Friends alive! N.O. "a horror show"

[wellstone_democrat]

Many of you asked to know if my friends were found in the N.O. area. They stayed Saturday to get his father out of the hospital and the police told them to turn back on the clogged highway Saturday evening. They were rescued from a roof after nearly two days without water or food and spent a day at the Convention Center after being dropped by boat. (but FEMA didn't know they were all there?)They were passed by time and again by boats that often went by and then came back by empty. They wondered if they were counting people because they weren't helping---people on the house nearby had a child die on day two. His 80 year old father died during the attempt to get on the roof---he was ill. Terrible story. Just terrible.

They managed to get a ride out to the Monroe area (North east?) and have gotten shelter there for the night while family drives out.

I want to share something that was relayed to me by the relative that called me: "they wanted them to go to Houston and they didn't want to go but to get to Monroe where they have friends. So did some others at the superdome (I guess they got over there somehow) the other family was forced to get on the bus." The "other family" was black, my friends white. They saw no Red Cross, no FEMA and little national guard or police. She said they thought no one was paying attention to what was going on there.

They also said people there wondered why all of us aren't driving there to help drive them out---that was hard to hear. They had no problem driving out and the roads looked fine.

My friend on search and rescue called home tonight and the second hand report was what you have seen on CNN magnified by 10. He also said that they thought that some of the shooting was signalling---not at the hospital but in some of the neighborhoods. FWIW

They all have some rough things to say about FEMA and the government. Very rough. They said that the water, the trees and anything that can "snag a large object" have bodies. Lots of bodies.

[KT2000]

1. I am glad for your friends

But soo sad.

[iconoclastic cat]

God, the awfulness is mind boggling.

[kansasblue]

2. "some of the shooting was signalling". makes more sense. a signal for help

[Thegonagle]

4. No kidding. I think I'd be trying anything to get noticed.

If I even had a gun, I'd be shooting, too.

And oh, damn, the comment about the trees snagging bodies--lots of bodies--just about made me cry.

This is so sad.

[BQueen]

17. and the claim that a military chopper skedaddled b/c

"fired on" ONCE is simply preposterous.

I agree, the signalling explanation makes much more sense...just from a self-preservation standpoint.

It just seems like the "lawlessness" aspect is really being played up, and that remaining possible witnesses are being gotten out of the way (sans media contact) or allowed to perish waiting for rescue.

It's like many, many pieces are being set on the chessboard, but I can't say I have any concrete ideas as to what's to come. I just don't have a good feeling about it. Then again, I've been feeling pretty crummy since 2000.

nominated and kicked.

[justabob]

23. Never thought of that, it does make a lot of sense nt

[Cleita]

3. That's sad.

These accounts need to be saved though if there are hearings in the future and there had better be investigations and hearings. I'm glad they are all right in the end. What a horror for them.

[Ladyhawk]

5. Recommended.

Sigh...this is so bad. I'm glad most of your friends made it.

[jsamuel]

6. So, the whites were allowed to leave while the blacks had to go onthe bus?

[dweller]

7. a description of the trees

littered with bodies passed through here a day or so ago. It actually came from FR by someone checking out the site.

i don't doubt you for a minute, nor that assessment of the situation.

i fear tomorrow (newsdumpday) will bring some preliminary numbers. We should brace ourselves.


but glad your friends are safe, and so sorry about their father.

dp

[wellstone_democrat]

14. they saw them

and I did see the alleged e-mail a few days ago but the surge was high and easily could deposit bodies in trees as it has receded --- in the 1930s hurricane in Massachusetts, my grandmother looked out the window the next day and a man was hanging over a branch so it does happen.

The one thing I forgot is that they are convinced the numbers will be reduced as low as possible. I don't know why, but that was the statement passed on to me from the call. I look forward to talking to them tomorrow and will find out more. The big thing was the lack of help and their suprise at "lawlessness" talk as they saw little---the only water they got was a 16 oz bottle on day one from a boat with teenaged black men bringing supplies to their own family. They left one of the bottles (they had only a 6 pack) and a jar of nuts that they rationed out among themselves. Terrible.

thanks all for the good wishes, I'm not surprised that an 80 year old with emphysema died in that stressful situation but how terrible for them.

[blue northern]

8. I'm afraid that the casualties from Katrina '05

will surpass the # of casualties from the tragedy of 9/11.

I hope I'm wrong.

[intheflow]

19. There will be way more dead than with 9-11.

About 3000 died in 9-11, this will be 10-20,000 at a minimum I think. :cry:

[girl gone mad]

9. People did drive in..

A whole brigade of people took their boats, but they were TURNED AWAY by the authorities.

[wellstone_democrat]

15. yes, but they didn't know in the middle of things

her mother told her that apparently a church from Texas came in the area with several buses and were turned back. The people in N.O. aren't sure anyone out here really knows how bad it is my friends saw no TV crews anywhere they were. They couldn't figure out why on Thursday no one was coming. We grew up together in Mass and every hurricane had zillions of national guard around before it was even over.

[Dirty Hippie]

10. Nominated

[spuddonna]

11. I'm so happy that your friend made it out, but so sad to hear...

his father didn't... That's just so horrible...

My stomache aches at the loss of life... So many horrible scenes, and I've only seen it on TV/Internet... I can't imagine what your friends must be going through having lived it in person...

[Cascadian]

12. That's great!

Wonderful news. Thank you for sharing it with us.

[FloridaPat]

13. There was another post that there are lots of peole with food and water

outside of NO right now and are not allowed to come in.

[Suich]

16. FEMA says they can't "guarantee their safety."

They pulled the swift-water-rescue teams from California out for the same reason.

:wtf:

[PatriotMom]

18. I'm just sick

Have been watching MSM and some of the biggest commentators are absolutely outraged. I sure hope this media attention will do something to get the help these people so desperately need. Ted Coppel (sp) just blasted the Dir. of FEMA at one point called him a liar.
Peace

[Kurovski]

20. Thank you for checking back in to let us know. n/t

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

21. That's horrible that they thought we were all leaving them there

The media is FINALLY covering the racism aspect of this. It makes sense that people might shoot to signal they are there. I can't believe how long people were left there.

If anyone posts it, check out the grilling Ted Koppel gave Brown, the FEMA director tonight on Nightline

[watrwefitinfor]

22. Strange Fruit

"...the water, the trees and anything that can "snag a large object" have bodies. Lots of bodies."

Strange fruit, indeed.

:cry: Wat :cry: