This May Be A Silly Question..

[Feralpeg]

If reporters can fly in an out of NO with no problem and they have big helicopters flying around rescuing people, why can't they drop some pallets of water and MREs to those people at the convention center that are dying of thirst and hunger? Why can't they drop some Portable toilets? Why can't they drop leaflets telling the people what is going on? We did that in Iraq. I'm confused? It seems like their are two many chiefs on this and no real direction.

 

[pixiedust23]

My dad was asking the same question a couple days ago. I look at it like this. They can barely control the people there right now. Imagine if you started dropping lifelines down there. It would be mass chaos with people killing each other to get to that food and water. I read an article where a brother shot his sister in the head to get the water she had. People are in complete survival mode down there and so extreme precautions need to be taken. Also why would they drop leaflets of paper onto a flooded area? They papers will be wet and unreadable and only cause more mess. As for dropping portable toilets those things are rather large. You would pretty much have to place it down on teh ground and can you imagine the people that would be jumping to try to get on that helicopter when you got close to the ground.

I have to assume its like in Titanic. If the lifeboats went back for more people it would have been chaos and the people in the water would have done aything to get on those boats.

 

[Marseeya]

Another thing my DH and I were wondering last night. Who's protecting the journalists and camera crews while they're on the ground? YOu know they've got to have transportation, phones, and water for themselves, so what's stopping people from overtaking them?

 

[Jennasis]

The choppers used to film are in NO WAY capable of carrying supplies. Most of them are two-seaters, or occassionally have a back seat. As a former chopper photog, I will tell you that there is NO WAY those helicopters could do more than fly around and take pictures.

As far as the crews on the ground...I fear for their safety. Most are held up in the same places that the people are (the airport, the superdomw, the rooftop of the police station). They are very much in danger of being mugged like anyone who has any supplies.

 

[Free4Life11]

It's not a silly question and it's been asked over and over and over. I've been told the problem is "logistics," but I don't buy it.

 

[pixiedust23]

It's not a silly question and it's been asked over and over and over. I've been told the problem is "logistics," but I don't buy it.

Ok this statement kind of angered me. Clearly people are doing all they can to help the residents of NO/LA. But there is no need to endager more lives, to create more chaos, etc. Do you honestly think the red cross would stand by and let those people starve and die of thirst if it could be easily prevented?

 

[HappyMommy2]

Here's the issue though--as risky as it would be to do food/water drops, people--particularly kids and the elderly--are beginning to DIE NOW of dehydration, and illness will set in soon. I was watching an interview with a doctor this morning who was saying that soon people in their desperation will begin drinking the floodwaters and you can guess what will happen then. If on-the-ground security doesn't arrive pretty much immediately, you have to think the risk of stampedes or of helicopters crashing is outweighed by the risk that ALL those people will die of dehydration and disease soon!
My DH (active duty military pilot) was outright yelling at the TV last night when he got home from work, almost in tears himself, saying, "We do drops in Iraq, Afghanistan, places like that ALL THE TIME amid sniper fire and with the risk of people stampeding--why can't we take the risk and do it here?!" Obviously we are armchair quarterbacks but why can't (as DH thinks) they take 10 helicopters in one right after the other and drop such a huge amount of supplies that everyone will see there is plenty of food and water and the stampeding will be at least minimized?

 

[JimB.]

Who's protecting the journalists and camera crews while they're on the ground?

A news crew I saw on Tv last night (don't remember which network) stated they had hired armed security people to go with them...................

 

[ducklite]

Another thing my DH and I were wondering last night. Who's protecting the journalists and camera crews while they're on the ground? YOu know they've got to have transportation, phones, and water for themselves, so what's stopping people from overtaking them?

They bring in everything they need to work, including a professional armed security team. One of teh reporters was talking about this last night, saying it was the first time on American soil that they've ever needed the protection of an armed security team to report on news. How sad. Wonder how Haliburton stock is doing...

Anne

 

[Rajah]

They bring in everything they need to work, including a professional armed security team. One of teh reporters was talking about this last night, saying it was the first time on American soil that they've ever needed the protection of an armed security team to report on news. How sad. Wonder how Haliburton stock is doing...

Anne

Wow.