"The scene here looks like something from the apocalypse" - someone in NO

[Benbow]

commenting on the BBC web site

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4193244.stm

The scene here looks like something from the apocalypse. People are running around the city, terrified about what to do. Those who are leaving have clogged the roadways so extensively that little hope remains for those who have not yet decided to leave. Gas stations are breeding grounds for fighting and riots, as people are resorting to a state of martial law in order to get the precious gasoline they need to move their vehicles. This truly is the worst part of the storm and it only looks to get worse. God be with everyone who is trying to escape the madness.

The city is in a state of chaos. After many instances of "near-misses" this could very well be "The Big One." The fear in the eyes of citizens here is evident, from the regular person to the highest of state and local officials. Please pray for everyone in this great city and state.

And the President is on holiday. Gaah.

[ewagner]

1. Probably hyperbole

don't think anything is quite that bad......



yet

[Benbow]

4. If you were in NO just now, you would not call it hyperbole, I suggest n/t

[ewagner]

5. I only said that

because I haven't seen or heard any other reports to substantiate "riots" or fights in NO....if you know of them to be true, I will certainly defer my opinoin to yours.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. I'm so glad Bush decided

to send in the National Guard to maintain order. Oh what do you mean he didn't send in the Guard? Oh that's right, they're all in Iraq.

[cliss]

3. This is going to come back and bite him.

The city is too big to just ask local police and maybe ask for reinforcements from other towns. There won't be enough people.

When the worst is over, watch the mayhem begin. Looting, violence, fighting.

This is a disaster for Bush. That's what our NG was for - to protect us. Instead, he squandered them in Iraq.

[all.of.me]

6. the preznit should be holiday-in' in nola......

;)

[Feron]

7. Well

there isn't much Bush can do until after the 'Cane has passed. Sending the National Guard to New Orleans before the storm even hits is absolutely stupid and suicidal. It's uncertain what, if anything, will exist on the southshore once this thing passes.

[Cleita]

8. And the national guard who should be helping to keep order are

in Iraq. Double gaah!

[onager]

9. More evidence of forgotten journalistic standards...

Apocalypse? Oh please. Since the apocalypse hasn't happened...and isn't going to, being a purely fictional creation of religious idiots...that even goes beyond hyperbole.

A famous story from the old days of journalism applies here.

During the 1889 flood in Johnstown, PA, an editor sent a young "cub" reporter to cover the disaster.

The editor warned the new reporter NOT to sensationalize in his reporting. This was one of the worst natural disasters in American history, and the editor stressed that the story was dramatic enough without adding any literary flash.

But when he got to the scene, the young reporter just couldn't help himself. By telegraph, he filed a story that began: God looks down on Johnstown tonight...

His boss immediately fired a telegram back: Forget flood. Interview God.

[Benbow]

10. The quote was from someone stuck in NO, not a journalist

Please read the link I gave

The first quote was from a message posted by
Sam Morrison, New Orleans, LA USA

and the second was from
Shawn, New Orleans, USA

[Benbow]

11. Here's another - the evacuation roads are gridlocked

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4193244.stm

I've had calls from about 30 people, asking me to accommodate them as they evacuate from New Orleans and points south. Half-a-dozen have already arrived, and more (some with travel trailers and RVs) are expected during the course of Sunday, but some have not yet left, and I don't know whether they'll be able to get out, now that the evacuation routes are gridlocked. ...
Peter Grant, Alexandria, Louisiana, USA