I'm shocked at how many parents have voluntarily stayed behind with

[readermostly]

their children. I've seen that all day, including bringing them down to water lines that are getting larger as time has gone on. Know they are the parents and have that right, but I hope they will be all be OK. Just seems a very reckless to me.

[Horse with no Name]

1. Maybe you haven't been paying attention

Many of these are the poorest in the city.
They did NOT have cars or the means to get out of town.
They did they very best they could do.
Too bad our government couldn't have done better for them.

[BayouBengal07]

2. I got a way to welcome the hurricane

I'm drunk off Bacardi listening to Knock on Wood and Rock you like a Hurricane :) :toast:

[Horse with no Name]

5. You got out last night didn't you?

(Answer needs to be yes)

[BayouBengal07]

8. That was my family

I've been up at LSU since mid August. I'm just chillin in my dorm. My folks are here, at my grandmothers house

[CottonBear]

6. Some poor woman, her boyfriend & her 3 yr. old girl are staying on a boat

(a shrimp boat no less) in a canel down in Houma (sp?) south of NO. Their boat and about 5 other shrimp boats are anchored under a bridge in a canal.
:scared:
They must not have anywhere else to go and they may be afraid to leave their boat. How perfectly awful. I'm sure they either didn't have the time or fuel to drive the boat to the edge of the storm.

I saw this on CNN. They're scared but have nowhere else to stay. :(

[SofaKingLiberal]

That doesn't sound good.

I wonder if they will do a follow-up.

[Pirate Smile]

14. In that report, they said many of the people were poor, their houses

were wooden and not particularly sturdy and they felt like their boat was stronger then their house.

I hope they make it.

[FloridaPat]

15. How about Texas! Although maybe they coulnd't out run the hurricane.

Wish them well though.

[seabeyond]

16. they said they didnt have money. they said they thought it more

safe then their house made out of sticks. ok not sticks, wood i think they said. there house was on the beach, or near, and they are more afraid sittin in the house than the boat. i dont particularly like it. but that is what was said

[VADem11]

17. I saw it too

They said they see it as the only way to save their boat which they depend on for a living. I hope they make it. It may seem silly but I remember that scene of Forrest Gump where he and Lt. Dan weather the hurricane on their shrimping boat. That was bad enough to see in a movie but it could happen in real life.

[Pirate Smile]

19. That was exactly what I thought of too.

[lostnfound]

23. I hope whoever interviewed that person offered them a ride and a room. nt

[SaveAmerica]

29. I don't understand that, why not go up the mississippi in the boat?

[CottonBear]

34. If you go upstream on the Mississippi you'll have to go past New Orleans.

It's too dangerous. The river is vast and winding. New Orleans is quite a ways from the ocean by way of the river. The river will be raging. The currents are very dangerous in good weather.

[VADem11]

7. She said voluntary

She didn't say that they had no choice. Indeed many people are staying behind voluntarily with their children who could leave. And yes many of those staying behind have no choice.

[readermostly]

25. Yes, I have paid attention. Of course, I saw this on Faux (first mistake)

but I saw several segments showing this, and the parents and children were in high spirits - probably in disbelief, and happy to see TV cameras. I wondered why they all weren't in the shelter.

[Erika]

3. Many parents are poor and can't afford relocation

They haven't shared in W's prosperity to the rich.

[John Q. Citizen]

4. Where have you seen this? Are you talking about the hurricaine?

There are a lot of people stranded without wheels in NO. It's the poorest large city in the US per capita, and many are just being left to fend for themselves. I sure hope the Super Dome and the shelters are adaquite.

There are, undoubtably, some who are staying by choice. Not a very wise choice, IMHO.

[Erika]

9. Faux acted like they couldn't believe it concerning poverty stats

28% of residents are poverty level and 40% of those are children. Bush's America.

[BayouBengal07]

11. Shiiitt...

Yeah, we dat po'.

[Pirate Smile]

22. I just read your sig line. The irony - BushCo plans for success and

just gets failure which, of course, they never have a plan to deal with.

[Pirate Smile]

21. I'm surprised Faux mentioned those stats. I thought they would

just act like it was irresponsible people without a reason for their actions.

[kestrel91316]

26. I watched the Faux coverage this afternoon and was actually

pleasantly surprised that they managed to refrain from any snarky, inappropriate comments about the poor, or the liberals, or the gays. They actually just focused on the weather situation and its impact on the city.

[Pirate Smile]

10. Many don't have the means. Imagine if you didn't have a credit card

and lived pay check to pay check. No car. There aren't a lot of choices.

It sucks.

[Erika]

12. Yep

America's poor.

[Lorien]

13. I can't imagine subjecting a child to such horror

many of those people DO have transportation, but refuse to leave because it's "their home", or they want to "protect their property", or they feel that it will be "an adventure" (my dad did this once when he forced my sister and stepmother to ride out a hurricane in N. Carolina).It's not only the poorest who are staying behind, many ARE choosing to. It happens here in Florida before every storm as well. Frankly, it makes me furious. Choosing death for one's self is one thing, but choosing such a death (or even experience) for one's child is, IMO, unforgivable. plus, those who do so are diverting valuable emergency resources from those who truly need it. I will barter every item I own before riding out another hurricane. These people have absolutely no comprehension of what's in store for them.

[Erika]

18. The stats are showing the majority who are staying

have no where else to go or the money to get there.

[Lorien]

20. Maybe the majority, but certainly not all

I saw hundreds camping in their cars along the highway in GA when I evacuated last year. They may not have had money for hotels, but their families survived.

[Pirate Smile]

24. I really haven't heard many stories of people staying in NO with

their families. A few in the hotels (tourists) where I guess they think they will be OK but I haven't seen a lot of stories about people in NO at below sea-level saying "no, we're just going to ride it out".

Did I miss something?

[Lorien]

30. .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4488778

in EVERY storm here in Florida, without exception, there have been people who voluntarily stayed for the reason listed above. Frustrated_lefty's wife does not have a life threatening illness, but staying IS life threatening.

[Pirate Smile]

33. Here is another link about that thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=155&topic_id=1858&mesg_id=1879

[expatriot]

27. No, they do not have that right.

The fact is that there should be enough troops and transports (choppers, buses, army trucks, C-130's, etc.) by now to give teeth to the whole "mandatory evac" thing. Dragging people from their homes if need be.

Marines, Gaurd from other states, etc. should have been going door to door. School buses should have been commandeered and no vehicle let past checkpoints without full capacity.

Multi-lane highways that were not on evac routes could have been converted into air strips for C-130's, with different authorities being assigned different sections of the city. With authorities that are based far away being assigned its own converted airstrips to fly into (i.e. the Illinois Air National Gaurd, California Air National Gaurd, etc.).

[readermostly]

32. Yes, I agree. Parents have the responsibility to keep their children out

of harms way anyway they can. This was my first thread starter, and I'm guessing will be my last. I can express myself better in person. Not good at message boards.

[Lorien]

35. You're doing great

people will always argue with you on a discussion board, no matter how reasonable your post is. It's the nature of these things.

[lostnfound]

28. TV crawler: 1 million of area's 1.3 million residents have evacuated.

That is not very cheery math.

On edit: they showed a crowd of revelers in the last bar open on Bourbon, talking about 'making the best of it' and 'my hotel room is on the second floor so I should be okay'.

[Pirate Smile]

31. Exactly, where they are staying is down the street. They have a plan.