New Orleans Aquarium

[Covey]

It was probably a faster death for the aquarium residents than slow suffocating in the dark. Too bad. There might be some rather weird fish swimming around New Orleans. The federal governments responce to the hurricane is disgraceful. The 3 or 4 day wait to start offering aid cost MANY people there lives. The FEMA director was on nightline last night and Ted Copel was ripping him a new one. The FEMA director seemed very in the dark about what was going on. Even 4 days after the hurricane.

[RachelDex]

On the subject of public aquariums in the area -

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050915/...dolphin_rescue

[Matt Rogers]

Wow. Too cool Rachel. I was wondering if something like this had happened. Thanks for posting.

[90_Berlin_joe]

No thanks to the quick actions of our Great Goverment (Big Brother) huh, only thing big brothers are good for is getting the snot beat out of you when you dont give him your milk money. Now Bush can say sorry to all those who lost their pets and loved ones. Espically the elderly that were left behind.

But fly a plane into a building and the whole world will chip in and start digging.

[Phil5613]

Wait a minute!

But fly a plane into a building and the whole world will chip in and start digging.

You are comparing a natural disaster to someone soulless act? Big brother nothing. This was Mother Nature taking back whats hers and she can be a real MOTHER! I do feel sorrow and compassion for all those in the region, but now its the governments fault that they had a week and didn't get out before the storm hit? How many buses were flooded in? No-one thought aw hell this is getting bad lets get moving?
What about the report of the people leaving the senior citizen building they owned and ran and all those people dying? That was whose fault? 9-11 was no warning and a senseless act at least mother nature let you know she was coming and mind you before Katrina made land fall she was a class 5 so people had an idea what was coming.
Blaming the government is a great thing but how many of you that blame "big brother " have taken a leave off work or not gone back to school and headed to the area to lend blood sweat and tears? I am not talking about that dollar donation that gets you the cool magnet for your minivan and makes you feel better but a real effort.
Its easy to sit back and quarterback this AFTER the event and feel like the hero. Ever do disaster assessment? Heres is a hint everyone's needs are the most important to THEM. What neighborhood do you save first, what set of people do you help first and what is the biggest needs? We are talking 3 states here. Where do you put all the people that lost everything? How many people have opened their house to help? Oh and by the way where is all this suddenly needed Billions coming from? Me who doesn't live on the flood plains of the Midwest for just such a reason. Or you who may be a single mid 20's guy who is so taxed its insane? The money needs to come from somewhere. Who's fault was it the levees where not rebuilt? Who cares has there been any scientific models to show if the new levees would have withstood this disaster?
Was this disaster heartbreaking? HELL YES! Could it been avoided? Maybe to some extent. Was it the Governments fault? No. Could the government have done more? Yes but thats easy to say now.
Finally the people in that area had a week to know what was coming and prepare for it or get outta dodge. If the people in those towers had a weeks notice do you think they would have went to work?

[RachelDex]

Originally Posted by Phil5613

9-11 was no warning and a senseless act at least mother nature let you know she was coming and mind you before Katrina made land fall she was a class 5 so people had an idea what was coming.

I do not want to be part of a flame war, but I did want to point out that "9/11 was no warning" is not exactly correct.

Originally Posted by phil5613

Finally the people in that area had a week to know what was coming and prepare for it or get outta dodge. If the people in those towers had a weeks notice do you think they would have went to work?

If the warning signs - and there were warning signs - had been shared with others and heeded, this question would be a moot point.

[90_Berlin_joe]

PHIL, you are correct in so many ways, that i do agree with. I was just expressing my feeling toward the power that be. I feel deeply for eveyone that lost someone or something.

The problem I am having is that now I have to pay more for everything because some one thought its a great idea to have houses and buisnesses in the path of Hurricanes. Everyone knows that this happens every year, yet our Goverment(BIG BROTHER) keeps on dishing out Billions and Billions of TAX PAYERS money so that these people can rebuild to only have this done agian and it WILL happen again maybe not next year or even next month but it WILL. Where does the stupidity end! Why should I have to work another 10 hours just to pay for gas to be able to get to work. Why should you have to work those extra 10 EXTRA hrs to be able to feed your family. When people want to live by the water or where ever for THEIR pleasure. It is their choice to live there let them pay to rebuild. I am tired of paying for those that just stick out their hand and demand more from my pockets. I am not rich by any means but I do work 70hrs a week so that someone can have a house by the water? WHERE DOES THE IDIOCY END!!!!!!

[RachelDex]

Grrrrrr! I was really trying to avoid being pulled into this.

Originally Posted by 90_Berlin_joe

PHIL, you are correct in so many ways, that i do agree with. I was just expressing my feeling toward the power that be. I feel deeply for eveyone that lost someone or something.

The problem I am having is that now I have to pay more for everything because some one thought its a great idea to have houses and buisnesses in the path of Hurricanes. Everyone knows that this happens every year, yet our Goverment(BIG BROTHER) keeps on dishing out Billions and Billions of TAX PAYERS money so that these people can rebuild to only have this done agian and it WILL happen again maybe not next year or even next month but it WILL. Where does the stupidity end! Why should I have to work another 10 hours just to pay for gas to be able to get to work. Why should you have to work those extra 10 EXTRA hrs to be able to feed your family. When people want to live by the water or where ever for THEIR pleasure. It is their choice to live there let them pay to rebuild. I am tired of paying for those that just stick out their hand and demand more from my pockets. I am not rich by any means but I do work 70hrs a week so that someone can have a house by the water? WHERE DOES THE IDIOCY END!!!!!!

I am sorry, but this is way out of line. I live in Florida. It is a well known fact that hurricanes are a way of life here. I do not live on the ocean but I do live on the St. Johns River. I am deeply affected when storms roll through here even though the ocean is 15 to 20 miles away. I was without power for a total of 43 days last year when Bonnie, Charlie, Frances, Jeanne, and Ivan rolled though Florida. We even lost part of our roof during Frances when a huge oak tree fell on the garage. Just because we chose to live in Florida does not mean that we are looking for a hand-out from you or anyone else. We never called FEMA. We never complained to our lawmakers. We never said, "Hey! Berlin Joe needs to fork over some money so we can continue to live here in the Sunshine State!" We paid our insurance deductible and had the roof fixed. To suggest that people are idiots ("WHERE DOES THE IDIOCY END!!!!!!") for living in a state prone to hurricanes, or any natural disaster for that matter, is narrow-minded and asinine. That is like saying you deserve to get frostbite and hypothemia because you live in Illinois. I have a news flash for you - When winter comes and it is a nice and comfy 75 degrees down here in Florida in the middle of January, guess who is also paying for the trickle-down effects of heating oil increases when you are trying to keep your home warm? That is right, those of us in the warmer states right along with you folks up North. By your reasoning, that is not fair for us down in the South, now is it?

[fletch]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy I am staying the Hell out of this one, As there is defiantly no winners here only losers. You can keep playing tit for tat but lets not forget were we are at!! This is the USA we all take the good and the bad we all help when help is needed and we all also want help when we need help, But that is as far as I am getting into this conversation. John

[90_Berlin_joe]

narrow-minded and asinine your the one living in a area that gets hit with damaging storms on a constant bases and the Goverment keeps on forking out our money. If you payed your deductable our not that still cost everyone alot more than turning the furnace up to 75 every winter. What you pay 500 or even 1000 and it cost what 20,000 to build your new roof. WHERE DO YOU THINK THAT MONEY COMES FROM THE TOOTH FAIRY. No that money comes from all the HOME OWNERS THAT PAY EVERY MONTH AND NEVER HAVE DAMAGE TO THEIR HOMES YET EVERY YEAR FEMA AND INSURANCE COMPANIES DISH OUT MORE MONEY TO FIX YOURS AND OTHER HOMES AND BUSINESSES BECAUSE WHY OH YEAH BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE PATH OF NATURE TAKING EVERYTHING OUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Up here in Illinois the winters are like putting on a heavy sweater, frostbite and hypothemia maybe if i lived in Antarctic. To live in a area that is constantly damaged by nature which can not be controlled is asininie nonE the less your choice and should not be payed for by the rest of America. You put your life on the line why should other pay for it? As for FEMA if it was not for them no one down there would have anything. Every year they are dishing out money to rebulid something to only be knocked down the next storm to come through.

and yess ("WHERE DOES THE IDIOCY END!!!!!!")