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Originally posted by SignyM:
They need every friggin' National Guardsman, every Coast Guard boat, and the entire Army Corps of Engineers down there... and the Red Cross to take care of the survivors.

Don't forget- donations of blood and money to the Red Cross are welcome.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
I just listened to the Prezdent... three days after the fact... and I have to say I sure hope we don't have any other disasters on his watch. He's going to send one hosptial ship to the area. ONE???? Katrina devastated three states! "Dozens" of helicopters??? They're saying it's going to take two weeks- or more- to get into some areas. I can tell you, if there are any survivors now, there sure won't be THEN.

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I have a few ideas....

How about that we ALL share in the pain... say... the oil companies stop profiteering? Maybe even donate to the cause? What happens to all those people who just went bankrupt? Maybe we should give them exemptions from our newly-minted "you're screwed" personal bankruptcy laws? What about the healtcare indsutry? Do ya think maybe they could spare a little from their billions of profits and provide some health care?

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The Army Corps of Engineers... spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained (to be completed) even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to subside. Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq...as well the tax cuts... was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.

Newhouse News Service, in an article posted late Tuesday night at The Times-Picayune web site, reported: "No one can say they didn't see it coming...." In early 2004... President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to a Feb. 16, 2004, article, in New Orleans CityBusiness.

On June 8, 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; told the Times-Picayune: “It appears that the money has been moved in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us.” Also that June, with the 2004 hurricane season starting, the Corps' project manager Al Naomi went before a local agency, the East Jefferson Levee Authority, and essentially begged for $2 million for urgent work that Washington was now unable to pay for. From the June 18, 2004 Times-Picayune:

"The system is in great shape, but the levees are sinking. Everything is sinking, and if we don’t get the money fast enough to raise them, then we can’t stay ahead of the settlement," he said. "The problem that we have isn’t that the levee is low, but that the federal funds have dried up so that we can’t raise them."

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In fiscal year 2006, the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is bracing for a record $71.2 million reduction in federal funding. It would be the largest single-year funding loss ever for the New Orleans district, Corps officials said.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
I just listened to the Prezdent... three days after the fact... and I have to say I sure hope we don't have any other disasters on his watch. He's going to send one hosptial ship to the area. ONE????

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Senate shores up La. flood control
Money would allow new construction
Saturday, June 18, 2005
By Sheila Grissett
East Jefferson bureau

The tug-of-war that is the appropriations process on Capitol Hill has, for now, restored enough money to allow some new flood- and hurricane-protection construction in southeast Louisiana during the fiscal year starting Oct. 1 -- but it's only Monopoly money until the budget game ends.

This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee returned about $31 million to the proposed 2006 budget that the Bush administration and House Appropriations Committee took away from flood and hurricane work during their first bite at the budget apple earlier this year.

Later this summer, the House and Senate committees will sit down as a single conference committee to reconcile the differences in the spending recommendations for the Army Corps of Engineers, which supervises and underwrites hurricane-protection work for the Lake Pontchartrain and West Bank areas and flood-control projects under the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control program, known as SELA.

The conference bill that results will go to the president for signing, and the numbers will make a world of difference to residents who live in the geographical bowl that is the New Orleans area, according to corps supervisors and a phalanx of elected and appointed officials who have made repeated trips to Washington in recent months to plead for money.

"Today was a really good day for" us, Jefferson Parish Council Chairman Tom Capella said of the successful push Tuesday by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., to get the Senate Water and Natural Subcommittee to restore money slashed by the administration and House appropriations members. On Thursday, the full Senate Appropriations Committee followed suit.

"We feel pretty certain that it will stay through the full Senate," Capella said. "But we can't let up."


SELA contracts

If the additional $31 million remains, local corps officials said the agency should be able to award four new SELA contracts this year in Orleans and Jefferson parishes and continue project planning in St. Tammany Parish. The new contracts would likely include the final contract needed to complete the new Dwyer Road Pump Station system in New Orleans, improvements to the Soniat Canal between Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Canal No. 3 on the East Bank, installation of a diesel engine at the Westwego Pump Station, and modifications to the Cross Canal at Lapalco Boulevard on the West Bank.

"It's possible that the money would even allow us to award two contracts on Florida Avenue projects, but it's too soon to know about that," said corps' SELA project manager Stan Green.

"But if the money doesn't stick, it's unlikely that we could award any new contracts," he said. "And we'd probably have to talk to our contractors on existing (projects) about how to keep them going."


Levee work could continue

Congress gave the corps $32.7 million for the SELA program this year, but the Bush administration House appropriations panel sliced that to $10.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year. The Senate Appropriations Committee has restored SELA to $37 million.

Marcia Demma, chief of the corps' Programs Management Branch, said she believes the conference committee will settle on a figure somewhere between the two extremes.

"Of course, we hope it's closer to the Senate version because it would provide more safety during hurricanes, more flood control and be good for the New Orleans economy," said Demma, who doesn't expect the conference committee to act before July at the earliest.

There also has been money restored for more Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity hurricane protection work.

In this budget year, that program got $5.1 million, originally reduced to $2.97 million for the 2006 fiscal year, but now reset by the Senate to $7.5 million.

"This would probably allow us to do some levee work in Jefferson and St. Charles parishes and maybe get a new contract out in New Orleans -- depending on how much we actually get, " said Al Naomi, senior manager of the Lake Pontchartrain program.

"It will allow us to get out of the hole, and it will take at least some of the pressure off our local sponsors," he said of the levee districts, parishes and municipal agencies that are forced to pay for hurricane-protection projects previously covered by federal dollars.


West Bank a priority

Corps money for the separately financed West Bank hurricane protection work wasn't nearly so hard hit; the Bush administration and the House reduced it from this year's $30 million level to $28 million for the upcoming fiscal year. The Senate has proposed a further reduction to $25 million.

Demma said federal money for the West Bank work is protected largely because it is one of nine projects nationwide declared by the administration a few years ago to be "national (funding) priorities."

"The administration said it received the designation because it is an urban area where storm damage occurs," she said. "And because the West Bank is a relatively new project, it currently provides significantly less protection than the Lake Pontchartrain project provides."

Despite that national priority designation, the Senate Appropriations Committee reduced West Bank by a further $3 million.

"Congress funds what it wants to fund," Demma said.

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Originally posted by Spinland:
I will give Shrub this much: at least this time when he learned of the disaster he didn't just sit on his ranch, invite a bunch of schoolchildren in, and read them a story. Even a clod like him can learn some small things.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
And then when The Big One comes and the refinery that everyone depends on is a smoking ruin, and we are just as unprepared for emergencies as we were the last time, then we'll all be back to where we started or worse. Way to go, Hero. Nice job saving the nation!

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The clear difference between Biloxi and New Orleans is that the bodies that are turning up here (in Biloxi) have been dead for a number of days.

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There are hundreds of people from the National Guard here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We're seeing people from all the agencies. They're waiting to deploy. Their sense is that the condition inside New Orleans is so unstable they don't want to be sending people into harm's way.(A reporter) saw one woman who was so desperate she actually handed her 2-month-old baby to another woman and said, "Take my child. I can't get on this bus, but you've got to try to save the child.

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There are thousands of people lying in the street. We saw mothers holding babies, some of them just three, four and five months old, living in horrible conditions. Diapers littered the ground. Feces were on the ground. Sewage was spilled all around.... People are dying at the center and there is no one to get them. We saw a grandmother in a wheelchair pushed up to the wall and covered with a sheet. Right next to her was another dead body wrapped in a white sheet. Right in front of us a man went into a seizure on the ground. People have been sitting there without food and water and waiting. They are asking -- "When are the buses coming? When are they coming to help us?"

The people tell us that National Guard units have come by as a show of force. They have tossed some military rations out. People are eating potato chips to survive and are looting some of the stores nearby for food and drink. It is not the kind of food these people need.

They are saying, "Don't leave us here to die. We are stuck here. Why can't they send the buses? Are they going to leave us here to die?"

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We spent the night at the New Orleans Saints' training facility. It is the encampment for the FEMA officials and National Guard troops who will deploy out to certain areas.

They just deployed a new unit out here from California. They're called swift water operation rescue units. These folks are trained to go in and get people out of the homes that they have been stuck in for days now with water all around.

We were with a unit last night on a boat. We watched as they performed many of these rescues. It's quite a sight to see. Bodies are floating along the flooded road. And I asked them, "What do you do about that?" They said, "There's no time to deal with them now. We have to deal with the living". (we) heard faint screams coming from homes. People were yelling, "Help! Help!"

So we contacted the swift water rescue units and they went out there. To our surprise and their surprise there were no fewer than 15 people huddled in their home. We could only hear them. We couldn't see them. We were able to assist and get the right people over there to get them out.

Just like them, there may be literally thousands that need to be rescued. It's a very daunting task for these officials.

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We just heard a couple of gunshots go off. There's a building smoldering a block away. People are picking through whatever is left in the stores right now. They are walking the streets because they have nowhere else to go.... The convention center is a place that people were told to go to because it would be safe. In fact, it is a scene of anarchy.There is absolutely nobody in control. There is no National Guard, no police, no information to be had... no buses have come. No boats have come. They think water is going come. No water has come. And they have no food.... people at the convention center are starting to pass away and there is simply nothing to do with their bodies. There is nowhere to put them. There is no one who can do anything with them.

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We rarely see two historically signifigant natural disasters happen so close together either temporally or geographically.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
But then, we rarely see historic natural disasters and major wars together either and yet, quick as you can say "Bob's your uncle" .... here we are!

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Originally posted by SignyM:
I didn't want to get into that. But there was one Administration person who was surprised that so many victims were "crawling out of the woodwork". I think that choice of words unconsciously reflects a view that the victims are vermin, more or less.

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(CNN) -- Flooding from Hurricane Katrina's Monday landfall could wreak catastrophe on New Orleans, overwhelming the city's water and sewage systems and leaving survivors in a bowl of toxic soup, a top hurricane expert said.

Some 25 feet of standing water was expected in many parts of the city -- almost twice the height of the average home -- and computer models suggest that more than 80 percent of buildings would be badly damaged or destroyed, said Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center and director of the Center for the Study of Public Health Impacts of Hurricanes in Baton Rouge.

Floodwaters from the east would carry toxic waste from the "Industrial Canal" area, nicknamed after the chemical plants there. From the west, floodwaters would flow through an industrial complex that includes refineries and chemical plants, said van Heerden, who has studied computer models about the impact of a strong hurricane for four years....

In New Orleans, which lies below sea level, gas and diesel tanks are all above ground for the same reason that bodies are buried above ground.

In the event of a flood, "those tanks will start to float, shear their couplings, and we'll have the release of these rather volatile compounds," van Heerden added.

Because gasoline floats on water, "we could end up with some pretty severe and large -- area-wise -- fires."

"So, we're looking at a bowl full of highly contaminated water with contaminated air flowing around and, literally, very few places for anybody to go where they'll be safe."

"Imagine you're the poor person who decides not to evacuate: Your house will disintegrate around you. The best you'll be able to do is hang on to a light pole, and while you're hanging on, the fire ants from all the mounds -- of which there is two per yard on average -- will clamber up that same pole. And eventually, the fire ants will win."

The levees intended to protect the city vary in height, from as low as 10 feet above sea level to about 14 feet, he said. They too are vulnerable because they are made of earth, he said.

Previous studies have suggested a catastrophic toll in lives and property if a major hurricane were to hit the New Orleans area, where about 1.3 million people live.

"...You're going to have enormous waves develop on that lake (Pontchartrain), especially with as much as 14 hours of hurricane-force winds," he said. Those waves will erode the levees, raising the possibility of their collapse, he said.

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Huge oil spill spotted near storage tanks on Mississippi River downstream from New Orleans, state officials say. Details soon.

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They wanted to leave, but they had little money and an aging pickup. So they hunkered down.

In the next two days, the water rose — to ankles, to knees and, finally, to their chins. They made themselves a fort, stacking a sofa on top of two end tables, a futon on top of the sofa and a rubber mattress on top of the futon. The ceiling was a foot from their face when they climbed up the furniture. Snakes came. Dead squirrels floated by. Love tried to rescue the neighbor's dog that was chained to a nearby fence, but the animal tried to bite him. The dog died, and his carcass, draped over the fence under the blazing sun, began to rot. A body was also drifting nearby. The smell became unbearable.

On Thursday, fire ants floated in and attacked Love and Burbin, crawling onto their legs, into their hair. That was the last straw. They grabbed their last pack of hot dogs and a package of dry ramen noodles and made a run for it, slogging through the water for four hours before reaching downtown.

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I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it

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Originally posted by SignyM:
And the lessons are....???

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Originally posted by Ruxton:

ALL OF THESE OFFERS and more, the U.S. military leaders of the U.S. have declined. U.S. Dept. Bulletin NCO:13788...states that this must remain an INTERNAL ACTION.

(I have not verified this bulletin but don't doubt it, because I read yesterday that similar offers from Canada and France have been RE-f***in'-FUSED!)

Can anyone call this leadership?

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Global Aid Offers Pour Into U.S. in Katrina Aftermath
Sept. 2 (Bloomberg) -- At least 40 nations and international organizations have offered aid to the U.S. as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the federal government struggle to cope with rescue and relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. government will accept any assistance that can help survivors of the storm, Sean McCormack, a State Department spokesman, told reporters yesterday in Washington. Katrina killed hundreds, possibly thousands, in four Gulf coast states and flooded 80 percent of New Orleans.

``The pictures that we see on television are hard to bear,'' German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told reporters today at the Chancellery in Berlin. ``It is not only our historical duty, because we've received unlimited help from the American people after the war, but it also goes without saying.''

The U.S., the world's largest economy and a leading a provider of global disaster-relief and foreign aid for decades, will take handouts even from poorer nations, such as the Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka, which have offered to help, according to the State Department.

``No offer that can help alleviate the suffering of the people of the affected area will be refused,'' McCormack said.

Cash, Boats

The State Department now is trying to ``match offers with needs,'' spokeswoman Joanne Moore said. Items offered include cash, boats, aircraft, tents, blankets, and power generators.

Sri Lanka is making its $25,000 donation through the American Red Cross, which is running the largest relief operations in the hurricane-ravaged area.

Having suffered the tsunami of December 2004 ``the people of Sri Lanka and I fully comprehend the grief and the sense of loss experienced by the victims of the hurricane,'' Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga said in a statement.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a target of criticism by the U.S., offered $1 million to the Red Cross through Citgo, the U.S. subsidiary of the country's national oil company. As many as 2,000 Citgo refinery workers in Lake Charles, Louisiana are homeless, Venezuelan embassy spokeswoman Arelis Paiva said.

The U.S. has tentatively agreed to Germany's offer of airlifting, vaccination, water purification, medical supplies and pumping services, Schroeder said. The aid is ready to go on German air force and chartered planes, he said.

France has offered 600 tents, 1,000 camp beds, 60 generators, and three portable water-treatment plants, Denis Simonneau, deputy spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing. A 60-strong disaster relief team could be sent ``very quickly,'' and two planes, two naval ships, a hospital ship, and 35 aid workers are standing ready in the Caribbean, he said.

Power Generators

Australia said it will donate $8 million to the American Red Cross. Japan said it will give $200,000 to the relief group and is also ready to provide an additional $300,000 worth of tents, blankets, power generators, and water tanks. Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura telephoned U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today to offer help, the Japanese Embassy said.

``What you see is a combination of things: cynical efforts to get in good with the U.S., from people like Hugo Chavez, but there is genuine good will,'' said Michael Mandelbaum, a professor of foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. ``It's the government's policies that are unpopular, but people have a reservoir of good will for Americans.''

Gasoline shortages are among concerns facing the U.S. after the hurricane damaged at least eight refineries. The Bush administration has already decided to offer refiners oil from its national reserve of crude oil.

Oil Shortages

European Union governments agreed to provide oil reserves to the U.S. to plug shortages triggered by Hurricane Katrina, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters before a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Newport, Wales today.

``There is international assistance that might actually make a real difference, and that's on oil,'' Mandelbaum said.

Yevgeniy Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian embassy in Washington, said Russia has offered aircraft and specially trained search-and-rescue specialists. He said his office is still waiting to hear from the U.S.

``The offer was made several days ago to the United States, and the new offer was sent yesterday,'' Khorishko said. ``They are assessing what they need at this point.''

Potential Donors

Other nations or organizations that have offered assistance are: Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, the European Commission, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Lithuania, Mexico, NATO, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Organization of American States, Paraguay, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the U.K., and the UN High Commission on Refugees, according to the State Department.

Katrina came ashore Aug. 29, bringing 140-mph winds and a storm surge of more than 20 feet. Estimates of damage throughout Louisiana and Mississippi as well as Alabama and Western Florida exceed $25 billion.

The region's death toll isn't known. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has estimated thousands of people died in her state. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has put his state's fatalities at about 150.

About 15,000 to 20,000 people have been stranded without help around New Orleans, a city of 500,000 before the storm and the largest metropolitan area affected.

As many as 15,000 troops headed for the city after public order collapsed.

Katrina and its aftermath is likely to rival the 1900 hurricane that killed at least 8,000 in Galveston, Texas, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire that killed up to 6,000. Damage from Katrina is expected to exceed the losses from Hurricanes Andrew in 1992 and Camille in 1969, the worst storms in the U.S. in recent years.

The U.S. House of Representative cleared $10.5 billion in immediate disaster relief, and President George W. Bush said he'd sign the measure tonight.

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nobody thought this would be this bad

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My only question involves the picture of the dozens of flooded schoolbuses in a New Orleans lot.

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