Huge search for hurricane victims. I have seen very few images of this.

[rodeodance]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4282208.stm

Monday, 26 September 2005, 09:59 GMT 10:59 UK

Huge search for hurricane victims

Rescue teams are resuming their search for victims in coastal communities of the US states of Texas and Louisiana, two days after Hurricane Rita struck.

Only two people are so far reported dead in the region, after the storm missed major population centres.

But low-lying towns and villages in the immediate path of the hurricane have been devastated, and hundreds are still feared stranded.

[rodeodance]

1. so many reporters seems to be 'embedded' during Rita as opposed to

Katrina.

[Theres-a]

9. Looks like they learned

from the mistakes of Katrina,alright.If people know what's going on,we'll demand action.If nobody reports on something,did it happen?

[forintegrity]

2. Interesting...our local paper reports

that all is well. No indication of any "devastation!"

[nickyt]

4. "All is well" my a**!!! Whole towns are under water.

I guess reporters just can't get to the flooded areas without hitching a ride on a chopper? WWLTV is a good source of info.
I guess people in general are burning out on 'cane news ??, but Rita was a BAD storm. I think it's going to be minimalized, like the little towns in MS who are still wasted and without help.

[SoCalDem]

18. Tell that to the folks from Holly Beach, LA

[maddezmom]

3. AP:Helicopters Scour Louisiana Floodwaters

~snip~
An estimated 1,000 people were rescued in Vermilion Parish, said Chief Sheriff's Deputy Kirk Frith. About 50 people remained on a 911 checklist, and Frith said authorities would probably conclude rescue operations by Monday and begin damage assessment.

Some bayou residents who arrived with boats in hopes of getting back into their property were turned away by state officials, but many ignored warnings to stay away.

"How are you going to stop them from going to their home to check on their dog or something like that?" Frith asked.

In Cameron Parish, just across the state line from Texas and in the path of Rita's harshest winds, fishing communities were reduced to splinters, with concrete slabs the only evidence that homes once stood there. Debris was strewn for miles by water or wind. Holly Beach, a popular vacation and fishing spot, was gone. Only the stilts that held houses off the ground remained.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050926/ap_on_re_us/rita;_

[rodeodance]

5. but the heliocopter or boat rescues themselves are missing images

from the newscasts. What is up? Is is all part of the plan to have a 'good' report for Rita for the WH?

[rodeodance]

7. I think these two statements from your AP story say it all. The need to

make it appear that Rita went well is drowning out most of what did not go well.

.....By JULIA SILVERMAN, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago

PERRY, La. - People checking their hurricane-hit homes and towns returned with stories of flooding to the rooftops, coffins and refrigerators bobbing in the water, and stilts where their houses once stood.




Yet as the misery wrought by Hurricane Rita came into clearer view — particularly in the marshy towns along the Texas-Louisiana line — officials credited the epic evacuation of 3 million people for saving countless lives.

[lynne]

6. I've been following this story as I've relatives in that area -

- and it is being reported. They were slow to get the story because reporters were located in suspected strike zones - Rita turned at the last minute - and the damage in those areas is such that reporters were unable to get immediate access to the damaged areas due to impassable roads, flooding and damaged infrastructure.

[halobeam]

8. I get that.. they were in "suspected" areas.

I don't see it on the news though. Where are you seeing this reported? If I didn't read this, I wouldn't have known. Anyone I talk to says, "Whew, thank God nothing was destroyed with Rita"... They really do NOT know.

This is more political bullshit, at the expense of how many this time? The numbers rise like the deficit.

[Bridget Burke]

10. I've heard about the destruction on Houston local news.

Rita hit a part of the Coast that is less heavily populated that others. But storm surge shredded buildings along the shore. And other parts of Texas & Louisiana were heavily damaged & will be out of power for a month or two.

[lynne]

11. CNN & Fox have both been reporting it -

- here's a link from front of CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/26/rita/index.html

Fox has huge headline "Louisiana Drowning"
http://www.foxnews.com/

on edit: Yahoo was also running photos of an entirely devastated SW Louisiana community yesterday. Guess those photos are still around.

Fox was the only one that actually had a reporter in Lake Charles at the time of the storm. As that's near my relatives, I've been watching them report from there.

No cover up that I see. Guess I was aware of it because I was looking for reports from that specific region.

[54anickel]

13. Station from Milwaukee has reporters in "suspected areas". They

added that getting gas was still a problem as they were trying to make their way to the hardest hit areas from where they were at early yesterday. I didn't get to catch their updated reports last night or this morning though.

[Village Idiot]

12. And only 65 days left until the END OF HURRICANE SEASON!!!

[SoCalDem]

19. A very long 65 days.. pic

[finecraft]

14. I'm down here in New Iberia and it is very, very bad

We are about 16 miles from the coast, and the storm surge and tidal inflow was 4 feet deep across the highway from my house. In the southern areas of the Parish water was almost 15 feet deep in places. Virtually everything that was 10-15 miles inland from the coast, from Grand Isle to Lake Charles is underwater. In some places it is further inland than that. Get out a map and look.....that is 2/3 of our state's coastline. It is bad....very very bad and nobody seems to give a shit. :cry:

[Bridget Burke]

15. We've seen reports from Louisiana & East Texas in Houston.

And, yes, it's very bad, indeed.

CNN has a link to pictures of the destruction on this page:

www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/26/rita/

[halobeam]

16. I am so sorry. Not only are these people victims of mother nature...

they may very have a hard time getting the help they REALLY need. I'm glad to see there are reports on this, but it most certainly seems scant at best. Disgusting.

Rita must make Bush look good, above helping the people. Once again.

I am so sorry.

Since you are in the area, are there local places we could donate to? I refuse to go through large charities for the most part. When I donate local, the people who need it most seem to get the help.

Any suggestions?? Please let us know what we can do... don't know if Rita "concerts" are on the listings.. somehow, I'm doubting that.

[hunter]

17. I drove along the Louisiana coast in July...

It looks like this now:



The people who lived there have nothing left but what they could bring with them when they evacuated.