Make that ‘devastation’ :smack:
USA Today reporting that the NO Mayor says “Minimum hundreds, most likely thousands” dead in New Orleans. If true, it would be one of the deadliest hurricanes in US History, and the deadliest since 1928. If it’s more than 1800 deaths, it’d be the second deadliest ever, after only the 1900 Galveston hurricane. (Only 2 have ever topped 1,000 deaths: 1928 Lake Okeechobee, 1900 Galveston)
One thing that amazes me that with all of our satellites, computer/doppler systems and advance notice system, and the grand scale evacuation, there were deaths at all. Really, if this were 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago, it would have been a much higher death toll.
I hope New Orleans comes back built stronger and better than ever. I, for one, will volunteer to puke and pee on Bourbon Street to help bring it back to what it once was.
The stories that are tearing at my cold cold heart are the ones involving the incapacitated in the hospitals who have died because of the lack of power and the lost pets.
I’m torn between donating my very meager money (Thanks to it being now $3.19 at the pump!) to either the Red Cross or Noah’s Wish ( for animal rescues after disaster).
Someone posted a linnk upthread that mentioned two cities at the top of list for total destruction wrought by mother nature. We’re watching one under water right now. The other one is mine.
Richlam’s 9.5 would have a death toll in the hundreds of thousands, because we’d have no warning at all. Though I won’t know it because I’d likely BE one of those dead. Me, I’d take the hurricaine if I had the choice. But given then odds are good an earthquake the size of the 1906 could hit in my lifetime, I’ve been watching the coverage with deep sense of ‘there but for the grace of god go I’. It could be my city that people across the country were pointing at, saying we’re stupid to live there there’s nothing left to save. The '06 was supposed to be the end of San Francisco. The city was knocked, and burned, to the ground. All those pictures you see post-quake? They were doctored, to make it look better. The death count was staggeringly underestimated. My old boss once told me that his grandfather said that after the earthquake, there was no San Fransico, just a swath of land covered in ash and rubble, filled with the dead and the dying, and a lot of theives.
Before the earthquake we had sprawling mansions, a vile mess of slaughterhouses along the wharves, and everything in between. The city that rose afterwards (in an amazingly quick amount of time) was different, better and worse, cleaner and dirtier. Hell, it even had a round of the bubonic plauge. The new city carries a large scar, and that scar just IS San Francisco. New Orleans will carry it’s own scar. Katrina will be a social and cultural touchstone. It will be the foundation of the new city. All of those living now will divide life into Before and After. Then time will pass and younger generation will hear about it and never understand. Are they dumb to live in a big bowl surrounded by water? Probably. I’m dumb to live on a fault line. But if the worst happens, and I’m not dead, I know without a second thought that I’ll be out there with a shovel and a hammer putting my home back together just as soon as they’ll let me. I don’t doubt that the people of New Orleans can’t wait to get back with their buckets. Because it’s home. I’d come down there with a bucket myself, if I could.
I also wanted to add something about the news outlets holding back the grisly details about bodies. I don’t know if it’s true in this case, but my uncle was at ground zero in NY (as a fireman), and told my dad some very, very grisly things that never made it into the news outlets. Out of respect or decorum or just a sense that people do have a “gross out” level, even with news. “Body parts” is generally sufficient detail for most people-- to hear it described what that actually means is more horrifying than most of us realize. (Not that I blame my uncle for telling my dad. I think when you see something like that you HAVE to tell someone, and your big brother is as good a place as any)
By the way, I don’t know if this is just my family’s tremendously poor luck at locations, or our tendency to choose emergency/public services as careers, but my grandfather’s heart would appreciate not having a close family member go MIA during every single disaster. (Note: specified familiy member (a doctor) was mostly likely evacuated with Tulane Hospital. But Grandpa won’t relax until he gets a full headcount)
Hurray!
My dad called me - he’s fine. Still in the French Quarter, but otherwise ok. He said he has plenty of Spaghettios and water; no flooding on his street.
happy dance
How did you communicate with him?
He called me on someone else’s cell phone. He was strolling through the Quarter towards Canal Blvd to check out reports of a fire.
My Brother In Law called from Charity Hospital. They have Evac’d all the patients.
Staff is still there. They have food & water but no power.
They are okay, but still clueless too when they will get out. (Called on a Land Line)
From News Sights & CNN the waters have leveled off and they cam start making real progress and repairing the Levee’s. The may need to block of the canal? I am not sure which one.
I heard NY is sending 1000 Natl Guardsmen with 20 helo’s.
The Navy is on the scene and the Army is do in.
Bush has 14,000 more Natl Guardsmen on the way.
Truck loads of water are on there way from Anheuser Busch.
Power Crews are coming done from NorthEast.
Vevila, I’m so happy to hear that! I’ve been thinking of him (and of you) every time I hear news about New Orleans.
GT
excellent news, vevila!!! i’m so glad you heard from him.
is he staying there or will he be waiting out the months elsewhere?
I’ve been praying for your dad, vevila. I’m glad to hear that he’s safe. How much of NO is still dry? Yesterday, they said that the ciy was 80% flooded, and the water level has increased since then.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers 
I have no idea how much of New Orleans is still dry. All I can reliably report from my Dad is that his street - Dauphine in the French Quarter - apparently never flooded.
All the grocery stores near him are empty - hit by looters. As he was talking to me he mentioned four guys pushing grocery carts full of liquor and beer going past him.
Although he claims to be listening to the radio (WWL), for some reason he thinks power is going to be restored “in a few days” in the French Quarter, and that he won’t be forced to leave. I tried to explain otherwise, based on the media reports I’m getting. But, if he wants to be stubborn that’s fine - I’m arranging for family (he has several brothers and sisters living in Texas) to be available to fetch him from whatever shelter they stick his stubborn butt into. Heh.
Yay Vevila! I’m so glad to hear that!
Oh Thank God we don’t have to worry about a Tabasco shortage!
Have we heard from our Alabamian dopers yet? Velma, Sampiro and the rest that I am totally forgetting but hoping they are ok.
Mmmmm Hurricanes
/straight to hell
Has anyone heard anything about Picayune, MS? I have a friend (who doesn’t have internet access) that has a house there and he hasn’t heard anything about the city. I know one doper posted earlier that they know someone who stayed there, but I don’t remember who it was.
I’m glad your dad’s okay, Vevila. But I can promise you that power won’t be restored to the Quarter next week. Or next month. Even if it’s not flooded, they probably won’t be ready to turn ANY part of the grid on for some time to come, until the downed lines, at least, are cleared from whatever section they’re turning on so there aren’t a whole lot of accidental electrocutions. Not to mention there’s no telling if the substation serving the Quarter is even functioning. And none of that can be fixed, of course, till they can get the folks in there to do the work.
Let us know what shelter he ends up in. 
Canadian leaders, relief agencies stand by to help U.S. after Katrina. The gist of the article is that Canada’s mostly waiting to see what’s needed, but we’ll help out however we can.