Great! The Navy Ships Will Arrive on Monday!!!

[leftchick]

with supplies!

Don't you think they will all be dead by then?

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. &*^#(!(&%$(%$(*!%*^@!%$!

[uppityperson]

2. body bags and non-latex gloves?

I am sick.

[MaineDem]

3. Monday? A week after the disaster!

I sure hope they get potable water in to the area well before that!

[leftchick]

5. What shocks me is the lack of Helicopters

There. Now. US Military Copters could be dropping food and water to these poor people.

[FlaGranny]

13. Just my thought.

It is insane they aren't dropping food and water. They could also be dropping information leaflets to tell people what to do. They haven't done a thing yet for most of those stranded people. I'm not including the coast guard rescuers - they are certainly doing their job.

[leftchick]

17. as far as I can tell it has only been the Coast Guard

where are the local and State police choppers? Where the fuck are the national guard. Think of all of the folks that survived the flooding dying on the asphalt.

:cry:

[Perky]

26. Do you know how diffiuclt it is to move helicopter fleets.

They need to be refueled if you are flying them in one by one., and they are slow moving to being with.

If you airlif them in on C-5s that is two at a time and it takes a day of maintenance work to get them ready to fly again

Not saying it is not a problem.... just think that we need a rality check.

[leftchick]

31. where are the State Police and City helicopters

I know where the NG copters are. It isn't just the military that has them.

[Perky]

34. I think you will find that they are in service

But at apoint they will run low on petrol.

I suspect many of the Helipad fueling depots are under water.

[leftchick]

4. Reported by Pentagon reporter Jamie McIntyre on CNN

one ship the USS Truman is just leaving VA now.

[Benbow]

6. People with no water cannot wait until Monday next n/t

Bush is so going to Hell.

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. No question about that.

And I don't even believe in Hell, well except for the one he has created in NO. Let's send him there, first stop the Superdome. Bet those people would love to ask him some questions up close and personal.

[CornField]

7. Why are there no air drops of water & MREs?

Why?

[leftchick]

12. that is what I want to know

The Governor should be on the Tv Screaming about this!

[Catherine Vincent]

8. Monday?

Jesus Christ!

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Or evacuated.

[leftchick]

11. the people in NO don't have food or water

why they have not air dropped it i don't know.

[The Backlash Cometh]

22. If there are no food supplies, it would explain why there is violence.

[leftchick]

24. The Convention Center is hell on earth

with dead bodies. The Superdome is not much better. And they are not giving these people anything!

[FlaGranny]

29. There is no reason

(except perhaps they are in Iraq) that blackhawks could not land with armed NG or Army to restore order and drop food at the same time. Where are all those riot control police with their batons like they put on the streets for protests. They COULD get this desparate situation under control. Thousands of people dying because of total incompetence. It's hard to believe this is taking place.

[madmom]

10. they knew this was gonna happen....

why were they not there, closer, ready to jump as soon as possible?

[dogday]

14. Everybody will be dead, they are a little late

bastards...........

[HootieMcBoob]

15. My nephew is on the USS Bataan

They're off the coast and doing rescue missions already.
http://www.bataan.navy.mil/

[leftchick]

19. That is good news

I knew the Bataan was much closer to help. The four additional ships are coming from the east coast.

:(

[DURHAM D]

16. I am guessing that they are not air-lifting supplies in because

they are afraid to be shot. Many people judge the desperate people in NO as they try to survive. Naturally some have resorted to gang behavior - facilitated by access to all of those guns on the shelves at Walmart and K-Mart.

If this country did not have such an insane policy about guns the relief effort could be managed differently.

[CornField]

18. Bullshit.

Someone would have to be a damn good shot to take down a military helicopter making a food or information drop.

Also, by your own logic, it is the survival instinct and desparation which has caused the situation. If that's the case then food, water and information drops would alleviate the problem.

I realize many on DU want to use what has happened here to force stronger gun laws. Frankly, I could care less, but I would like to see us putting LIFE before POLICY ISSUES. We cannot change the fact that big box stores had guns and ammo or that people took them. We can, however, work to change the current situation by offering alternatives to violence.

[leftchick]

25. BS

.

[theHandpuppet]

20. I have a question for any sailors out there

Um... just how close to port can these vessels actually get right now? It was my understanding that the waterways to NOLA were clogged with debris. So is the idea to anchor these vessels out to sea and use the helos from the Iwo Jima to transport folks who need to be evacuated for medical reasons? And just where are these helos supposed to land?

I'm just trying to picture how the arrival of these ships will fit into the bigger picture here.

[FlaGranny]

23. Airboats - this is Louisiana - there are

thousands of airboats that could be used. Some of them are quite large and they can go over just about anything.

[Fatima]

30. Under good condiitons, an LPD or similar size ship could dock at

Riverwalk (right there in NO).

As things are right now, nothing doing. They will have to anchor somewhere within helo range and fly stuff in.

An aircraft carrier or helo carrier (LHA) would have to anchor out, period.

[SoCalDem]

21. Great, they can haul away the bodies

and serve food to the news people

[VADem11]

27. One ship hasn't even left yet

The badly needed hospital ship USNS Comfort is leaving from Baltimore tommorrow.

[daleo]

32. The term "coffin ships" comes to mind. n/t

[Libby2]

33. It will be too late

Too little too late, as usual.