What follows is a sad, sickening account from an eyewitness
to the disaster. It was passed from a friend to a friend to a friend...
I have edited the names for privacy, but clearly they want to get the word out on this disaster. it is clear to me that, despite the billions spent on FEMA and Homeland Security, these agencies have proven themselves to completely inept, and really, their heads are criminally negligent in this fiasco. THERE NEEDS TO
BE AN INVESTIGATION!
As I have watched this, I now have NO CONFIDENCE that the federal government can perform their PRIMARY ROLE of assisting and rescuing victims, and maintaining civil order in the event of a crisis. And one that was anticipated in many ways, stretching back many years.
Howdy and all and the usu! al apologies for being out of touch. Am
sending an email to friends to share this and share my outrage. It is
cut and past because I am still overwhelmed and shaken.. Here is cut and
paste... More later
This is a bit of a cut and paste - so apologies for that. I am too
tired and drained to re-type this all and customize it. But I wanted to
share this with people and so resorted to this cut and paste...
I don't know if you knew but I had the unplanned experience of being in
New Orleans from Friday August 26 until Wednesday August 31 to experince
Katrina up close and personal. We just got home tonight a few hours ago.
I was there for some work with the College Board (The SAT and Advanced
Placement people). As we heard about the hurricane we could not get out
- got majorly screwed by the airlines who bailed to protect the empty
planes - and no other way out existed for those without opersonal
vehicles - it was me and xxxx ! (I am so glad we left xxxxx with
grandma - who is likely to lose her job because she stayed to take care
of her grand-daughter when it was clear we were trapped in the hurricane
and the horrific aftermatch). We were coping as best we could and
making hard decisions to make sure we got home to xxxx even if it took a
while. We are at the Sheraton (Starwood Group). Starwood backed the
hotel completely - arranged emergency prescriptions from Baton Rouge,
had generators and fuel sent in... we had hot meals, water, diet coke,
ice, emergency lighting... for 1000 trapped people they got 4 computers
hooked up to the net and 2 phones to call family - tough to get on them
but they existed ... I was never a Sheraton/Starwood fan but they have
my 100% loyalty - I can be hypercritical - and there was NOTHING bad I
can say about them - only glowing comments. It was hot, muggy, no
running water, deteriorating sanitation, a forced lockdown for
protection, ! etc. but those were the things outside the hotel's control.
Everything in their control was done 100% correctly (huddling us in an
interior ballroom for the actual storm with large TV for news, food,
blankets pillows with the air conditioning downright freezing so it
stayed cool longer after the power went out and on and on and on... -
breakfast served when the storm was only 2 hours from the eye almost
hitting us...). Starwood picked up the tab and protected it's people
and customers (employees who stayed brought their families to this
haven). We weathered the storm Monday morning and our hotel had only
minor damage. It was well designed with smaller windows and a smooth
(laminar flow!) contour - unlike many of the other hotels. The hotel
took care of us including a complete lockdown when those who had nothing
needed in. We got progressively worried as waters rose, conditions grew
violent outside and there was no sign of emergency relief at al! l for two
days. The dedicated staff freaked out Tuesday night and decided to
evacuate by personal car caravan yesterday in the eqarly morning. We
were fortunate to have gotten to know some of them and we were invited
to get out with them to Memphis. They went in daylight in a caravan for
protection until they got out of the parish. It turns out I would have
gotten out in a bus almost a day and a half later - the other Sheraton
people got out this afternoon- but that was far from clear at the time.
As for the disaster response - I am sickened. There WAS NOT one. The
evacuation plan was for anyone with a car to drive out. It 100% exluded
the poorest people with no transport. There was NO provision for buses
for the evacuation - the poorest people were left to die - by policy.
My room had a clear view of the one and only bridge on the one and only
route in and out of the city. I did not sleep - I watched the bridge
all night on my la! st night - it went hours with no traffick - no
emergency vehicles. I was on Canal Street - 5 blocks from the river and
on the edge of the flooding. CNN and the New York Times and others were
stationed there - I spoke with the reporters... you wouldn't fucking
believe the stories from me and the reporters... one reporter I gave my
emergency outlet to (for charging phones, puters etc) was with the
first response crew - with the 4 (count it 4 for the whole operation -
FOUR) small boats to rescue - after the storm ended they sat there for
an hour and a half because they had no orders. A fire truck/rescue
vehicle was parked for the storm and a day or two after the storm at the
hotel drive by entrance... why I wondered - I found out it needed a jump
and it and NO OTHER emergency vehicles had fucking jumper cables. For
the first 48 hours after the storm ended I saw NO buses and only a
handful of national guard trucks (I watched the ONLY road in and out of
the city). The fucking bastards had virtually no response for the first
48 hours after the storm - nothing. This shit you see on the news about
the evacuation plans and the unprecedented rescue operation is false -
FALSE. They let them die for 48 hours and then wonder about the
desperation. These are the poorest people (selected by policy to die)
and then we let them rot for 48 hours and then go in and wonder why they
are pissed and violent.
I am serious - there was essentially nothing for 48 hours. Starwood
kept us alive and as comfortable as possible. The rest of the people
were left to rot by the government - it is the worst of the rich vs.
poor I can imagine. It is surreal. I am so upset - so angry - so happy
I am a "have" and not a "have not" in this fucking time and government.
These poor bastards I was seeing - all they did was be poor - they were
left to die and I was taken care of by big corporate america (yes -
! starwood arranged the buses and got people to the Westin in Dallas last
night) - good for my colleagues... But is was Starwood that arranged
it.
I am so angry and so tired.
Sorry to vent - but this story needs to get out - people need to know...
CNN has been questioning some - I was there and I am so shaken by what I
saw that my government negected, by design, to do. This is the most
shaken I have ever been and I can't figure out how much was because of
my own tensions for days and how much is my depression and anger over
what I saw - it could have been avoided. The solutions were so simple.
The pier by the aquarium was in perfect shape - barges moved up and down
the river on Monday and Tuesday after the storm. Why couldn't a coast
guard boat stop at the pier and pick people up - a dry walk from the
convention center where people are dying - dying! Why couldn't they
have let buses in for the first 48 hours - hell, gotten us out and given
all the starwood food and water and fuel to people who desperately
needed it. Why didn't they have a plan and supplies in place to fix the
breach in the levy - it took them 2 days to figure out a plan - and they
haven't begun to implement it - not begun. From 2 days I watched the
only road in and out of the city and nothing happened. I had nothing
else to do but watch that bridge and cry about its emptiness. Let these
bastards know this is not the government we signed up for.
This isn't meant to be a political rant but there needs to be outrage.
I am home and alive and healthy and people down the street are dead or
close to it and only because of $. I just can't understand why for 48
hours there was nothing. As I managed to get out of New Orleans on
Wednesday, by mid-day I finally saw large numbers of national guard
trucks, utility vehicles etc. - they would arrive 2 1/2 days after the
storm fully ended in New Orleans - w! ell after the most vulnerable died
horrible deaths - unnecessarily. I am so angry.
