Katrina 2005

[Haggis@wk]

Here's a before and after satellite photo comparison

[OperaTenor]

Hi Haggis,

Thanks for the link. I'd seen those photos side by side, but thay were much smaller and hard to make out. The overlay helps get a sense of perspective.

[Haggis@wk]

I've never been a fan of the new Homeland Security set up, especially since they took over FEMA. I have several friends who work for FEMA (retired military) in the communications section based in Denton, TX.

The DHS's emphasis on terror has meant that funds that would have been spent on disaster related equipment and training is now buying chemical suits and high tech explosive detectors.

Those thing are needed, don't get me wrong, but I think a degree of balance should be re-introduced into the system.

Further, as a subsidiary of DHS, that adds another level of bureaucracy to an agency that used to be regarded as one of the premier disaster oriented agencies in the world. Now they have to wait for the governor to make a request to the head of DHS and then let it filter through the self-important REMFs before it finally gets to the tip of the spear, the FEMA folks.

Those FEMA folks are feeling the pain and frustration of inaction but have to play the game by the new rules. I think this incident will be the impetus to at least give the FEMA managers some more autonomy in reacting to non-terror related disasters in the future.

I also question the wisdom of appointing a lawyer to head DHS, you can’t cross examine a hurricane.

[zlosin]

I know its so like "yesterday" but this should NOT be relegated to a museum.
<img src="http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/artgal/bscoutsrvyu.jpg" alt=" - " />

http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/
This has to be reactivated.
One of the reasons there was a communications breakdown is the new digital radios. If one piece of their complex structure is dammaged, the whold system is usless.
We need to go back to AM raidos and sorry to say, CB radios. Those still work.

[Trumpetmaster]

Originally posted by Serenity:
Here's an idea for a commercial:

M. Brown of FEMA:
"I really don't know squat about emergency management....
but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

Do they offer Horseback Riding?

[Trumpetmaster]

PSIP,
Transistor radios!
Love it!!
Regards,
TM

[Shapley]

http://a1022.g.akamai.net/f/1022/8165/5m/images.sun-sentinel.com/media/photo/2005-09/19274631.jpg

[piqaboo]

Graphic.

Katrina aid appeal: France

[piqaboo]

In a remarkable role reversal, some of the world's poorest developing nations are offering help. El Salvador offered to send soldiers to help restore order, and offers of aid have come from Bosnia, Kosovo and Belarus. The former Soviet republic of Georgia has donated $50,000 to the Red Cross, and beleaguered Sri Lanka, which has received $133 million in tsunami relief from the United States, has donated $25,000 to the Red Cross. In Beijing, Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa), just back from Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, said officials there went out of their way to express their sympathy.


rest of article, and Vera.

<small>[ 09-06-2005, 08:02 PM: Message edited by: piqaboo ]</small>

[piqaboo]

houses built for flooding.... Deep water foundations.

[annettehala]

We are still here! The wind shook the house all night so I didn't get much sleep but we didn't loose power or water. Our river reached a record level and washed two bridge supports away. We don't seem to have any damage at our house. The storm really hit Kyushu hard. We haven't heard from friends down that way yet.

BTW: There were no mandatory evacuations for our area. I asked my Japanese friend what the cars were saying and they were telling people that we might loose power and water so make preparations. If you wanted to leave your house you could go to the school. I imagine that the people living along the river would be the most likely to take advantage of it, but I don't think we had anyone in our city go.

[zlosin]

Thank God you are safe. I am glad it missed you, but if anyone ever tell you to evacuate, please do.
I am sorry if I sounded a litte rough on my earlier post, but it is that important in my opinion.
Good luck God watches out for lovers of classical music

[zlosin]

http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/plans/EOPSupplement1a.pdf

Caution PDF file.

LA evacuation plan for a huricane. I think you will see that it was not followed.

[monkeymd2b]

I don't know about how Japan sets up their evacuation sites, but most of the time when evacuation centers were announced in the brief time I was in NOLA and then also growing up in HI (2 hurricanes in my lifetime for HI), they always tell you to bring your own supplies because water and food won't be provided. In my hawaii neighborhood, the response both times was to cook as much rice as possible in the time before the storm comes. With Iniki, after the storm destroyed Kauai, we had a fun block party to eat all the rice with other food items.

I personally don't know how to evacuate because like Annettehala, when you grow up on an island, you really have no options in terms of evading a storm other than having it miss you. And schools are the only sites to go to. We have a civil defense system in hawaii that is used and can be heard if you lack power. They test the siren once a month. We happen to live near enough that it's super loud. I guess if you get bombed by enemies, it's worthwhile to have a warning system that can be heard anywhere on the island for future attacks.

Incidentally, Ivan taught me how to evacuate the fastest way - airplane with your car at the top of the parking structure. But I was so unsure of whether or not to drive to lafayette to stay with friends, try to drive to houston, fly to houston, fly home, fly to oregon, fly to calif (where I ultimately went). And it's extra hard when the airlines jack up the prices cause they know folks are desperate to leave. At least that's what I noticed on orbitz.com. It would be nice to not charge and just fill the planes to capacity to aid the evacuation to help those with limited funds get out quickly.

[Serenity]

Does Godzilla still have a cult following?

[Serenity]

Hey PSIP, that photo looks like a cloud formation of the brain and spinal cord.

[annettehala]

We are starting to get news footage of the damiage. The main highway through the state was washed away in a mud slide. It happened on the edge of our city. As a result all the trucking is on the coastal highway that I live on. We just tried to go to our grocery and bailed and went to the expencive one near our house. The road is a truck parking lot!

[annettehala]

I just stumbled across this web site with online video from the local TV stations.
TV4all
RCC is our local channel, we also get Fuji TV and FNN.

[Shapley]

Annette,

Thanks for the info. Glad to hear you are all safe. The weather channel has had some information on the storm, not much. I didn't see anything about it on CNN.

V/R
Shapley

[BigJon@Work]

Originally posted by piqaboo:
houses built for flooding.... Deep water foundations.

Sorry Piq, that's not funny. Those houses will probably have to be demolished.