I'm not working now, but we're supposed to move in a week. I used to be in the Civil Air Patrol, and they seem to be there (link)..

I feel like I could be doing something - but I don't have much money, and I can't really go there now.

We never really watch TV, but we hooked ours up today and watched some footage..it's so sad..

A guy in this dorm, from New Orleans, is trying to decide whether to take the rest of the semester off and go help clean up. It doesn't sound too good for his house, but he couldn't get back anywho now even if he wanted to.

Being in New Orleans must be a surreal experience.

yeah i'd love to go and help but it seems almost scary with the looting and the dead bodies being left in the homes, and peoples moods getting worse each passing day without food, in the heat and soaked.

I think i might try and donate

I could see donating goods and money could help out. But I don't know if they allow people to help out the New Orleans and surrounding areas.

Going to the Red Cross tomorrow.

They won't take my blood, and I don't have any money to give them.

Yeah, they won't take my blood either. It's iron-deficient or something like that. I wish there were some other way I could help.

The Red Cross is taking volunteers, and the Civil Air Patrol conducts disaster relief operations..but I'm no longer a member.

My mom works for the Red Cross and says people are being really generous up here with the donations. That's always good.

I would soooo go there and shoot people.

I think there's been enough casualties already, Schming.

Ya, but it wouldnt be casualties then, it'd be Schming Victims. I'm taking applications for first blood.

I'll go easy since I don't know if you've heard about all the stuff going on over there..heh...but someone was shooting at a hospital (yeah, a hospital), and US Military helicopters (Chinook = transport/evac) have come under fire as well. A few people could probably use a bullet..you just don't shoot at hospitals..just not a good thing to do.

Just give me a P90 and an M1A2. That's all I ask.

Someone needs to take care of the people attacking hospitals.

The morons shooting at rescue vehicles are the one group of people whose motivation I simply can't understand. Looting food? Sure. Looting jewelry and electronics, or running one of the Katrina scams that are already popping up? Despicable, but I understand, in a loose sense, that they're trying to make a quick buck. Shooting at the guys you're going to have to rely on to get out? What the hell?

What's a "Katrina scam"?

Probably something similar to the Nigerian prince scam.

Alright. What's a Nigerian Prince scam?

Probably more like all the fake charities that appeared after 9/11 to profit from people's generousity.

Speaking of terrible acts, a man was being interviewed over the phone and he said he witnessed looters shooting a cop in the head.

If I went there, I would be armed. Heavily.

I don't care what you guys say, each looter should be shot. on. sight. I really don't care. There is NO POSSIBLE WAY that they need that food that badly. The reason the cops/Red Cross/whatever is there is to help you, and they will get you food.

I don't mind if they go in and take a loaf of bread or two, but going in and taking every last thing in a store is too far. But I do feel bad for those people. I'm just saying here that it's probably not just New Orleans though, but all of/most of Louisianna.

And I also think that a place that is BELOW sea level (or Florida) are those kinds of places where you should realize: oh, maybe we shouldn't live here? What a genious idea!

I think New Orleans shouldn't be rebuilt to the extent that it's a city again. If they build it back up and make it a nice port or something, good for them. But do NOT BUILD IT BACK INTO WHAT IT WAS.

I do hope they get that sorted out quicker, and the people quit pulling those guns out. It's as if the hurricaine wasn't bad enough..

As bad as it sounds, let New Orleans become the next Atlantis, because seriously, this is just going to happen again in the future. The place is below sea level! Bremuda used to have TONS more land space to live on thousands of years ago, now it's smaller than Rhode Island. The same thing is happening here. It's just now it isn't the exact same situation, because this isn't a thousand years ago, now there are actual people living here.

Yeah, that's what I was referring to.



Absolutely not. The right to life trumps property any day.



There are not enough personnel there to help everyone immediately, and there are likely people in New Orleans who have not even been located yet by the police, the national guard, or the rescue workers. Katrina hit Monday, today is Thursday, so yes, it is entirely possible that they need the food -- and more importantly, potable water -- that badly. Four days without food and water, though it might not kill the hurricane's survivors outright, would leave them severely weakened, less capable of finding help and more vulnerable to the diseases that will invitably start to spread. It may make some of them so desperate that they'll try to drink the polluted water that's flooded them out. Is this worth preserving the stocks of grocery stores whose owners will be compensated for their losses by insurance companies anyway?

This system has been tried, and failed. It's called "communism." :p

I thought of the idea of just leaving the city as is, but what would you do with all of the people who loose their homes? Plus, it would just become a "hive of scum and villany" if there are no authorities. There's WAY too much invested in the city to just abandon it.

*hides jacket with hammer/sickle (spelling?) on it and changes to American accent*

Vhat is wrong vith Communism? STOP EATING MORE THAN YOUR SHARE OF FOOD DAMMIT! *bam bam*

The location's too valuable for it to be left alone. Yes, it's in a bowl, but it's also at the mouth of one of the world's largest rivers. Someone will inevitably rebuild it.

reminded me of this:

I think that looting is bad in principle (and even worse in practice, when people start shooting the police), but on the other hand, what will happen to the electronic goods if they're just abandonned? Will the (none looted stuff) be recoverable in 6-12 months time? Will it be damaged if it's not taken. I mean, if the shops are insured, but not against acts of god (such as flooding), and if looting is a form of theft, then isn't looting doing people a favour in some sick way? Anyway, that's a bit off topic, considering we already have looting threads.

I wonder what "world" support will be like for New Orleans? Like, when the Tsunami disaster occured, everyone was like "awww poor asia have some money", but does America generate such international sympathy? And if not, will increased internal sympathy compensate for this?

Now is the best time to go there. The flood has washed it; if you wait it will smell like pee again.