many people doing that aswell!!! and that is looting.

Not looting?

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/09/04/the_looting_instinct/

Just one example from news.google.com

I can say from overseas right now in the Middle East that I am extremely proud of my fellow Coast Guardsmen/women in the role they are playing. So far the last time I checked the rescue count alone by the CG was over 10,000... with those being conducted by helicopter, rescue boats and land based personnel. The CG has small boat search and rescue/law enforcement  stations in Grand Isle, New Orleans, Pascagoula, and Venice and the scattered reports I have been seeing is saying 1 or 2 of the stations are completely wiped out.  The sad part is I also heard that 4 of my brothers are still missing/unaccounted for, they refused to leave their post, hopefully its a communications issue.  For sake of discussion and maybe to bring my service into a different light, we were somewhat prepared. From the prestaged aircraft(majority flew during the conditons of the hurricane that most likely violated every FAA/USCG aircraft reg, just to get in the fight and do their jobs. Our small boat stations hauled their boats out and got them out of dodge, only to have them back in the water asap, and our D.A.R.T teams (Disaster Assistance Relief Teams  a.ka. skiff rescue boats by the !%$!load) were rolling from the north during the storm.  Our MSST Teams which are always ready deployable small boat/Law Enforcement/Tactical Teams are also on the ground, concentrating on rescues as well as maintaining order. All this info is coming to me from friends in the loop. On the flip side, I keep hearing about 20-30-40,000 military troops hitting the ground, heck, the entire CG doesn't even have that many people! It is a horrible ordeal to go through, for the victims, families, rescuers, etc....

US Coast Guardsman in Bahrain sends

I didn't say there hadn't been any looting, there is a lot of scum in NO. I was speaking specifically about the video that was shown. taking shoes isn't looting. And you know what, I don't mind a young kid taking a toy to keep him occupied while awaiting rescue. What, you would rather the kids continue to watch the dead bodies pile up and decompose in the 95+ 75% heat and humidity? I don't mind some kids taking toys. that is more responsible than letting them sit and watch the horror of people dying in front of them. As far as guns, have heard what is happening? We now have COMBAT operations going on in NO to restore order because the Mayor told the NO police to turn out its prisoners to the street! now we have tons of gangs (NO leads the nation in violent gang numbers and activity) and convicts and even worse, those who had been arrested and awaiting TRIAL roaming the streets of NO raping and murdering people. The first thing I would take would be some guns too! I keep guns in the house for this particular reason. You always think stuff like that can't happen here, well, obvioulsy it can. I would want a weapon to protect myself and my family as well. there have been looser gang members sitting on rooftops acting as snipers shooting people trying to get patients out of hospitals! taking a gun in that situation isn't looting, its SURVIVAL. Some of the people who took those guns are criminals, but if I take it to protect myself, its not. Taking something you can't use, to simply get big tv (this is how ignorant these people are, they take electronics when their houses are flooded and have no electricity) that is looting. clothes, shoes, food, hygeine products-survival. Hey if beer is the only thing left, at least its water, you won't dehydrate as fast than having nothing.
There was a big deal on a few blogs showing actual yahoo news depicting 7 or so images of black people looting food from stores. then it shows 2 white people described as 2 young people "FIND" some water and bread at a local grocery store. That is blatant bullshit.

hey,
let me just tell you the national new networks are bullshit. they are telling the truth to some degree but they are also hyping it up. Iraq is old news and the Bama girls missing in aruba is going no where so they jumped on this. It is a human interest story so they are on it.  The federal gov is working now to get things going, i saw a constant stream of military copters and large aircraft headed to New Orleans INT. Now where does the blame falls I dunno. This storm was predicted to hit well east of N.O. in the start so officals have 2 becareful when then give an evac order. Yes some would of evacuated if they could of, but many are staying STILL! they think the water will go down soon and it will be fine, these arent exactly the most educated people i hate to say. Plus some of these people r just plane damn stupid. the ones @ the convention center could of walked 30 miles upriver to where i'm from and had water and an MRE. I wouldnt of sat around watchin the water goin up waitin for a bus, you have to act in self preservation. Granted some people cant exactly hike 20-30 miles. I will say I absolutely hate Gov Blanco, she seems like a mindless puppet that just passes along information her solution seems to be lets hold hands and pray and the water will go down. The mayor of N.O. tho has got my vote n e day of the week, he simply laid it on the line and said ya'll get off your asses and help us.    Next thing for the city is to get the damn pumps runnin and drain the water.

-ash

I have to agree with you there ash. I had stated in a previous post that 100, hell 30 years ago there would never have been a convention center center situation because THEY WOULD HAVE WALKED OUT! These are people who have had the government run their lives for them their entire lives. The poorest of the poor, they live in the projects, most don't have jobs, etc. I am not blaming it all on them though. The governor AND the mayor should have been sending buses to go pick those people in the projects, which they didn't do. I realize they didn't know until a couple of days it was going to hit NO, but they new with enough warning to get things prepared for a mass evac, and 1 day would have been enough to move alot of those people. They had city buses charter buses, school buses, church buses could have called texas and oklahoma, it was stupid to do nothing. most people with money got out. these people needed help getting out and didn't get it.

I'll tell you what really sucks about the whole hurricane thing. I work for a large provider of cable and dsl internet, cable and dish tv, and VOIP or Vonage as most people know it as....and the call center is just getting flooded (no pun intended) with people claiming to be victims of the hurricane wanting to have free installs and free service for several months for all services we provide. 99.9% of the people calling in are dead beat non-pay accounts from us or people that already have an account with us and are no where near the hurricane area. I can not believe also that we have tons of people calling in upset because those that are real victims are getting special treatment. The only thing we are doing for them is giving them free install for the services they want and the first month free. I mean....come on!!!!! These people lost everything....right down to loved ones and pets. They lost every shred of there life....and some assholes (sorry admins) are wanting to benefit off of something that has nothing to do with them. I'm not a religious person at all....but I do feel bad for anyone who is a victim of something so bad that it forces them to lose something important to them. I just hope when these assholes die (sorry admins) they burn in hell....if there is one.