Hurricane Katrina stories

Reginald de Curry · Post by **Reginald de Curry** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 11:54 am

Hope everyone's all right.

Floods ravage New Orleans

Orleans Parish Prison Commissioner Oliver Thomas told an ABC News affiliate that inmates at the prison have rioted, attempted to escape and are now holding hostages.

This one is irritating, to put it mildly.

alhoon · Post by **alhoon** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 2:45 pm

My sympathies to all of you harmed by the Hurricane. 80% of New Orleans is underwater.

Catman Jim · Post by **Catman Jim** » Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:31 pm

I did hear from my sister today, she lives in Mandeville on the north shore of Lake Pontchartraine. She evacuated ahead of the storm to some other family we have in Shreveport. From what she's been hearing, she won't have much left to go back to. Here's what she said: "I'm at the local library in Shreveport, and I only have 5 min. left on the computer before they kick me off, so this will be short. We're all o.k., but we can't go back to Mandeville until further notice. We have seen some pictures of our neighborhood. Trees are down everywhere, and a couple houses were split in two. We don't know anything about our house yet, and we won't know anything until we can get back there. Anyway, we're fine. We'll let you know what's happening with our house as soon as we know anything. I guess that's why we have home insurance!" I wrote back that I don't think she'll be returning anytime soon.

midnightcat · Post by **midnightcat** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:54 pm

I feel sorry for the People in New Orleans and all the people in south Mississippi. I live in Mississippi, and I am one of the lucky ones. Jackson the capitaol has no electricity and water, and we are slowly getting it back. My Neighborhood electric grid was connected to a power grid that helped fuel the electric trucks. So after 4 days I have power again. But I feel bad for all the people who lost thier homes and families and friends on the gulf coast. I now have an idea of how some of the people in Florida felt after Andrew.

Dr Bloodworth · Post by **Dr Bloodworth** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 10:24 pm

Hearing about all the people looting and stealing unnecessary things like big-screen TVs really gets my goat. Neglect to mention the fact that there's no way your newly-acquired big-screen TV will WORK... I don't mind as much the folks stealing food and clothing. But the other looters are making a bad situation worse... and then I hear they're actually firing on Army relief choppers and such. This is one of the few times I would advocate declaration of martial law. Maybe even shoot-to-kill policies if necessary.

And it seems that everyone's focusing on NO, and overlooking (for the most part) the other afflicted areas, like Mississippi and Alabama. Not that NO isn't bad, far from it, just that it's a lot worse than just NO...

AdamGarou · Post by **AdamGarou** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 2:51 pm

My wife and I actually have several friends who live in Mobile, Alabama (about three hours south of where we live), and the stories they're telling are amazing--and sad.

One of our friends is actually a meteorologist for the FOX news affiliate in Mobile, and he brought his wife and daughter to the television station with him--they camped out there for about 72 hours (before, during, and after Katrina came through). Doug and Tammy actually live about 30 minutes north of Mobile, and (thankfully) their home was spared. I think the neighborhood itself had several fallen trees, but other than losing electricity they were fine.

The TV station, as Doug tells it, is actually built with hurricanes in mind. Supposedly it can withstand a Category 5 hurricane, so it made sense that a lot of the newscasters brought their families with them to ride out the storm. Unfortunately, several of Doug's co-workers also don't have homes to return to.

I know our thoughts, prayers, positive energy, etc. are going out to all of those in Mobile, Biloxi, Gulfport, New Orleans, and everywhere else Katrina decided to visit. And I also know they appreciate it.

Dominique · Post by **Dominique** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 3:28 pm

I heard from my grandmother yesterday, which was a huge relief. She lives in Alabama; her hometown is a lot farther inland than Mobile, but hearing about all the problems down there was still making me worry about her.

I'm still waiting to hear from a good college friend of mine. His grandfather lives in New Orleans. We stayed with him once while we were down there for Mardi Gras. I'm sort of still in shock about the fact that even if his grandfather is okay, the house we stayed at might be gone. All the historic sites we visited are probably flooded. The restaurants we ate at and the stores where we bought chintzy souvenirs have probably been looted to some extent or another. It's a heck of a lot to think about.

AdamGarou · Post by **AdamGarou** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 3:34 pm

Dominique wrote:... All the historic sites we visited are probably flooded. The restaurants we ate at and the stores where we bought chintzy souvenirs have probably been looted to some extent or another. It's a heck of a lot to think about.

Yeah, it's strange. Not mixing disasters, but I spent my 22nd birthday eating dinner at the "Windows on the World" restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center. After the 9-11 attacks, I felt much the same way. When tragedy hits, even if you weren't directly affected by it as much as other people were, it still messes with your mind.

Joël of the FoS · Post by **Joël of the FoS** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:38 am

Indeed. I have a picture of me on top of the WotC, on the terrace facing north, and now looking at it makes me sad.

I read that the old part of NE was built on a piece of land over the sea level, so the old part was mostly unharmed by flood.

Joël

Fido · Post by **Fido** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 9:28 am

Joël of the Fraternity wrote:Indeed. I have a picture of me on top of the WotC, on the terrace facing north, and now looking at it makes me sad.

*sniggers*

Anyway, looking at New Orleans like that really makes me sad. I do hope everyone's alright.

Dominique · Post by **Dominique** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 2:19 pm

UPDATE: My college friend's entire family was in Chicago for a bat mitzvah, thank goodness. At least there's some good news.

Reginald de Curry · Post by **Reginald de Curry** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:26 am

Louisiana's state of emergency declaration, issued the Thursday before Katrina. (pdf)

The federal state of emergency declaration, issued retroactive to August 26th. (html)

Catman Jim · Post by **Catman Jim** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 12:15 pm

UPDATE: My sister was allowed back to her house in Mandeville, LA. today, the National Guard brought them in to gather personal items. They had told her the house looked fine, just wind damage & no flooding. When she got inside, she saw what they had not seen from a drive-by on the street. There was no back of the house left, two trees had fallen and sheared it off. Another tree snapped off high and speared through her roof & kitchen. They have told her now that it will most likely be sometime in November before she can return. She's leaving LA now, and will most likely be spending the school year at our parent's place in New England.
She's actually quite fortunate, I would say, everyone out safe-&-sound, and she has the resources available to handle this, unlike so many we have seen.

Reginald de Curry · Post by **Reginald de Curry** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:41 am

Yesterday, a few dozen of the hurricane evacuees were brought to our clinic for vaccinations; I understand that hospitals and clinics all over the St. Louis Metro are doing the same.

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Here's the sites I'm watching right now. They're often political, so be warned, but they have a lot of info.

Stories, blogs, and contact info
http://www.truthout.org/mayday.shtml

MoveOn is trying to match up housing offers to evacuees; 194,000 beds offered, last I checked.
http://www.hurricanehousing.org/?id=595 ... 6nDk0UjgfA

Photos of children separated from their parents by Hurricane Katrina have been posted on a Web site by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in an attempt to reunite families.
http://www.missingkids.com/

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The American Red Cross, with support of the worldwide Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, is launching a Web site to help assist family members who are seeking news about loved ones living in the path of Hurricane Katrina. Visit the "Family Links Registry" via RedCross.org to register yourself, a missing relative or view the existing list of registrants.

Evacuees wishing to inform loved ones of their location can register their name by clicking on "Family Links Registry" on RedCross.org. Concerned loved ones can register the names of their loved ones and view the list of those already posted. Due to the extent of the damage and the number of people displaced, concerned friends and family members are encouraged to visit the site daily to consult the list, as it will be updated continuously. A toll-free hotline is being established for those who do not have internet access.

http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/katrina

Reginald de Curry · Post by **Reginald de Curry** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 3:22 pm

Timeline of events:

http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

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Hurricane Katrina stories

Hurricane Katrina stories