STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

honey · Gucci

RE: horrifying scene at convention center...

halleybird · Hermes

NylaBelle wrote:

Karina wrote: I don't mean to turn this into a debate, but again the Bush Administration dismisses warnings.. In 2001, FEMA said that a hurricane in New Orleans would be one of the most catastrophic disasters to face this country, but yet the Bush admin. cut hurricane and flooding funding. Not only that, but the levies (sp??) that were built to hold back the lake were only built to withstand a category 3 hurricane (I don't think this had to do with Bush) But WTF?? If you know it's a danger zone, why in the hell wouldn't you build it so that it can withstand a Category 5 hurricane?

They interviewed one of the guys involved in building the levees. He said the "cost to benefit ratio" indicated it would be better to build for a category 3. Obviously that ratio was wrong in the long run. When all the rescue efforts are complete, I'd expect a LOT of criticism about this issue, as well as about how slowly federal aid money is coming in.

sephorablue · Marc Jacobs

The thing that I don't understand--and this may be because I know so little about it--is how unprepared the gov't/officials seem to have been. They seem to have planned to shelter people in the superdome and that's about it. There doesn't seem to have been any planning along the lines of, "OK, so if a category 4 or 5 storm hits and the levees break, the superdome is going to be surrounded by water and everyone will be trapped. How will we get them out as quickly and efficiently as possible? How will we give them the supplies they need?" The whole thing just seems to be taking way too long to implement, given that they had forseen the conditions under which they would have to be operating if a storm this bad did in fact hit.

I, too, was initially frustrated by all the people who stayed behind, but I think I was quite wrong, because obviously they are extremely poor. Too bad all the pre-storm coverage was just about all the idiots saying "I've weathered hurricanes before, this one will be fine," and "this house has been here since 18-whatever so it can withstand anything" etc. But the people who were too frail or poor to have a way out just make me cry. Especially beause from what I have read, many of the worst-hit neighborhoods are also the poorest, like the ones closest to the lake. I read that those areas were actually built on land reclaimed from the lake--how does this happen that people think that is a good idea? Dredge a swamp next to a monster lake on the Gulf Coast, built levees that will only protect up to a Cat. 3 storm, and cross your fingers?

Renee · Kenneth Cole

My heart is with those poor people. The most horrible thing in my eyes is that the dividing line between the rich and the poor in this country is even deeper than I suspected. Even if those people had the minimal material wealth needed to flee, many would not choose to. Once you get your ticket out, what would you eat? where would you sleep? These people would rather hope for the best than become refugees - one can go on living as a refugee for years after the disaster struck; I don't think there's much hope the government would have provided adequate help for these people, at least not immediately. They were hoping for the best. How could they know better? As for the violence, it is born out of desperation and should not be judged. I am praying that survivors will get access to medical help and a decent level of living after all this is over. My prayers are with them....

kenzie · Chanel

halleybird wrote:

They interviewed one of the guys involved in building the levees. He said the "cost to benefit ratio" indicated it would be better to build for a category 3. Obviously that ratio was wrong in the long run. When all the rescue efforts are complete, I'd expect a LOT of criticism about this issue, as well as about how slowly federal aid money is coming in.

Yeah, I saw that interview. Obviously, the cost has now surpassed a simple dollar figure. The cost is now human life. I'm sure they will come under fire for this discrepancy.

NCshopper · Hermes

There are so many things going on in this situation that I'm confused about, but what I don't get is why the whole rescue effort is taking so long.

I heard on the radio that yesterday a Navy hospital ship left Maryland for New Orleans and that it would get there in 4-5 days. I'm sorry, but we all knew this storm was coming and that it was going to be bad. Why didn't they have that ship closer to NO so it would have been there by now? If they had gotten the ship to say, the southern part of Florida on Monday, it would have been there by now. And the NC National Guard is leaving today to get down there. Again, why are they leaving on FRIDAY when the storm hit days ago?!?!! I don't get it!

On a side note, this is weird. I don't think it'll happen, but I heard someone on the radio (some gov't official or something) saying that NO's best bet at this point would be to declare themselves a separate country so they could get foreign aid. How weird would that be?!?!

baglady · Nine West

All of this is out of control because people are panicking. No one wants to admit this but it's human nature to go to extremes when in the middle of something traumatic like this. Things like this don't happen in third world countries because they're poor, it happens because they're human, and instinctively go into survival mode which came make the most heinous and trecherous acts seem reasonable to their own survival, mental and physical. Nobody's immune to it. There's always going to be that bunch of people that make a tragedy worse. All we can do is pray for the best and help out in any way we can.

ShanKel · Kenneth Cole

I think I'm still in a state of shock about all this. This seems worse than 9/11 to me. I really dont understand why anyone would shoot at people trying to help them but I believe thats just a handfull of people who are probably gang members and have no regard for life anyway. There are over 20,000 other people at their wits end. How can we judge them and their reactions from our sofas. When I think about the conditions down their I just cant believe that this is happening in this country. Can you imagine being dirt poor, no where to go, no food or water with children to feed, people urinating and defacating all around you, people dying around you and see no end to all this madness. I can totally understand people going off the deep end.

I agree that the world is watching in disbelief that the aid is taking so long to get to LA. They showed an australian newspaper that read: "A Sad Day in the World's Richest Country". Its really embarrasing.

Although our current president isn't one of my favorite people, I can't really blame all of this on him. All of congress basically sat around for at least 2 days(too long IMO) and watched this play out like they were gonna help themselves. It definitely sucks to be poor in this country.

This may be an ignorant question but when I see movies from La bayou, they show people living in shacks, using outhouses and they speak their own language. Is this a true depiection of how it really is?

-- Edited by ShanKel at 10:22, 2005-09-02

ShanKel · Kenneth Cole

baglady wrote:

All of this is out of control because people are panicking. No one wants to admit this but it's human nature to go to extremes when in the middle of something traumatic like this. Things like this don't happen in third world countries because they're poor, it happens because they're human, and instinctively go into survival mode which came make the most heinous and trecherous acts seem reasonable to their own survival, mental and physical. Nobody's immune to it. There's always going to be that bunch of people that make a tragedy worse. All we can do is pray for the best and help out in any way we can.

Agreed!

laken1 · Hermes

ShanKel wrote:

This may be an ignorant question but when I see movies from La bayou, they show people living in shacks, using outhouses and they speak their own language. Is this a true depiection of how it really is?-- Edited by ShanKel at 10:22, 2005-09-02

That isn't an ignorant question but it is one of the things that irritates me most about the way Louisiana is depicted in the movies...my stepdad had a friend that lived in Wyoming & he thought that we went to school in boats!!! Not true
Maybe there are people that live way out in the swamp that may have a shack or use outhouses, but I've never met them, know anyone who has met them, etc. It's not commonplace but I won't say for sure there aren't any because maybe there are. Most of Louisiana has real roads, some more rural (very rural) areas have "dirt" roads in that they are not paved, but for the most part it's like anywhere else you've even been for a lower income state. There are parts of South LA where the old (very older) people speak cajun-french - my grandfather did but not on a normal basis & his children (all in their 50s 60s) weren't taught or anything, so it's not like it's prevalent.

New Orleans is (was - that breaks my heart) very much like you see it in movies.
These images just made me break down & cry because I know it's not like this now, but this is historic St. Charles Ave, Riverwalk area, & the historic St. Louis Cathedral.

joy0302 · Kate Spade

Laken I am very sad too when I think of these people from NO and all of the other areas hit by Katrina, and am also thinking about the way things were. I visited these areas often, especially Biloxi and can't believe that it is all gone. It is devastating.

What alot of people don't realize if you don't live where hurricanes hit, (I live near Houston, so I have been through it), is that alot of people are often in denial. I am heartbroken for all of those people, whatever their reason for staying was. While I am sure the majority of the people were not able to leave due to money issues, there are always people who think that for some reason the weather channel is hyping up the storm and it won't be as bad as they say, or that their house can handle it, or they want to be there so looters will not steal their things after the storm is over. People did not want to believe it would be this bad.

I hope one lesson we learn from this is to respect what nature can do and find a way to help everyone before the fact. They are transporting people here to Houston and various other places now. In hindsight those people could have been bused to Baton Rouge or somewhere close, before the storm and so many would have been saved. The government officials knew it was going to hit NO for a few days before and knew how catastrophic it would be. Hopefully this will teach the officials to get people out and not just put them up in a dome the next time a catagory 4 storm hits. Our country has really made a mess and needs to fix this fast!!