Reply to: And this is the greatest country in the world?

[WageSlave]

Just what are you trying to say?

What do you think I'm trying to say?

[Not So Wise]

Lot of interesting questions will be raised when things calm down, like
A) why was red cross not allowed into new orleans
b) The main commander of the armed forces says troops were ready to enter from Monday, but could not do so without orders from the president (legally), so why was the order not given till much later
c)FEMA trucks with food and water were in louisiana by monday, why were they told to stop and not enter New Orleans till Thursdays/Friday (which coincidentally or maybe not timed with the arrival of bush)
d) Why is Bush still saying the disaster "could not be forseen" when a goverment report done within the last two years marked it as one of the top 3 most likely disasters to hit the USA.

[Joe Bloggs]

In a first-world country though the number of deaths/damage is usually much, much lower due to better quality infrastructure, e.g. Kobe/Bam earthquakes were both of roughly equal size but while Kobe lost 'only' 5000, in the latter it wiped out 50%.

"The famous levees that were breached could have been strengthened and raised at what now seems like a trifling cost of a few billion dollars."

New Orleans crisis shames Americans

[OwlHoot]

who got the bright idea to build a whole city under sea level ?

New Orleans wasn't below sea level when it was built - Preventing the Mississippi from flooding all over it and dumping mud, like the Nile, has lowered its level over the years. Not quite sure how, but mostly just soil erosion I guess.

[Joe Bloggs]

who got the bright idea to build a whole city under sea level ?

Crazy I must admit, but as far as I remember most of the Netherlands sits just on or below sea level and it does just fine. Then again they don't have hurricanes...and likewise seem to have invested a heck of a lot more in flood protection, something New Orleans/the US didn't do.

Almost everything I've read so far suggests it did/would have escaped major damage, had it not been for the fact of the breeches in the two levees.

[xoggoth]

I would just like to state the obvious by saying this cannot be racist. Only white people are racist.

[Bagpuss]

Blacks target white Brits

The land of racial harmony. PC really works.

Just what are you trying to say?

[WageSlave]

Blacks target white Brits

The land of racial harmony. PC really works.

[AtW]

Of course, it would have to be like in Escape From New York, not like the poor sequel Escape from LA.

I would not say Escape from LA was _that_ bad -- it was not as good, but it was still okay.

[Lucifer Box]

Thats funny - great minds etc. we were just saying that today!

Of course, it would have to be like in Escape From New York, not like the poor sequel Escape from LA.

In that case, why don't the Yanks just send in Kurt Russell with a bomb in his head? He'd sort out that urban anarchy in no time.

[Lucifer Box]

They need court decisions to put people in the first place -- they have to be rescured first.

It seems to me that there will be lots of fatalities, not from KAtrina per se, but from huge delay in time before help came.

Not really, just declare them enemy combatants or get Charlie Clarke to slap a control order on them. No courts are needed in this brave new world of western democracy you know.

[sappatz]

new orleans

who got the bright idea to build a whole city under sea level ? those levees were not even doubled, this was a disaster waiting to happen !
apparenlty the old french quarter is the only place not under sea level

[OwlHoot]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

and if they re-site it, the new city will have to be called New New Orleans.

[n5gooner]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

Thats funny - great minds etc. we were just saying that today!

[AtW]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

They need court decisions to put people in the first place -- they have to be rescured first.

It seems to me that there will be lots of fatalities, not from KAtrina per se, but from huge delay in time before help came.