I dunno if anyone else saw Anderson Cooper's hour on CNN tonite but he's offically my journalist hero...between breaking into tears multiple times and going off on a Senator...i'm in awe

This might be a stupid question....but if all those reporters can get down there to the Superdome and French Quarter, etc. to report, why can't they get food and supplies there?

jone70 said:

Many were there to begin with before the storm even came.

TMPletz said:

No I don't mean local news reporters, I'm talking about the big national new magazine people...like ABC, NBC dateline/20-20 type journalists. They were definitely here in New York over the weekend...

jone70 said:

I don't believe the CNN people, The Weather Channel people, etc. were all local news reporters.

TMPletz said:

I don't have cable so I don't know about CNN, Weather Channel, etc. but I have ABC on right now and their reporters are now there and they were not there before...
Not like it's making any difference, so forget it.

Actually, this whole situation in New Orleans kind of reminds me of a movie from the early 1980s called "Escape From New York". It seems so hopeless.

rational stuff

TMPletz said:

It's just that in heat of this crisis, he slowly came of Air Force One carrying his goddamn dog like it was a Teddy Bear! Put Fuzzy-Wuzzy down, roll up your sleeves and throw yourself into the work! More than anything, it's that he inspires NOTHING in situations like these.
[Edited 9/1/05 20:35pm]

To DorothyParkerWasCool, Psychodelicide, SweetKreme, GangstaFam, and Reincarnate: Thank you so much for the kind words and concern. You guys are truly wonderful and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Monday night was pure hell on earth. I have never been so terrified in my life. Shortly after I made my post here on the org, my power went off. As a matter of fact, it went off while I was typing a reponse to you guys. They weren't taking any more people at the coliseum because it was getting full of people from Biloxi and New Orleans. Also, it had become too dangerous to drive.

It rained like hell and the wind blew harder than I have ever seen it blow before. I know I was supposed to stay away from the windows but I was constantly looking out the window because if one of those trees was coming down, I wanted to know which direction to run. The worst was when it became dark and I couldn't see the trees because there were no lights in the city for miles. It's a miracle that one of the trees didn't come down because, afterwards, the newspapers reported that the winds had gotten up to 70 miles per hour in certain bursts. They reported that we actually had hurricane strength winds right here in Jackson, which is unheard of here since we are about 250 miles from the coast.

The next morning, I went out desperately seeking "D" batteries, with no luck. There were tree branches, trash cans, and basically anything that wasn't nailed down all over the place. In some areas, there were actually trees (the size of the ones in my yard) laying across the road and through some houses. The Car Care Clinic's automotive building (which is about two blocks from my house) was totally demolished. The only thing left standing in the boards of what used to be the building, was a Coke machine which didn't have a scratch on it. If the power had been on, you probably could have put money in it and bought a Coke.

97% of Jackson was without power. More and more power is slowly coming on, but a lot of Jackson is still without it. This is putting a strain on everyone because of gas. The first day after the storm, the few stores that were open were running on a generator and taking cash only. With no power, that also meant no ATM machines and all banks were closed. Once word got out about these stores, the gas pumps became overcrowded. As more and more power is restored, each time a gas station opens, lines of cars stretch for blocks at each station with three and four hour waits. People are running out of gas waiting for gas and by the time they reach the pump, the station runs out of gas. This is still going on and it is a mess.

All the hotels and motels from here to Memphis are filled with people from Biloxi and New Orleans. Even the sleazy hourly motels. Also, the coliseum and all the shelters are full. The news said that the population in the city of Jackson has doubled since the storm. Long lines at the gas pumps which result in the station running out of gas, are creating fist fights in the lines. Police officers are actually having to direct traffic in the vacinity of the station and also controll the angry, frustrated, and hot customers. This is the South and the temperature is hot as hell here in the 90s degrees. A few weeks ago we had 101 degree temperatures. People are tired of the lines, hot, and mad as hell. Also we have all these people from out of town who are desperate for gas also. Yesterday, in Hattiesburg, a guy shot and killed his sister in a store for the last bag of ice.

People are also price gouging. Some stations have been caught raising their prices extremely high and some individuals have been caught filling containers with gas and turning around and selling the gas to people with a Louisiana tag for 20 dollars a gallon.

Also, people are starting to loot. The second night without power, Audio Central, Circuit City, and Rex was looted. These are all stereo and appliance stores. I can fully sympathisize with the people in New Orleans that are looting for survival, but these assholes down here looted for stereos and stereos only. As far as I know of, no one in Jackson has become desparately homeless because of this storm. These people in Jackson that are looting and price gouging, are doing it for sheer greed.

I just saw the situation in New Orleans on TV last night, when my cable finally came on. I had read about it in the paper but there's nothing like seeing it in videos. I was absolutely amazed.

These people are walking around like zombies with no hope whatsoever. For those of you that say "shoot the looters", these people are doing it for pure survival. Leave them the hell alone! They can't just sit back and starve and they have no money and electricity to get money. Once again, leave them the hell alone! As for the ones looting the stereos in New Orleans, their situation is a whole different story from that of the looters in Jackson. They are also extremely angry and maybe this is their way of showing it. Where the hell is their help? When the hell is help coming? If and when it comes, how are they going to help them? I know just how they feel because I am at the point of desperation here in Jackson just to get gas to come and go to work. My wonderful boss let me go home early today and told me not to return until Tuesday. I told her that I simply don't have any gas to get to work and hopefully it will get better by Tuesday. I drove home with my tank on "E" and prayed the car made it home without running out of gas. I'm mad as hell because I'm frustrated, feel helpless, and don't know what's going to happen. Of course, I would never be as angry as the people in New Orleans but if I were pushed to the point that they have been pushed, I can't say that I wouldn't lose my mind and snap either.

People are doing all they can to get down to both Biloxi and New Orleans. They are running into an obstacle though....lack of gas and joyriders and spectaters that are riding around in their way and also using gas to do it. This is holding everyone up. I thought I had gotten lucky today and found a station just as a gas truck was filling the pumps. The attendants turned me away and said that it has gotten to the point that the gas is for emergency vehicles only and I don't blame them for it.

This is going to take more than just the emergency crews, these areas need military help and that sorry ass George, asshole, motherfucking, bastard, Bush....needs to get these men away from overseas and help us down here. Fuck George Bush!

I know I have typed a page and a half but I just wanted to inform you guys of what is going on down here and thank you so much for your concern.

.
.
[Edited 9/1/05 12:06pm]

purplecam said:

prodigalfan said:

PREDOMINANT said:

Thanks for the personal account VA, glad to hear you are ok, and hope that things are returned to normal a soon as possible for you.

Thanks. I don't see anything returning to normal anytime soon. The local media is telling us that we might as well get used to this because it is a "new way of life" and we need to adapt to it and stop complaining. How the hell is someone supposed to adapt to waiting for five hours every time they need to get ass? That is half of a work day.

I know I'm bitching but I'm pissed. Thanks again for the concern.

vainandy said:

you meant to say 'gas', right?

Thanks purplecam. I remember you. We've spoken a few times over in the Music: Non-Prince section. Thanks for the prayers and support. What we are going through here is a major inconvenience but it is minor compared to what they are going through in Biloxi and New Orleans. Thanks again.

XxAxX said:

Always laugh in the face of adversity.

Thanks prodigal. It takes more than a hurricane to stop me. That bitch may be Hurricane Katrina but dammitt, I'm Hurricane Andrew.

These gas lines are worse than the hurricane. I got in a cussing match with some redneck asshole yesterday that tried to butt in line. The police intervened and neither one of us got gas because the only fuel left at that store was diesel fuel. I should have suspected something because the line was shorter than any I had seen and most of the vehicles were work type vehicles. It's a good thing we got into that arguement because we would have waited for hours for nothing and I would have run out of gas in the process.

I'm sitting on "E" on my driveway and the only thing I can do now is wait till the store up the street gets some gas, run out of gas in the line, and push the car up each time a car moves. If the station runs out, then I can push the car in a parking place and walk home. I have never seen anything like this. I've been waiting for all the stores to get power so the gas lines will go down. The lines will still be long because we are up to our ears with people from out of town who are just as desperate to get gas and have no home to go back to.

vainandy said:

you meant to say 'gas', right?

TMPletz said:

I don't have cable so I don't know about CNN, Weather Channel, etc. but I have ABC on right now and their reporters are now there and they were not there before...
Not like it's making any difference, so forget it.

intha916 said:

People are people. It comes down to whom should we save. Government agencies are walking the thin line of trying to do both. We never should have been in Iraq anyway, but we're stuck in there knee-deep now that we're there. Ask your local congressman to figure this out, because lots of people would like to know what the answer is. Also, consider that we have a LOT of reserves here in the states that AREN'T in Iraq. No one over there is going to give a damn to save their country or not otehr than the citizens who have had enough of the civillian attacks.


Read above.


I don't think anyone is stupid to support this politician 100%. On the contrary, it is the general conclusion that he's fucked things up. But do you honestly think that he's that stupid to damage his reputation any further? He didn't get elected twice by being that ignorant. I'm not a strong Bush supporter, myself, but using him as a scapegoat is ridiculous. Remember the "check and balance" system? If you condemn him, you must also condemn congress since they also have a say in what happens or doesn't happen in this country. Oh, and add the Supreme Court in there, too.

I'm sure that if Kerry were in office that his administration would have made no mistakes whatsoever.

Our government is to blame for the delay. Fact is if these were white people, aid would have been there already. And if mostly white people lived in New Orleans, the government would have fixed the levy problem a long time ago. I'm sure this has already been said but it is true.

the hurricane, its aftermath, and the way our [sarcasm]wonderful government[/sarcasm] has been handling it all just hurts. it absolutely hurts. half of my whole family tree is down in louisiana, man. i can't help but think about it--as of today, my dad hasn't heard from his relatives since right before the storm hit. i ain't sure where my two uncles are. it's gotten to the point where i can't even watch the evening news--the media's on the top 5 of my shit list right now. they don't give a fuck about those who need help, all they care about is all the corruption, destruction and so forth they can show in order to fatten up their ratings.