If I'm showing my ignorance here, I'll apologize in advance. But, don't we have huge military transport planes which could fly hundreds of people at a time to Houston? Why are we using school busses to drive from New Orleans to Houston?

Kathy: I agree they are putting band aids on HUGE problems - I just watched a TV clip showing a cop driving past begging people - a cameraman asked him can you help??? He replied help on the way and then sped off - I am not bashing anyone just think some TLC needed for majority of people - not the lousy looters -

Kathleen, after reading your post I tried to imagine what we would do in such a situation (hopefully NONE of us will ever have to find out). I did a mental run through and I believe with 1/2 hour notice we could have the 5 pets in the back seat and everything we need that is of importance in the trunk and be headed North for dry land.

JimB, I'm thankful that your family is safe in Minnesota now. I will continue to keep them and all the victims in my prayers!

I did a mental run through and I believe with 1/2 hour notice we could have the 5 pets in the back seat and everything we need that is of importance in the trunk and be headed North for dry land.

Or you can drive east and stay with us!!! I'll load up on Sambuca for the 4 of us -

Thanks Joanna! Actually the Sambuca would probably the first thing we load in the trunk!

Let's hope and pray we never face a New Orleans -

Kathleen...there but for the grace of God!

I'm so sorry for the people in New Orleans who are there now, and can't, and probably never could flee with their belongings and pets.

Do we let the poor in Amercia drown or be shot by others? This is beyond sad.

Joanna, you are so right, in Florida we pray a lot!

Everybody who is there is not the "poor left behinds". There were tourists in all the hotels, who were told "Come on down, we never close for anything" and then were unable to get back out of town. They are innocents, too, in this whole thing, aren't they? They have also been herded to the Convention Center and abandoned with no food or water.

I was looking at that satellite photo that's on CNN, but somebody had blown it WAY up and I could see street by street. Y'all, the interstates have sections that are under water; just loading people up and taking them somewhere isn't as easy in actuality as it might look. The interstate that would go to the nearest AFB is destroyed. The interstate that goes to the airport is partially under water.

It's awful. And there's no easy solution. Ten thousand have come to Memphis, and more are on their way. The churches are opening their facilities and the schools are taking the children in. That's such a small drop in such a large bucket.

A Poem for Today.

On the way home last night I put $3.00 a gallon gas in my tank,
But after I filled up there was still money in the bank.
When I got home my refrigerator was running and cold,
It was full of food, and none of it was spoiled or old.
My house needs repairs. Its small and cramped, but its home…
..but I’m not in Iraq, and I’m not staying in the Astrodome.
My family is my life. Today they are all where they are supposed to be.
They are at school and work, and that is a comfort to me.
The Gulf Coast is a disaster, and the world is at war.
But there is peace and safety outside of my door.
My house is standing and dry, not even my dog is wet.
And if I could talk to you yours is too I’d be willing to bet.
My multiple vehicles run and are dry. There are no looters are at my door.
When I bought bread last night there was plenty on the shelf and no looters at the store.
This morning my closet had various clothes from which to choose.
I didn’t have to go wading outside without any shoes.
Payday is on Fridays. Any day this week I can go to my bank.
I can write checks and make deposits. Who should I thank?
Sunday I can go to an almost new church building. My faith is intact.
My future looks pretty good. It doesn’t look black.
When I walked through the neighborhood and said “hi” to neighbors last night.
It was comforting to know we weren’t all in flight.
There are no dead bodies in my attic…none on my lawn and none on the street.
I don’t see or smell things rotting and decaying in the heat.

Who should I thank for these blessings of mine?
Why is it today in my life the sun seems to shine?
Should I take comfort in the fact that its “them” and not me?
Do I deserve comfort? Its that how its to be?
Where do I go? Who should I see
To find out why this happens to “them” and not me?


Don't know who to give credit but pretty good

Thanks Ray - that is wonderful

Bonnie - I wish you were right about the infrastructure being addressed. But I doubt it. Louisiana time & again tried to get funds to shore up their infrastructure, and time & again were turned down. New Yrk City's infrastructure is in dire need of repairs, as are most cities'. There are only so many resources, and not enough to address all the needs so unfortunately priorities must be set. And what one thinks is a priority someone else may not. I am afraid that this then leads to conflict - can we really ALL come together & want the same thing? We seem to do so for very short periods after a tragedy, but then we forget. So who gets & who doesn't? My mother used to use an expression that may apply: "The squeakiest wheel gets the oil."

Re: the convention center.

Last night on NPR, I was listening to Michael Chertoff being interviewed. He was very dismissive of the reporters comments that 2,000 people were at the convention center without anything. I was appalled. He kept claiming that he was not aware of large numbers of people at the convention center, basically implying that they were making it up.

After he hung up, the reporter came back on, anger clearly in his voice, and "clarified, for the benefit of Sec Chertoff and others..." that they had 2,000 people at the convention center with dead bodies in the midst, no food, no facilities, no water, etc.

With all the major news organizations showing the convention center on TV, how on earth could the Sec of Homeland Security be unaware of this as of 6PM ET last night?

And Pam, you are absolutely right. I heard this morning driving in that the hotels banded together to get busses to evacuate their people. They paid for them!!! Then, the Feds confiscated the busses when they arrived and told the people to go to the convention center. Yep, that's right, the same convention center that, according to Chertoff, doesn't have many people there.

Unbelievable.

Kathy

Good point, Gil. And especially true that we all seem to come together for too short a period of time after tragedy strikes. Our collective memories are way too short.

There were reports that 20% of New Orleans police officers have walked off the job. There also was a report that Louisiana State Police assigned to go to New Orleans are resigning instead. It sounds like the relief from the local authorities is most lacking.

Without the violence in New Orleans, relief workers would have an easier time working.

And to think, if the Mayor had just ordered evacuation earlier, this may have been minimized a bit more. Just think, if the city busses had been used to evacuate those without cars, this might have been minimized. And to think that the evacuation order EXEMPTED hospitals because they were concerned about "liability" if someone was injured in the evacuation process. How much easier would it have been if all critical patients in New Orleans hospitals were evacuated to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, or places west ahead of time. And, at least in Florida and California, emergency services personnel have invested in necessary communications equipment for emergencies like hurricanes and earthquakes; why wasn't this done in New Orleans? They can't even talk to each other!

Things aren't working well; however, they are working about as good as can be expected. We are all told to have 5-7 days supplies in case of hurricane (earthquakes in California). We are only now in the fifth day. I know that many people were flooded out and their hurricane supplies didn't make it; however, that 5-7 day period is based on fact that it takes time to implement emergency relief efforts.

The New Orleans officials seem to be casting blame everywhere except on themselves. Why can't anyone take responsibility anymore? Bad things happen; it is how we handle them that matters.

It seems like FEMA has really dropped the ball on this one. My neighbor is a pilot for American Airlines. AA called FEMA and offered to fly planes in full of supplies and carry refugees out. FEMA's response? Nothing. Didn't even acknowledge the offer.

Did anyone hear the interview with the mayor of New Orleans last night? In his own words he is "pissed". Poor guy seems to be at the end of his rope and I can certainly see why. Someone needs to take charge down there.

Refugees continue to come to North Texas, we have about 23 here at our hospital in McKinney. I imagine more will come.

Yes, no one has taken charge here and everyone is pointing fingers. The mob mentality is there because most of those in the area are poor and uneducated and don't know how to help themselves.
While many of us have visited as tourists and seen the best side of the city, it was hiding the side of poverty, crime and lack of education. The government there was corrupt and completely loaned itself to favoritism. No real leadership.

Our neighborhood has several emergency teams put together in case of earthquake. It took 3 days before we had help after the 1994 quake and over a month to have some normality. We have communally bought supplies, trained in First Aid and search and rescue to take care of ourselves in the event. I have backpacks with water and food. In the 1994 earthquake, I even had extra shoes for one barefoot woman in her nightgown wander the street in front of our condo that was destroyed. I had enough water for 5 days for two and food for my dogs too.

We do need to get rid of the entitlement mentality. We help those who help themselves. I've written a substancial check to help, but, I am afraid that the criminal element will benefit too. I can only hope that the ones who will receive aid are those who have suffered and are truly helpless.

"Did anyone hear the interview with the mayor of New Orleans last night? In his own words he is "pissed". Poor guy seems to be at the end of his rope and I can certainly see why. Someone needs to take charge down there"

I'm very sorry for the people that are caught in this tragedy but I'm not feeling sorry for this guy anymore. From the first moment the only thing I've heard him do is whine and complain. What kind of leadership is that? Wasn't he aware that the levees/ walls of his city were not constructed to withstand anything stronger that a Cat. 3 hurricane? And if he was , why with 2-3 days advance notice didn't he order buses to go and evacuate all these people that obviously had no resources to evacuate on their own?

I don't know who is to blame now but I blame the government of Lousiana and NO for allowing the anarchy to take root. To bad they don't have a Rudy Guliani in their midst.

"Did anyone hear the interview with the mayor of New Orleans last night? In his own words he is "pissed". Poor guy seems to be at the end of his rope and I can certainly see why. Someone needs to take charge down there"

Maria: I heard it this morning and posted on the Katrina thread very powerful talk!!!

My sister called last night. She made it to Minnesota in fine shape.
She knows nothing more than the rest of us about
what things are like there.
If anyone is interested here is a web site for St. Charles Parish with some information that looks positive. www.stcharlesgov.net/
Thanks for listening.

My sister-in-law works for Best Buy and told me this morning that more than 690 Best Buy stores across the nation will accept cash donations for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in support of victims of Hurricane Katrina. The public can donate at any U.S. Best Buy store register in any dollar amount; no purchase is necessary. Donations will be accepted through September 30, 2005. The Best Buy Children's Foundation will match donations up to $1 million.

Trish

Corporate America is getting in on the donation wagon. Many foundations are matching donations - so it you donate to them they will match and it will still get to the Red Cross - doubled.

Oldest daughter Gina works for Johnson & Johnson and for every dollar donated through their fund, they will match. I wish I had known that before we donated directly to the Red Cross.

Yeah, me too! :(

Does anyone know any companies that match for other charities besides the Red Cross? For long standing reasons, I don't give money to the Red Cross. We are looking at donating to animal rescue and Salvation Army instead.

thanks,

I just received this update on Humane Society's work in the rescue effort:

Shortly after the hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast, HSUS teams were on the ground determining the areas where the most critical relief was needed. Today, experienced HSUS rescue staff and volunteers are working with state officials, federal agencies, and other organizations to evacuate animals out of the hardest-hit areas. They are also establishing pet-friendly shelters and delivering supplies, resources, and medical assistance.

In Louisiana, we’re helping to set up an emergency facility at the Coliseum in Baton Rouge where strays will be brought, evaluated, and then transported to safety. While thousands of people are being evacuated from the New Orleans Superdome and relocated to Houston to be sheltered in the Astrodome, HSUS volunteers are helping transport animals from evacuees arriving at the Astrodome and ferrying them to the temporary shelter, which will be fully operational today.

In Mississippi, seven HSUS disaster field teams left to conduct damage and needs assessments and to provide help as they find needs from Jackson south to the Hattiesburg area. The HSUS team includes about 35 trained responders and 8-10 vehicles (plus trailers and RVs), including the HSUS Disaster Response Unit. Team capabilities include companion animals, horses, farm animals, and wildlife. The team leaders are pushing very hard to get help to Gulfport, Mississippi, but at this time Route 49 is open only to state-authorized emergency vehicles.

Margo, Thank you so much for this update.

Margo, I also rec'd this email. I used your link and sent a contribution. I've been a member since '91.
Thanks for posting.

Marc, I know that Intel matches employee donations earmarked for Katrina relief made to any 501C(3) organization. I believe the Salvation Army qualifies, as do any number of other groups.

I believe that the Woodland Hills Rotary Foundation will be matching donations that will be distributed directly via Rotary International. We made our main donation through Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. There will be matching funds from another foundation.

I should get my facts straight before posting this, but I am sure I heard that a celebrity was matching any amount up to $50,000...thinking it might have been Sigfried and Roy.....or not....somebody was, and I was shocked. How generous!

Betty - I think you are right...I was so emotional watching the news stories last night that I am sure I got them mixed up.

Sheri
It might have been this from the Ellen DeGeneres show.
DeGeneres also plans to announce a hurricane relief fund. The show's producer, Warner Bros. Entertainment, said it would donate $500,000 and match viewers' contributions up to another $500,000.

Just to add...I googled "matching Katrina donations", and although I didn't find the specific person I had referenced in my previous post, my heart is warmed by the multitude of companies, individuals, celebrities, etc who are donating and matching donations. If they are all doing what they say they are doing, there is a lot of money on its way!! OH, I HOPE so!!
I really am proud to be a part of a country that can be SO giving!!! :app: :app:

In Lee Greenwood's words....

If tomorrow all the things were gone I’d worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I’d thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
‘Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,

From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA,
Well, there’s pride in every American heart,
and it’s time to stand and say:

I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

Kudos to the city & citizens of Houston and other places that have opened their hearts to the people impacted by this tragedy. From some of the reports I have heard, it was private companies, citizens and organizations that were actually there with aid before the government.

Someone on this thread earlier wondered if all those countries that complain that the US doesn't give enough in times of crisis would come through with offers of aid. I was watching one of the cable news shows (not sure which one since I was flipping between 3 of 'em) and was reading the ticker along the bottom that was listing offers of aid from various countries - the usual weathier nations and some unexpected from "poorer" countries such as Honduras. I remember one was Sri Lanka pledging $25,000 to the Red Cross (bless 'em with all they've been thru) and then came the listing of one offer that made my heart stop & my blood run cold - from Columbia (I think) an offer of troops to be sent to New Orleans to restore order! (Note: I have not seen this repeated so I don't know if the ticker I saw was correct. I certainly hope not)

The thought of foreign troops in an American city (however well intentioned the offer) certainly gave me pause for thought. And perhaps a small insite into how citizens of other countries feel with the presence of American troops (however well intentioned) on their home soil. Besides the tragedy that has unfolded, let's hope that the message that goes across the world IS NOT that we are too weak to maintain our own cities & borders.

Watch Geraldo Riviera tonight on CNN or Fox - he has been there for 24 hrs -

Thanks Sheri!

FYI, below article describes well the passion of the General I directly work for here in Georgia.

LT. Gen Honore is now in charge of all military in the relief effort for Katrina..he is a native from Louisiana and we could not have a better leader in charge..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New York Post
September 3, 2005

Gen. Ragin' Cajun

By Andy Geller

The three-star Army general tapped to lead the National Guard's recovery operations along the battered Gulf Coast is a cigar-chomping "John Wayne-type dude" with a Cajun accent.

Lt. Gen. Russel Honore was commander of the 1st U.S. Army in Fort Gillem, Ga., when he was named to head the newly created Joint Task Force Katrina, based at Camp Shelby in Mississippi.

In flood-ravaged New Orleans yesterday, he hit the ground running. Mayor Ray Nagin, who has been very critical of the actions of President Bush and the feds, singled out Honore for praise.

"Now, I will tell you this — and I give the president some credit on this — he sent one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done, and his name is General Honore," Nagin said.

"He came off the doggone chopper and he started cussing and people started moving. And he's getting some stuff done."

One of Honore's hobbies is throwing tomahawks. The other is collecting military medals and decorations. He's earned more than two dozen, including the Bronze Star and a Distinguished Service Medal.

A native of Lakeland, La., Honore began his military career after graduating from Southern University in 1971. He was commissioned a second lieutenant. He subsequently commanded a unit that was deployed to Saudi Arabia during the first Persian Gulf War and served as commanding general of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea.

And along the way he picked up a master's degree in human resources from Troy State University.

Honore, married with four children — one of whom lives in New Orleans — is directing his 1,000 National Guard troops from a New Orleans street corner.

Reporters traveling with him say he is very determined to have the effort look like a humanitarian-relief operation.

For example, he stopped a truck filled with National Guard troops and told them, "Point your weapons down. This is not Iraq."

Honore said getting food and water to the hungry and desperate at the city's jam-packed convention center is very difficult.

"If you ever have 20,000 people come to supper, you know what I'm talking about," he said.

Honore said high water near the convention center and Superdome is making it tough for troops to get in. But they've been unloading trucks of food and water, and will restock when they're empty.

The general said he knows people in the area are frustrated at the pace of the relief effort, and he is, too.

But he downplayed talk of mass lawlessness in the Big Easy, saying most of the people on the streets are families waiting to be evacuated.

With Post Wire Services

Encouraging, Wes - thanks for posting that.

He has received alot of press coverage - all good - he sounds perfect for this horrendous job!

Mi Coronel!

Yes I read about Lt. Gen Honore yesterday and felt the leader this disaster needed and required had finally arrived...but I was I bit surprised that no TV coverage on him at all? I stayed up a couple of hours to watch the news, and nothing on him in action yesterday. Why?

And not to criticize...but he was sorely needed Tuesday...had he been around then, perhaps some of the post-hurricane disaster could have been averted.

Mr. Benson (owner of the New Orlean Saints),
asked 7 player/ coaches to go on his private jet to Baton Rouge where they had cars waiting for them to go to the Saints complex in Metairie LA. My brother - in - law "ROCK" was asked to go. No damage at all at the complex! National Guard are using it as a drop off station. Then he got in his car left at the parking lot and went by his home as well as about a dozen others homes and checked on them. My sister and brother- in laws home had very little damage. No flooding. In fact his comment was they have had much worse damage from the tropical storm they had a couple of years ago.
We are all very relieved to here this news.
While driving into Destrahan he had to show ID and give them his address at a check point. They wrote down his license number. He was asked 2 more times by security people while driving around checking on the others home. That made him feel good about the neigborhood.

Senora Gato,

CNN is now covering him, he had interviews with Katie Couric on NBC's Today show, and is scheduled for Oprah...but his time is limited and must focus on the rescue/recovery msn...LTG Honore got down to the affected area as quick as he could, and when he was asked by a reporter who questioned him, What took you so long? He paused and then asked her when
did you get here?...a long silence ensued..Lt. Gen Honore then stated this is a disaster, they arrived as soon as they safely could...however, he is a leader of action...believe me action will occur. r/wes