Hurricane Katrina

[erik_kosberg]

"Hurricane Tears Holes in Superdome Roof"

Superdome and government emergency officials stressed that they did not expect the huge roof to fail because of the relatively small breaches, each about 15 to 20 feet long and 4 to 5 feet wide

[theworm[$]]

I've been really busy this afternoon.
What's happening?
The only thing that I've heard was that its now a Cat 1.
How bad are things in New Orleans? Any early info?

[lynnzop[$]]

Not a lot of info other than lots and lots of rain and flooding. Almost sounds like MS got hit worse than NO...but it's still early.

[theworm[$]]

the radio said the Mississippi and Alabama took a tough hit. I think everyone was focused on NO because its so low. I know that we won't have lots of info for a while, but I wish we knew more! I feel so badly for the people there!

[emeleel]

One thing I read somewhere is that there are a lot of people in NO who don't have cars - apparently it's pretty easy to do without a car there so a lot of people don't have them. And I guess if you don't have good friends or relatives in the area with a vehicle - and room for you - then you're out of luck if that's the case.

[emeleel]

Well, all of us in the lower states are through with Katrina. Looks to me like in some ways it was better than expected, and in other ways worse than expected. I don't think they really expected Mobile to get hit as much as it did, but it's quite flooded today. On the news last night they showed an oil rig in Mobile that came loose from its moorings and floated until it wedged up under the big bridge in Mobile. Around here, there was one tornado that came through East Montgomery, tore up a bunch of trees and took the roof of off one house, but no injuries. A couple more twisters came through the tv viewing area, but again, no injuries. Here at home, our power didn't so much as flicker.

Lots of help is pouring into the various areas that were hit - FEMA supply trucks, FEMA RV's for temporary housing, power crews from all over the country, Red Cross, etc.

[slick4591[$]]

Believe it or not we had a small thunderstorm yesterday afternoon that was spawned from Katrina. She was a big 'un.

[theworm[$]]

The stories this morning are breaking my heart.
The levees broke at the lake, and the French Quarter is under water.
I saw a man on TV this morning - I think from Mississippi. He was on the roof with his wife. The house literally split in half. His wife fell, and he had her by the arm - trying to pull her up. She said "you can't hold me. Take care of the kids and the grandkids" and she slipped out of his grasp. She's gone. The house is gone. This poor poor man is a lost soul. He totally broke my heart.

[cristina1]

I heard that story, Wormie. It was awful. I began looking at some of the still shots of the damage. How horrible.

[theworm[$]]

Wasn't that awful Tina! I cried.
That man looked so broken, and the little boy looked shell shocked.
It's unlikely that they'll find his wife alive, but I'm praying for her and for that family. And that is just one sad story in thousands.
Did you see Robin Roberts break down when they asked about her family.
I'm waiting to hear about local collection spots. I'm sure they'll be trucking up supplies.

[cristina1]

It is just heartbreaking. I, too, am going to be looking for local places to donate. Hubby's watching the coverage now. Such devastation spread out over such a large area. I saw pictures of someone's home damaged in GA from the tornadoes, too. It's amazing what a huge storm that was!

[erik_kosberg]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050829...l_050829235602

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez offered to send food and fuel to the United States after the powerful Hurricane Katrina pummeled the US south, ravaging US crude production.

[emeleel]

From the CNN home page:

Rising waters force evacuation of tens of thousands who sought refuge in New Orleans rescue centers, state governor says. More soon.

Survivors stranded on rooftops
Death toll estimated 68, expected to rise
New Orleans, 80 percent under water
Mississippi flooding up to six miles inland
"This is our tsunami," Biloxi Mayor
1.7 million without power

[AuntieEmma[$]]

A list of places to donate (copied from dailykos):

The American Red Cross
Donation Link: Click here and select 'Donate Now'.
Relief focus: The Red Cross provides a full spectrum of services to disaster victims. From assistance with shelter, medical care, food, clean water and cleanup efforts, the Red Cross is an organization poised to assist in circumstances such as this.

Feed The Children
Donation Link: Click here and follow the donation link.
Relief focus: Feed the Children has long been competent at mobilizing and distributing supplies to disaster victims and victims of famine and disease. They are currently mobilizing a massive relief effort by gathering needed supplies and getting them to hurricane devastated areas.

The Salvation Army
Donation Link: Click here and follow the donate on line link.
Relief focus: The Salvation Army is prepared to provide 400,000 hot meals a day to displaced disaster victims and emergency personnel working to aid those devastated by Hurricane Katrina. They also provide a means for individuals to physically volunteer their time and assistance in the relief efforts.

United Jewish Communities
Donation Link: Click here and choose upper-right Katrina relief links.
Relief focus: Community organized and administered humanitarian relief for disaster victims.

Catholic Charities USA
Donation Link: Click here and follow instructions to donate online, by mail, or by phone.
Relief focus: Community based relief efforts focused on the long-terms needs of disaster victims and affected communities.

United Methodist Committee on Relief
Donation Link: Click here and follow the 'Donate Now' link.
Relief focus: Although they provide general community-based disaster relief, they are also focusing on the creation and distribution of "flood buckets", a more hands-on relief item for those who prefer to donate with a personal touch.

Noah's Wish
Donation Link: Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Relief focus: Noah's Wish is a not-for-profit, animal welfare organization, with a straightforward mission. We exist to keep animals alive during disasters. That's it.

Humane Society of the United States
Donation Link: Click here.
Relief focus: Dispatching Disaster Animal Response Teams (DARTs) to rescue animals and assist their caregivers.

ASPCA
Donation Link: Click here and choose the type of giving you prefer.
Relief focus: Although they do not yet have anything specific to Katrina up on their site, the ASPCA sends emergency relief to animal shelters when natural disasters occur.

---------------------------
The Better Business Bureau's Give.org site can help you decide which charity if you are torn. They have reports available on major charitable organizations and, in some cases, detailed information on a charity's organization and administration.

[AuntieEmma[$]]

The best way to help

[theworm[$]]

Thanks Auntie!

[mjfrombuffalo[$]]

"One of the major reasons not to donate material goods like clothes is they get stockpiled," he said. "During several recent disasters - during the hurricanes in Florida, for example - stuff would pour in and they would have to throw things out."

Definitely. When I did disaster relief with The Sal after 9/11 we had to throw away so much food because too much was donated and there was no way to keep it from spoiling. We got so much clothing too, but there was little use for it (except socks and gloves).

[lynnzop[$]]

I am waiting to see what our company will do...last year during the tsunami, they did a 2:1 match. I'm hoping they do the same for Katrina, so I don't want to donate until I know my dollars will blossom into more.

I heard them say on the news tonite that they will be evacuating EVERYONE from New Orleans. I can't imagine where most of those folks will go, or how they will get out.

[emeleel]

Good news and bad news I just heard personally - DH and his co-workers are having to work late tonight because the office/warehouse in Hammond, LA (which is taking over the responsibilities of the office/warehouse here) is flooded. This means at least some temporary extra money, and if it's bad enough it may mean that the office/warehouse here might have to stay open longer than planned. (Those who still have jobs are scheduled to start moving to the other office/warehouse about 20 minutes from here on Friday, but if Hammond is closed down, Montgomery may have to stay open to run what needs to be done.)

However, this is going to be another financial blow to the company, I'm sure, even with insurance. That'll make it that much harder for them to operate and come out of this bankruptcy, I fear. So in the long run it will most likely be bad for everyone.

[mtbat]

I have a friend who lives in New Orleans. She emailed about two days before Katrina hit, to say her family would be going to stay with realtives in Mississippi. I cannot for the life of me remember where in Mississippi they live and I'm praying that it wasn't Biloxi.

[pippadaisy[$]]

I watched a lot of the coverage today, mainly because I had nothing else to do. It's horrifying.

ITA on the eejits who don't follow orders. What's to be gained by staying???

Even better are the eejit reporters. G and I laughed ourselves silly at some of them the other night standing out there getting blown down the street and swearing. DUH! GET OUT OF THE STORM! I kept hoping a big tree would come and knock them senseless until I realized they were pretty senseless to begin with.

[lynnzop[$]]

Been reading reports on cnn this a.m. and it's truly awful. They are talking about pushing dead bodies out of the way in the water to get to the survivors. Snakes and alligators could be anywhere.

And on the home front, one BP station yesterday jacked the price of gas to over $3.00 per gallon. NO ONE else is even close...most are around $2.79. The station's being boycotted and it was covered on the news last night, but I can't find a link. I hate it when people take advantage of tragedy for personal gain.