was a natural disaster now a humanitarian catastrophe

[Steve Burke]

Good point about the size of the area, Cranfield.

 

However, as I understand it, responsibility for dealing with such disasters is in the hands of a national body called FEMA, and ultimately of course the President. FEMA has access to a large pool of equipment and manpower.

 

Local responsibility lies with each State, and they use their National Guard for manpower. As Cranfield pointed out many of the local guardsmen were in Iraq. I wonder how they feel?

 

Already there is buck passing between FEMA and the individual States. I've no idea where the blame lies, but reactions were definitely too slow, especially as the authorities had several days notice of an impending disaster.

 

Certainly the problems were compounded by the security situation, with many of those remaining being armed.

 

IMO, there can be no excuse for looting, except for essentials such as food, water and medical supplies. Of course in the latter case staying alive has to take precedent.

 

Some 80% of the population fled. The remaining 20% either didn't or simply couldn't as they had no transport. Bear in mind that 28% of the population in and around New Orleans lives below the poverty line.

 

Those who stayed were offered transport to the Superdome and other "safety areas" rather than transport out of the city. In retrospect this may be seen as a mistake.

 

There is some good news now. The water in New Orleans is now receding into Lake Pontchartrain, with the level of the lake now being a foot below the leval in the city. However, it'll take a long, long time to pump the rest of the water out.

[Jim Roper]

Steve Burke:

Already there is buck passing between FEMA and the individual States.  I've no idea where the blame lies,  

Try NATURE!

Try STUPIDITY for living below sea level!

 

"Build your house on a rock" it says in the Bible.

 

"Why do people live in such places?" was my dad's comment every time the Ganges burst it's banks and drowned a few thousand.

 

There are probably plenty of 'good neighbours' in the US but they are too far away to give immediate help.

 

[ 03. September 2005, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Vagabond]

Jim Roper:

"Why do people live in such places?"

Mainly because the poor sods cannot afford to live anywhere else.

[Jim Roper]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Vagabond:

---

Mainly because the poor sods cannot afford to live anywhere else.

 

Ah So!

 

 

[ 04. September 2005, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Vagabond]

Jim, doesn't look much like the Ganges valley to me (which was where the original quote was about)

 

But the same applies - residents of the area in the pic are long gone in their 4WDs.

 

Poorer residents of downtown New Orleans had no transport.

[Severn Wolf]

How the hell are they going to shift the water????????

[Steve Burke]

Possibly by breaching some levees on a local basis. However, the main mass of water will have to be pumped.

 

The big permanent pumps are underwater at present and so are inoperable until the water at least partly subsides. Thus portable pumps are being brought in. These can't be used yet until the structural integrity of the levees is checked, in case pumping causes them to collapse.

 

Having said all that, some of the water is flowing back through the breaches as the level of Lake Pontchartrain falls. This will only carry on for a short time until the level in the lake and the level in the city is equalised.

 

Evaporation, as long as it exceeds rainfall, should help a little, but I doubt by very much.

 

All in all, it looks like a long, long time. Estimates vary from weeks to months. Personally, I'd bet on the latter.

[Guest NickInTheNorth]

It's good to see that at long last some progress appears to be being made, and that troops are now being mobilised for a humanitarian effort, rather than to shoot the victims of the storm.

 

Still rather disconcerting to see guys in uniform carrying what are presumably loaded weapons whilst handing out food and water.

 

But it certainly sounds as though efforts are now being made.

 

But being the total cynic that I am, I can't help but wonder if Bush needed the votes of the black americans in the area in another election (which of course he doesn't having had his 2 terms) would help have been quicker in arriving?

[Jim Roper]

Vagabond:

Jim, doesn't look much like the Ganges valley to me (which was where the original quote was about)

 

But the same applies - residents of the area in the pic are long gone in their 4WDs.

 

Poorer residents of downtown New Orleans had no transport.

Yep, the same applies to all. Why live below sea level?

 

Earning less than half the national average wage, I am officially living in poverty, but I have enough sense not to live in a flood plain, let alone below swa level.

I'm with Stephen Hawking when he says that "I think God is to be found within the laws of nature"

 

With Al Qaeda looking on, I don't think I would rebuild the city when it only takes a bomb in the new levvees to do the same again.

 

[ 04. September 2005, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[Dan]

Err isnt holland mostly below sea level? and Holme fen in cambridgesire is nearly 3m below sea level as well as numerous other areas.

 

Dan