New Orleans

[MCMC1875]

Looks like they're in for a rough ride.

[Rovermatt]

To clarify.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Looks like the whole area is decending into anarchy............

http://www.nola.com/

[Glenn]

A bunch of tech's are holed up in a datacenter (super-resiliant building designed to ensure the computer infrastucture they support keeps running whatever happens) in NO are give live updates (and webcam) in their part of the city (and have no intention of leaving just yet).

From reading the reports it sounds like all law and order has broken down and the area now resembles a scene from Escape From New York, they also report that the police themselves are responsible for looting and the arrival of the army has done little to help matters.

Compelling reading at http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

[Glenn]

Live audio feed of a scanner set to the national guard frequency in NO - http://216.22.26.45:8002/listen.pls

--I'll add the NOPD feed next (although it sounds as is the police have all but given up).

(Who needs "embedded reporters" when you have techies ).

Scanners, web cams, TV feeds and lots of other info at http://wiki.nola-intel.org/

Edited September 1, 2005 by Glenn

[Glenn]

Live audio feed of a scanner set to the national guard frequency in NO - http://216.22.26.45:8002/listen.pls

--I'll add the NOPD feed next (although it sounds as is the police have all but given up).

(Who needs "embedded reporters" when you have techies ).

344195[/snapback]

Listening to the National Guard is trully shocking, in the last ten minutes we've had live reports of a swat team going into hospital that a group of armed civilians had taken under seige and the captain of the ferryboat (shuttling evacuees) has been shot.

It sounds like absolute anarchy .... just as cnn reports "no riots, just minor scuffles"

[Flopsy]

Heard some bloke on earlier going "We've no clean water or electricity. Its an outrage"

Tell that to the Iraqi's who've not had either of those for what 2 years?

Pithyness aside, its a disaster of ilical proportions, who wants to bet that the evangelical right blame it on heathens and godlessness and they get a massive boost.

Also Oil prices here are likely to rocket.

Its all good fun, but global warming is all in our minds

[blue phil]

Pithyness aside, its a disaster of ilical proportions, who wants to bet that the evangelical right blame it on heathens and godlessness and they get a massive boost.

344213[/snapback]

I take it you mean "biblical" proportions - which makes the rest of the sentence rather curious . All in all a typical Flopsyism ...if I too can make up a word .

[thenodrog]

Am I being churlish in wondering just how many collecting tins are rattling, pop concerts and cricket matches being organised and govt pledges being made all across Asia as the disaster unfolds?

[Rovermatt]

Am I being churlish in wondering just how many collecting tins are rattling, pop concerts and cricket matches being organised and govt pledges being made all across Asia as the disaster unfolds?

344232[/snapback]

None I would imagine. Those economically depressed, poverty-stricken Asians are such a bunch of ungrateful beggars.

Anyway, at least we know who's responsible.

[Flopsy]

I take it you mean "biblical" proportions - which makes the rest of the sentence rather curious . All in all a typical Flopsyism ...if I too can make up a word .

344219[/snapback]

bloody b key keeps sticking

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Heard some bloke on earlier going "We've no clean water or electricity. Its an outrage"

Tell that to the Iraqi's who've not had either of those for what 2 years?

Pithyness aside, its a disaster of ilical proportions, who wants to bet that the evangelical right blame it on heathens and godlessness and they get a massive boost.

Also Oil prices here are likely to rocket.

Its all good fun, but global warming is all in our minds

344213[/snapback]

Its got absoultley nothing to do with global warming, its the fact that a large uraban concrete Jungle has been built on a basin-shape topography , which is prown to flooding via rivers and is in the gulf of mexico hurracaine prone zone. + the yanks have drained the only natural protection from flooding been the marshes in order to built more concrete structures, Its a trajedy whtas happened but was inevatable that force 4/5 storm would devastate the area

[andy82]

Its got absoultley nothing to do with global warming, its the fact that a large uraban concrete Jungle has been built on a basin-shape topography , which is prown to flooding via rivers and is in the gulf of mexico hurracaine prone zone. + the yanks have drained the only natural protection from flooding been the marshes in order to built more concrete structures, Its a trajedy whtas happened but was inevatable that force 4/5 storm would devastate the area

344266[/snapback]

yeah it was pretty daft building a city below sea level. Daft SPAM's.

[philipl]

Some hard facts:

In all risk assessments of the likeliest calamities to hit the USA, New Orleans flooding was consistently ranked in the top five.

Spending on New Orleans flood protection has been reduced by 80% by the Bush administration.

Every mile of wetland reduces the impact of hurricane surges by 50%. The Bush administration removed development controls over the destruction of wetlands four years ago.

Hurricanes have statistically become stronger and more numerous over the past fifteen years. There is a history of twenty year cycles of abnormally numerous and strong hurricanes. This one is out of synch.

The size and extent of the devastation in America's south is proportionate to the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean. What is truly shocking is that several days after the disaster, the USA seems far less capable of handling a wholly predicted disaster than most Third World countries were capable of handling a largely unforeseen disaster.

New Orleans is probably on a par with Mogadishu now in terms of danger and lack of civil authority. How the USA gets back in control of the situation is anybody's guess- sending another 10,000 part-time troops with inadequate command and control and little to no experience of this sort of catastrophy still seems overwhelmingly inadequate.

Most other countries would throw open its borders to global help in the face of this size of disaster. If the Russians can get the Brits to rescue a sub, surely Bush can ask the UN for help.

[Flopsy]

in regard to global warming bazza (and 3rd year geography) Hurricanes get their power from warm water (no idea how) the warmer teh water the more powerful the hurricane, supposedly. Therefore global warming might well pay a part.

Also, according to some bloke on Radio 5 the other day, They usually get 11 hurricanes a year in the US, theyve had that already and its not half way through the season.

[Timmy]

seeing the pictures on TV just shows how poor parts of the south USA are.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

in regard to global warming bazza (and 3rd year geography) Hurricanes get their power from warm water (no idea how) the warmer teh water the more powerful the hurricane, supposedly. Therefore global warming might well pay a part.

Also, according to some bloke on Radio 5 the other day, They usually get 11 hurricanes a year in the US, theyve had that already and its not half way through the season.

344306[/snapback]

Its to do with the the sea reaching a certain tempreture off the coast of western afriaca and a certain amount of magnetic gravatational pull that makes the clouds swirl then you need a cool depression to mix with this system and youve got yourself a hurracaine. Going back to the global warming debate its like a scientists cop out to blame everting on global warming , the fact of the matter is that the cities natural defence the marshes have been destroyed and in there place have been built hard impermiable surfces where the water has nowhere to go + the fact New Orleans along with Bangledesh and Holland is the most at risk place to live in the case of coastal or inland flooding. The area should never have been built on to the extent it has, and to keep building on this flood basin in the 21st century with knowledge and technology we have is quite disgusting

Edited September 2, 2005 by Bazzanotsogreat

[promoted2001]

Whole thing reminds me of the simpsons song about new orleans!

[Paul]

BBC internet and radio report New Orleans rocked by massive explosions

Without wishing to cause any offence to Americans on the MB or in general it strikes me as quite incredible that the richest country in the world seems unable to cope with this catastrophe. I have no idea of the size of the US armed forces but surely it would have been a simple matter to mobilise the army, airforce and navy far quicker than appears to have happened?

[Flopsy]

Honestly paul, ive not got much idea. However:

1) the last thing the Navy wants to be is close to a shore during a hurricane, the Atlantic Fleet is probably as we speak heading for the gulf. (well at least the helicopter carriers and assualt landing ships)

2) I believe there are constitutional issues with using the federal army (which is what the army is) at a state level. Thats where the national guard (controlled by the state government I think) comes in.

3) Tehre seems to have been a break down of communication between teh different agencies and areas of government, local, state and federal. That is inexcusable.

[Glenn]

Honestly paul, ive not got much idea. However:

1) the last thing the Navy wants to be is close to a shore during a hurricane, the Atlantic Fleet is probably as we speak heading for the gulf. (well at least the helicopter carriers and assualt landing ships)

2) I believe there are constitutional issues with using the federal army (which is what the army is) at a state level. Thats where the national guard (controlled by the state government I think) comes in.

3) Tehre seems to have been a break down of communication between teh different agencies and areas of government, local, state and federal. That is inexcusable.

344355[/snapback]

From following NOPD/FEMA/NationalGuard scanners it's obvious that until this morning (US time) there has been little or no communication between any of the rescue groups at all.

In certain areas both the NOPD and NG have pulled out whilst delivering aid and/or attempting evactuation after being shot at repeatedly (this includes attempts by coastguards).

The NG seem to preventing anyone crossing (in either direction) the only exit over the river.

There have been reports of a vigilante in an ice cream truck sniping looters !

Things do seem to be a little more organised today but the rescue services are still woefully under manned and the security services woefully outgunned.

My main concern is that the folks at the evacuation points (Convention Centre and Superbowl) still see nnot to be receiving aid. It looks like these folks would have had a better chance of survival if they'd have stayed in thier own neighbourhoods.

BTW The explosions have been reported by the NG as "Non-Hazmat" and probably just used-oil.

[speeeeeeedie]

I've been following this quite closely, as it's the only thing on the news over here, but we are getting the same stories, it's basically Lord of the Flies. Survival instincts have kicked in as no-one is willing to help so everyone reverts to every man for themselves. Police are resigning in droves as they figure it's not worth it. They've no houses either so they may as well get what they can. A bit stupid if you ask me because they'll be the first to get looked after later on. I'm sure someone will do a study on the social perspective in years to come.

The general US public are getting a might p!ssed off at the government for not handling this thing well at all. First they told everyone who didn't leave, mostly the indigent, to go to the Superdome, so they did, but that place cracked under the pressure, what did they expect, I wonder? They are now busing everyone to Houston to stick them in the Astrodome (former home of the Houston Oilers), this place is now full so the rest are being sent, in their 1000's, to other big Texas cities where they will be housed POW style for a few months. What is going to happen here will be very interesting. I remember New Orleans being the scruffiest place in America. I couldn't believe how filthy the place was with loads of run down houses and tramps everywhere. It is a very poor city, and many of these poor peopleare now looting, shooting and polluting in the carnage; they have nothing to lose as they never had much and have lost it. The ones that go elsewhere will probably not go back. Why should they? They have nothing to go back for and won't get a free bus there either. This will put a massive strain on the adopted cities welfare systems.

Rovermatt's link to the bigoted "religious right" view is typical of some of the idiots in this country (America not Britain) who vote blindly (and are as such courted by selfish politicians) and cannot think for themselves so they blame everything on poofters and abortions. The same clowns were spouting the same sh!t after September 11th. Overdeveloping a city below sea level by getting rid of the natural protection of wetlands and natural silt deposits from the continent's biggest river and having it then protected by an 80 year old wall not capable of coping with the surge of 140 mph winds and 2 feet of rain a hurricane beings may have more to do with it than a bloody gay pride parade being in town.

My morbid curiosity and blanket media coverage will keep me interested in this for a while.

Edited September 2, 2005 by speeeeeeedie

[blue phil]

Rovermatt's link to the bigoted "religious right" view is typical of some of the idiots in this country (America not Britain) who vote blindly (and are as such courted by selfish politicians) and cannot think for themselves so they blame everything on poofters and abortions.

344407[/snapback]

You mean they don't vote the way "enlightened" people like you do . Who's doing the witch hunting here - you and Matt or the "religious right" ? As religion has clearly nothing to do with all this , why mention it ?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

You mean they don't vote the way "enlightened" people like you do . Who's doing the witch hunting here - you and Matt or the "religious right" ? As religion has clearly nothing to do with all this , why mention it ?

344420[/snapback]

People in the country are worse to there counterparts in america, In this country peoples political alligience is set in Stone and no matter what the labour party does they will still vote for them , some fellow voters are scared of anything right from centre, so vote for labour as its " my father voted labour so I will do the same"

[speeeeeeedie]

You mean they don't vote the way "enlightened" people like you do . Who's doing the witch hunting here - you and Matt or the "religious right" ? As religion has clearly nothing to do with all this , why mention it ?

Please.

There is no witch hunt here. Phil, you are right, religion has nothing to do with it. Their webite had the viewpoint not Matt or I. Why does Mr. Repent post on his website that the disaster happened because New Orleans is a den of ill repute? This is another form of religious fundamentalism. No doubt you are up in arms over the London bomber's confession, but will keep quiet over the "un-enlightened" view of Mr. Repent. I think that it is a very silly insular view to blame the crisis on people's choices rather than the fact that it happened because a hurricane's fury was perpetuated by human greed, stupidity, and selfishness.