Shaken about NOLA

[Smiling JOe]

Tonights news broadcast on Fox with reports from Sheppard Smith and Geraldo Rivera are extremely disturbing. They report that today is Day 6 with no food or water for many people in NOLA. People were informed to go to the convention center and the SuperDome to be fed and given water and shelter before being bussed out. Day 6 - no food, no water, no signs of Red Cross, no evacuation. Top that off with the Gov't not allowing anyone to cross the bridge to get out of town. Currently, they report this bridge is the only way out, yet the gov't is turning people around and basically locking them in the city to die. Furthermore, Sheppard reports that buses came in, picked up the NOLA Mayor and 400 of his peeps and got the heck out of Dodge. If I had a gun and I was trapped in a city of certain death, with no hope in sight after 6 days of seeing people die, I would be busting some caps to shake things up. There is no excuse for this. As Geraldo said, let the people walk out. I am extremely shaken by hearing these news reports. Is this the gov't way of not having to deal with its own citizens? Killing them? This is crazy. I am outraged! I am at a loss of words, and that does not often happen. This is sickening!

 

[TooFarTampa]

I saw the same report. I am speechless. I have to say thank God for the media. If we didn't have those reporters and cameras down there would we know what was happening? Hell no. Those people have no voice, in addition to no food, water, toilets or medicine.

I'm not the biggest fan of Geraldo, but when he started grabbing those babies and holding them up to the camera ... it was clownish but effective. I wanted to hurl a chair at the TV, or the nearest politician. Democrat or Republican! I don't care! They all seem heartless or clueless at this point!

Have you noticed that somehow the reporters have managed to stay safe? Amazing isn't it.

I can't sleep I'm so

 

[Smiling JOe]

I saw the same report. I am speechless. I have to say thank God for the media. If we didn't have those reporters and cameras down there would we know what was happening? Hell no. Those people have no voice, in addition to no food, water, toilets or medicine.

I'm not the biggest fan of Geraldo, but when he started grabbing those babies and holding them up to the camera ... it was clownish but effective. I wanted to hurl a chair at the TV, or the nearest politician. Democrat or Republican! I don't care! They all seem heartless or clueless at this point!

Have you noticed that somehow the reporters have managed to stay safe? Amazing isn't it.

I can't sleep I'm so

I think that the people know that these reporters may be the only ones who seem to care about them, and maybe they realize that these reporters may be their only way out of certain death. I was really glad to see these two reporters standing up and fighting for the people. They were pleading with anyone and everyone, to get these people help and get them out of there. Both were almost in tears and looked like they were mad as H_ll and wanted to punch someone.

 

[TooFarTampa]

Shepard Smith seemed like he was about to lose it. It didn't seem like he was posturing either. He was

It seems to me like Hannity and Colmes underreacted a little bit, didn't it? Of course Hannity was up there looking like he was more concerned about defending the government. He should have been less fawning and more

This isn't politics! This is humanity!

 

[DBOldford]

Today the entire group of patients and staff from Tulane Medical Center was evacuated by bus, as were students from St. Xavier College. Wonderful for them, finally. By comparison, not a single patient or staff member from Charity Hospital has been evacuated. These Charity Hospital patients are the poor and indigent, the worst trauma cases in the City. Reports are that nurses are administering IVs to each other for survival purposes, because the food and water is gone. People are dying constantly because of the lack of medical supplies and facilities to assist vital functions. No word in two days from our friend's daughter, a young doctor who went back to NOLA after graduating from Tulane, because people there needed her more than here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Thank goodness for these reporters, who are able to speak for this desperate group of forgotten souls. If not for them, our government would deny that these conditions ever existed. Do you doubt it for a minute? Lots of people need to get very angry about this. All is lost if people cave to the balmy PR coming out of government. It is shameful. What became of that guy who didn't want to scare the school children (so kept reading "The Pet Goat" while the country was under attack). And if conditions are so desperately dangerous that the police and aid workers cannot be allowed in, why are the reporters and their crews managing? Most seem to be getting even their hair styled and makeup, to some extent.

What became of the news report (Paula Zahn on CNN) that Fidel Castro had offered 1,100 Cuban doctors and caches of medical supplies, but had received no response? Now that's a head scratcher...what to do, what to do, what to do.....

 

[Camp Creek Kid]

Y'all may know this, but Shepard Smith is from Mississippi. This event has literally hit home for him. Its funny how we complain about "media hype" etc., but it is now obvious that the media can work as an advocate for "the people."

 

[RiverOtter]

Saw a report this morning of an evacuation bus flipping with a full load of people.

 

[Travel2Much]

If you have people stream across that bridge, busses will not be able to enter to get food in there or busses. Areas there have been torched by looters coming in from NOLA. A shopping center over there was set on fire by looters. Rock, meet hard place. Hard place, meet rock.

Report on CNN say all is calm at the convention center and has been since yesterday morning:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.impact/index.html

Haven't read anything on nola.com to contradict that.

Armed gunmen had taken over the convention center earlier this week and were raping and brutalizing people who showed up. Still don't understand how that was thought to be a staging point. Everyone says they were "told" to go there but cannot find the source of that.

Charity Hospital has been under sniper fire for a while. There are white, upper class medical students, future rich doctors, who are trapped in their dorms in case you think no one else is suffering.

 

[wetwilly]

Too Far Tampa's statement sums it up very well:

"This isn't (about) politics! This is (about) humanity!" When I initially saw Sheppard and Geraldo I thought they were being overly dramatic but on 2nd, 3rd, 4th thought...they were being underdramatic.

Speechless. Angry. Frustrated. All emotions overwhelming me.

 

[Smiling JOe]

If you have people stream across that bridge, busses will not be able to enter to get food in there or busses. Areas there have been torched by looters coming in from NOLA. A shopping center over there was set on fire by looters. Rock, meet hard place. Hard place, meet rock.

Report on CNN say all is calm at the convention center and has been since yesterday morning:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.impact/index.html

Haven't read anything on nola.com to contradict that.

Armed gunmen had taken over the convention center earlier this week and were raping and brutalizing people who showed up. Still don't understand how that was thought to be a staging point. Everyone says they were "told" to go there but cannot find the source of that.

Charity Hospital has been under sniper fire for a while. There are white, upper class medical students, future rich doctors, who are trapped in their dorms in case you think no one else is suffering.

I think everyone in NOLA is suffering, even the people trying to respond in rescue efforts.

That is a hard place and a rock as you describe regarding allowing people out via the bridge. However, it can be handled if people would use common sense. In the neighboring town, stage many National Guard peeps to keep order. Open one lane flowing out of NOLA for pedistrians. Have massive staging areas in said neighboring town to get evacuees out of there once they arrive, but not before feeding them a meal of some sort and providing them with water. Is that so difficult? One does not have to attend crises management courses to have a little common sense.