Katrina: Two paramedics' story

[Piglet 0]

HURRICANE KATRINA: OUR EXPERIENCES by Lorrie Beth Slonsky and Larry Bradshaw

Two days after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, the Walgreen's store at

the corner of Royal and Iberville streets remained locked. The dairy display

case was clearly visible through the widows. It was now 48 hours without

electricity, running water, plumbing. The milk, yogurt, and cheeses were

beginning to spoil in the 90-degree heat. The owners and managers had locked

up the food, water, pampers, and prescriptions and fled the City. Outside

Walgreen's windows, residents and tourists grew increasingly thirsty and

hungry.

The much-promised federal, state and local aid never materialized and the

windows at Walgreen's gave way to the looters. There was an alternative. The

cops could have broken one small window and distributed the nuts, fruit

juices, and bottle water in an organized and systematic manner. But they did

not. Instead they spent hours playing cat and mouse, temporarily chasing

away the looters.

We were finally airlifted out of New Orleans two days ago and arrived home

yesterday (Saturday). We have yet to see any of the TV coverage or look at a

newspaper. We are willing to guess that there were no video images or

front-page pictures of European or affluent white tourists looting the

Walgreen's in the French Quarter.

We also suspect the media will have been inundated with "hero" images of the

National Guard, the troops and the police struggling to help the "victims"

of the Hurricane. What you will not see, but what we witnessed, were the

real heroes and sheroes of the hurricane relief effort: the working class of

New Orleans. The maintenance workers who used a fork lift to carry the sick

and disabled. The engineers, who rigged, nurtured and kept the generators

running. The electricians who improvised thick extension cords stretching

over blocks to share the little electricity we had in order to free cars

stuck on rooftop parking lots. Nurses who took over for mechanical

ventilators and spent many hours on end manually forcing air into the lungs

of unconscious patients to keep them alive. Doormen who rescued folks stuck

in elevators.

Refinery workers who broke into boat yards, "stealing" boats to rescue their

neighbors clinging to their roofs in flood waters. Mechanics who helped

hot-wire any car that could be found to ferry people out of the City. And

the food service workers who scoured the commercial kitchens improvising

communal meals for hundreds of those stranded. Most of these workers had

lost their homes, and had not heard from members of their families, yet they

stayed and provided the only infrastructure for the 20% of New Orleans that

was not under water.

On Day 2, there were approximately 500 of us left in the hotels in the

French Quarter. We were a mix of foreign tourists, conference attendees like

ourselves, and locals who had checked into hotels for safety and shelter

from Katrina. Some of us had cell phone contact with family and friends

outside of New Orleans. We were repeatedly told that all sorts of resources

including the National Guard and scores of buses were pouring in to the

City. The buses and the other resources must have been invisible because

none of us had seen them.

We decided we had to save ourselves. So we pooled our money and came up with

$25,000 to have ten buses come and take us out of the City. Those who did

not have the requisite $45.00 for a ticket were subsidized by those who did

have extra money. We waited for 48 hours for the buses, spending the last 12

hours standing outside, sharing the limited water, food, and clothes we had.

We created a priority boarding area for the sick, elderly and new born

babies. We waited late into the night for the "imminent" arrival of the

buses. The buses never arrived. We later learned that the minute the arrived

at the City limits, they were commandeered by the military.

By day 4 our hotels had run out of fuel and water. Sanitation was

dangerously abysmal. As the desperation and despair increased, street crime

as well as water levels began to rise. The hotels turned us out and locked

their doors, telling us that the "officials" told us to report to the

convention center to wait for more buses. As we entered the center of the

City, we finally encountered the National Guard. The Guards told us we would

not be allowed into the Superdome as the City's primary shelter had

descended into a humanitarian and health hellhole. The guards further told

us that the City's only other shelter, the Convention Center, was also

descending into chaos and squalor and that the police were not allowing

anyone else in. Quite naturally, we asked, "If we can't go to the only 2

shelters in the City, what was our alternative?" The guards told us that

that was our problem, and no they did not have extra water to give to us.

This would be the start of our numerous encounters with callous and hostile

"law enforcement".

We walked to the police command center at Harrah's on Canal Street and were

told the same thing, that we were on our own, and no they did not have water

to give us. We now numbered several hundred. We held a mass meeting to

decide a course of action. We agreed to camp outside the police command

post. We would be plainly visible to the media and would constitute a highly

visible embarrassment to the City officials. The police told us that we

could not stay. Regardless, we began to settle in and set up camp. In short

order, the police commander came across the street to address our group. He

told us he had a solution: we should walk to the Pontchartrain Expressway

and cross the greater New Orleans Bridge where the police had buses lined up

to take us out of the City. The crowd cheered and began to move. We called

everyone back and explained to the commander that there had been lots of

misinformation and wrong information and was he sure that there were buses

waiting for us. The commander turned to the crowd and stated emphatically,

"I swear to you that the buses are there."

We organized ourselves and the 200 of us set off for the bridge with great

excitement and hope. As we marched past the convention center, many locals

saw our determined and optimistic group and asked where we were headed. We

told them about the great news. Families immediately grabbed their few

belongings and quickly our numbers doubled and then doubled again. Babies in

strollers now joined us, people using crutches, elderly clasping walkers and

others people in wheelchairs. We marched the 2-3 miles to the freeway and up

the steep incline to the Bridge. It now began to pour down rain, but it did

not dampen our enthusiasm.

As we approached the bridge, armed Gretna sheriffs formed a line across the

foot of the bridge. Before we were close enough to speak, they began firing

their weapons over our heads. This sent the crowd fleeing in various

directions. As the crowd scattered and dissipated, a few of us inched

forward and managed to engage some of the sheriffs in conversation. We told

them of our conversation with the police commander and of the commander's

assurances. The sheriffs informed us there were no buses waiting. The

commander had lied to us to get us to move.

We questioned why we couldn't cross the bridge anyway, especially as there

was little traffic on the 6-lane highway. They responded that the West Bank

was not going to become New Orleans and there would be no Superdomes in

their City. These were code words for if you are poor and black, you are not

crossing the Mississippi River and you were not getting out of New Orleans.

Our small group retreated back down Highway 90 to seek shelter from the rain

under an overpass. We debated our options and in the end decided to build an

encampment in the middle of the Ponchartrain Expressway on the center

divide, between the O'Keefe and Tchoupitoulas exits. We reasoned we would be

visible to everyone, we would have some security being on an elevated

freeway and we could wait and watch for the arrival of the yet to be seen

buses.

All day long, we saw other families, individuals and groups make the same

trip up the incline in an attempt to cross the bridge, only to be turned

away. Some chased away with gunfire, others simply told no, others to be

verbally berated and humiliated. Thousands of New Orleaners were prevented

and prohibited from self-evacuating the City on foot.

Meanwhile, the only two City shelters sank further into squalor and

disrepair. The only way across the bridge was by vehicle. We saw workers

stealing trucks, buses, moving vans, semi-trucks and any car that could be

hotwired. All were packed with people trying to escape the misery New

Orleans had become.

Our little encampment began to blossom. Someone stole a water delivery truck

and brought it up to us. Let's hear it for looting! A mile or so down the

freeway, an army truck lost a couple of pallets of C-rations on a tight

turn. We ferried the food back to our camp in shopping carts. Now secure

with the two necessities, food and water; cooperation, community, and

creativity flowered. We organized a clean up and hung garbage bags from the

rebar poles. We made beds from wood pallets and cardboard. We designated a

storm drain as the bathroom and the kids built an elaborate enclosure for

privacy out of plastic, broken umbrellas, and other scraps. We even

organized a food recycling system where individuals could swap out parts of

C-rations (applesauce for babies and candies for kids!).

This was a process we saw repeatedly in the aftermath of Katrina.  When

individuals had to fight to find food or water, it meant looking out for

yourself only. You had to do whatever it took to find water for your kids or

food for your parents. When these basic needs were met, people began to look

out for each other, working together and constructing a community.

If the relief organizations had saturated the City with food and water in

the first 2 or 3 days, the desperation, the frustration and the ugliness

would not have set in. Flush with the necessities, we offered food and water

to passing families and individuals. Many decided to stay and join us. Our

encampment grew to 80 or 90 people. From a woman with a battery powered

radio we learned that the media was talking about us. Up in full view on the

freeway, every relief and news organizations saw us on their way into the

City. Officials were being asked what they were going to do about all those

families living up on the freeway? The officials responded they were going

to take care of us. Some of us got a sinking feeling. "Taking care of us"

had an ominous tone to it.

Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was

correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his

patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, "Get off the *******

freeway". A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow

away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck

with our food and water. Once again, at gunpoint, we were forced off the

freeway. All the law enforcement agencies appeared threatened when we

congregated or congealed into groups of 20 or more. In every congregation of

"victims" they saw "mob" or "riot". We felt safety in numbers. Our "we must

stay together" was impossible because the agencies would force us into small

atomized groups.

In the pandemonium of having our camp raided and destroyed, we scattered

once again. Reduced to a small group of 8 people, in the dark, we sought

refuge in an abandoned school bus, under the freeway on Cilo Street. We were

hiding from possible criminal elements but equally and definitely, we were

hiding from the police and sheriffs with their martial law, curfew and

shoot-to-kill policies.

The next days, our group of 8 walked most of the day, made contact with New

Orleans Fire Department and were eventually airlifted out by an urban search

and rescue team. We were dropped off near the airport and managed to catch a

ride with the National Guard. The two young guardsmen apologized for the

limited response of the Louisiana guards. They explained that a large

section of their unit was in Iraq and that meant they were shorthanded and

were unable to complete all the tasks they were assigned.

We arrived at the airport on the day a massive airlift had begun. The

airport had become another Superdome. We 8 were caught in a press of

humanity as flights were delayed for several hours while George Bush landed

briefly at the airport for a photo op. After being evacuated on a coast

guard cargo plane, we arrived in San Antonio, Texas.

There the humiliation and dehumanization of the official relief effort

continued. We were placed on buses and driven to a large field where we were

forced to sit for hours and hours. Some of the buses did not have

air-conditioners. In the dark, hundreds if us were forced to share two

filthy overflowing porta-potties. Those who managed to make it out with any

possessions (often a few belongings in tattered plastic bags) we were

subjected to two different dog-sniffing searches.

Most of us had not eaten all day because our C-rations had been confiscated

at the airport because the rations set off the metal detectors. Yet, no food

had been provided to the men, women, children, elderly, disabled as they sat

for hours waiting to be "medically screened" to make sure we were not

carrying any communicable diseases.

This official treatment was in sharp contrast to the warm, heart-felt

reception given to us by the ordinary Texans. We saw one airline worker give

her shoes to someone who was barefoot. Strangers on the street offered us

money and toiletries with words of welcome. Throughout, the official relief

effort was callous, inept, and racist. There was more suffering than need

be. Lives were lost that did not need to be lost.

[CarolinaTiger 0]

what a nightmare these people experienced.

very sad indeed.

[CCTAU 3,327]

It was a night mare. But the story had a nice anti-federal government lean. Maybe they should have watched the news and found out that their own mayor and governor were the problem before they wrote their biased story. Maybe if their officials had asked for federal help earlier, then water and food could have been on the way. They were harrassed not by any federal agency, but by their own local heroes. Who-ever blocked the bridge should be fired. Whenever you stop evacuees on foot, you are essentially telling them that they should just drop dead. But this is just one side of the story. Need to hear both before I believe every "detail".

[vatz22au 142]

It was a night mare. But the story had a nice anti-federal government lean. Maybe they should have watched the news and found out that their own mayor and governor were the problem before they wrote their biased story. Maybe if their officials had asked for federal help earlier, then water and food could have been on the way. They were harrassed not by any federal agency, but by their own local heroes. Who-ever blocked the bridge should be fired. Whenever you stop evacuees on foot, you are essentially telling them that they should just drop dead. But this is just one side of the story. Need to hear both before I believe every "detail".

179489[/snapback]

Anti-federal government lean? Your selfish.....this is just a true account of the things that went down in New Orleans. Have some damn sympathy.

[Jenny AU-92 0]

One of my co-workers received this email from one of his fraternity brothers - some friends of his were in New Orleans for a Young Republicans convention - this is taken directly from the email. These people were TOURISTS - not New Orleans people. And the lady Senator they refer to is Mary Landrieu.

Two of our Brevard County YRs were stuck in New Orleans over the  past week and wanted me to pass along their story.  They wanted to stress  how poorly Louisiana's Democratic controlled government handled the situation.  - Rob

My husband and I have an unbelievable story about the situation in New Orleans. We were stranded tourists that ended up stranded due to Delta canceling our

flight on Sunday at 11:25am.  That was the beginning of our nightmare. We were in a city we  weren't all that familiar (where are the stores, no local knowledge, no local  network) and were unable to leave.  I won't spend time discussing having  to stay in the midst of a category 4 hurricane (something we would NEVER do,  being from Florida and being wise to hurricanes).  But what is more upsetting is what happened to us afterwards...........

We were staying in a small hotel 3 blocks off of Canal on Tchopotoulis Street in the Warehouse/Art  District.  This hotel did not have a generator, nor did it have any  provisions for food.  We were on our own. For 2 days, we did  our best on the streets trying to scrounge some water and food and tried our  best to find out how to get these supplies and more importantly, to get back  to the airport when it opened (we were under the false hope that the airport  would open and we would somehow fly out when that happened).   

Tuesday was the  beginning of our delusion fading and the quick realization of what was  coming.  We saw the looters going into the athletic store on Canal (while Brian Williams was doing a segment for the nightly news) and the police  exerted minimal effort to stop this as we came to realize - they had no where  to put the looters/criminals.  That was probably the first of our realization that those in charge (which still trying to figure out just who is), is not doing anything and planning for anything.  There is absolutely NO LEADERSHIP.

But we did our best to endure the heat, no AC, the little food that we could get and talked to as  many people as possible to get any information we could.  We at least had a hotel room.  When ever we asked the National Guard and police where was the help, the water, the food, all they could say was "it is coming"  and be happy as we were in the driest part of the city and "the water is  coming" (meaning the levy broke).

On Wednesday, we  were desperate, out of food, out of water, and could not now flush a  toilet.  My husband and I set out on our morning walk to Canal Street to  see the news media (that was the only way we could learn anything).  We  realized that there were less people that day.  As much as we wanted to leave the media alone to do their job, we were increasingly frustrated as to how they obviously had water and probably food.  How come?  Where  was ours.  My husband finally asked one of the crew (no one would even  give us eye contact

at that point -(Side note - we are  in our 40s, white  and friendly looking). how they got in - as we were figuring  that one of  the reasons there was not any support and more supplies was the roads were  still down.  That guy told us that they drove in from Tampa and they had no  problem coming in.  Then where are the supplies?  Where is the Red  Cross? We were dumfounded,  but knew we had to leave as soon as possible - if we had to walk.

We saw some buses at the W Hotel and asked if we could go, we would pay whatever necessary.  They were full and were taking guests/families out of the W and the Sheraton  hotels.  Sorry.  What??????  We could not believe this.  We ran around and asked the police again when is anyone coming?  "They  are coming; they are bringing in buses to the Superdome and busing people out  to Houston".  (We did not go to  the Dome as the Mayor said that was for people with special needs and for  hotel guests to stay put).  But we could now possibly walk there (we  still heard there was water up to the dome, but we could go there and wait for buses). 

Somewhere around  this time, we saw another police person and as a pharmacist I told him I was  concerned about the people that were going without meds and I would volunteer  to go into the Walgreen’s on Canal (the looters had already broken into the  front part for supplies) and if a police personnel was there I could dispense  and emergency supply to anyone showing a Rx bottle with maintenance  medications.  He said the supplies "are coming".  I got very angry  and said they need to be here NOW.  He asked for a suggestion and I said  I already told him mine.  He said that would take a lot - we would have  to get approval from Walgreen’s corporate, yada yada.  I said, can't you  see out here, this is like a 3rd world country.  Walgreen’s won't care;  they'd love the publicity (I work for the competitor CVS and I know they would  feel the same way).  They want patients to have meds.  The policeman  said even if they could do it, he had no way to get any kind of "approval" for  something like that as they all had no communication.  What????????????? 

We got very annoyed,  depressed and made the short trek to the Convention Center to see about any  person in charge to see if there was any medical, buses, water, food,  etc.  We went there and there was NOTHING except for people  waiting.  We tried to ask for anyone in charge, who knew anything and  there was NO ONE.  (By the way, the national guardsmen that we had seen earlier that morning, 3 hours later still did not know anything or give us any other information). 

We could not  believe.  But we knew one thing; we were getting out anyway  possible.  I felt like the people who were going down the steps of the  World Trade Center thinking they were really going  anywhere when in reality our fate was set and officials had sacrificed all of  us left in the city.  We called collect to my mother in law and I unleashed a lot of tears of frustration and she told us  some obvious:  Look for someone in charge - we did that  THERE WAS NO ONE (she did not believe) Ask police and  national guard - we did that also - no information.

She said buses were coming. I said that was not true - there were no  buses, there was NO water, NO food, NOTHING, unlike the TV was showing her of  all of the relief that was "coming".  Where were  they? She told us to hang  in there, she as going to stay glued to the TV and we could call her back.

As prayers were  being raised for us, about 45 minutes later we saw some people on the street  near a few vehicles (we had already asked everyone that morning near a car if  we could pay to go with them, never any room).  These people took pity on  us and allowed us into their hotel shelter.  Come to realize this was the hotel the police had been staying in for the last several days.  They had  food, water, alcohol, generators.  We could not believe our luck.  We also could not believe what these people were now telling us about the  looters.  They were afraid.  They also had pistols (I have never  seen a pistol in my life).  They were awaiting a SUV that a person was  letting them take as he was not leaving.  They promised us if they had  enough room they would take us out of the city.  We were elated.

At that point 4-5  policeman came back into get the rest of their clothes and belongings and  said, we need to get out of there as the looters (gangs of New Orleans) had  gotten guns from a store they broke into and they were coming this way.  The policeman said he was getting out of there and would not be coming back as  there was nothing they could do.  He then asked how many weapons we all  had, and for about 12 people there were only 3 guns.  He gave the men 2 more guns, a shotgun and a pistol and said we would need  it.............

I felt like we were  in a Hollywood movie.  Not that much  longer as we awaited the SUV, another vehicle came and we all knew we needed  to be ready to go at any moment. We all piled in the vehicle while the guys  stood watch with the guns.  We were transported then to another hotel  about 2 blocks away.  We were hurried out and told that we would not be  able to fit into the vehicle they were getting but that we needed to get our  names on the list that the guy was taking and we would be bused out.  That was fine with us.  We did that and within 1/2 hour we were on the  bus, and heading out of the city.  I won't describe the  looks on the faces of those who saw this bus as they knew someone was leaving and they were not.  I was horrified for them.  I wanted to let them  on as they were walking over the bridge. We asked where we  were going and they told us, Baton  Rouge.  We got a cell signal and called our  mother-in-law to tell her to book our flight on Delta to get out of Baton  Rouge. The bus was paid for  by the Marriott Corp who was dedicated to getting their associates and guests  out of the city.  Rumor is the CEO or Mr. Marriott, or someone high up at  Marriott got buses ready on Tuesday and had to get special permission from the  governor to allow the buses in.  They had to make more than one phone  call to make that happen, but that is what they did. They allowed all of  us to stay in the ballroom.  We decided to go to the airport and sleep  there and hopefully get an earlier flight.  That is what we did and we  got back into Orlando today at 11am.

We had not been able  to hear/see any of the news and were flabbergasted to see the Governor and  that woman Senator get on TV and talk about all that they were doing.  All of that is hogwash.  They aren't doing anything for all those poor  people there still in the city and nothing to stop the looting.  I  believe I saw prior to the hurricane that the Governor could go to the highest  level and get the military to come in and take the security over and be in  charge of such if she declares it to be at that state.  Why has she not  done? We just got back  from eating with my in-laws and my mother-in-law told us she frantically  started calling everyone she could to get us some help in there.  She  told us something very scary, on Wed when she was calling at about 10:30am,  she actually (you have to know her to know that only she could do this) got to  talk to a man with the Red Cross with trucks, supplies, etc in their trucks  only awaiting the Governor to allow them to get in.   

My husband and I are  exhausted as we haven't slept in days and are emotionally drained, but can't  help but think if it weren't for the Grace of God and a little good timing, we  would still have been there.  And today is one more day past and NOTHING  HAS CHANGED.  SOMETHING IS WRONG.  There is no reason they  don't have church buses that can come in and get these people, let the Red  Cross in, let supplies in, etc..........

Please help  them.  Call us if you want even more details. Thanks-

God  Bless-

Dawn and Alan Hooley 

Note – the CEO of Marriott and many of his senior management are members of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. What else would you expect of such folks but to get people out of such a situation.

Below is a draft of their letter to the lady Senator who was on TV at every opportunity – mostly with a $50 hair do and tears running down her cheeks!

Senator-

My  husband and I are absolutely disgusted with how you and your Governor have  allowed such disarray to occur.  Not to mention how you've left the  tourists there for dead.  Oh, yea and your own people who are dying in  the streets. There is NO EXCUSE  for not getting reinforcements to the National Guard in earlier knowing the  gang like undertones of your violence-tending city.  I remember the day  when NOLA was not a favorite of travelers as it was considered "dirty and  dangerous".  My husband and I love NOLA and met there 16 years ago in  college at the Sugar Bowl.  We are sickened by what we personally went  through and we are even more nauseated by what is happening even a day later  as no more help has showed up.

What is the  problem?  We demand to know.  You, your officials, your Governor

owe  us, your own citizens that you've left for dead an  apology.  I couldn't believe  what you were saying after not seeing/hearing the TV for over 3 days.  I  just hope the top of this e-mail that we've e-mailed to anyone who will listen  will do some help.  If we lived within 6  hours of NOLA we would call all churches, get buses and drive through your  barriers just to get these people OUT>  All that FEMA can do later  will be done.  It is NOW that these people need help, or else who cares  how many millions you all get donated.  Or, perhaps, is that  the purpose?  Are you all doing this for a reason and that is to let  attrition happen and then there will be fewer victims to divide the money  between.  SHAMEFUL

[AUJarhead 70]

HURRICANE KATRINA: OUR EXPERIENCES by Lorrie Beth Slonsky and Larry Bradshaw

A mile or so down the freeway, an army truck lost a couple of pallets of C-rations on a tight turn.

Most of us had not eaten all day because our C-rations had been confiscated

at the airport because the rations set off the metal detectors.

179472[/snapback]

Do they mean MREs? Not calling anyone a liar, but I know for a fact that you can take an MRE through security at an Airport. I've done it at the Atlanta Airport, going to Palm Springs, and then in Palm Springs going back to Atlanta. If they don't mean MREs, I really question the validatity of this article, as I can't imagine the military giving out C-Rations.

[Ranger12 46]

HURRICANE KATRINA: OUR EXPERIENCES by Lorrie Beth Slonsky and Larry Bradshaw

A mile or so down the freeway, an army truck lost a couple of pallets of C-rations on a tight turn.

Most of us had not eaten all day because our C-rations had been confiscated

at the airport because the rations set off the metal detectors.

179472[/snapback]

Do they mean MREs? Not calling anyone a liar, but I know for a fact that you can take an MRE through security at an Airport. I've done it at the Atlanta Airport, going to Palm Springs, and then in Palm Springs going back to Atlanta. If they don't mean MREs, I really question the validatity of this article, as I can't imagine the military giving out C-Rations.

179664[/snapback]

My thoughts exactly. Sorry guys, there seems to be some credibility issues with this story and it seems to be very anti-government. The fact that the were sarcastic about NG troops being called heros and the jab at Bush, well, that flat gives that away.Two paramedics huh? In their story, it sure does not talk much about them acting as paramedics. The seem to have also "seen" a whole lot before they were airlifted out. Sheriff's officers shooting over their heads? You would think with all the reporters that were in NO, alot of this would have made the news. I have a hard time believing soldiers were telling them that "it was their problem" to figure out what to do. Also, I have a hard time believing the part about gathering $25,000 to get buses. Were not most of those people poor people that were left? Add to the fact that I don't think anybody would have been able to just call up and privately reserve a bunch of buses during that time. Too many critical things just don't add up in the story.

Vatz, instead of resorting to name-calling of a poster, you may want to make sure you know the truth also. Nobody knows the people that wrote this story and it is their own version. This story would have more validity if it was verified by more sources. The fact that it even the liberal leaning news agencies like CNN have not reported on alot of the gross misconducts mentioned in this article makes me wonder about its integrity. CNN would normally jump on something like this. I don't doubt some of the story about they way local law-enforcement acted, but that is not new news. However, unless you were there also (as you claim this story to be the truth), it is not very wise to be critical of another's opinion and start calling names from behind your keyboard. Well, on a second thought, it may be wise for you to be calling names behind your keyboard.

I know these people have been through a nightmare. I pray for them everyday. But, when people start making up stories, for whatever reason, then that is just a pathetic person in my book.

[rexbo 104]

Not saying this validates the paramedics story, but here is another reference to it.

From the reading I have done, it seems obvious that the Governor of Lousiana is going to come out looking pretty bad. The National Guard troops were under her command, and they were the first ones in to try and create some order, and to see that they need to get the people out of the city as quickly as possible. On Tuesday after the storm, the Federal Government just didn't have the resources (nor authority) to drop into the city and take over. I can guarentee you that Jeb Bush would not have been waiting on his brother to 'come to the rescue', he would have been personally in charge and taking action.

Cops trapped survivors in New Orleans

[Tiger in Spain 0]

Anti-federal government lean?  Your selfish.....this is just a true account of the things that went down in New Orleans.  Have some damn sympathy.

179522[/snapback]

Vatz, you should really stick to talking football. Just my opinion, but you are in way over your head here.

I'm pretty amazed that the MSM has begun picking up on the ineptitude of the local and state governments. It's no where near the point it needs to be, but the coverage is starting to trickle down.

C-rats went out of service back in the mid '80's. There is nothing in any MRE I have eaten that would set off a metal detector. I've brought several home with me on leave. Passed through several screenings.

We organized ourselves and the 200 of us set off for the bridge with great

excitement and hope. As we marched past the convention center, many locals

saw our determined and optimistic group and asked where we were headed. We

told them about the great news. Families immediately grabbed their few

belongings and quickly our numbers doubled and then doubled again. Babies in

strollers now joined us, people using crutches, elderly clasping walkers and

others people in wheelchairs. We marched the 2-3 miles to the freeway and up

the steep incline to the Bridge. It now began to pour down rain, but it did

not dampen our enthusiasm.

If their numbers had grown to 800 by the time they reached the bridge where the police allegedly fired shots over their heads, it seems to me that others within that group would have come out and verfied what happened once they reached safety in Texas. There are several parts of this story that sound fishy and just don't add up....not even for New Orleans.

[Ranger12 46]

Not saying this validates the paramedics story, but here is another reference to it. 

From the reading I have done, it seems obvious that the Governor of Lousiana is going to come out looking pretty bad.  The National Guard troops were under her command, and they were the first ones in to try and create some order, and to see that they need to get the people out of the city as quickly as possible.  On Tuesday after the storm, the Federal Government just didn't have the resources (nor authority) to drop into the city and take over. I can guarentee you that Jeb Bush would not have been waiting on his brother to 'come to the rescue', he would have been personally in charge and taking action.

Cops trapped survivors in New Orleans

179902[/snapback]

Oh yeah, I don't doubt that reports about ineptness of the local government and law enforcement. That has been well reported and anybody could have heard about it and then said they had a first hand account of it and then added their own versions to it, like possibly these two "paramedics" did. Like TIS said, there are parts of the story that just don't add up, which questions the integrity.

[rexbo 104]

I caught just the end of the interview but yesterday MSNBC had the police chief and the 2 paramedics. The police chief was adament that none of his officers took supplies from people, but he stuck to his guns about making the right decision on not letting anyone cross the bridge into his city. He made the point that the people would have been no better off on his side of the bridge; and that they are also below sea level and a broken levee on their side of the river could have caused many deaths. The MSNBC guy asked him if that was just an after the fact excuse, the sheriff seemed surprised that he was calling BS on him, but quickly responded that it wasn't....