Hurricane Katrina Damage

[skahound]

the first thing you get your hands on is a weapon if you want to survive...because the weapon will then help you get everything else.

And that's exactly what these people are doing. They interviewed a police officer last night who said that people are walking around with guns in their wastebands and the cops are refusing to confront them because they are drastically outnumbered. There are mobs and gangs of people who are venturing out together as a team in hopes of finding food and water. They already completely looted a Wal-Mart sporting goods section for weapons and ammo.

Understand that I'm in no way condoning this type of behavior, but I can sympathize with their rationale. And lets look at those stealing jewelry, clothing, etc. from the other eye for a moment. Those things may be able to be used as 'currency' for food further down the road. These people aren't seeing the aid that's on its way, so maybe their thinking that they can barter with those that have stockpiles of bread and water. Remember back to the Y2K hype, there were people urging citizens to stock up on gold because our currency would be useless in a post-apocolyptic era.

[Kinetic]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

It makes me wonder...can any country, even one with limitless resources like us, really plan, and in the event of such a tragedy, effectively react to such a disaster??? Obviously not, considering what we are seeing happen. So what can these people be thinking if the mighty U.S. is having this much of a problem getting things back to some state of calm?? You're made to think from the minute you are born that you are safe and there is nothing that this country can't handle. Then a force of nature fucks everything and you've got a Mad Max-like situation. I'm not bashing anything or anybody, I'm just starting to realize why things are happening the way they are.......an it is a chilling revelation. :cry:

Not tring to be a smart ass or anything, just wondering, but is that really a frequent way of thinking in the US? That somehow, even in situations this big, the US can hadle it better than anyone?

Man, I don?t think ANY country in the world can handle something of this magnitude. You think that if last year?s tsunami had hit the US coast instead of Asian coasts, you?d somehow fare better than them?

I?m totally against the "us vs them" attitude in the US / World relations. But both parties fuel that attitude. I?m going off-topic here, but the US media are the main culprits for this escalating "US-phobic" attitude in many parts of the world.

Maybe that?s why not many countries offered to help yet? I mean, you yourself said "we have limitless resources in your post"...

And BTW, did Dubya actually ASK for help yet? Again, I?m just asking, since I haven?t seen it being said.

As for the rest, well, desperate situations breed desperate people. Not trying to excuse these acts, on the contrary, but it?s these kind of situations that are supposed to bring out the best in people, but they also always bring out the worst.

[skahound]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

Maybe that?s why not many countries offered to help yet?

I know the point that Jeff is trying to make. It's not as though we feel 'better' or 'more-equipped' than any other country, it's that we're made to feel as though the government can handle everything. That's how we're taught in school: The government's main purpose is to ensure the safety of the country's citizens.

And many, many countries have pledged help already. Believe it or not Venezuela has even offered to help despite the ongoing tension between our nation's governments.

[Kinetic]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

Maybe that?s why not many countries offered to help yet?

I know the point that Jeff is trying to make. It's not as though we feel 'better' or 'more-equipped' than any other country, it's that we're made to feel as though the government can handle everything. That's how we're taught in school: The government's main purpose is to ensure the safety of the country's citizens.

And many, many countries have pledged help already. Believe it or not Venezuela has even offered to help despite the ongoing tension between our nation's governments.

That?s good that so many countries offered to help by now...at lunch time I had only heard of 3 or 4, amongst them Russia.

It?s just that there were people here complaining that no-one was offering help.

Oh, and Ska, you don?t believe Chavez is doing that just out of kindness, do you?

And besides, I heard in the news that he had criticized US government for not doing enough to evacuate people before the storm. Maybe he?s right, but I wouldn?t call his government an example to anyone, so maybe he should just shut up.

[picklemonkey]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

Not tring to be a smart ass or anything, just wondering, but is that really a frequent way of thinking in the US? That somehow, even in situations this big, the US can hadle it better than anyone?

don't mind evangelion, he says things before thinking sometimes

i'm just surprised we aren't shooting back. if someone's shooting at a helicopter, kill 'em. terrorist imo. the country has millions of school busses, city busses, armored cars, etc... ship them out, pick up these people, and take them to the nearest town so they can contact family. i know from my company alone the red cross has received almost $2M cash... turn that shit into food, pack each bus coming in with food for those still patient at the superdome, and stockpile it up. bring a generator to the superdome to provide power for a radios/intercom for communication.

there's no real answer because people are freaking out... but I think as long as there's a solid food supply people would at least try to be civil




:cry:

[skahound]

The roads are submerged in fucking water not to mention that most of the bridges into and out of NO are structurally unsound and impassable! How in the hell are you supposed to truck, bus, or van food into there?

[picklemonkey]

if they're driving people from the Superdome, it means they can drive busses to the superdome. am I missing something here?

[skahound]

No, you've got a point there. But how do you tell the other 400,000 or so people from various parts of the city to swim through the stagnant, diseased water to get to the SuperDome? I don't know if you've ever been to New Orleans but the SuperDome is quite a walk from the downtown area (Bourbon, Canal, etc) and add to it that you'd have to get there by sludging through waist-deep water. Good luck!

[evangelion]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

Not tring to be a smart ass or anything, just wondering, but is that really a frequent way of thinking in the US? That somehow, even in situations this big, the US can hadle it better than anyone?

don't mind evangelion, he says things before thinking sometimes

No...I said what I meant, and I meant what I said.

Never did I say "better than anyone." I said handle it...period. Don't put words in my mouth. And yes...we do have limitless resources, having resources does not mean we don't still need help. But alot of good they are doing right now. All the resources in the world don't mean shit if you can't get to where it is they are needed.

[Kinetic]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

Not tring to be a smart ass or anything, just wondering, but is that really a frequent way of thinking in the US? That somehow, even in situations this big, the US can hadle it better than anyone?

Never did I say "better than anyone." I said handle it...period. And yes...we do have limitless resources, but alot of good they are doing right now. Having resources does not mean we don't still need help. All the resources in the world don't mean shit if you can't get to where it is they are needed.

Yeah...like me going to Red Cross site a few minutes ago to donate and their server being down.

I hope you understood i wasn?t criticizing you...I was merely trying to understand your viewpoint.

Wanna know something really surprising from an European point of view? I was watching footage of people being rescued in NOLA, and people looting, and you know what? If I didn?t know that was happening in the USA, I?d think those images were from Bangladesh or Mozambique...I mean, those people look POOR...it?s showing an underbelly to the country that I bet is surprising many people around the world!

Dark humor : does anyone remember Katrina and the Waves, and their hit "Walking On Sunshine"? How prophetic...

[evangelion]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

What...you mean the rest of the world really thinks everyone in American lives in million dollar mansions and drives a BMW. Don't we all wish...

Of course there is poor here, what do you want us to do, run a PBS specail on it so during the next natural disaster no one will be "surprised." I mean really, what is your point??

[Kinetic]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

What...you mean the rest of the world really thinks everyone in American lives in million dollar mansions and drives a BMW. Don't we all wish...

Of course there is poor here, what do you want us to do, run a PBS specail on it so during the next natural disaster no one will be "surprised." I mean really, what is your point??

I?m not trying to make a point, why does there have to be a point? I?m stating my views which, believe it or not, kinda reflects the views of quite a few people around here (here being my country)

Did you read what I said before about your media? Of course we don?t think that everyone has million dollar houses, but we don?t get much more than that shown around here, believe me. It takes a tragedy for this kinda stuff to be SHOWN out here.

That is my point, if there HAS to be a point.

[maddlingo]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

What...you mean the rest of the world really thinks everyone in American lives in million dollar mansions and drives a BMW. Don't we all wish...

Of course there is poor here, what do you want us to do, run a PBS specail on it so during the next natural disaster no one will be "surprised." I mean really, what is your point??

I?m not trying to make a point, why does there have to be a point? I?m stating my views which, believe it or not, kinda reflects the views of quite a few people around here (here being my country)

Did you read what I said before about your media? Of course we don?t think that everyone has million dollar houses, but we don?t get much more than that shown around here, believe me. It takes a tragedy for this kinda stuff to be SHOWN out here.

That is my point, if there HAS to be a point.

I understand what kinetic is getting at in his previous post. Hurricane Katrina did strike some areas that are very poverty stricken. I read one report on cnn stating that the average per capita income in some parts of Mississippi is only $18,000 a year and that some people were unable to evacuate because the hurricane hit prior to the 1st of the month (meaning that most will have rec'd checks in the mail the by at least September 2nd). Therfore many people just didn't have the money to be able to evacuate.

[evangelion]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

I?m not trying to make a point, why does there have to be a point? I?m stating my views which, believe it or not, kinda reflects the views of quite a few people around here (here being my country)

Did you read what I said before about your media? Of course we don?t think that everyone has million dollar houses, but we don?t get much more than that shown around here, believe me. It takes a tragedy for this kinda stuff to be SHOWN out here.

That is my point, if there HAS to be a point.

MY point is that why in a time such as this, are you concerned with how poor the people on TV look?? After a disaster such as this, I doubt anyone is going to look like a movie star.

[Fer_Sancho]

Re: Hurricane Katrina Damage

I?m not trying to make a point, why does there have to be a point? I?m stating my views which, believe it or not, kinda reflects the views of quite a few people around here (here being my country)

Did you read what I said before about your media? Of course we don?t think that everyone has million dollar houses, but we don?t get much more than that shown around here, believe me. It takes a tragedy for this kinda stuff to be SHOWN out here.

That is my point, if there HAS to be a point.

MY point is that why in a time such as this, are you concerned with how poor the people on TV look?? After a disaster such as this, I doubt anyone is going to look like a movie star.

my god evangelion!!!Dont be SO paranoic..!!! he is only trying to say that that stuff is only shown when this kindda things happen, and i TOTALLY agree with him.

Im not tryin to criticize you or your people, im just agreeing with Kinetic, US is shown worlwide by media, tv, movie industry, etc as a DIVINE place, where nothing wrong could happen and where everyone is happy. Kinda alice in wonderland stuff.... ... so the rest of the world gets to know the "real thing" when these things happen...its a shame.

LOTS of North Americans (I say north, because im an american too) show a kind of "im better than you" attitude when you speak to them...so, that can explain why a "YOU and US" topic exists...I guess its everybodys fault though, your education, and our hard feelings towards that...