Hey idiots: Katrina DID hit more than one state, you know!

[chalky]

The following message is not intended for DU audiences. I just needed a forum to get this crap off my chest:

I hear the increase in bashing of Nagin and Blanco and I want to scream, "This happened in four states! People were ABANDONED and STARVING and DEHYDRATED and IN DANGER in TWO. FREAKING. STATES!"

Nagin is the mayor of ONE CITY in ONE STATE. Blanco the governor of ONE STATE.

DO THE MATH PEOPLE.

And while we're at it, if this IS a state level problem, why the hell don't we see fingers pointing and pundits shrieking for Haley Barbour's head?

eta: oops, I forgot to do the math and forgot AL & FL

[spuddonna]

1. Honestly, I haven't heard any stories of people in Miss.

... that were dying of dehydration! Where is this happening?! JMJ

I thought they were able to get in to people faster in Miss... Do you have any links so I can get more info? I'm in 'scream at CNN' mode, so I'll help out if I can...

[chalky]

7. Anderson Cooper has been jumping up and down and screaming from MS, not LA

And he's been reporting dead bodies, lack of food and lack of water.

eta: oh, yeah, and looting's rife in MS, too.

[spuddonna]

14. Sorry, I'm 'cable challenged' so most of my news is from WWL or

internet blogs...

I had no idea he was in Mississippi! Holy crap... What cities are the hardest hit?

[chalky]

20. It's ALL bad, of course, Biloxi, Gulfport, but

There are other towns that aren't so well known that are in dire straits too. This is from Wednesday:

It is a scene of utter devastation here in Bay St. Louis.

It is even worse just a few miles away in Waveland. I'm going to bring you a report from there, where I worked -- spent the day with some FEMA urban search-and-rescue workers just working around the clock, just trying to find bodies, trying to save lives. It is an extraordinary scene there.

But you know, person after person came up to me today. And they were angry. And they're saying, where is the federal government? I mean, yes, there is some FEMA urban search-and-rescue people here, but where is the Army? Where is the National Guard?

I mean, people -- it is desperate here. It is a desperate situation. There is no food. There is no water. There is no electricity, no ice. And it is deteriorating very rapidly. There is looting going on, not just in New Orleans, but in a small town like Bay St. Louis.

Randi Kaye, who was in Biloxi, also found a lot of people asking that same question, where is the help?

This from Friday:

I want to just show you a few shots around me. This street that we are on, just the complete devastation. Frankly, we could have picked any street in this entire swamp from the beach to the railroad tracks here in Waveland. Whatever camera angle you're looking at it from, this is what Katrina has left behind. And days after the storm has left, all of this remains.

[DoYouEverWonder]

2. Yes but only New Orleans was flooded

If your alive and on dry land there is a big difference, you don't need anywhere near the same level of assistance has people who were hit with the hurricane and a flood.

[chalky]

8. And the flooding was due to the breach in the levee...

AGAIN, not the local government's fault.

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. I did not mean to imply that there was any fault

with the people at the local or state level, they are doing their best in the worst of circumstances.

No, all the fault clearly lies with Bush, the Federal Government and the Dept of Homeland Insecurity. This is a National Emergency and it requires a National response.

[liberal43110]

3. Actually..........

it happened in 3 states: Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

[chalky]

9. D'oh! Yes....

Sorry. :blush:

[itzamirakul]

4. BARBOUR FEELS RESPONSE HAS BEEN GREAT!

He has consistently said that the government is doing everything just fine and that while people are impatient, he sill NOT stand for the "lawlessness in NOLA." The difference is that none of his people are under water. Their homes have been destroyed and they certainly deserve our attention and assistance but in NOLA the people are totally flooded out for perhaps years. They cannot even go back and stand in the place where their houses USED TO BE because it is all Mississippi River now.

Barbour is totally happy with Bush's response to his constituents problems as related to Katrina.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Barbour isn't dealing with a major US city

that is almost completely under water. Big difference.

[chalky]

15. Under water. Because of a breach. In a levee. That had its repair

defunded by THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. That should have been repaired by now

but because of the deliberate snail's pace of a response from the Feds they can't even figure out how to deliver food and water to the Superdome no less fix anything.

[highplainsdem]

21. Barbour's a liar -- the mayor of Biloxi was in tears yesterday,

after Bush's photo-op visit. He told the media they haven't been getting much help, and it wasn't nearly fast enough. Others here saw him talking about this, and I was one of the people who posted a topic about it, at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4586283

[bigbrother05]

5. You're right 3 states hit if you don't count Fla

No one should minimize the destruction throughout the region. The advantage, if you can call it that, is that after the storm surge and Katrina moved through, MS and AL as well as most of LA became the conventional disaster scenario that FEMA and the states deal with every year. The difference with NO is that everyone was predicting what would happen with a CAT 3+. Not only did the feds not react well and in a timely manner, this administration gutted and underfunded programs/projects that could have reduced the impact. It's this bright, white light of truth about our country's path since 2001 that has started to awaken people to the real face of Bush and his minions.

[fujiyama]

6. Good post

and welcome to DU!

Nature can be a bitch, but we can certainly do things to reduce its effects on our cities. It's clear Bush had no interest in doing that. He also apparently had no interest in getting aid to those people down there and evacuating them. Instead he went and had cake with McCain and played a freakin guitar. Now five days later, people are still trapped. Sickening.

Also, don't forget many national guard troops are fighting in an unjustified war overseas.

[newyawker99]

23. Hi bigbrother05!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[YellerdawgFlorida]

10. Actually

I was more concerned with MISS, since I have friends there. And having been through Frances and Jeanne last year, I have a clue what it is like.
We lost buildings, but few people. We had food, water and ice available from day 1. We were blessed.
And we did not have to deal with the WATER! NO has to deal with a whole load of shit. And, being a major city, it gets lots of attention.
Personally, I'd like to talk to my friend in Moss Point, see how she is doing. No luck so far!

[chalky]

12. So how did Anderson find the ONE SPOT in Mississippi that wasn't getting

help?

[YellerdawgFlorida]

16. Anderson Cooper?

I thought he was in Baton Rouge? Dang CNN stormchaser!
My help will be going to Mississippi, whatever help I can muster up!

[chalky]

18. Link to a transcript from Waveland, Miss:

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/02/acd.01.html

Dated Sept. 2nd.

COOPER: Welcome back. We are live in Waveland, Mississippi, the same town we were in last night. A small town, but a town we think worth staying in because, well, the people here are suffering and they need the world's attention as much as possible, as much as possible. All along this coast, people need the attention.

[Benhurst]

19. Anderson Cooper is an outside agitator. The good folks of

Mississippi were happy until he started stirring things up.

Haley Barbour has earned the gratitude of all those fortunate enough to be living in Mississippi. And George Walker Bush, well he's practically a God, working tirelessly around the clock for all those in need.

:sarcasm:

[fishnfla]

22. Entire towns in Mississippi were wiped off the face of the Earth

hard to tell the free world from the living hell anymore.

the vastness of the destruction is overwhelming, even for us to comprehend

[chalky]

24. AND there are people still in MS wating for aid, for shelter and relief

just as there are people waiting in NO. If we're going to condemn Nagin & Blanco for this breakdown in rescue plan, then Haley Barbour's head belongs on a pike, too.

But if we're letting Barbour slide with the, "Hey, Mississippi isn't the one underwater, and Mississippi citizen's aren't the ones drowning!" excuse...

Sorry, people. That ain't the LA Governor's or the NO Mayor's fault.
The blame for that criminally tragic result lies squarely at the feet of our Commander in Chief and his merry band of hooligans.

[Hidden Stillness]

25. They Always Try to Narrow It Down; Coverage is Better Now

It reminds me of the reporting after the September 11th attacks, when the media focused almost all coverage on New York City and the World Trade Center, and much, much less on the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania field., which I found offensive. I agree here too, it also bothers me that so much attention has been focused on New Orleans alone, although New Orleans is (was, for the time being ) one of the world's great cities; but there has been coverage elsewhere. Mississippi was devastated even worse, as it took the direct hit. This was just about the same path as taken by Hurricane Camille, 1969, and probably worse; after all, we don't have a government now. Also, with all the complaints about how the people of New Orleans were poor and black, the people of Miss. and Alabama that I have seen have been poor, rural, and white, mainly.

Also caught an extremely stupid poll on one of the cable channels, can't remember which: Who do you blame for the inadequate response, the local, state, or Federal government? Goddamned assholes; the local and state governments were HIT by this thing and are overwhelmed and devastated! It has to be a Federal response under these circumstances.