# Hurricane Katrina



## Greg (Aug 26, 2005)

Probably a ton of needed rain for us next week:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/150802.shtml?5day


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## ALLSKIING (Aug 26, 2005)

My in-laws live in Miami. They called on there cell to tell us they have no water,phone or electric. I moved out of there after Andrew hit that area.. once was enough.


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## Brettski (Aug 26, 2005)

better break out my Goretex shell

I hate commuting in a downpour....

At least I don't have to drive in it....


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## Mike P. (Aug 26, 2005)

They don't need anymore rain in FL though, who painted the target on FL, someone from the Outer Banks would be my guess...  :blink:


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## madman (Aug 26, 2005)

Hope we get something from it. We need it


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## highpeaksdrifter (Aug 26, 2005)

To each his own, but I think Florida blows. People move down there for "Nice" weather. Even when they're not worried about hurricanes, it's hot and humid. My parents use to live there for awhile and we've done the Orlando thing several times for the kids, but if I never set foot in that state again, it's fine with me.


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## JimG. (Aug 26, 2005)

highpeaksdrifter said:
			
		

> To each his own, but I think Florida blows. People move down there for "Nice" weather. Even when they're not worried about hurricanes, it's hot and humid. My parents use to live there for awhile and we've done the Orlando thing several times for the kids, but if I never set foot in that state again, it's fine with me.



We think alike; my grandparents moved down there years back and soon afterwards my grandfather died from a heart attack. 

While it may have had nothing to do with it, I always blamed the hot & humid weather for his death; I've hated the place ever since.


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## dmc (Aug 26, 2005)

Florida smells like ass...

I can't stand the place..


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## Brettski (Aug 26, 2005)

I was run over by Charly last year.

Charly moved through fast luckily, 100+ MPH

Sounded like a freight train.....hit around 11:00 pm I think...


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## JimG. (Aug 26, 2005)

dmc said:
			
		

> Florida smells like ass...
> 
> I can't stand the place..



 :lol:  :lol: Cleaning coffee off my computer screen :lol:  :lol: !


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## dmc (Aug 26, 2005)

JimG. said:
			
		

> dmc said:
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It does - doesnt it...


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## JimG. (Aug 26, 2005)

dmc said:
			
		

> JimG. said:
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Last city I visited in Florida was Tampa Bay...that place does smell like ass, worse at times.


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## skijay (Aug 26, 2005)

I got back last week from Sarasota county.  The comment about Florida smelling like @ss is partly true.

In Manatee & Sarasota counties they are experiencing Red Tide.  I also think there are more areas affected, but I was on different beaches in both counties.  Let me say dead fish in the hot sun is not a good combination.  

Florida is great. Great place to have a second home.


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## dmc (Aug 26, 2005)

skijay said:
			
		

> I got back last week from Sarasota county.  The comment about Florida smelling like @ss is partly true.
> 
> In Manatee & Sarasota counties they are experiencing Red Tide.  I also think there are more areas affected, but I was on different beaches in both counties.  Let me say dead fish in the hot sun is not a good combination.
> 
> Florida is great. Great place to have a second home.



Not even the red tide stuff..
The swampy wet smell...  It's just nasty..  
I spent every spring break at my Grandmothers house in Miami from the age of 4 to 14 and I dreaded it every year...


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## skijay (Aug 26, 2005)

I stay on Lido Beach (Sarasota County).  Sarasota county has the $$$.  Around here (CT) the Hyundai Accent is the low price commuter car, there it seems like the Mercedes C-Class is the "economy" car of choice.

I have been in some "back woods" areas of Florida last summer when we evacuated for Hurricane Charley.

Here is water shot from my trip.  I think red tide forced the sea gulls to move as there were no birds on the beach. The water was around 90, calm and clear.  At least we had no dead fish in front of where we were staying.


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## ALLSKIING (Aug 26, 2005)

If you know the the right places to go Florida can be great.. it just knowing where to go and not to go.


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## dmc (Aug 26, 2005)

ALLSKIING said:
			
		

> If you know the the right places to go Florida can be great.. it just knowing where to go and not to go.



Probably right...  It's just I've been there a zillion times and I'm just not into it...   Is there cool stuff to do - SURE!  Tons of it..

The reality of it is I'm making decision based up maybe 15% of the state that I've been to...  So I will remain open minded...

I actually have a bunch of friends who migrated down there with AT&T that I need to visit..


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## ALLSKIING (Aug 28, 2005)

This thing has turned into a monster 160+mph winds. I hope it misses New Orleans it would reck that whole city. They also say that gas is going to go up due to the storm..Thats just great.


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## teachski (Aug 28, 2005)

I'm surprised that no one has made a comment about "Katrina and the Waves" trying to make a comeback.  Anyone remember that group?  I didn't particularly care for them, but I thought their name was kind of...shall I say different.


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## SilentCal (Aug 28, 2005)

Wow!  This storm is going to pack a wallop.  Gas prices will almost certainly go up.  Lots of those off shore rigs will be closed for a bit.   I read they are putting people up in the Superdome.    With 100 MPH winds,  I'm not so sure I'd want to be in a dome.  The sound of the wind deflecting off the structure would scare the hell out of me.

Katrina and the Waves....What was their hit?


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## teachski (Aug 28, 2005)

SilentCal said:
			
		

> Katrina and the Waves....What was their hit?


In the United States, they had a hit single called *Walking on Sunshine *which is still played on most '80s radio stations.

It was more humerous when I first posted about Katrina and the waves, the hurricane was much smaller and not as much as a threat.  Now it is enormous and nothing to kid about.  I apologize to any my joke may have or may still offended.  It was not my intention...I didn't expect the hurricane to blossom as it has.  I thought, after it hits FL, it will break up.


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## ALLSKIING (Aug 28, 2005)

teachski said:
			
		

> SilentCal said:
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> ...


I don't think you offended anybody. Fl is to small to break up any hurricanes and then it get out over the gulf in that warm water and boom you have a cat 5. I just hope they stay away from LI.


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## thetrailboss (Aug 28, 2005)

Wow...this storm is looking like a real bad one...if only it were all snow for us up here later this week.  

All this rain is working out well when it comes to making me study...first week of law school!  :roll:


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## loafer89 (Aug 28, 2005)

Long Island is overdue for a direct hurricane strike,as the last one to hit directly was hurricane Gloria in 1985. Long Island averages a direct hurricane strike every 26 years, so we are on average to recieve one soon.

The 7pm NOAA advisory for Katrina has her top winds at 160 mph, and she is located 130 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi. Perhaps the shallow gulf waters closer to shore may cause Katrina to weaken somewhat. I hope New Orleans and the Gulf Coast make it through this with as little damage as possible, not to mention the possible loss of life.

On a lighter note, there is snow in the forecast for Barrow, AK for the first time that I have seen this summer  . Meteorological fall starts on September 1st :beer:


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## ctenidae (Aug 29, 2005)

The mayor of New Orleans says he thinks 80% of the population has obeyed the mandatory evacuation. I'm pretty sure the Corps of Engineers is sweating pretty hard- NO is entirely below sea level, and if any of a number of levees goes out, the whole city could go under. I remember stadning on the UNO campus, watching ships go by on the Mississippi. Above me.

Just read that oil topped $70 early this morning. It's back under $70 (though not by much) and will probably get abck up there through the day. pretty much all Gulf oil production and transport is shut down for the time being, and there is potential for massive damage to refining and transport systems. Major flooding would make a total mess of all the chemical plants and refineries down there. Environmental damage of epic proportions, if things go right. Well, wrong, anyway.


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## noski (Aug 29, 2005)

*gas prices*

... local fuel dealer says will be more than $3 a gallon for regular by end of week- if it takes that long.


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## smitty77 (Aug 29, 2005)

I've been glued to some tv station sites in New Orleans all morning.  Reports are coming in that some parishes are under 8-10 ft of water, people are trapped in their attics yelling for help.  They also said 4 oil refineries in the parish are most likely under water, which won't help gas prices.

*Here's the story*  They're continually updating stories, so the link may be invalid after a while.

Sad time for New Orleans and Missippi's gulf coast.  Very little info coming out of Biloxi, which is a little ominous.  One of the tv stations had a message on their webpage saying the building had sustained roof damage and that all news reports would be coming from sister stations.

Smitty


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## Greg (Aug 30, 2005)

Wow.

http://today.reuters.com/business/n...BusinessNews&storyID=nN30260215&imageid=&cap=


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## ctenidae (Aug 30, 2005)

September gas topped 2.60 today- it'll be over $3 by the end of the week, I think.
95% of oil production, 100% of importing, 90% of refining and 88% of LNG production in the gulf is down. Overall, that works out to about 25% of US oil useage. Early reports say 5-10 rigs are missing or damaged (how does somethign as big as an oil rig go "missing"?)Won't be long before we look back wistfuly at $70 oil. 
New Orleans is under water, most of southern Mississippi is wiped out, possibly hundreds dead. 

Man, that was an ugly one. And NOAA says we're not anywhere near done yet.


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## cbcbd (Aug 30, 2005)

This is all very sad. I drove the whole coast along the bayou and Houma, to New Orleans, along the Mississippi coast below Biloxi, and into the FL panhandle over Sarasota and Destin...

I love NO and that whole area that I saw.. and now it's in ruins, people are dead, and many have lost everything (and have no insurance). It's really sad.


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## Greg (Aug 31, 2005)

This is unreal. They want to evacuate all of New Orleans:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050831/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

80% underwater, no power or water, and they can't plug the levees. Gonna be months before it's at all habitable. Has any major city in an industrialized country ever been abandoned?


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## smitty77 (Aug 31, 2005)

I still can't believe my eyes as I watch the evening news.  The water just keeps rising, and there's nowhere to go.  I was in the Port Charlotte, FL area after last years hurricanes and I thought that was awful.  I can't fathom the destruction down there.  The views of the now dismantled I-10 causeway are amazing.  It looks like someone played dominoes with the whole thing.  The biggest problem I have with the whole scenario is they've been warning of a catastrophic levee failure for years now, and it had to take a disaster of these proportions to get something done.  If it were me, I don't think I'd go back.  Just chock it all up as a loss and start over fresh working in a McDonalds halfway across the country.

As for missing oil rigs, I heard reports of one being 17 *miles* from where it was last left!  The gas prices are already starting to rise.  I went out last night and topped off the car and my 5 gal jug in the shed.  The Cumberland Farms down the street usually has the best prices, but when I got there the price was 2.84, up from 2.64 that moring.  I went to the Shell station 2 miles down the road (usually the highest), but they were selling at 2.67.  It was still that price at 4 am this morning, but I expect it will be much higher when I get home.


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

They're pretty worried that the rigs may have dragged their moorings across underwater pipelines. Any damage there is going to hurt getting the deep sea port up and running agin. Not that there are any refineries to handle the oil, but still...


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## loafer89 (Aug 31, 2005)

My company (we are a family owned business) is supposed to be attending a trade show in New Orleans in early November and according to the management for the show (located in Illinois) the show will go on, unreal :roll:  :roll: 

They say that the convention center is undamaged and the national guard is set up inside the building. So if the city can pump out the 20' + of flood waters and restore electricity, rebuild I-10 and route 90 by November we should be in good shape.

The attitude of the show management comes as no suprise as I was attending a trade show in Boston from September 9th-12th, 2001, and the management refused to shut down the show, even with a state of emergency declared in MA. :angry: 

I truly feel very sad for the people affected by Katrina, the devestation is unreal. I have been reading in weather circles that Katrina's name will be retired, and that the storm may be upgraded to having made landfall as a category 5 hurricane as alot of structures that survived Camile, failed this time around.


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## Greg (Aug 31, 2005)

loafer89 said:
			
		

> I have been reading in weather circles that Katrina's name will be retired, and that the storm may be upgraded to having made landfall as a category 5 hurricane as alot of structures that survived Camile, failed this time around.


Interesting. I wonder if Camille weakened some of these structures allowing Katrina to take them out.

Anyone notice that with all the hype usually before a big weather event (that is normally overplayed) that this one seemed to be *worse *than predicted?


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050831/lf_afp/usweatherfood_050831004814

Further proof that New Orleans is, indeed, the coolest city on Earth. Even under water.


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## Zand (Aug 31, 2005)

Gas prices are up to $3.15 here. Unreal. They're saying over 1,000 dead in New Orleans alone. Then add that with probably 2,000 in coastal LA and MS plus 500+ in AL which could put it up over 4,000. Andrew is gonna be the forgotten one now.


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

Jeebus. $3.15 is awful. That's going to be a $45 fill up for me. Glad I filled up Saturday. Of course, my wife is driving halfway to the Cape and back tomorrow.


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## loafer89 (Aug 31, 2005)

People are definatly gouging the price of gasoline, as the local gas station down the street from my office is charging $3.29 for regular, while just a mile further on, the Hess station is charging $2.81. :roll:  :angry:


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

Hess rocks- one of the very few that drills for, produces, refines and transports most of their own gas. Pretty smart bunch of guys at Hess.


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## Zand (Aug 31, 2005)

Gas is up to $7 on the gulf coast east of the disaster area.


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## JimG. (Aug 31, 2005)

Zand said:
			
		

> Gas is up to $7 on the gulf coast east of the disaster area.



The station owners who do things like this ought to be shot.


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## Greg (Aug 31, 2005)

More scumbags trying to profit from this disaster:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hurricane-Katri...803778680QQcategoryZ11153QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So he's donating 10% to the ARC.....whoaa...big of you. :angry:


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

I revile and respect that guy at the same time. What a sleazy, yet brilliant, thing to sell.


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## cbcbd (Aug 31, 2005)

I've been to New Orleans many times and really like the city. It breaks my heart to see it in this condition and all the people from there displaced.

They have known that this would happen for a long time, basically saying "The city has levees helping, but if a big storm hits then it's underwater". They did nothing about it and probably never thought that it would actually happen. 

It's just so sad...

But I always wondered why houses in Hurricane prone areas still were built with wooden frames and drywall... I bet a lot of destruction might've been avoided it stronger materials were used - like cinder blocks.

Anyway, maybe now people will do that.


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## bvibert (Aug 31, 2005)

Greg said:
			
		

> More scumbags trying to profit from this disaster:
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Hurricane-Katri...803778680QQcategoryZ11153QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
> 
> So he's donating 10% to the ARC.....whoaa...big of you. :angry:



Can't say I'm too suprised there are no bids on that one yet... :roll:


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## JimG. (Aug 31, 2005)

cbcbd said:
			
		

> But I always wondered why houses in Hurricane prone areas still were built with wooden frames and drywall... I bet a lot of destruction might've been avoided it stronger materials were used - like cinder blocks.
> 
> Anyway, maybe now people will do that.



I love NO too, what a great town. Fabulous food too.

As for the wood vs cinder block argument, I thought the same thing. Then I saw a video from Gulfport that showed an 18 wheeler that had been swept 2 miles off of the highway it was on until it got wedged underneath the foundation of a hotel. All of the body panels, the interior, and the engine had been swept away. Several of the tires had been sucked clean off the wheels. All that was left was a twisted frame.

I don't think it would have mattered what the houses were made of  .


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## ctenidae (Aug 31, 2005)

Doesn't matter what the building's made of- not much stands up to 20 feet of water. I wonder what it would take to build a completely sealed building, though.


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## bvibert (Aug 31, 2005)

ctenidae said:
			
		

> Doesn't matter what the building's made of- not much stands up to 20 feet of water. I wonder what it would take to build a completely sealed building, though.



LOTS of duct tape!


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## noski (Aug 31, 2005)

The devastation is more than one can comprehend. Watching the news your heart breaks for these people. Thanks, Greg, for the link to FEMA relief. I pledged my donation.


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## Greg (Aug 31, 2005)

It just occurred to me how awful it would be if this area gets hit again this season. We haven't even seen the peak of the hurricane season yet. Let's pray this area is spared...


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## dmc (Sep 1, 2005)

http://www.nola.com/weblogs/nola/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_nolaview/archives/2005_09.html#075736

very - very -very bad...


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## Brettski (Sep 1, 2005)

Did you see the post from Paula Drake?

Unbelievable.


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## Paul (Sep 1, 2005)

Brettski said:
			
		

> Did you see the post from Paula Drake?
> 
> Unbelievable.



A true humanitarian.... :angry:


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## cbcbd (Sep 1, 2005)

Brettski said:
			
		

> Did you see the post from Paula Drake?
> 
> Unbelievable.


WTF?

I wonder if that phone number is real.


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## thetrailboss (Sep 1, 2005)

I just read on cnn.com that someone was insensitive and horrible enough to shoot on a humanitarian convey in New Orleans!  For a second I thought I was reading about an incident in IRAQ.  This is obscene!  :evil: :angry:  

You'd think that people would act like civilized humans rather than animals.


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## JimG. (Sep 1, 2005)

Just spoke to a buddy of mine...there is a firefight in progress in the downtown section of NO...seems there was a gang looting and the police surrounded them. My buddy held the phone up to the TV and it sounded like something in Iraq. 

If they manage to evac the whole city, they ought to declare martial law and issue shoot to kill orders to the police if they find any stragglers looting.


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## dmc (Sep 1, 2005)

Brettski said:
			
		

> Did you see the post from Paula Drake?
> 
> Unbelievable.



wow.....  ummm... wow....


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## ctenidae (Sep 1, 2005)

http://65.98.96.145:8000 

Open in winamp or something- it's a feed from a scanner in LA. Interesting at times.


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## Brettski (Sep 1, 2005)

It doesn't open, what is it?


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## ctenidae (Sep 1, 2005)

Click on "Listen" in the bar at the top.

Apparently 2 Chinooks left Hammond AF Base for Bellchase (there's a NG armory there) with 63 "packs", to be followed by 50 more. I think "packs" are troops.

EDIT: They are- a transportation unit from the OK NG


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## thetrailboss (Sep 1, 2005)

JimG. said:
			
		

> If they manage to evac the whole city, they ought to declare martial law and issue shoot to kill orders to the police if they find any stragglers looting.



I concur.  As much as I love democracy, martial law is needed in this situation.  If they don't kill those bas$%^s, we ship them to Iraq to fight the terrorists there and use their sharpshooting skills to benefit our country.


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## loafer89 (Sep 1, 2005)

Without this turning into something political, there was this man standing on the corner of the Lake Grove Mall by my house furiously waving a sign reading:

"Bush is a failure"

Without more specific details than that, I can only guess what he is angry about???

I barely had enough time to read the sign driving by on my way home.


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## ctenidae (Sep 1, 2005)

I read something (entirely unconfirmed, but plausible)earlier that said that since LA is governed by Napoleonic Law (as opposed to English Common Law like the rest of the country), Martial law is illegal. Doesn't mean there's a variety available, but it's not martial law, per se.


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## highpeaksdrifter (Sep 1, 2005)

As I watch all this horrible human suffering one thing that I hear stated over and over is that it will take years to get New Orleans back to normal. 

When they're back to normal the city will still be below sea level hoping it doesn't happen again.


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## Brettski (Sep 2, 2005)

Whatever law it is, the National Gaurd has been Ordered to shoot to kill looters as of last night.

I don't think there is any law currently in NO


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## ctenidae (Sep 2, 2005)

New scanner feed:

http://216.14.30.229:8001/

Just heard: "Flak jacket and Kevlar, at a minimum"
Don't know the context, but that can't be good.


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## Brettski (Sep 2, 2005)

I get access denied, bandwidth exceeded...


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## deadheadskier (Sep 2, 2005)

highpeaksdrifter said:
			
		

> As I watch all this horrible human suffering one thing that I hear stated over and over is that it will take years to get New Orleans back to normal.
> 
> When they're back to normal the city will still be below sea level hoping it doesn't happen again.



I would venture to say that New Orleans will not return to normal as we have known it.  Obviously they can't completely 'scrap' the city, but it seems to me that there should not be any development at all within a quarter mile of of all the levees and that they should be shored up with a tremendous amount of earth.  

One can only assume that a very large percentage of the residents will not return considering how long its going to take to dry up and for jobs and services to return.  

If I had a home there, a good job and had taken the precautions to evacuate - if my home was destroyed and it looked like it was going to be more than 60 days before I could return to work and start rebuilding, I wouldn't go back, I'd start life a new somewhere else.


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## ctenidae (Sep 2, 2005)

Keep trying ont eh scanner- looks like they can take 1500 listeners, only 308 on at the moment.

3 trucks of MREs just made it to the Superdome, and the LSP is setting up fueling stations.

"We don't need water, we don't need no kind of supplies. Alls I want is my clothes"
I wish I could listen intently enough to pick up all the context. Dang work!


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## JimG. (Sep 2, 2005)

loafer89 said:
			
		

> Without this turning into something political, there was this man standing on the corner of the Lake Grove Mall by my house furiously waving a sign reading:
> 
> "Bush is a failure"
> 
> ...



Thanks to all for keeping this non-political. The situation down there is unlike anything seen in this country, 9/11 included.  

Sometimes, rushing in to help without a plan causes more damage than carefully evaluating what needs to be done. I think we've all been caught off guard and are suffering from "deer in the headlights" syndrome.

It's awfully tough when everything is damaged and just about everything needs to be done.


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## highpeaksdrifter (Sep 2, 2005)

How long do you think the stream of made for tv movies about this tragedy will start showing up? Hollywood will have a couple too.


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## bvibert (Sep 2, 2005)

highpeaksdrifter said:
			
		

> How long do you think the stream of made for tv movies about this tragedy will start showing up? Hollywood will have a couple too.



A couple of months...


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## tirolerpeter (Sep 2, 2005)

*NO*

My son is a Naval Officer (LT) whose new ship is under construction at a faciility in/near NO.  Needless to say the entire area is wiped out for the time being.  He was in NC during the storm (getting married) and now he and his new wife can not return to their condo in Kenner (located between NO and lake Ponchatrane (sp?).  They do not know if it is still there, how much damage it has sustained, if his car has floated away, or if it has been looted? Needless to say, they did not manage to fly out of NO for their honeymoon.  What a hell of a way to start a marriage!

He and some members of his unit (that can be contacted) are going to muster in Memphis and will be sent on some sort of rescue/recovery mission into the destruction zone.  He has already been told that they will be fully armed for all contingencies.  Frightening situation for a dad!  I know, no politics...but this old Vietnam Vet is starting to have some bad nights again.


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## highpeaksdrifter (Sep 2, 2005)

*Re: NO*



			
				tirolerpeter said:
			
		

> My son is a Naval Officer (LT) whose new ship is under construction at a faciility in/near NO.  Needless to say the entire area is wiped out for the time being.  He was in NC during the storm (getting married) and now he and his new wife can not return to their condo in Kenner (located between NO and lake Ponchatrane (sp?).  They do not know if it is still there, how much damage it has sustained, if his car has floated away, or if it has been looted? Needless to say, they did not manage to fly out of NO for their honeymoon.  What a hell of a way to start a marriage!
> 
> He and some members of his unit (that can be contacted) are going to muster in Memphis and will be sent on some sort of rescue/recovery mission into the destruction zone.  He has already been told that they will be fully armed for all contingencies.  Frightening situation for a dad!  I know, no politics...but this old Vietnam Vet is starting to have some bad nights again.



I'm sorry to hear about your bad news. I sure hope all goes well for you and yours. It's hard to believe this is happening in our country and it all came upon us so fast.


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## pedxing (Sep 3, 2005)

tirolerpete:

My thoughts are with you, your son, his wife and his unit and with the people of New Orleans.

I was a guest in a house in New Orleans, very near lake Ponchetrain and in are recotory near the canal where the levee broke (if my reading of the info is accurate).


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## pedxing (Sep 3, 2005)

dmc said:
			
		

> http://www.nola.com/weblogs/nola/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_nolaview/archives/2005_09.html#075736
> 
> very - very -very bad...



Thanks for that link DMB.  I found the report by Robert Le Balnc to be uplifting  - it's good to hear that side of things amidst all the negative reports.  His apparent goodness here is as moving as the stories he relates.

I have been pondering something William James wrote, and while Mr. Le Blanc may or may not agree, his stories resonate for me:

"I am done with great things and big plans, great institutions and big success. I am for those tiny, invisible loving human forces that work from individual to individual, creeping through the crannies of the world like so many rootlets, or like the capillary oozing of water, which, if given time, will rend the hardest monuments of pride."
--William James (1842-1910)


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