News: Trapped in NO, but not by choice.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Hopefully this won't get moved into SC. Alot of people have said those that stayed in NO deserved what they got. Alot like me wondered why they stayed. Well, apparently it seems not all could leave despite wanting to.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/brown/cst-nws-brown07.html
Trapped in New Orleans, and not by his own choice
September 7, 2005
BY MARK BROWN SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Joseph Annaruma Jr. has spent the past two days glued to his mother's television in Arlington Heights, watching coverage of the hurricane recovery effort in New Orleans. He spent the week before that trying to escape the flood-stricken city. And of all the aggravations he has experienced in that time, the one he'd most like to share with you is the reason he and thousands of others like him didn't flee New Orleans ahead of Hurricane Katrina:



"There was no way out."

By the time Annaruma realized a week ago Saturday that he ought to evacuate, it was already too late, he said, even though the storm wouldn't arrive for nearly two more days.

Airline flights were fully booked. No trains were scheduled, no seats to be had on the buses. Annaruma didn't own a car or have a valid driver's license to rent one, if any had been available, which there weren't.

And neither the city of New Orleans nor the state of Louisiana stepped up to provide mass transit or school buses to move people inland.

"I hear that many people in America think that we who were there stayed by choice and almost asked for our fate. They have it dead wrong," Annaruma said.

He concedes that some stayed put of their own volition, but many others joined him in mobbing the Greyhound terminal, desperately trying to get a bus out of town.

A life-and-death struggle



Annaruma, a 44-year-old carpenter, pipe fitter and sometime musician, even called his mother, Madeline Tector, to make a plea: "Get me out of here."

But Tector couldn't work the system any better than her son.

"If you didn't get a reservation, you were left to your own devices," he told me Tuesday.

So Annaruma hunkered down to ride out the storm, taking shelter with 260 other people in a Salvation Army facility.

"My two choices were the Superdome or the Salvation Army," and Annaruma had a notion of what he might face in the Superdome. "No way I was going to get stuck there."

He opted for the Salvation Army, where he had spent a few nights previously during his 10 years in New Orleans.

At first, everything was good: three meals a day and everybody staying calm.

They were a mix of the facility's regular residents -- the elderly, homeless, mentally ill and people in a drug rehab program -- with others who were just stranded, including tourists, locals without a car and even some car owners who couldn't find gas.

After the storm hit, there was even a lull in the action, and Annaruma called Arlington Heights to tell his mother he was fine.

But then the floodwaters rose, and suddenly it was a life-and- death struggle.

The people in the four-story Salvation Army facility abandoned the ground floor and moved upstairs. The men took the second floor. Women and children took the third and fourth floors.

Extreme measures



Supplies dwindled, and the Salvation Army major was forced to put a rationing system in place. But more extreme measures were needed.

"We had to loot a Walgreens for water and food, because we had women and children," Annaruma said. "If it wasn't for looting, children would have died."

By day, the folks at the Salvation Army would wave white towels from the roof, vainly trying to attract rescuers. By night, they'd shine flashlights. But the helicopters and boats kept passing them by, and no supplies were dropped.

Annaruma said he saw 14 or 15 dead bodies in the neighborhood.

Some of the residents began stealing food from the others and threatening violence, but just as the situation was becoming bleak, a Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the building Friday morning and methodically rescued everybody.

That didn't end the ordeal. Annaruma said he and the others were herded about for hours at the airport before being put on a flight -- and weren't told the destination, San Antonio, until they were on board. After the plane landed in San Antonio, Annaruma said, he made his way to the train station, his mother wired him money for a ticket, and he caught a Saturday train to Chicago, arriving on Sunday.

Where was the plan?



Since then, he has been obsessed with the news, particularly this quote attributed on the first day of the hurricane to Terry Ebbert, chief of homeland security for New Orleans, talking about those who didn't evacuate.

"Some of them, it was their last night on Earth," Ebbert said. "That's a hard way to learn a lesson."

"What a crock," Annaruma responded.

He acknowledges that ''maybe I acted a little bit too late'' in trying to evacuate, but he thinks the city should have had a plan in place to help those who couldn't get out of town on their own.

That's not to say Annaruma didn't learn a lesson.

"I'll guarantee you one thing," he said. "The first thing I'll do is buy a car."

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[SwampThing 0]

An Email going around...
I don't agree with all of it, but worth a read.






School of Hard Knocks

If people haven’t been learning the lessons from Katrina that they absolutely need to learn, then they haven’t been paying attention.

1. On Friday evening the National Weather Service predicted the path of the storm heading towards New Orleans. By Saturday morning, it was clear that the storm was growing in strength and it was suggested that people begin evacuating.

2. By Saturday afternoon it was clear that Katrina was growing in strength. The Mayor of New Orleans appeared on TV weepy and sad, expressing concern about what could happen in New Orleans.

3. Sunday morning it was obvious that the storm would hit as a Category 4 or 5.

4. On Sunday the Governor of Louisiana was crying and worried about the state and asked the rest of us to pray for Louisiana.

5. Sunday at 2:00 pm a mandatory evacuation was ordered. Now let’s look at what has happened so far and what we know after the fact:
1. 10% of New Orleans was below the poverty level. It would have been obvious (and was obvious) that these people had no means to leave the city themselves.
2. Not a single hospital, faced with mandatory evacuation orders, was moved. We’ve not heard of a SINGLE airlift of patients out of hospitals in the direct path of the storm, moved to areas outside of the impact zone.
3. Not a single school, public, or charter bus left the city carrying people unable to find the means of leaving on their own.

What should happen now:
1. There are hundreds of buses and cars under water in New Orleans and elsewhere in the regions. The Mayor of Louisiana should be brought up on criminal negligence charges.
2. The people should understand that you NEVER elect a sympathetic social worker type to public office. If an individual hasn’t served in the military or in an equivalent capacity of managing huge infrastructures and people, they have no business running a government.
3. The Governor of Louisiana should be brought up on criminal negligence charges--she did not call up the National Guard, order a single evacuation plan, or organize shelters until AFTER the disaster hit. She, a babbling idiot, should spend the rest of her days behind bars, watching the death and destruction on a continuous loop her a jail cell.

What people should have learned by now: When the government says "leave" you LEAVE! You have ready: 3 days of water and food, a "grab and go" bag that contains clothing, toiletries, and cash to get you where you will be safe. If it takes you more than 15 minutes to evacuate, you’re doing it wrong and are not sufficiently prepared. If you have more time, you should be able to evacuate with three weeks of supplies.

Every person in your family over the age of about 12 should be trained in the use of firearms. If you live in an area that doesn’t allow you to own firearms, MOVE. You should have in your possession a weapon for every member of the family. That includes arming your 12 year old daughter. Because SHE may become separated from you and will need the means of defending herself. You must have an evacuation plan. Discuss with family every possible need to evacuate--what conditions might require you to leave. Plan the routes, what you’ll take, a location to meet up if you are separated, etc. etc. Do not leave your neighborhood with an empty seat in your car or truck. Make sure you have filled that seat with one of your neighbors. Be prepared to take care of yourself for AT LEAST 3 days.

Expect civil unrest and looting. If you value your property more than the lives of your family, YOU WILL DIE. I repeat: IF YOU VALUE YOUR PROPERTY AND POSSESSIONS MORE THAN YOUR LIFE OR THE LIFE OF YOUR LOVED ONES, YOU WILL DIE.

The Federal Government is not going to be able to help you. As with ALL law enforcement matters and catastrophes, they only come for the clean up. They are not going to help you until AFTER the catastrophe has occurred.

If I hear one more person making a statement that begins with "The President of the United States should..." I am going to punch him in the nose, kick him in the balls, or knock them over the head with a mallet. This is NOT a Federal matter. There is no way that anyone is capable of doing anything for AT LEAST three days, more likely three weeks.

The Federal Government is not the authority in charge here. The STATE and LOCAL governments are in charge. If the people you’ve been electing to PROTECT AND SERVE you in your local and state are bureaucrats with no leadership, management, or disaster experience, knowing how to do nothing more than write welfare checks, you are seriously screwed. MOVE.

Looters or anyone stepping outside of civilized behavior should be shot on site--no malice, no concern. You’re eradicating pests. Society will be better off without them and the neighborhoods and decent people of the world safer. If a law enforcement official attempts to disarm you while you are shooting looters, shoot the police officer. He’s not your friend or your ally. It doesn’t matter that the looter is only stealing food or clothing. What matters, is that they’ve cut in front of the of line. You know the expression “women and children first”? That’s what civilized society does in a catastrophe. Civilized people, without prodding and babysitting from government, form distribution networks to equitably distribute food and clothing from the remaining supplies. Civilized human beings DO NOT loot. SHOOT THEM.

You have only one ally in such a disaster: YOU. You are responsible for the health and safety of your family. The looters and thugs of the world WILL crawl from the cracks of society and will prey on you and your neighbors. This has happened in EVERY SINGLE catastrophe. If you are not prepared for this, YOU WILL DIE.

Not a single event of this catastrophe is a surprise, with the exception of the extent of the incompetence of the local leadership.

You have been warned.

The Pessimist says: "It can't possibly get any worse!"
The Optimist says: "Sure it can!"

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

So much for this not going to Speakers Corner. Most of that email is junk and rhetoric fueled by anger. Yes, there are some good points but I ignored it out of the ignorance flowing from the rest of it.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[tcnelson 1]

i'm not sure how you could have possibly come to the conclusion that your thread belonged in the bonfire and not sc in the first place.

that email is designed to convey the worst-case scenario. if you're prepared for the worst-case, everything else is easy.

"Don't talk to me like that assface...I don't work for you yet." - Fletch
NBFT, Deseoso Rodriguez RB#1329

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Because it was a human interest story - not politics, religion, etc. However, it took just ONE post to bring it to a junk level.

I will ask a mod to move it.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[tcnelson 1]

i disagree with your assessment that the thread is junk. it just never belonged in the bonfire as it would most likely cause opinions about the govt. response to be debated as well as other controversial facets of this story.

"Don't talk to me like that assface...I don't work for you yet." - Fletch
NBFT, Deseoso Rodriguez RB#1329

[Bodyflight.Net 0]

[applause]

what baffles me is that people DON'T already know all of that!!!

[SwampThing 0]

Quote

Because it was a human interest story - not politics, religion, etc. However, it took just ONE post to bring it to a junk level.

I will ask a mod to move it.

Quote

That's 'interesting'

The Pessimist says: "It can't possibly get any worse!"
The Optimist says: "Sure it can!"

[airtwardo 7]

Well, apparently it seems not all could leave despite wanting to.

***

This guy had three days to start WALKING!

Good thing he called his mommy for help huh?!

What ever happen to personal responsibility ??

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[flyangel2 2]

We all agree, too many people didn't leave. I want to believe that there is a small % of people that couldn't get out because of things beyond their control.

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[airtwardo 7]

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We all agree, too many people didn't leave. I want to believe that there is a small % of people that couldn't get out because of things beyond their control.

***

No doubt Mar...

And even the sub standard back up logistics might have been able to help those TRULY unable to flee
get out. But from THIS story, this person waited TOO long and did next to nothing. He made little effort to help himself other that depending on the local, then federal government and finally his mom!

I have compassion but no sympathy!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[jlmiracle 7]

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Well, apparently it seems not all could leave despite wanting to.

***

This guy had three days to start WALKING!

Good thing he called his mommy for help huh?!

What ever happen to personal responsibility ??

What about the 30+ nursing home residents that died because they were abandoned in their beds? Did they have a choice? I guess they should have just pulled themselves out of their beds and started crawling - hell they had 3 days.

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Alot of people have said those that stayed in NO deserved what they got.

I asked who last time this was brought up and got one name. You have implied that there is "alot" more than that. Who are they?

Derek

[flyangel2 2]

I think Jim is talking about the guy this post is about.

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This guy had three days to start WALKING!

Just a guess

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

[dixieskydiver 0]

I'm from SC (no, not speakers corner) and here after Hugo whipped our butts they instituted a policy of having the beach evacuatED (that is already done) at LEAST 24 hours in advance. They made the evacuation of a city of 1.6 MILLION people at 2 PM the day the storm was supposed to hit around 1 AM. That's 11 hours to evacuate not only Nola but all the surrounding coastal populations on a road infrastructure not designed to handle that kind of loading. There is a great deal of blame to be laid on the Governer of Louisiana, the Mayor of New Orleans and the director of FEMA. Some of the people that stayed I'm sure had the capacity to leave but alot of the others did not. Virginia has an awesome system. They have all the school buses lined up 24 hours before the storm, they have lists of people who are unable to evacuate on their own, and the police go around with magic markers to the people's houses who won't leave and make them write their social security numbers on their forearms, so it will be easier to identify their bodies.

Dixie
HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez
"Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time."

[jlmiracle 7]

He made a comment about personal responsbility and I was just commenting on the poor people who were unable to move unassisted and were abandoned to die in a nursing home, who I guess, according to him are dead because they lack personal responsiblity.

According to some people on here - they got what the deserve. I think that is horrible and they are horrible people for saying that about ALL those left behind. Like the title said, not by choice.

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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According to some people on here - they got what the deserve.

Like I asked the original poster, who? I got one name last time I asked this.

Derek

[jlmiracle 7]

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Re: [airtwardo] News: Trapped in NO, but not by choice. [In reply to] Quote | Reply

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from flyangel
We all agree, too many people didn't leave.

swampthingy, flyangel, airtwaldo

Let me go over to speakers corner and get some more, I saw plenty over there. Just because they didn't spell it out "they got what they deserved", they didn't show any compassion thinking that all those left behind had the ways and means to get out. Not everyone in america has a trust fund or rich relative's, etc.


It appears you basically said it too in this quote Hook

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If you could have left and didn't, you don't have anyone to blame for a week of suck but yourself

Who/what decides if you are able to leave? Does that mean they can walk but have no money and no place to go? What?

j

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[jumprunner 0]

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-- with others who were just stranded, including tourists, locals without a car and even some car owners who couldn't find gas.

"I'll guarantee you one thing," he said. "The first thing I'll do is buy a car."

There is still that problem...no gas because everybody else is buying it up trying to escape.

I dont think anyone 'deserved' what they got from the storm whether they stayed there or not. Natural disasters do happen and you can lose everything you got including your life. Thats the way it is.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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We all agree, too many people didn't leave.
swampthingy, flyangel, airtwaldo

Show me where they said they got what they deserved.

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Just because they didn't spell it out "they got what they deserved", they didn't show any compassion thinking that all those left behind had the ways and means to get out.

Not showing compassion IS NOT the same thing as saying they got what they deserved. Not even close.

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I have compassion but no sympathy!

This is a quote from airtwardo just above. He is showing compassion, but you say they weren't.

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Helping them because they are fellow human beings and Americans, is the right thing to do.

This is from flyangel.

Hmmmm. I think you are misunderstanding what people have posted.

Derek

[airtwardo 7]

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He made a comment about personal responsibility and I was just commenting on the poor people who were unable to move unassisted and were abandoned to die in a nursing home,

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Yes...personal responsibility... to do what you
can to help yourself.
If you can't help yourself THAT'S societies responsibility to step in and help.

Quote

who I guess, according to him are dead because they lack personal responsibility.

Quote

I said that where???

As everyone with the exception of you seems to
understand, I was refering to the one...single...and ONLY person this article is about.

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According to some people on here - they got what the deserve. I think that is horrible and they are horrible people for saying that about ALL those left behind. Like the title said, not by choice.

Quote

SOME people...

WHO?? WHERE???
What are you TALKING about?

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[jlmiracle 7]

Just because you didn't say "they got what they deserved" and you said

Quote

If you could have left and didn't, you don't have anyone to blame for a week of suck but yourself

Sound like the same damn thing to me. and please clarify for the rest of us what constitutes the "If they could have left". does that mean they should have left because they could walk, even though they had no money and no place to go? What does that mean?

Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Just because you didn't say "they got what they deserved"

That is right. I didn't say that. You know why I didn't say that? Because I don't think that. Anything else is your imagination.

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Sound like the same damn thing to me.

Not even close.

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please clarify for the rest of us what constitutes the "If they could have left"

Easy. The means to leave. Having a way to leave the area. Not being unable to leave because of the need to stay and help others that could not leave or not having any means to leave. Staying because you chose to, as in having the choice to either leave or stay. "If you could have left but didn't". Seems self-explainitory to me.

There were people tghat did not leave because they chose not to leave. They didn't stay to help others, they didn't stay because they couldn't leave, they chose to stay. Those people have no right to complain about relief efforts. They chose to put themselves in harms way. They have every right to rescued and taken care of like any other victim, but they should not complain about the relief personnel's efforts. They only made their jobs harder.

So, it seems like you are trying to include me in with whoever you think feels the victims got what they deserved. You are wrong. Show me where I said that, otherwise, you are making things up.

Derek

[Hooknswoop 19]

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Let me go over to speakers corner and get some more, I saw plenty over there.

Well? So far "Alot" = zero.

You made an evil accusation and cannot back it up. You owe me and others an apology.

Derek

[skycat 0]

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We all agree, too many people didn't leave. I want to believe that there is a small % of people that couldn't get out because of things beyond their control.

As maybe an interesting side note, one of our field tech was trying to evacuate his family had a car, gas, and everything loaded up that Sunday night. On their way out of town they were turned around by law enforcement saying that it was safer for them to stay in NO then be on the road in the traffic jam heading out of town. They did what they were told, but knew better than to go home and went to my companies main point of presents to ride it out knowing that they had a better chance there with a generator than they did in their own home. They were lucky the site had generator power and since there was an office there fresh drinking water (water cooler with several jugs) and food (vending machine), plus they were probably one of the first rescued since there have been people trying to restore infrastructure (phone, cable, wireless) since right after the storm hit.

They lost their home and all their belongings, but he is one of the lucky ones and still has a job. Poor man is probably crazy busy right now.

Fly it like you stole it!