First Person Accounts

[wvrevy]

I think you misunderstood my meaning. I was saying, basically, the same thing that N.Bailey said. Believe me, I absolutely hope that it turns out to be a fabrication. The thought of something like that happening in this country...Sorry, but the thought just makes me sick to even contemplate.

 

[poohandwendy]

Again, as I stated in the other thread about things that can and cannot (or should or should not) happen in America...why do we think we are immune from bad things happening...or bad people or even good people making bad decisions? I just don't get that.

 

[N.Bailey]

Well, I know there were many people on that bridge. I know these people did not cross that bridge. Perhaps they all just decided they didn't want to. Anything is possible I guess, but when I read; even a blog that says, they were told while at gun point that they couldn't cross, it suggests to me that it's a very real possibility. Especially when I consider the talking heads that have stated they couldn't and it was their only way to safety. Maybe they were all just too lazy though?

As you've stated, this probably can happen anywhere in the world, that doesn't mean it should however and it's quite appalling that it has.

 

[wvrevy]

Again, as I stated in the other thread about things that can and cannot (or should or should not) happen in America...why do we think we are immune from bad things happening...or bad people or even good people making bad decisions? I just don't get that.

Because we do not expect to see third world suffering in America. We don't expect it because we are, normally, beyond that stage of our development as a nation. We've grown somewhat immune to seeing that kind of thing in the third world, sad as that statement is. Bus seeing it here ? Sorry, but it's not something anyone could expect. One glance at the national reaction to this tragedy should be evidence enough of that.

 

[poohandwendy]

Well, I know there were many people on that bridge. I know these people did not cross that bridge. Perhaps they all just decided they didn't want to. Anything is possible I guess, but when I read; even a blog that says, they were told while at gun point that they couldn't cross, it suggests to me that it's a very real possibility. Especially when I consider the talking heads that have stated they couldn't and it was their only way to safety. Maybe they were all just too lazy though?

Wow, what is that supposed to mean? "Too lazy''? That is pretty inflammatory.

I am not going to argue whether or not they were not allowed to cross the bridge. I wasn't there...but I also was not the NG, so I don't know their side of it either. That is my point. We are getting the whole picture trickled in, very slowly and piece by piece. I would prefer to wait for the verifiable facts before deciding what did and did not happen.

 

[poohandwendy]

Because we do not expect to see third world suffering in America. We don't expect it because we are, normally, beyond that stage of our development as a nation. We've grown somewhat immune to seeing that kind of thing in the third world, sad as that statement is. Bus seeing it here ? Sorry, but it's not something anyone could expect. One glance at the national reaction to this tragedy should be evidence enough of that.

The truth is that we already had people living in third world conditions in this country before the hurricane (and that will not change any time soon). The fact that people are unaware of that is even more sad.

I am not saying that I am not shocked and saddened by this whole disaster, I am just as upset by the fact that we had rapes and murders occuring within days of people barely losing their lives as the fact that people didn't get help in a reasonable amount of time.

But I am not naive enough to think there is any way we can totally prevent it from happening again. Or that America is some alll-powerful force that is immune to horrible things. Or that we can implement the perfect disaster response team. It will not ever happen. And there will always be outrage over that because people expect us to be perfect, after all we are America. As long as human beings are involved, there will be preventable mistakes and purposeful wrong doings.

 

[N.Bailey]

Wow, what is that supposed to mean? "Too lazy''? That is pretty inflammatory.

I am not going to argue whether or not they were not allowed to cross the bridge. I wasn't there...but I also was not the NG, so I don't know their side of it either. That is my point. We are getting the whole picture trickled in, very slowly and piece by piece. I would prefer to wait for the verifiable facts before deciding what did and did not happen.

I used the word lazy because I don't believe for one minute that they chose not to walk across that bridge. I fully believe they were held against their will. Everything so far suggests that's the way it played out. I'll gladly eat crow if it turns out to be false however.

While you are right that this can happen here, it obviously has, that doesn't mean it should and it doesn't make it right. We're not talking about the criminal element here. I would fully support holding them against their will and killing them to get things under control. I will never support holding law abiding citizens against their will however. If all this is proven, I feel whoever is responsible should have to pay too. I don't know who called the shots, but we need a full investigation to find out, IMO.

 

[rcyannacci]

I'm just a little skeptical about all these first person accounts, especially when I see the first person accounts on TV saying just the opposite of these people. Who's telling the truth?

Remember, everyone on the Internet has an agenda.

FYI- the account I posted at the beginning of the thread was not posted on a blog, but was sent over email from the family member of a colleague.

 

[totalia]

Thanks wrevy. I would if I could handle it but I don't think I can. I hear about it all the time I do wish those people well though.

 

[poohandwendy]

FYI- the account I posted at the beginning of the thread was not posted on a blog, but was sent over email from the family member of a colleague.

Actually, what you posted is on a blog at Daily Kos

www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/6/211436/8987

 

[va32h]

"I read it on the internet" is not much of a guarantee of accuracy. I would take any account posted online with more than a grain of salt.

 

[N.Bailey]

This too is a 2nd hand account of a person who was in NO at the time of the hurricane. She's a poster on another site I visit. We've been really worried about her, but one of our posters finally was able to talk to her on the phone and she's physically fine.

Her hubby is a police officer, so she has some accounts of what happened with them. She didn't go on too much about them, but we get a little insight anyway.

Here is a link to the thread. I would love to copy and paste the main post on that thread here, but I'm not sure if that's allowed according to the Dis guidelines or Court TV's guidelines, but if you're interested in reading it (it's not real long) you can click on the link.

I also wanted to point out that she was one of the lucky ones who managed to get out fairly early on, so there is no accounts of anything after the waters rising.

http://boards.courttv.com/showthread.php?threadid=238847&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

For those that don't click the link, she did mention that there are MANY babies that will probably be up for adoption.

 

[mom2alix]

http://boards.courttv.com/showthread.php?threadid=238847&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

For those that don't click the link, she did mention that there are MANY babies that will probably be up for adoption.

Just to clarify, I read further in the link and the claim about babies was a miscommunication. The caller had referred to abandoned babies, but apprently was talking about children who needed to be reunited with parents who had been separated. Several folks had called and no babies were needing homes. Just thought I'd let you'all know since that was a really disturbing idea.

 

[N.Bailey]

Just to clarify, I read further in the link and the claim about babies was a miscommunication. The caller had referred to abandoned babies, but apprently was talking about children who needed to be reunited with parents who had been separated. Several folks had called and no babies were needing homes. Just thought I'd let you'all know since that was a really disturbing idea.

I seen that too. I posted before I'd read the entire thread. It may or may not be true. The missing poster stated that it was, but when they called, there were no babies there. The OP in that thread said they'd clarify during the next call.

 

[sodaseller]

I'll bet money that this account is a hoax.

Wash Times

An eyewitness account from two San Francisco paramedics posted on an internet site for Emergency Medical Services specialists says, "Thousands of New Orleaners were prevented and prohibited from self-evacuating the city on foot."
"We shut down the bridge," Arthur Lawson, chief of the City of Gretna Police Department, confirmed to United Press International, adding that his jurisdiction had been "a closed and secure location" since before the storm hit.
"All our people had evacuated and we locked the city down," he said.
The bridge in question -- the Crescent City Connection -- is the major artery heading west out of New Orleans across the Mississippi River.
Lawson said that once the storm itself had passed Monday, police from Gretna City, Jefferson Parrish and the Louisiana State Crescent City Connection Police Department closed to foot traffic the three access points to the bridge closest to the West Bank of the river.
He added that the small town, which he called "a bedroom community" for the city of New Orleans, would have been overwhelmed by the influx.
"There was no food, water or shelter" in Gretna City, Lawson said. "We did not have the wherewithal to deal with these people.
"If we had opened the bridge, our city would have looked like New Orleans does now: looted, burned and pillaged."

St Louis Dispatch

"They had arranged for buses with a police escort to come down from Shreveport. Guests at our hotel and another one were given first preference and they sold 500 tickets at $45 each," Scheer said. "We got a call that the buses were 10 minutes away, then we lost contact with the convoy. We found out they had been commandeered as they entered the city and sent to the Superdome."

A group of about 200 Monteleone guests decided to try to walk out of the city to the east, and got to the on-ramp at the Crescent Connection bridge, where they were met by Gretna, La., police with shotguns. "They told us the bridge was closed to foot traffic," Scheer said. "Some locals had joined us and became extremely unruly, threatening to rush the officers. They fired their shotguns into the air."

The Scheers and the three other couples began walking to the west down a highway, where they flagged down two locals in a pickup who offered to drive them to a shelter about 12 miles away in Kenner, La., to meet Scheer's cousin.

"Bottom line, we're in the back of the pickup, riding like hell through the rain," Scheer said. "They didn't want anything, but we forced several hundred dollars on them. Those guys saved our ***."

 

[wvrevy]

Never expected to have any post of mine confirmed by the Washington Times...lol

 

[arminnie]

I've been watching WWL streaming on the internet and personally heard that police chief in Gretna make that statement about blocking those trying to get in. That is a fact.

I know of three families that stayed for Katrina. One was airlifted with her husband by helicopter from a hospital - I don't know which one as I only got a very short email and haven't heard from her again.

Another sent an even shorter email saying that they stayed for the storm and left on Wed. - how can she leave me hanging like that? They are safe in Houston.

The third one I talked to - they lived near the intersection of Napoleon and St. Charles - near Tipatina's if any of you are familiar with Tip's. They stayed through the storm.

Tuesday pm about 11:30 they got a phone call from a friend in Baton Rouge saying that if that the water was rising and the last bridge was going to be closed. I don't know how they still had phone service.

Some shingles had broken the windshield of their new car but they had not sold the old one yet (they usually only keep 1 car even though they have 4 drivers). About 1 am they left and drove to Baton Rouge where they stayed with the friend who had called them - along with 20 others. I have no idea what route they took - obviously not I-10.

These people are all middle to upper middle class. I truly do believe that the poor were the victims here.

The poor were mired in HIDEOUS circumstances while those more affluent seemed to have little difficulty leaving - even on Wednesday.

 

[Bunch24]

These people are all middle to upper middle class. I truly do believe that the poor were the victims here.

The poor were mired in HIDEOUS circumstances while those more affluent seemed to have little difficulty leaving - even on Wednesday.

I agree, and I think Mayor Nagin should be held accountable, because it's HIS responsibility to see to the people that had no means of evacuation.

 

[poohandwendy]

Never expected to have any post of mine confirmed by the Washington Times...lol

The fact that some info in the second story can be confirmed does not prove that the entire account is factual. (not that you are even saying that) I just do not think the second story seems to be anything but biased. That makes me suspicious of the intent of the writer and how much they could be embellishing the truth to fit an agenda.

I have no doubt though, that there were horrible conditions and that people were not treated the way they should have been during this crisis.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

I'll bet money that this account is a hoax. There are just as many points throughout the story that are contradictory or defy logic.

What's the source for this, wvrevy? (and no, I'm not accusing you of the hoax,I'm just interested to see where it came from).

There are going to be a lot of urban legends that will spring up, just like 9/11. The truth is horrible enough. It doesn't need embelishing.

I read about the same story in my local newspaper. One of the tourists was interviewed herself.