Hurricane Katrina response

[Pyrosama]

Originally posted by Rosuav
Refusal is rude, and may also result in your death; but if you accept, you accept on their terms.

I wasn't going to put in my two screws worth on this one because I too have pets that are very dear to me but I really want to share my thoughts on the broader scope that I see.

You must realize that the government and other agencies cannot discriminate and must offer assistance to all people. Taking the time to assist each and every individual means that there is a time constraint and the time they take to get to you (only to be refused) is time taken away from getting to others who most assuredly WILL NOT refuse assistance.

I don't see it as rude but I see it as bothersome. It's either ignorance because you don't realize the cost to others or it's self-sacrifice because you don't care about the rest of the world around you, only those you love. The self-sacrifice wouldn't be a problem for me if there were some way for the rescuers to see from afar some sign that read "don't bother to help unless you will take my non-human pets" or something like that.

I think that it's a sad situation with pets and all and I have friends and co-workers that don't have children but who have pets and I do agree, they love their pets like children. But I also know that if I were stuck in a situation like that (no car, no money), I'd be hoofing it out of town to save my kids. They should have had the same instincts to do so with their pets if indeed they claim to love them like children.

[Raeghin]

A thresher friend sent this to me in the mail..like a friend of a friend thing. I do know she would want others to see this letter and share it. It gives the perspective of someone who lives near Baton Rouge.

"We have had a battery operated TV so we've been getting local channels focusing on the situation there and here. I'm just getting the "national perspective" and its *(&*&(*ing me off!

First, this is not a racial thing. I'm sorry if all the reporters are seeing are black faces but if they would take their cameras to places like Slidell, Mandeville, Metairie and CHALMETTE! They would see a several thousand white faces being affected by this. Most of the tip of the boot that is Louisiana south and east of Baton Rouge is under water. Those people are stuck too waiting for help, dying, but all the news people can focus on is the Superdome.

Another misconception. The violence going on there is not the reaction of desperate people. Its typical New Orleans on any given Tuesday!!! Its a dangerous, dirty, drug infested place where the city police and city government is corrupt and useless. Volunteers are getting shot at and their cars vandalized. Helicopters are being shot at. Just another day in the city.

Another misconception. These poor people couldn't get out because they don't have cars. If the cameras show the city once the waters recede, you'll notice all the flooded out cars littering the streets. They couldn't all have been broken down before the storm hit. Yes, there are always people who do not have transportation. Part of making the call for a MANDATORY evacuation is that the city has to provide for transportation and/or shelter in the city. People stayed for the same reasons they always stay. They think the storm will turn and go in another direction. They think they can "ride it out." Or, they're just too (*&( lazy to pack up and leave.

Another misconception. The federal government was slow to respond. The president issued a state of emergency BEFORE the storm ever hit, unprecedented. This means that the full access of the federal government, be it military or civil, were at our governor's disposal. The levee broke early Monday afternoon. She did not call evacuation until Tuesday morning. You cannot call up National Guard units in 20 minutes. It takes time.

The governor and mayor are in high CYA mode at the moment. The situation is bad here. Crime is becoming a problem in Gonzales and Baton Rouge where the evacuees are being housed. We live between the two cities and there is pistol on my desk shelf as I type (yes, I know how to use it). Helicopters flying overhead all day, gas is running out, stores shelves becoming empty. Its like a war zone. Our kids are both here and are staying here until the crime situation gets in control and I fear it will get worse before it gets better. Pray for us."

[Katidyd]

The media made a big deal about authorizing the use of force to remove people. I thought it was a little too late for that but at least a few people could be saved from their stubborness. The media could be so useless on a global scale -le sigh-