As Gustav nears, Gulf Coast puts faith in planning

[Terri]

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
August 29, 2008

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- With Gustav approaching hurricane strength and showing no signs of veering off a track to slam into the Gulf Coast, authorities across the region began laying the groundwork Thursday to get the sick, elderly and poor away from the shoreline.

The first batch of 700 buses that could ferry residents inland were being sent to a staging area near New Orleans, and officials in Mississippi were trying to decide when to move Katrina-battered residents along the coast who were still living in temporary homes, including trailers vulnerable to high wind.

More (http://www.gopusa.com/news/2008/august/0829_gustav1.shtml)

[MISSL]

Gustav has not even hit and the REPUBLICAN governors are busy helping their people

Is America watching and understanding the difference? I would hope so. But I think, alas, not!

[schillerbjr]

Republican governors "do something".

Democrats, on the other hand, do nothing but
"WHINE".

See the difference.

[stormy]

Gustav Strengthens Into Hurricane (http://news.aol.com/article/gustav-strengthens-into-hurricane/136385)

Gulf Coast residents spend the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina preparing for potential evacuations as a new threat gains strength in the Caribbean. Gustav, which has already killed 71 people, is back to hurricane status as it swirls toward the Cayman Islands. Forecasters say New Orleans is likely to get hit by at least tropical-storm-force winds when Gustav reaches the U.S. coastline early next week.

But first the storm, which killed 71 people in the Caribbean, was expected to swirl through the Cayman Islands, a tiny offshore tax haven studded with resorts and cruise-ship souvenir shops, before crossing Cuba's cigar country and heading into the Gulf of Mexico by Sunday.

MORE (http://news.aol.com/?feature=136385)

Just heard on the news it could strengthen to a 4 or 5--folks, that's bad--it's praying time for folks anywhere in its path!

No Shelter For Those Who Stay in Nola (http://news.aol.com/article/no-shelter-for-those-who-stay-in-nola/154018)

[Terri]

Let's hope they're doing a little bit more than praying.

It may not be in the Bible but I firmly believe the Lord helps those who help themselves.

Don't wait for FEMA. Get a move on.

No shelter for those that stay in New Orleans as Gustav approaches (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/08/29/2008-08-29_no_shelter_for_th ose_that_stay_in_new _or.html)

AP

NEW ORLEANS — Police with bullhorns plan to go street to street this weekend with a tough message about getting out ahead of Hurricane Gustav: This time there will be no shelter of last resort. The doors to the Superdome will be locked. Those who stay will be on their own.

New forecasts Friday made it increasingly clear that New Orleans will get some kind of hit — direct or indirect — by early next week. That raised the likelihood people would have to flee, and the city suggested a full-scale evacuation call could come as soon as Sunday.

Short of handcuffing them and physically removing them there will be some who will stay and then blame someone else.

[SewingSusie]

Ray Nagin had better fire up those busses. If he screws this one up, then Jindal should remove him from office if at all possible (like it is here in Michigan).

[Charie]

Hurricane Katrina slammed ashore three years ago, flooding 80 percent of New Orleans and stranding thousands who couldn't get out in time

I hate to be a spoilsport, but the hurricane didn't flood NO. A break in the levee did. Let's put the fault where it lies, please.

City officials have said they won't force people to leave but those who stay will be assuming all risks and responsibilities for their families.


Let's hope they stick to this so the rest of us won't have to pay through the nose again.

[stormy]

The prayer request was not directed at the people who should be moving out, but for those of us who may not be in the path. Hope that clarifies my post.

God helps those who help themselves, I've always heard and truly believe.

[Vicky in PA]

I'll bet Nagin is going to be inept, Jindal is going to have to really push him hard or go through him. The republicans are going to be the ones to pay if this goes badly, I've got faith in Jindal but I've heard news that the feds were not being terribly cooperative. If that's true, policy be damned, Bush needs to force the issue of giving full cooperation to the governor. The media is already drooling over the possibilities of this storm. Very sickening! :2cents2:

[Vicky in PA]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a_6tQIsAMTds&refer=home

"New Orleans evacuated 2,500 people by bus and train today of 20,000 who applied for assistance, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Outbound traffic clogged highways around the city."

This thing is expected monday, right? This story is dated today, do the math, they refuse to open the superdome and this is going to get very ugly on it's present course! This is EXACTLY the same thing that happened the last time (minus the locking of the superdome), it looks like Nagin's in charge of the busses and this is never going to work! Someone is going to have to step in while there's still time!

[schillerbjr]

Mayor Ray Nagin, a "classic" Democrat "INCOMPETENT"!

[yogi]

Mayor Orders the Evacuation of New Orleans

By ADAM NOSSITER (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/n/adam_nossiter/index.html?inline=ny t-per) and SHAILA DEWAN (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/d/shaila_dewan/index.html?inline=ny t-per)

Published: August 30, 2008
The New York Times


NEW ORLEANS — City officials ordered everyone to leave New Orleans beginning Sunday morning — the first mandatory evacuation since Hurricane Katrina (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/hurricane_katrina/index.html?inline=ny t-classifier) flooded the city three years ago — as Hurricane Gustav (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/h/hurricanes_and_tropi cal_storms/hurricane_gustav/index.html?inline=ny t-classifier) grew into what the city’s mayor on Saturday called “the storm of the century” and moved toward the Louisiana coast.

The mayor, C. Ray Nagin, said Hurricane Gustav was larger and more dangerous than Hurricane Katrina, and he pleaded with residents to get out or face flooding and life-threatening winds.

“This is the mother of all storms, and I’m not sure we’ve seen anything like it,” Mr. Nagin said at an evening news briefing. “This is the real deal. This is not a test. For everyone thinking they can ride this storm out, I have news for you: that will be one of the biggest mistakes you can make in your life.”



Read the rest here....
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/us/31orleans.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

If the assessment of Gustav in this article is right (it is being called a little alarmist) part or all of the Gulf coast is in for a rough time.

Since the Army Corp of Engineers have done nothing to strengthen the levees and bloody little to properly repair them; if this one hits NOLA it could well be the end of it. Right now a lot depends on the amount of heat in the water Gustav has to pass over. We have had a pretty warm summer in the south and if the gulf waters are warmer than when Katrina came through it could make for some real destruction of biblical proportions on the gulf coast.

I have seen in other articles that many residents simply will not come back and rebuild if they get hit that hard again in just three years.

And you can kiss goodbye any chance of lower gas prices if this one hits the coastal oil platforms, depots, and refineries with the power it is now being expected to have.

[rangerrebew]

People, people! No matter what happens to Nahlans, Nagin is going to be a victim of the government and the scum of the earth, J$cks$n and Sharptongue, will be there condemning everyone but brother Nagin. Bush's policies will be blamed for the hurricane, the federal response inadequate, and FEMA the scapegoat. All the media have to do is pull out their old clips from Katrina and the stories are already written for Gustav. Barack Apollo Obama and the commiecrats will be criticizing McCain because he did nothing to stop hurricanes in all his years in office:pfft:

[Charie]

In particular, floodgates have been constructed at the end of city drainage canals leading to Lake Pontchartrain, the principal conduits for the fateful surge during Hurricane Katrina. Still, there is no such arrangement on the Industrial Canal, the surge from which destroyed the still-empty Lower Ninth Ward.



Why would the ACE repair the Industrial Canal when there's no one and probably no buildings in the lower ninth ward?

You fix the spots that are most likely to harm people and property. The reporter could have left out the "Still."

her little dog, Jack, who was resting in a black canvas bag. Evacuees had been instructed to keep their pets in a carrying case, but Ms. Barnes did not have one. “I just hope,” Ms. Barnes said, “because otherwise I won’t leave.” Ms. Barnes is part of the problem, just one of those who think instructions don't apply to them. She had plenty of time to get a pet carrier for her dog. If she couldln't afford one I'm sure some animal rights group or the Humane Society could have found one for her.

The president should go to the convention and give a rip roarer about how we should all pray for the residents of the gulf states and help them in every way we can and he's going right back to Washington so he's closer to the sphere of action to help Bobby Jindal's state(what he could do more of in Washington by phone than he could in Minneapolis, I have no idea, but I guess it's the thought that counts :tqrolleyes: ).

[Terri]

There were stacks and stacks of pet carriers for those who didn't have one waiting at the station where they registered their pets. The lady probably hadn't gotten to the head of the line yet.

I saw one lady interviewed who was putting her orange tiger kitty in a carrier, not sure if it was her own carrier or if she got it there. Anyway, she was a little upset at parting with her kitty and at some signs that weren't clear, but as soon as the reporter asked her if it was better organized than last time she cheered up and really bragged about how much better it was.

[Roberta Larimor]

You can talk about Climate Change but don't get New Orleans & the fact it will be an island in 100 years? New Orleans is in a bowl! It will always be in a flood zone, always devastating, the levees will never be good enough, this is the NORM. New Orleans needs to be moved inland. People can not live in this geographical environment and be on a constant state of emergency and rebuilding at tax payer expense. The tax payer is simply pouring in good money after bad and simply said, New Orleans must be moved ABOVE SEA LEVEL. This is stupid and wasteful and all in vain

[Tiberius]

They have a republican governor iam sure they will be fine, he called for evac within 3days of knowing the location and direction of this storm. It would also seem that Nagin has done his job this time and all are being sent to the Northern part of the state which has a location all setup for all these evacs and such. While this is going to be a worse storm, you all notice the dems are being and are glad to be seeing all this? What a pathetic party.

[Roberta Larimor]

What the Dems are doing is shooting themselves in the foot again. Nagin? UMPH. He said.."we'll see how good the Army Corps of Engineers did on this levee. DUH? Somebody hand this guy a geological map of his own city. Nagin did nothing during Katrina and is currently overseeing the hard work of others with a sceptical eye. Yes, Bobby Jindel will handle this has should have been during Katrina. But the fact still remains, all eyes on New Orleans which has been hit 21 times by hurricanes and is sinking further & further below sea level every year. There will forever be evacuations and tax dollars pouring into New Orleans to no avail. Specifically New Orleans is in a flood zone any other American city would be forced to leave. A bastion of starry eyed liberals and like minded Nagins wanting the Army Corps of Engineers to wave a magic wand and prevent the enevitable. We"ll for ever be counting up with Wolf Blitzer..3 years since Katrina then 4 Years since Katrina & how are they now?.. and the words not spoken are..around the corner from another annhiliation. I tell you a bowl is going to fill with water and New Orleans is that bowl. The Feds have to make them move that city inland. The libs nor elite media want that option on the table. They live for the day they can report another "poor, forgotten city, failed by it's Federal Government and they are foaming at the mouth to blame Bobby Jindel for levees they know are impossible to build to secure a city that far below sea level.

[Terri]

The tax payer is simply pouring in good money after bad and simply said, New Orleans must be moved ABOVE SEA LEVEL. This is stupid and wasteful and all in vain
I agree but common sense doesn't seem to be a factor.

I wouldn't stop with New Orleans either. All the people in the Gulf need to move back from the coast. Florida too. Or take their own risks. Why should the rest of the country buy the same people a new home every 5 years?

[Roberta Larimor]

The big word from LA is "what kind of assistance can they expect" according to Lt. Gen Russell Honore(ret) CNN contributor. I think the MSM & Libs believe this is a boost to the Dems but I disagree. The country has been flooded with Dems for 18 months..a constant drumbeat. Everybody and I mean everybody get's sick of the same song played over & over & over. That's the drumbeat from the MSM. Plus 3 years later and we never got a break from Katrina yet. Conventions don't make elections. The DNC convention was boring till the last 2 days when Hill & Bubba gave them a boost. You'd think by the MSM coverage the DNC was the only party in the US. Debates & October surprises will knock out the Conventions bounce. The GOP is business & the Dems can throw a great rock n roll party. So what's new? I know the MSM is praying for devastation in the Gulf States..they think it will help their party when all they did is knock Obama off the front pge too. They MSM seems ignorant to the fact New Orleans will always flood. It's in a bowl.

[yogi]

Quote:
The tax payer is simply pouring in good money after bad and simply said, New Orleans must be moved ABOVE SEA LEVEL. This is stupid and wasteful and all in vain
I agree but common sense doesn't seem to be a factor.

I wouldn't stop with New Orleans either. All the people in the Gulf need to move back from the coast. Florida too. Or take their own risks. Why should the rest of the country buy the same people a new home every 5 years?
__________________



Terri - I put this in the same catagory as the people who move downwind of a pig farm and then try to shut it down because they don't like the smell of pig feces. It is not new information that certain areas of the coastal United States are prone to violent weather. So what do we do. I for one am tired of my tax dollars being spent to pay for someone elses bad judgement.

What do you think the solution is?

1 - Should we stop giving any aid to those who choose to live in dangerous places and let them go on their own or buy their own insurance?

2 - Or should the government, federal or state or both, make them move inland and declare the first five or ten miles of coastal area as fit only for throwaway cabanas or reserved as national park land?

3 - How about a combination of the two?

4 - Does anyone have a better idea?

[stormy]

I can tell you, not from personal experience, but FEMA has been revamped. You can apply for FEMA assistance, but they go to your house, make sure you are in need of it and if you have major damage and want a loan, you have to be able to pay that loan back.

Now, yes, there are grants, but they are not that easy to come by! But, there were no mass handouts after Hurricane Dolly, such as happened with Katrina. Since so much power was out, they did give away water and ice! :)

Funny, nobody in Wa. seemed to even be aware there was a hurricane in S. Tx. And, Pete Hoekstra just said that the Pres. blew the last one--I heartily disagree! He did all he could do!

Here's John Boehner talking about it on CNN and part of it is about Palin:

VIDEO & WORDS (http://www.freedomproject.o rg/Blog/Read.aspx?Guid=8acc0 3c9-ebbb-4608-be3e-d370770090d5)

[Roberta Larimor]

Democrats were in power when Katrina hit, but being true to their party, they sat on thier hands waiting for the tax payer to come in. Can you believe this State? Poor Bobby Jindel took on an incompetant disarray of the most helpless State Officials in this country. I don't think the Dem Gov. during Katrina realized she had to ask for Federal Help, she assumed the Government marched in and took control. GWB should have realized that LA, during that time period, didn't have a clue without someone taking them by the hand and leading them thru every step. Trust me, if Texas fell into that mess(unlikely) we would be looking at Austin demanding answers not whining for Federal intervention. We want the Government out of Texas State Affairs. God Bless Bobbie Jindel. he inherited a mess from the last know nothing Liberal Governor

[studebaker51]

New Orleans reminds me of a boat:...A hole in the water in to which you throw money. :rolleyes:

I live just a few minutes south of Memphis, but because I live in Mississippi, our insurance rates shot up after Katrina...to pay for the damage that occurred around the Gulf Coast.

Another interesting fact: The rocket scientists decided to have the gambling casinos located in the Gulf Coast. When they were destroyed, a huge chunk of tax revenue dried up. Everybody's taxes increased accordingly. :(