Britons Describe Superdome Horror (Sdome lights turned out for them)

[coffeenap]

Britons describe Superdome horror
Crowds gather outside the Superdome
The situation inside the Superdome was described as desperate
Britons returning from New Orleans have described the horrifying conditions inside the Superdome.

They were among thousands who took refuge in the stadium from the floods that engulfed the US city following Hurricane Katrina.

JENNY SACHS

Jenny Sachs, of Sheffield, told how soldiers had to smuggle her out of the Superdome in secret.

She said they had told her the lights would go out before the rescue, and warned her not to use a torch for fear of attack.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4214746.stm

[philosophie_en_rose]

1. International governments need to put pressure on the feds.

His heart might be two sizes too small, but even Tony Blair must see how his government owes at least that much to its citizens.

[donco6]

2. I guess there are some idiots even in the UK.

"The group had called the British embassy in Washington from a mobile phone, Mr Trout added.

"But embassy staff had told them to contact the British consulate in New Orleans

"When they had pointed out it was "15ft under water", the embassy staff had simply repeated they should contact the consulate, Mr Trout told BBC News.

""That was obviously very difficult to take." "



Were they taking lessons from Bushco? Sounds like their type of response.

[marshall]

22. It's a shame

that people who just survived a natural disaster had to turn around and, in a place where they sought refuge, discovered they were fighting for their lives in a human disaster.

[RandiFan1290]

3. They were rescued because of the "animals" inside huh?

Amazing that none of them have reported being attacked. Just a lot of "rumors"

hmmmmmmmmmmm.

[LostinVA]

4. There have been many reported cases

Of people being beaten and stolen from in the Superdome, as well as reports of rape. The huge majority of people there were just regular people surviving and suffering, but in any crowd you'll gonna have some not-so-good people.

The brits may have very well been racist -- I have no idea of knowing.

[NorthernSpy]

5. the story actually describes those nebulous reports as *rumors*

"Reports" are only as good as their confirmable details.

[LostinVA]

6. I've read several news reports (including here on DU)

Of people stating they had been beaten up, robbed, etc. in the Superdome.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MissMarple]

8. There weren't enough national guard or police to control the situation.

They should have started moving those people out immediately after the storm. FEMA had control of operations but didn't make any plans. Zero, zip, nada.

[NYC]

10. Homeland Security controls FEMA.

Just reminding.

[brentspeak]

9. National Guard saved their lives

They were total targets in there. People were actually pulling the tourists back inside the stadium when they were trying to get out.

[JoFerret]

11. Too soon to sort the truth

too soon to sort the truth from the rumors and assertions. The truth will be terrible enough without jumping on unsubstantiated fears and rumors to prove ideological points.

[brentspeak]

13. They were there, not sure why you disbelieve them

It doesn't fall under the category of rumor; just the truth.

Off-topic, on the totally different topic of real rumors, the particular one concerning bodies stuffed into the freezer at the Convention Center turns out to be true:

Arkansas National Guardsman Mikel Brooks stepped through the food service entrance of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Monday, flipped on the light at the end of his machine gun, and started pointing out bodies.

"Don't step in that blood - it's contaminated," he said. "That one with his arm sticking up in the air, he's an old man."
Then he shined the light on the smaller human figure under the white sheet next to the elderly man.

"That's a kid," he said. "There's another one in the freezer, a 7-year-old with her throat cut."

He moved on, walking quickly through the darkness, pulling his camouflage shirt to his face to screen out the overwhelming odor.
"There's an old woman," he said, pointing to a wheelchair covered by a sheet. "I escorted her in myself. And that old man got bludgeoned to death," he said of the body lying on the floor next to the wheelchair.

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlog...

[demo dutch]

12. True or not true-Great for tourism and our general image to the world!

[defiant1]

14. Does this strike anyone else as odd???

*snip*

The military told all non-US citizens to stay together for safety, Ms Sachs added.

They later told them they would be secretly smuggled out in groups of 10 under cover of darkness as it had become too dangerous for them to remain in the stadium, she told BBC News.

"When we were leaving, people were going 'Where are you going?' and giving us looks.

"But the military got us out, which we were all thankful for."

*snip*

Why exactly was it so much more dangerous for these non-US citizens then it was for everyone else in the Superdome??

**Edited to add content**

[txaslftist]

16. And why weren't they smuggling out American Citizens?

[phactorx]

20. 50 British nationals secretly rescued from superdome while black US Citize

I am pissed! I was reading about Katrina the other day and stumbled on this article by BBC news: “Britons describe hurricane ordeal.” I was curious about what happened in the superdome but I never imagined I would read this from JENNY SACHS one of the survivors:
“The military told all non-US citizens to stay together for safety, Ms Sachs added. They later told them they would be secretly smuggled out in groups of 10 under cover of darkness as it had become too dangerous for them to remain in the stadium, she told BBC News. "When we were leaving, people were going 'Where are you going?' and giving us looks. "But the military got us out, which we were all thankful for."

I am glad THEY got out but what about the others! Why were they special. I sure there where other groups of 50 , women , elderly children, families who deserved to get out just as much as them. What I want to know is why during the middle of the superdome crisis after Katrina hit that these 50 British nationals where secretly rescued by our military. Our military! So foreign nationals are more important than American citizens! American citizens, woman elderly and children, most of them black where allowed to stay and suffer. I would just like to hear the reason these 50 people were chosen to be rescued over the others. For those who don't think racism played a role here is your proof. Because no matter if you see it from a racial perspective, "We can't let those tourist (i.e. white people), stay in there with those animals (i.e. black people)" or a citizenship perspective "we can't let those foreigners stay in there because it’s too dangerous." the question remains. Why was it ok for black American citizens to stay in the danger but not ok for white British nationals. It makes me wonder, where there other secret missions to get other groups of white people out. Maybe that explains why as the crises went on we saw less and less white people in the crowd. The reason I am so upset about it is because when it came to white British nationals our government went out of it's way to send in the army to help but when it came to helping our own people. They had every excuse in the book as to why they could not get food and water in or get them out. They can secretly send in a rescue team to get out the 50 British but they turn away American citizens with guns and attack dogs at road blocks when they tried to leave those hellish conditions. This is a disgrace of unbelievable proportions. And I want answers!

Links:

Britons Secretly evacuated from superdome
“They later told them they would be secretly smuggled out in groups of 10 under cover of darkness as it had become too dangerous for them to remain in the stadium, she told BBC News.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4214746.stm

Armed Gretna Sheriffs open fire above Orleans’s evacuee’s
“As we approached the bridge, armed Gretna sheriffs formed a line across the foot of the bridge. Before we were close enough to speak, they began firing their weapons over our heads. This sent the crowd fleeing in various directions.”

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090805A.shtml

[1932]

21. Two Americas: One for white foreginers, and one for poor Americans?

That's mad.

[txaslftist]

15. Reports of brutality in the Superdome are probably true...

...we must be realistic, after all.

Some of the people forced to refuge there would have been drug addicts in need of a fix, criminals, sex offenders, mental patients without meds. That's a brew as toxic as any generated in the stagnant waters in the street.

Without soldiers and other people in the dome to keep order and without food and water, it is little to be wondered that such things occurred.

Anytime you pack a large group of people, ANY people, under such circumstances you are going to have a breakdown of social order. Add to that the lack of food and water, and you have a man-made disaster to match the natural one occurring outside.

This type of scenario is repellant, disturbing, horrifying... but most of all PREDICTABLE. This is one more instance where FEMA and the rest of the government in charged FAILED TO PREDICT THE OBVIOUS, FAILED TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE, and FAILED TO PLAN FOR THE INEVITABLE.

R/W Spinmeisters will try to use this to show that somehow the victims of Katrina were to blame; they are subhuman somehow; the breakdown in order was somehow endemic in the people and couldn't be predicted. The reality is that it COULD be predicted. Along with every other fuck up in New Orleans that they didn't plan for.

Besides all that, haven't they heard of CONTINGENCY PLANNING or WORST CASE SCENARIO planning? Plan for the worst, hoping for the best?

Instead they planned for the best, hoping fortune would spare them the worst. Consequently they had NO PLAN for what really happened.

[whipzz]

17. why not take a step further ...

If the response was not to respond, then maybe there was a plan.

If you make out black people are violent, you expect Xtian rightwing cons to back the lack of response. Why not put in "trouble makers" so you have an excuse to keep them all locked in to die?

Sounds conspiratorial I know, but wasn't there a second 9/11 planned which failed because a four-star general refused to go "live" with a dirty bomb terrorist drill scheduled in Charleston for 15-22 Aug?

I just can't figure any other reason for having so many rumours and so little substantiation. So maybe it's true but we aren't asking who the perpetrators were.

It ain't normal to attack your own people in such a crisis. Not even criminal gangs. They would be out and about, surely??

[raccoon]

19. Great post, yes, this sort of thing is predictable when you have

so many people crowded together.

[0007]

18. junior should go through this hell!