2001 article warning that wetland erosion was creating 'doomsday scenario' if a hurricane were to strike New Orleans
www.hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/houston.htm

New Orleans is sinking.
And its main buffer from a hurricane, the protective Mississippi River delta, is quickly eroding away, leaving the historic city perilously close to disaster.
So vulnerable, in fact, that earlier this year the Federal Emergency Management Agency ranked the potential damage to New Orleans as among the three likeliest, most castastrophic disasters facing this country.
The other two? A massive earthquake in San Francisco, and, almost prophetically, a terrorist attack on New York City.
The New Orleans hurricane scenario may be the deadliest of all.

READ MORE
www.hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/houston.htm

Without food, water, or medical supplies, the U.S. government has left the poor of New Orleans to die. Looting has taken place as an attempt at survival. Bush's anouncement of zero tolerance and military measures against the people who are dying because of his lack of response is criminal.

You're totally right! Bush not only flatly refused to meet with Cindy Sheehan whose son was sacrificed for Bush's determination to exploit the people of Iraq, he VACATIONED for two whole days while the WORST NATURAL DISASTER in recent history hit our Southern Coast!! (What would happen to us if we didn't show up for work for two days without explanation??!!??) This guy needs to have a good, old fashioned ASS KICKING, courtesy of our ELECTED officials who are SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT US. LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO HOLD HIS FEET TO THE FIRE!! He, along with his brown-nosed allies, is completely corrupt, inept and swifty bringing about the demise of this nation.

Meanwhile, please raise hell at every level in an effort to get relief to these people NOW. I tried to call the governor all day today, but the line was busy. KEEP TRYING and let him know we need to help the people of New Orleans NOW. And if you haven't done it already, please give to organizations who are providing relief.

while i was working for the government if i took 530 days of vacation in less than 8 years while my country was in dire straights i'd be in levenworth!

[note: here's a quick review of facts that refute what President
Bush said this morning, that he/people hadn't known beforehand that the
levees might fail. By the way, the Bush admin has been dismantling FEMA. I
hope what's happening now will prompt a nationwide focus on the purpose of
government, and a national refresher course on what the terms homeland
security and national defense should mean. And while I'm on this rant, I
have not yet heard the President ask us all to conserve fuel. Let's see
what sort of leadership emerges now.]

Los Angeles Times

Water May Linger for Months
City pumps themselves are submerged, so officials must await nature's help.
Delays already have local officials on edge.
By Ralph Vartabedian
Times Staff Writer

September 1, 2005

Draining the billions of gallons of water that have inundated New Orleans
could take three to six months, substantially longer than some experts have
expected, the Army Corps of Engineers said late Wednesday.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN THE OTHERPRESS SECTION OF SC-IMC
santacruz.indymedia.org/mod/otherpress/display/614/index.php

interviews from the astrodome
houston.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/42758.php

natasha lang of new orleans speaks about her experience with the flood, staying in the super dome and then moving to the astrodome.

QuickTime movie at 10.4 mebibytes
houston.indymedia.org/uploads/natasha.mov

This has hit home in a personal way. A dear friend, a former Santa Cruz resident and native of New Orleans, has probably lost her 86-year-old mother in all this. Her mom, who was has been incapacitated in a nursing home for the last year, was taken to the Super Dome with her nurses on Sunday. How can an elderly person who is partially paralyzed and in diapers survive in 90 degree heat with no sanitation, food or water in the Super Dome? She was one of many elderly and sick people who were supposed to be rescued by helicopter, but helicopter rescues were called off because one was shot at. Another part of the family, including a woman in her 80's, spent 4 days on their roof before they were rescued. I hope this brings Bush down. It's directly the fault of the federal government, and as usual our idiot resident is off getting photo opps for himself. New Orleans, one of the few places in Amerika with any culture whatsoever, is gone folks.

So far the best contacts we have are:

Texas Asking for Medically Trained Volunteers
Nurse www.texasnurses.org

Sites Needing Nursing (and other medically trained volunteers)
information (at) nopd-aid.org
Texas Medical Association Volunteer Contacts
www.texmed.org/Template.aspx


Or send email to james.bryant (at) dshs.state.tx.us Or Contact James Bryant at (512) 458.7111 x6643
See: www.tsbme.state.tx.us/katrina_emergency.htm

LSU Looking for Trained Medical Volunteers. Call 225-219-0821.

Medical personnel needed at the Chateau Living Center in Kenner, LA 716 Village Road. Call 225-464-0604. CALL FIRST TO BE SURE THIS SITE HASN"T BEEN EVACUATED

Coordinator of medical volunteers in Louisiana: Dr. Jean Takenaka, Office of Public Health Emergency Operations Center at (225) 763-5751 or e-mail:jtakenak (at) dhh.la.gov.

I WOULD SUGGEST IF YOU WANT TO HELP GIVE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE A CALL AND COME WITH AS MANY MEDICAL SUPPLIES AS YOU CAN MANAGE.


Or see www.mirawebdesign.com/katrina.html

radioActive sanDiego - interview with Malik Rahim, former BPP memer, in New Orleans
radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/6584.php

Mayor Ray Nagins Message AUDIO
neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/4034.php

mp3:
www.atypical.net/mm/nagin.mp3

Transcript of Ray Nagin's Interview
portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/09/324034.shtml

Cómo el libre mercado mató a Nueva Orleáns
colombia.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/30224.php

How the Free Market Killed New Orleans
www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2005-09/03parenti.cfm

* ¿Donde están nuestros helicópteros?
colombia.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/30226.php

* ¿Qué co** pasa en Estados Unidos?
colombia.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/30178.php

* La verdadera cara del capitalismo del siglo XXI
colombia.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/30223.php

* La seguridad nacional y el desastre del Golfo
colombia.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/30227.php

colombia.indymedia.org/features/global/index.php

"Without food, water, or medical supplies, the U.S. government has left the poor of New Orleans to die. Looting has taken place as an attempt at survival. Bush's anouncement of zero tolerance and military measures against the people who are dying because of his lack of response is criminal."

The people who shot at military evactuation helicopters, are looting electrontics, and stealing supply trucks intended for hospitals?

Sorry, Steven, but this makes no sense - the Government can't send in aid and help the populace if there isn't safety and order.

basically, only people with MONEY were able to leave New Orleans! I would be taking TV sets as well, if i thought i may be able to trade it for a ride out of a disaster zone!

if i was a drug addict, then i would be doing whatever i could to get a fix. maybe that would mean breaking into a hospital or hijacking a supply truck full of drugs.

listen up!

radioActive sanDiego - interview with Malik Rahim, former BPP memer, in New Orleans
radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/6584.php

radio.indymedia.org/uploads/lotus-malik-katrina.mp3

according to the government (ha!) they are the ones that maintain saftey and order.

Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?
www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html

* Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.

* The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

* The Red Cross has been meeting the needs of thousands of New Orleans residents in some 90 shelters throughout the state of Louisiana and elsewhere since before landfall. All told, the Red Cross is today operating 149 shelters for almost 93,000 residents.

* The Red Cross shares the nation’s anguish over the worsening situation inside the city. We will continue to work under the direction of the military, state and local authorities and to focus all our efforts on our lifesaving mission of feeding and sheltering.

* The Red Cross does not conduct search and rescue operations. We are an organization of civilian volunteers and cannot get relief aid into any location until the local authorities say it is safe and provide us with security and access.

* The original plan was to evacuate all the residents of New Orleans to safe places outside the city. With the hurricane bearing down, the city government decided to open a shelter of last resort in the Superdome downtown. We applaud this decision and believe it saved a significant number of lives.

* As the remaining people are evacuated from New Orleans, the most appropriate role for the Red Cross is to provide a safe place for people to stay and to see that their emergency needs are met. We are fully staffed and equipped to handle these individuals once they are evacuated.

"n5667" claims that the victims are responsible for the lack of food, water, medical supplies, and evacuations. This is pure nonsense. The shooting and looting didn't start until after these people were abandoned.

Last year a hurricane was headed for a province of Cuba where it was known that large-scale action was needed to prevent a massive disaster. Cuba mobilized their entire military and evacuated one million people. Not a single person was left behind, and not a single person died.

The difference is that Cuba values human life and the racist United States is perfectly willing to leave poor people to die if they don't have the means to get out. All indications were that this flooding and tragedy was going to happen. Just from the news reports and reports of scientists I knew what was coming before Katrina hit and I was outraged that instead of evacuating everyone the plan was to put the poor in the stadium.

Bush created this preventable tragedy. Once again blood is on his hands.

In addition Cuba and Venezuela have offered their assistance and Bush has turned them down.

""n5667" claims that the victims are responsible for the lack of food, water, medical supplies, and evacuations. This is pure nonsense. The shooting and looting didn't start until after these people were abandoned."

I never made that claim...

I simply stated the government cannot provide aid if there's no order and security.

Great article by Greg Palast on this > www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm

If this isn't the biggest wake up call ever I don't know what is... the "people in charge" don't give a fuck about the citizens of this country or the rest of the world. the national guard is in iraq, global warming is ignored, and the poor are left to suffer. When will the masses stop living in this fantasy world that the government will protect us???

also, people are being told that they have to leave their animals behind in order to be evacuated. can you imagine the trauma of surviving the hurricane and the following chaos only to be told you have to leave your dog to starve? one small boy cried so hard he kept vomiting when his dog wasn't allowed on the bus out town. a couple had to choose between vital medicine or their dog. she offered rescue workers her wedding ring and her mother's wedding ring. they still said no. an elderly woman stayed in her damaged home all week so she could save her ONLY friend/family member in the whole world, her dog, and was told she had to leave her. A vet volunteered to gas pets so that people wouldn't go insane with worry and regret about abandoning their pets.
www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/04/katrina.pets.ap/index.html
PETA and the humane society are collecting $ for a rescue effort.

hmmmmm!...

how come prisident bush dont do more he is more worried about the war i think instead of about the people that are dying.How come they are out there in war when they can be helping people in new orleans etc.

we need to put effort into helping new orleans go back to what it was, or as close as we can get it. Black and poor people deserve to go back as much as anyone, maybe even more. We cant just ignore their hopes and ideas, thats their whole life right there. Do what you can to convince people that we need to get in high gear and so this! ~Kymberee Carsen,12