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2005-09-02 Home Front: Economy

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Posted by Laurence of the Rats 2005-09-02 11:58|| || Front Page|| [11126 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I remember watching footage of the evacuation in the days leading up to Katrina. The highways out of town were jammed bumper to bumber while the lanes heading in were empty. I wondered then why they didn't block a couple inbound lanes and let the outbound traffic use them. This was not well planned out at all.

Posted by BH 2005-09-02 12:11|| 2005-09-02 12:11|| Front Page Top

#2 I heard the Interstates were one-way out, but I never saw that. That was always the plan for the Interstate national defense highway system thingy. So what happenend?

Posted by Bobby 2005-09-02 12:20|| 2005-09-02 12:20|| Front Page Top

#3 could have used these to evacuate people before the store.
store=storm.

Posted by Laurence of the Rats">Laurence of the Rats 2005-09-02 12:21|| http://www.punictreachery.com/]">[http://www.punictreachery.com/] 2005-09-02 12:21|| Front Page Top

#4 BH, the inbound lanes were blocked and turned into outbound lanes (a process called "contraflow.") And having participated in it I can tell you that the evacuation plan worked pretty well; the Missisippi and Louisiana state troopers really had their act together as far as I could see. One of the problems is that the city is basically an island surrounded by water or swamps; so the road options are limited.

Posted by Matt 2005-09-02 13:13|| 2005-09-02 13:13|| Front Page Top

#5 Matt! Good to "see" you. What is your life like right now?

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2005-09-02 13:28|| 2005-09-02 13:28|| Front Page Top

#6 Hind sight can be vicious sometimes, so I don't want to sit in judgement here. It's good to see that more transportation is being used to get folks out today. How tragic to watch all of this happening, and to our own. I've been thinking about our military over in Iraq and Afghanistan with family in New Orleans, hopefully information is getting to them as quickly as possible. As for this violence with rape and shootings, I'm truly at a loss.

Posted by Jan 2005-09-02 13:33|| 2005-09-02 13:33|| Front Page Top

#7 Em, thanks. I evacuated to Jackson MS -- the only place I could find a hotel room and also our branch office site -- but Jackson itself got hit hard by Katrina and is short of power and gasoline. I'm now with family near Little Rock, and plan on visiting the Clinton Library ASAP. The condition of my house in New Orleans is not clear, but hopefully the damage will be minimal.

Posted by Matt 2005-09-02 14:57|| 2005-09-02 14:57|| Front Page Top

#8 Good luck and Godspeed, Matt. It sounds like things have really made a turn for the better today. I still wait in judgement for finger pointing later. I can tell you from one little federal employee, having participated before (from the office), this thing was bigger than we were prepared for. Nat'l Guard troops are now moving in from as far away as L.A. and Vermont. Just getting there takes time. The more local N.G. troops maybe could've been there a little bit earlier, but people have GOT to realize, there's only a few way in to N.O. Most of the bridges (from the east) were gone, so a lot of the Feds got as close as Jackson, MS or Baton Rouge, LA, but had to sit until they could find ways in. And, also, people must also realize that we didn't know HOW MANY people were there until just late Wed./Thurs. You don't deploy 10,000 N.G. troops to evacuate only 1,000 citizens. We did NOT know there were 40,000+ until just yesterday, really. In fact, I've always known it would be this bad if N.O. got hit directly. Just deploying that MANY troops/equipment takes time/coordination. I'm just an EPA employee, and unless you were down there before she hit, it sounds like either: (a) you can't get there (bridges/roads out), or (b) they won't let you in, as really right now, only N.G. and/or Health experts should be there. We've got one guy who left the next morning and has been sitting in Jackson, MS (he was heading to Miss. coast) since. He got there, but they are pretty much out of gas/don't have power to pump gas at stations until today or so. N.G. can get in there because they have the equipment to do it, and bring their own fuel.

Posted by BA 2005-09-02 16:03|| 2005-09-02 16:03|| Front Page Top

#9 And, BTW, Je$$e Jackson and the Nat'l Black Caucus need to STFU! People are dying down there, and they're sitting in D.C. quoting biblical scriptures to the President. I really have a feeling (in N.O. especially) that we are not seeing now how bad it is (media blacking out). I personally don't doubt that the death toll will be well over 10,000.

Posted by BA 2005-09-02 16:06|| 2005-09-02 16:06|| Front Page Top

#10 BA, thanks. I said this in a post the other day, but the most comforting thing I've seen this week is unit after unit of National Guard troops rolling south.

I've lived in New Orleans all my life and intellectually understood that this could happen, but the enormity of the thing was beyond my ability to imagine.

Posted by Matt 2005-09-02 16:28|| 2005-09-02 16:28|| Front Page Top

#11 A very large National Guard convoy passed by where I live going south on Interstate 55, should be there late tonight. Contrary to what that idiot of a Mayor says, help is on the way.

Posted by djh_usmc 2005-09-02 20:02|| 2005-09-02 20:02|| Front Page Top

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