Mayor orders mandatory evacuation of New Orleans

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

I have to think that shooting them is a bit extreme, but I would rather gather as much video evidence of the looters and use that later by publishing the photographs of the guilty parties in major newspapers and on the internet.

For the state to resort to potentially fatal means of controling the population is a very risky game to play, especially since it is those actions which can easily escalate a situation making it even more volitile. What I guess I am trying to get at is perhaps the best way of controling the situation at this current time would be to consider action by inaction. I mean shooting people when the health care system in the area is already overrun by Hurricane Katrina injuries and deaths would just seem quite odd, especially if it is all over some material goods. I don't support the looters but an all but certain death penalty also not the way to go.

A great poitn was also raised regarding the economics of the situation, when the damage is estimated to be as high as 26 billion dollars it seems somewhat foolish to be concerned about the looting and theft of a few million dollars worth of merchandise

[300spartans]

As sick as it sounds, if someone has managed to get all the bread and they want a tv in a barter exchange, then you may have no choice but to go get a bloody tv.

[Devils'Advocate]

Crap. Katrina moved north and will be hitting us here in Ottawa. Obviously it's weakened to even less than a tropical storm, but we'll be getting 80mm of rain. If it were snow, that would be 8feet of snow in one day. They are predicting that a number of houses in low lying areas will be flooded. It has to be one hell of a hurricane to still have something left after crossing that much land.

BTW - Most radio stations have pulled "New Orleans is Sinking" from rotation. "The Bear" here in Ottawa said that they usually play it 3 or 4 times a week.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

As for the looting, we're not seeing the other side of the story. They show the scum of the earth looting and miss the kindness being shown. Donations are pouring in from around the world (you can donate @ www.redcross.ca). People opening their homes to near strangers. Volunteers, most of whom have lost their own homes and victims themselves, are keeping things relatively under control.

I witnessed what happened in Halifax when Juan hit. Granted, it was a Category 1, the weakest a storm could be to still be considered a hurricane, but the trees in Nova Scotia aren't strong enough to withstand that kind of punishment. Typically, they don't have to be. Houses and cars were crushed. Flooding was commonplace. It was far more damage than work crews were able to quickly remedy... so the people just got it done themselves. The St. Mary's football team went out in teams to remove heavy debris. Help lines with volunteers were set up for anyone needing aid, such as elderly people not able to get out of their homes to get food. Plumbers were volunteering their time. But that shinguard just doesn't make the headline news.

Welp, it's about time that I head out into Katrina and wreck a few umbrellas....

[KevanGuy]

Originally posted by Devils'Advocate@Aug 31 2005, 05:16 AM
, but we'll be getting 80mm of rain. If it were snow, that would be 8feet of snow in one day.

Not sure where you heard that but 80mm of rain is about 2.6 feet of snow.

8 feet of snow would be about 245 millimeters of rain.

[arsenal]

Right now, I think the current state of things. The NO Mayor is calling for a full evacuation of the city. And no one will be able to return for 3 months.

He did have a 8-10 week plan set out. But says that it has been pushed back at least 4 weeks becuase they have not fixed the levee's and stopped downtown from flooding.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally posted by KevanGuy+Aug 31 2005, 09:07 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (KevanGuy @ Aug 31 2005, 09:07 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Devils'Advocate@Aug 31 2005, 05:16 AM
, but we'll be getting 80mm of rain. If it were snow, that would be 8feet of snow in one day.

Not sure where you heard that but 80mm of rain is about 2.6 feet of snow.

8 feet of snow would be about 245 millimeters of rain. [/b][/quote]
Okay.... shouldn't take what is said on the radio literally. I realized that that didn't make a whole lot of sense while I was walking to work this morning and the host was exaggerating. At 5am, I take everything literally. Thought about logging on from work and correcting it, but I was like, it's not all that important to the story. Point was that we were getting a lot of rain, and they have had to close some entrances to the building because of flooding issues. And of course, with flooded roadways, motorists are doing whatever they can to spray pedestrians. :angry:

I guess I should thank my lucky stars that I'm complaining about having to use a different entrance and wet pants and not missing family members.

[photon]

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/...ges/images.php3

Before and after satellite images.. Wow..

[Bill Bumface]

Originally posted by KevanGuy+Aug 31 2005, 10:07 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (KevanGuy @ Aug 31 2005, 10:07 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Devils'Advocate@Aug 31 2005, 05:16 AM
, but we'll be getting 80mm of rain. If it were snow, that would be 8feet of snow in one day.

Not sure where you heard that but 80mm of rain is about 2.6 feet of snow.

8 feet of snow would be about 245 millimeters of rain. [/b][/quote]
It doesn't really work that way. The volume of snow produced by 80mm worth of water would be much higher than 2.6 feet.

[KevanGuy]

Originally posted by hulkrogan+Aug 31 2005, 11:59 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (hulkrogan @ Aug 31 2005, 11:59 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

Not sure where you heard that but 80mm of rain is about 2.6 feet of snow.

8 feet of snow would be about 245 millimeters of rain.

It doesn't really work that way. The volume of snow produced by 80mm worth of water would be much higher than 2.6 feet. [/b][/quote]
The most common conversion used is that 10 inches of snow will melt to one inch of water. That is a very rough approximation, however.

http://www.weatherwise.org/qr/qry.snowrainequiv.html

Thats what I used to figure it out. The 8 feet thing seem waaaay off to me.

[Heemer]

There is an artice on CBC.ca that is saying the whole city might have to be abandoned! thats obviously the worst case scenario, but thats pretty insane. i never realized how bad this all was until reading it.

[transplant99]

This will likely be the most catastrophic natural disaster in the history of NA when all is said and done, both in terms of loss of life and financially.

I myself, may be heading down to help out as soon as next week, and i implore all CP'ers to donate even 5 bucks to the Red Cross...it ALL helps. Everyone can do their part...even if its donating blood.

The complete and utter destruction of lives and property of well over 3 million folks is what they are looking at right now......most of whom didnt have a whole lot to begin with.

They need help people....for real.

[RougeUnderoos]

George is now on the scene. He brought his dog.

[photon]

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

Blog of a guy that works in a hosting company in downtown NO. Interesting reading.

[FireFly]

Moving refugees to the Astrodome.

They have cleared the Houston Astrodome's schedule into December for these people. Could you imagine living in the Astrodome?

[Bill Bumface]

Originally posted by KevanGuy+Aug 31 2005, 12:20 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (KevanGuy @ Aug 31 2005, 12:20 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>

It doesn't really work that way. The volume of snow produced by 80mm worth of water would be much higher than 2.6 feet.

The most common conversion used is that 10 inches of snow will melt to one inch of water. That is a very rough approximation, however.

http://www.weatherwise.org/qr/qry.snowrainequiv.html

Thats what I used to figure it out. The 8 feet thing seem waaaay off to me. [/b][/quote]
I suck at metric, my brain thought 80mm was 0.8m for a second

On second thought your numbers look great

[Trojan97]

Taken from the blog posted above.....

Looting: The police are looting. This has been confirmed by several independent sources. Some of the looting might be "legitimate" in as much as that word has any meaning in this context. They have broken into ATMs and safes: confirmed. We have eyewitnesses to this. They have taken dozens of SUVs from dealerships ostensibly for official use. They have also looted gun stores and pawn shops for all the small arms, supposedly to prevent "criminals" from doing so. But who knows their true intentions. We have an inside source in the NOPD who says that command and control is in chaos. He reports that command lapses more than 24 hours between check-ins, and that most of the force are "like deer in the headlights." NOPD already had a reputation for corruption, but I am telling you now that the people we've been talking to say they are not recognizing the NOPD as a legitimate authority anymore, since cops have been seen looting in Walmarts and forcing people out of stores so they could back up SUVs and loot them. Don't shoot the messenger....

I also heard a report from fox news that there are gangs of people with assault rifles driving around in stolen trucks.

Where do these people come from?

[Language]

Unfortunately these kinds of disasters bring out the best and the worst in people.

I was just watching a FOX News report on how a few NOLA police got into a shootout with some looters who hijacked a car. Once the looters ran away, the police actually took the car that the looters initially hijacked. Just the way it is right now. Almost all of the police cruisers were also destroyed by Katrina, and those that didn't flooded.

The question is, even if you see a looter and arrest him, what do you do with the person? There are no jails or prisons anymore, just destruction. There's still no excuse for what some of those people are doing down there. Stealing TV sets, guns, electronics? Totally despicable.

Truly a sad situation down there.

[Cowperson]

Originally posted by Trojan97@Aug 31 2005, 06:01 PM
Taken from the blog posted above.....

I also heard a report from fox news that there are gangs of people with assault rifles driving around in stolen trucks.

Where do these people come from?

Halifax?

Cowperson

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally posted by Cowperson@Aug 31 2005, 06:40 PM
Halifax?

Eh?

I don't get it....

During Juan there was some looting, but nothing like we've seen in New Orleans:

Damage to our coastal regions, wharves and the selective deforestation of landmarks such as Point Pleasant Park and the Halifax Public Gardens are shocking reminders of the fierce weather brought upon the province by Hurricane Juan. Given the darkened state of the city, police have been busier than normal. HRM RCMP experienced double the regular number of calls in a 24-hour period and Halifax Regional Police have had three times their normal total, as they each dealt with reports of looting, vandalism and an occasional mischief call. The activity of the Halifax firefighters is almost 10 times its regular level, with most calls due to small fires and alarm malfunctions.

[FireFly]

OMG. It just gets worse and worse down there. Personally, I'd abandon ship and let New Orleans turn into Atlantis. Let them loot and get the hell out of there. Well, perhaps take all the guns before the wackos do. That might be a smart move.


I can imagine that the Police have 'stolen' vehicles and guns for official use. All theirs are under water, and don't work. And if looters are actually stealing weapons as has been reported, doesn't it make sense to have the police get them first? Sure there are bound to be crooked cops, but I'd feel safer having someone on a power trip with a gun, then some wacko who thinks he should be free to do whatever the hell he wants.