STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

dc · Dooney & Bourke

horrifying scene at convention center...

Karina · Chanel

This is really disturbing. Excuse my french, but how the fuck is this happening in the United States of America?

-- Edited by Karina at 15:34, 2005-09-01

laken1 · Hermes

I am in tears - I don't know what to say either...

asf · Kate Spade

i don't even know what to say. i just don't understand how this could happen - how is no one there to help them?

laken1 · Hermes

If you are watching the news you'll see that even civilians who owned boats were going to evacuate 1000s people from the hospitals, etc - the only way to get people out is by boat or helicopters - and that's not as easy as it sounds when you are talking about this many people - imagine the Titanic magnified - I imagine anyone coming in would be swarmed - my gosh, who even knows what to do at this point? And the whole getting shot at thing isn't helping....

Those of you who have never been there, New Orleans is a bowl - it has always been technically a lake that was not full of water due to the corp or engineers construction -- all that is destroyed so it IS a lake. There are NO roads in or out...it is literally surrounded by water. Those people are essentially on an island. I am just embarassed over the unpreparedness though....

Keep in mind: THEY WERE SHOOTING AT THE HELICOPTERS EVACUATING PEOPLE THIS MORNING!!

-- Edited by laken1 at 15:49, 2005-09-01

asf · Kate Spade

laken1 wrote:

I am just embarassed over the unpreparedness though.... -- Edited by laken1 at 15:45, 2005-09-01

that's what i mean - how could they have been so unprepared, and how has no one (national guard, etc.) gotten there yet? i understand there are no roads, but there must be something that can be done!

sfcaligirl · Dooney & Bourke

this is just heartbreaking....

laken1 · Hermes

And we were talking about bashing politicians - the Gov is an idiot, BTW. That isn't helping. Sorry.

Karina · Chanel

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.

Mostly, I am upset that all these people are dying .. people are walking around the city of NO, aimlessly, not knowing where to go, or what to do. Sewage, dead bodies, animals, dirty water is everywhere. Police can't do anything, the city is practically inaccessible, and our President is giving press conferences on gas prices. I just hope to God some type of miracle happens, and we get immediate help to these poor people. Again - how the fuck is this happening in the United States of America?

kenzie · Chanel

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?

bex · Chanel

that article was so disturbing- as was the images in the video that it contained. i felt like i was watching a 3rd world country- not the United States.

Why are they shooting at the helicopters? Don't they realize that is one of the few ways out? I don't understand why people would be shooting at those trying to help them????

Pepper · Kenneth Cole

I feel so outraged, upset and frustrated watching what I watched. I just can't believe that they can't drop the food/water/ice/medicine from the sky. Harry Connick Jr. was the only authoritative figure going in there to offer any help he could. Come on - why is it taking them four days - I'm so angry and upset. What a yucky situation.

luckylily · Gucci

I know. I've been watching the footage at the convention center all morning. I keep thinking...How hard is it to at least drop bottled water and food down for these people? But, I know that when they do, people will be so desperate they are going to start fighting over supplies.

I'm having a hard time not making this about politics. All the government money and troops are over seas. Nothing has been left here for such catastrophies. How come the government hasn't been funding improvements to the levy system and flood system? We've been hearing the warnings about potential catastrophies in NOLA for decades.

On the other hand, I also think this isn't the time to be pointing fingers and arguing about politics. Those people desperately need help.

bex · Chanel

luckylily wrote:

All the government money and troops are over seas. Nothing has been left here for such catastrophies.

i am watching CNN right now and fmr. Pres. Bush and Bill Clinton are asking for private sector money from us and corporations in order to help out. They admitted that our money is tied up overseas, but some countries have offered money and petroleum to help us out as well.

laken1 · Hermes

Don't ask my why the levees weren't built to sustain a cat 5 hurricane, but the original purpose of the levee system WAS NOT to protect against hurricanes, it was built to block the city from "normal" rising water from the Miss river / lake ponchatrain, thus the attempt to keep the city dry on a day to day basis from regular occurences. It is not specifically for hurricane defense, just to clear that up. Not that it makes it better today, but it has done it's job for 50 or so years....

Now as I'm going back & reading the news stories, this exact scenario was predicted. Why did those people at the convention center stay in the city? That is what infuriates me. The very people who didn't heed the evacuation warnings are now what we have to worry about - if they had all left AS THEY WERE TOLD - the officials could be dealing with the flood issues & restoring the city. Sorry, I know I am no expert, but i think the national news shows the heartbreaking stories that are just that - but they don't show what we know we always see locally - all the people saying "I'm not leaving my house, I don't care what they say" then cry foul when the worst happens.

-- Edited by laken1 at 16:16, 2005-09-01

laken1 · Hermes

luckylily wrote:

I know. I've been watching the footage at the convention center all morning. I keep thinking...How hard is it to at least drop bottled water and food down for these people? But, I know that when they do, people will be so desperate they are going to start fighting over supplies.

I really hate to say this but i saw a news report this morning that said the President said that dropping supplies was not the "most efficient way" to get these people food & water....I have no idea what efficiency has to do with it at this point though.

Cricket · Gucci

laken1 wrote:

Don't ask my why the levees weren't built to sustain a cat 5 hurricane, but the original purpose of the levee system WAS NOT to protect against hurricanes, it was built to block the city from "normal" rising water from the Miss river, thus the attempt to keep the city dry on a day to day basis from regular occurences. It is not specifically for hurricane defense, just to clear that up. Not that it makes it better today, but it has done it's job for 50 or so years.... Now as I'm going back & reading the news stories, this exact scenario was predicted. Why did those people at the convention center stay in the city? That is what infuriates me. The very people who didn't heed the evacuation warnings are now what we have to worry about - if they had all left AS THEY WERE TOLD - the officials could be dealing with the flood issues & restoring the city. Sorry, I know I am no expert, but i think the national news shows the heartbreaking stories that are just that - but they don't show what we know we always see locally - all the people saying "I'm not leaving my house, I don't care what they say" then cry foul when the worst happens.

Yes, I'm sure there are a lot of people in the city now that had the means to leave and just didn't believe that they needed to. Now they're stuck and need help. But NO has so many residents with NO MEANS to exit the city. No money, no car, etc. They're just dirt poor. My heart breaks for them.

Cricket · Gucci

laken1 wrote:

. I really hate to say this but i saw a news report this morning that said the President said that dropping supplies was not the "most efficient way" to get these people food & water....I have no idea what efficiency has to do with it at this point though.

Well, maybe he means that if supplies were just dropped anywhere in the city, there would probably be stampedes, more shootings, etc. and it might make the situation worse. Supply drops need to be very well organized right now and I hate to think it, but distribution will probably get VERY UGLY.

-- Edited by Cricket at 16:18, 2005-09-01

honey · Gucci

laken1 wrote:

Now as I'm going back & reading the news stories, this exact scenario was predicted. Why did those people at the convention center stay in the city? That is what infuriates me. The very people who didn't heed the evacuation warnings are now what we have to worry about - if they had all left AS THEY WERE TOLD - the officials could be dealing with the flood issues & restoring the city. Sorry, I know I am no expert, but i think the national news shows the heartbreaking stories that are just that - but they don't show what we know we always see locally - all the people saying "I'm not leaving my house, I don't care what they say" then cry foul when the worst happens.

a couple thoughts. i think our technology has made us really complacent and really when something big happens, it doesn't mean anything -- as evidenced now. those people are literally on an island and unlike other recent chaotic events where you could begin recovery immediately, it seems like they really can't do anything until the flood water subsides significantly which could take months.

and like laken, i really can't fathom why a lot of the people didn't leave the area like they were told to. i watched the weather channel on sat & sun. and they kept emphasizing over and over again how people should evacuate, so it's kind of mind boggling that some still thought they could ride it out. but then again, if someone told me i literally had to leave everything i owned and just flee - i'm not sure how i would react either.

-- Edited by honey at 16:24, 2005-09-01

jj · Kate Spade

This is the most recent report from the CNN blog...

Doctors told me that while trying to evacuate critical patients from Charity Hospital in New Orleans, two of the evacuation vehicles came under fire. The doctors said they were able to get all but one of the patients out of the hospital.

Who was shooting at these vehicles? The doctor I spoke to had no idea. He said a person in a white shirt from a high building started firing upon them as they were trying to evacuate.

Charity Hospital is one of the bigger hospitals in downtown New Orleans. It has a lot of indigent patients. As the doctors were describing it to me, the hospital is overflowing with patients right now and has poor resources.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!?!