Katrina was played as a political football. And always will be.....

"Jacksonville hasn't had a major storm hit since the 1960s"
Good to know, I have two brothers who just moved their families to FL., one to Jacksonville, the other ON the beach (haha) in St. Augustine. I told them to watch out for GLO-BALL warming, and BIG hurricanes. lmao

You're kidding right?

Do you really not understand the Hurricane did almost no damage to New Orleans????

That it was a man made flood that killed the town?

Do you not realise that 150,000 homes where destroyed by the hand of man?

Your ignorance is astounding.

I understand what you're saying, and I don't disagree. Many of my neighbors here in NOLA are still standing on their street with their arms out whining because no one is giving them cash. You don't here about the majority of people who have worked hard to rebuild their lives. You only here about the ones crying for someone to save them.

On the other hand, all of that money that has been given hasn't even made it close to most of the "folks" here. They're still waiting for help that hasn't shown up in two years. Their entire lives were destroyed and help was promised, but hasn't come yet (you can thank the state and city for that. It's not Bush's fault.)

Plus, when FLA gets hit by a hurricane, they don't have 12 feet of water standing in the city for weeks at a time. It's not really the same.

Other than the San Fran Earthquake, or the Galveston Hurricane, we really haven't had incidents of an entire Major city being destroyed. So you have to know it takes a while to rebuild.

Remember the Dems attempt at Katrina-fying the Kansas tornado earlier this Spring? I sent out an article to some friends, one of whom sent it to a former friend (and full-blown BDS sufferer) who lives in New Orleans. He hit "Reply All" to my addressees (isn't that a No-No if it wasn't sent to you in the first place???) and tore me a new one. Some people (and the Democratic Party) think they have absolute moral authority when it comes to Katrina, but it's more like absolute a-moral authority!

When I was home to visit in Minnesota the local papers were whining about getting State aid for a section of one county that had a wind storm that blew over a whole lot of trees.

It was embarrassing.

It's not as though it wasn't a big clean up. The fairly small lakeside park that one of our family reunion picnics was in had lost 40 or more large oak trees that had to be cut up and the stumps ground out. But really... a tree messing up a park or across someone's back yard is a mess, not a tragedy. And since when does a person have the right for someone else to pay for it?

That's nothing compared to the devastation in New Orleans, of course, just an example that yes, other people whine a lot, too, and for less reason.

I am sooo tired of hearing of the Katrina victims.

Yeah, it was bad, very bad...so now you are waiting for the American tax payers to bail you out.

Got news for you...move...go get a job..don't wait for the US taxpayer to make you whole again. Thousands, if not millions of people in this country have faced adversity and with hard work and personal determination you can enjoy living in the best country in the world.

I love New Orleans, by why anyone would want to live there is beyond me. If your ass is living eight to ten feet below sea level, for god's sake, go buy a boat.

There was no looting. No influx of crime.

Sigh... Because us wonder people in Florida would never loot after a hurricane

nope

Not in Florida

Ignorance in the age of google is stupidity.

"On the other hand, all of that money that has been given hasn't even made it close to most of the "folks" here. They're still waiting for help that hasn't shown up in two years. Their entire lives were destroyed and help was promised, but hasn't come yet (you can thank the state and city for that. It's not Bush's fault.)"

I would have much more sympathy for those in New Orleans if they hadn't turned right around and re-elected that idiot Nagin. They put themselves squarely back into his hands and now they are reaping the benefits of his "chocolate city" leadership.

"I love New Orleans, by why anyone would want to live there is beyond me. If your ass is living eight to ten feet below sea level, for god's sake, go buy a boat."

Well, it's home. That's why. And I do own a boat. And how is living in NOLA any less safe than say Miami, Oklahoma, or Los Angeles. I would never live in L.A. (or San Fran).

People here see the ACE as having let them down horribly. Then they were promised help, and in a lot of ways, that help (the help you whine about giving) has not shown up. Insurance companies won't pay. No one is helping. And you're bitching about "I'm tired of hearing about Katrina victims" shows your ignorance.

People can't sell their damaged homes, they can't get insurance to pay them, they can't get the LRA to pay them, they still have to pay their mortgage on a destroyed home (and they have to still have insurance for a destroyed home, even though the insurance co. won't pay), and they are waiting for the help that was promised. That's what they're asking for - what was promised.

Meanwhile you sit in your nice living room, and act like you know something.

I've gutted 27 houses here, for people who had nowhere to go and no money to move. I'm sorry if I get defensive, but some of you need to shut the hell up, or come down here and help.

While I am sure there are way too many people in the New Orleans area who are just as lazy and gobmint-dependent now as there were prior to Katrina, I really don't think you can lump what happened there with some of the other disaster examples you cited..

To sum up what happened:

The city is here..

Katrina came..

Um.. No more city..

Minimizing what occured in NO would be the same as comparing the devastation of the 9-11 attacks to nothing more than the damage caused by a roadside bomb..

Sheesh

Even Blanco finally admitted this week that it is the individual's responsibilty to evac. Shame it too her to be under oath to finally come clean on that one.

Cant wait to hear Nagin under oath, whenever that day may be.

NOLA caused its own demise. Nagin chose to care more about the hospitality industry, and NOT order an evac, than to care about his people, and tell em to get the hell out. How many buses didnt he use? How many Amtrak cars didnt he take advantage of? (Show me a major city with a Dem mayor, and I'll show you ineptitude and corruption at its finest, along with a host of murder, drug, education, and budget issues.)

Anyone in a hurricane zone who doesnt have 3-5 days worth of food, water, and other supplies is a friggin idiot, so, the people clamoring for water Monday afternoon should have just knelt over and taken a sip.

Except for the elderly and infirm(specifically addressed in the NOLA evac plan that was NEVER followed) I have not 1 bit of sympathy for the people too stupid to evac with a cat 5 on the way.

Darwinism right?

There is a balance to be found here. I don't want to minimize the devastation that was experienced by the residents of the hardest hit areas during Katrina. However, I agree - it is up to the individual to take responsibility and move forward. Unfortunately the left has done their best to indoctrinate Americans with the mindset "I can't do anything on my own, I need government to do it for me". The Katrina experience put that on display perfectly.

There was no looting. No influx of crime.
Sigh... Because us wonder people in Florida would never loot after a hurricane
nope
Not in Florida
Ignorance in the age of google is stupidity.
8. Posted by Paul |

Yeah, except that NOLA is now one of the most dangerous cities in America due to lack of law enforcement. A couple of instances of looting in Florida after major storms does not equate that city with Florida. And this disaster (the flooding of parts of NOLA) was man-made. Katrina was a CAT 1 storm when it hit NOLA. Those failing seawalls were coming down regardless of any other outside agency.

"Even Blanco finally admitted this week that it is the individual's responsibilty to evac. Shame it too her to be under oath to finally come clean on that one"

Except that during her testimony she also blamed the feds for not doing enough to prepare NOLA for the worst and then not ride to the rescue fast enough when the shit hit the fan. She should stick to one narrative -- is it up to the individual to take care of things, or is it the government? She can't blame her constituents AND the feds for failure while pretending no will notice her contribution to this mess.

Ken I'm referring to the stupidity of the whole post... "Florida can get thru hurricanes because our people are so wonderful but the people of NOLA are too stupid."

Please....

Katrina did very little damage to New Orleans.... It was the man made flood that did us in..

LET ME SAY IT IN THESE WORDS....

Everyone in New Orleans would have taken 3 Katrinas in 3 weeks in a row if we could have given back the "dam break" that occurred when the floodfalls feel.

Let's let an Air Force Bomber accidentally drop a nuke in downtown Miami and let's see how well the people down there do. -- You can bet your ass nobody would be telling them to "get over it."

The post is based in ignorance at best, stupidity at worst.

"Other than the San Fran Earthquake, or the Galveston Hurricane, we really haven't had incidents of an entire Major city being destroyed."

J-Ho,

Do the words "Chicago" and "Fire" ring a bell?

Yes, it wasn't the whole city, but then again, neither was SF.

Actually Rance New Orleans was also destroyed by fire.

Twice.

The "French Quarter" which is world renowned for its architecture, is actually Spanish architecture, the French didn't have the money to rebuilt the town at the time but the Spanish did...

It should really be called the Spanish Quarter.

"Let's let an Air Force Bomber accidentally drop a nuke in downtown Miami and let's see how well the people down there do. -- You can bet your ass nobody would be telling them to "get over it."
The post is based in ignorance at best, stupidity at worst."

That first statement is so rediculous it doesn't justify a response. The problem that this post is addressing is that one can assume, based on news reports and the bitching from many people in NOLA, that not much is being done nor has been to provide assistance to those who have been displaced in this tragedy. The truth is far from that.

How many billions of $ have the feds provided to LA. state and N.O. local governments? Something like $115 billion. How many churches and other non-govt groups have been and continue to provide volunteers and support? A ton.

The devastation to the city was huge, but it is time to stop asking why this- or that-group isn't giving me what I want, and why haven't other people taken care of me.

If my house was wiped out tomorrow due to a natural cause, I would move elsewhere, look for a job and get on with my life. If you want to continue living in a devastated city you better be prepared to spend years rebuilding, and don't be upset if the government - at ANY level - lets you down.

>That first statement is so rediculous it doesn't justify a response.

Why? The Feds accidentally dropped millions of gallons of water on New Orleans, how is my analogy flawed?

Please explain.

>How many billions of $ have the feds provided to LA. state and N.O. local governments?

I don't know myself. Further I'd paypal you $100 bucks if you can answer that question.

>Something like $115 billion.

OH? Can you give a definitive link on that? I'm not talking "allocated" funds, I want to know how many dollars the feds have actually sent to state and local governments.

Again, I'll give you $100 for the number.

>The devastation to the city was huge, but it is time to stop asking why this- or that-group isn't giving me what I want, and why haven't other people taken care of me.

DO you really think a city of a million people is just sitting around waiting for the Feds to do everything for them?

Do you really believe that or is it just fun to say?

Please answer the question... Because on your search for the answers, you just might learn a bit.

BTW Ken, can I get your party affiliation? -- If it's not too rude to ask.

I'm not exactly Mr. geography, but this part struck me as rather odd:

In the areas where the hurricanes were much stronger, like in Pensacola and the southwestern tip of Florida (Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, etc.)

Did you a Miss Teen South Carolina moment?

OH? Can you give a definitive link on that? I'm not talking "allocated" funds, I want to know how many dollars the feds have actually sent to state and local governments.

You may have a point here -- I have seen the $115B number numerous times, as far as how of that has been spent/provided I do not know. Who is responsible for distribution of the money once it has been allocated? And if it is/has been provided to local and state govt., what are they doing with it? Part of the problem here is there are too many news reports with interviews of residents who point a finger straight at Bush for him not doing anything, and that's just not the case. Has nothing been done in your city over the last two years? Are there no positive stories of rebuilding or people who have survived and succeeded? Of course there are, we just don't get to hear about them.

"DO you really think a city of a million people is just sitting around waiting for the Feds to do everything for them?"

No, but once again you can thank the MSM for creating the impression that there are a whole lot people doing just that. The MSM is maintaining that narrative whether you like it or not.

Paul, I'm a conservative.

And last year we were suppost to be having all those hurricanes and it was a fizzle year too bad for the eco-wackos

Couple of points Kan that you sorta have to glue together...

* The local newspaper on the day of the second anniversary had a 2 word headline. "THANK YOU"

That was the message to the 1.1 million American people who have come to help. It brought tears to many eyes because it was dead freaking on.

* The thing about Katrina costing more than the Marshall Plan is pure abject fantasy.

* The Bush administration says that ~ 100 billion has been "made available" in the Katrina recovery. That's fantasy too. -- For starters, (only for starters mind you) that includes $15 billion for new levees that has specifically NOT been made available.

And as I covered yesterday, some of the monies the Feds say are "available" require (NO JOKE) a half a million pieces of paper to claim. The state will never get that money obviously.

Hawkins is in complete fantasy land when he said New Orleans got $115 billion. That's simply insane. The bulk of the direct aid from the Feds was a lump sum of $10 billion and MORE WENT TO MISSISSIPPI THAN LOUISIANA

BTW you didn't tell me what was wrong witht he nuke analogy...

"Conservative" thing addressed in next post.

>How many billions of $ have the feds provided to LA. state and N.O. local governments?

I don't know myself. Further I'd paypal you $100 bucks if you can answer that question.

I'll chip in to a fund for anyone who can answer those questions. Fact is, even of the money that actually DID arrive in the states, MS started spending the money they got ASAP. LA didn't. Thanks, Blanco! And furthermore, it's been reported in plenty of places that MS got more money for less damage. But the point is that people haven't received the money they were promised.

And Ken, since when do conservatives buy the media narrative? I thought we were supposed to be smarter than that.

require (NO JOKE) a half a million pieces of paper to claim.

The joke among my friends and family is that the forms need to be completed with a ball point pen - and are printed on oiled, waxed paper.

So you're a "conservative", Hawkins is a right winger and I'm both and a Republican to boot.

If the narrative from the right is correct, then George W. Bush should be fired. Twice.

The story being told is that New Orleans got $127 BILLION to rebuild. And the city is still a mess.

New Orleans has just under a half million people in it. That would be well over a quarter million dollars per person. So a family of 4 would have had well over $1,000,000.00 spent on them just by the federal government.

The right wing partisans can't have it both ways....

If a Republican President and a Republican congress spent $250,000.00 PER PERSON in New Orleans and the city is still destroyed, they should all be fired.

See what happens when people babble from ignorance?

Laura,

I sorta spoke for you above...;-)

Would you take 3 Katrina wind storms if only the levees would have held even half the water they where designed to?

Would you take 3 Katrina wind storms if only the levees would have held even half the water they where designed to?

Yes, indeed.

Why, look - Frances didn't "come through" Jacksonville:
http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/at200406.asp

And neither did Jeanne:
http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/at200410.asp

Of course all Jacksonville got was some bad weather. Jeez.

"I'll say it again: shit happens. In Denver, it was massive blizzards. In Minnesota, it was a bridge collapsing. In the midwest, they have tornado alley. Here on the east coast, we have hurricanes. Bad things sometimes happen to good people, and there's only one thing you can really do if you want to survive: Pick up. Move on. Get a life."

Hmmm...I can't speak for the other places you mentioned....but living in Denver when we had our blizzard last December..the MSM ignored the hundreds of lives lost...they ignored how 40% of Denver left town and have yet to return...
Thank you for Finally...placing the horror and trauma We went through with those whiners (and You know what color whined the most?) in NOLA..
My wife is from MPLS MN ....I can tell you...all of her family left town after that bridge collapsed....I am sure you know...over 20% of people living in that area were smart enough to leave BEFORE the collapse...as for those fools who did not...they deserve what they got...
Thanks for WIZBANG to give you a forum to give us the truth America and the MSM are too afraid to tell...

Boo Hoo,I don't give a rats ass about any disasater anywhere,be it man made or natural,even if it happened to me,god,the people in this country have become such pathetic whiners,except the military,only saving grace,and Paul,your're just rambling.

Example,take the floods last week in the midwest,they interview a guy(white,for nogo) from either Illinois or Ohio,can't remember which,he breaks down crying,so your house is a little flooded,at least your're not dead ya stupid asshole.

Go ahead and reread Bush's address after Katrina http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/15/bush.transcript/
and then anyone dare tell me that he will tell us the truth when a major catastrophe like the flood of New Orleans happens again.

Tell me what you really think this country is prepared to do in the event of another cataclysmic event, natural or otherwise.

Americans better smarten up. This group is only interested in one thing. Don't count on any social, economic or judicial accomodations if you aren't of the upper crust. Just because only two of the original gang of theives are still in the WH it doesn't mean the rest of them aren't operating.

New Orleans was a high crime of gross negligence and no one was ever held accountable. It will happen again.