hurricane katrina: the european reaction??

[igor]

Of course the USA has our sympathy. We can't stand Bush, but many US-Americans seem to hate him too. We don't have any hard feelings against the population. This whole disaster is shocking, especially when we witness on TV how little has been done to help the people in Louisiana. It does seem to be a racist thing.

[WhiteOx]

Originally posted by BIGBLUE@Sep 5 2005, 04:30 AM

Im not sure if this was mentioned in this thread already, but the day it was announced that the levy was broken a rumor circulated that President Bush himself may have orchestrated the destruction of the levy. Possibly for the purpose of having yet another national crisis to have handled under his appointment. Like in the events of 911 the knowledge of a potential dissaster was slept on and could have prevented the loss of many lives. I dont know about you guys but for a guy who's father is and brother are political pirates I wouldnt put it past him.

 

 

So as tycoon with a large stake in the oil business there is evidence of a monitary gain. Now as soon as you see "haliburton industries" as the primary contractor in charge of the rebuild, Impeach the president !!

 

 

 

<~~~yankee

Quoted post

 

Bullshit conspiracy theory # 534687432168476121654648

[bodice_ripper]

Most people I've spoken to were more horrified by how poor New Orleans is. I don't think anyone here imagines there are people that poor in the US.....

[Scarekroe]

Originally posted by Old Growth+Sep 4 2005, 10:19 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Old Growth - Sep 4 2005, 10:19 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Scarekroe@Sep 5 2005, 01:21 AM

They should've had 10,000+ National Guardsmen, Reservists, and Active Duty soldiers there on the spot as if they were going to war.

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Good plan, except they're all in Iraq.

Quoted post

[/b]

 

40% of the National Guard is in Iraq. We have that 60% as a source to pull from to head to New Orleans.

[Guest Melburnian]

I'm a bit shocked the government didn't organise buses before the hurricane struck for the poor and disabled that couldnt make it out on there own. Bush is a dick. The whole world knows this.

[CACashRefund]

Britons describe hurricane ordeal

Britons returning from New Orleans have described the horrifying conditions there.

 

Many were among the thousands who took refuge in the Superdome stadium from the floods that engulfed the city following Hurricane Katrina.

 

JENNY SACHS

 

Jenny Sachs, of Sheffield, told how soldiers had to smuggle her out of the Superdome in secret.

 

She was one of about 30 Britons who, realising they could not escape the city, had fled to the stadium for shelter.

 

The military got us out, which we were all thankful for

Jenny Sachs

 

"It has hit me more now I am at home, when you can have clean water, how bad it was," she said.

 

She said people had been raped and that others were beaten up.

 

"A guy was brought in who had seven stab wounds and was covered in blood."

 

The military told all non-US citizens to stay together for safety, Ms Sachs added.

 

They later told them they would be secretly smuggled out in groups of 10 under cover of darkness as it had become too dangerous for them to remain in the stadium, she told BBC News.

 

"When we were leaving, people were going 'Where are you going?' and giving us looks.

 

"But the military got us out, which we were all thankful for."

 

GED, SANDRA AND RONAN SCOTT

 

After looters had broken into New Orleans' Ramada Hotel, bus driver Ged Scott, 36, of Liverpool - stranded with his wife Sandra, 37, and their seven-year-old son, Ronan - had waded waist-deep through the filthy water to barricade the hotel's doors, he told BBC News.

 

I could see bodies floating in the water

Ged Scott

 

"It was like wading through an open sewer.

 

"It reeked to high heaven and made you want to vomit.

 

"Outside I could see bodies floating in the water."

 

Mr Scott told BBC News he had ripped wires attached to speakers from the walls of the flooded hotel bar and tied tables and chairs together as makeshift barricades.

 

Hotel guests had already managed to chase one group of looters from the building, he added.

 

They had then taken turns patrolling the hotel's corridors with a torch, Mr Scott told BBC News.

 

MIKE BROCKEN

 

Radio Merseyside presenter Mike Brocken, from Chester, was on holiday in New Orleans with his wife and teenage daughter when the hurricane hit.

 

The family stayed in the hotel for the first few days and then decided to move to the Superdome, as looting was becoming widespread in the city.

 

I approached two members of the National Guard and they said to stay outside because they knew it was hell in there

Mike Brocken

 

"The situation was becoming more and more dangerous all the time - it was horrific really and by Wednesday dinnertime our hotel had run out of diesel for its generator so everything was closing down."

 

"We were going to go inside the Superdome. I approached two members of the National Guard and they said to stay outside because they knew it was hell in there."

 

Mr Brocken said members of the National Guard took him and his family "under their wing" and saw that they were placed in the baseball stadium.

 

"Everyone talks about the National Guard in rather derogatory ways historically, but I've got to say that but for them, and one man in particular, I may well have lost my family."

 

CHARLOTTE AND REBECCA SCOTT

 

Charlotte Scott, 19, from Reading, and her sister Rebecca, 20, were met by their parents at Gatwick after being evacuated from the Superdome.

 

Charlotte said: "Conditions in there were just horrible for anyone and everyone; most people just wanted to survive.

 

"The smell was horrendous. You just wanted to throw up the whole time.

 

"Throughout the three days we just grouped together because none of us knew what we were in for. I saw a couple of people getting taken away by the Army and others were getting angry.

 

JAMIE TROUT

 

Jamie Trout, 22, of Sunderland, told BBC News the five "horrific" days he and his two female friends had spent in the Superdome, before being freed by the US National Guard, had been "like something out of Lord of the Flies".

 

"It was very dangerous - rioting, looting of vending machines, racial abuse, absolutely terrible sanitary conditions."

 

They had been "intimidated by large groups of men" and, Mr Trout added, he had feared he would be killed.

 

The girls were terrified to go to the toilet

Jamie Trout

 

The group had heard a child had been raped and found in the toilets with a broken neck, Mr Trout told BBC News.

 

"That was a really hard time. It made us all feel sick.

 

"The girls were terrified to go to the toilet.

 

The group had called the British embassy in Washington from a mobile phone, Mr Trout added.

 

But embassy staff had told them to contact the British consulate in New Orleans

 

When they had pointed out it was "15ft under water", the embassy staff had simply repeated they should contact the consulate, Mr Trout told BBC News.

 

"That was obviously very difficult to take."

 

ED WHITAKER

 

Ed Whitaker, 22, of Bristol said: "It was hell on Earth.

 

"The last couple of days in the dome became completely chaotic and it was too dangerous to even queue for food.

 

"There were National Guard soldiers there giving a couple of items out a day - but we ended up giving up.

 

"Once the power and water went then everything got messed up."

 

WILL NELSON

 

Will Nelson, 21, who spent five days in the stadium where up to 30,000 people took shelter from rising flood-water, described the situation as "chaos".

 

He said the atmosphere was "desperate" and "everyone was running out of food".

 

Mr Nelson told BBC News there were rumours of rapes and stabbings amidst the thousands packed into the stadium, as well as suicides.

 

 

 

The Loughborough University graduate, who had been travelling in the US after working in Camp America, said: "There were mothers with their children lying in corridors in filth and the toilets and water stopped working.

 

"The smell was disgusting and there were old people just sitting down in the road as well as the sick."

 

He had been staying in a hostel in the city when he was told to evacuate to the stadium as Hurricane Katrina swept in from the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Foreign travellers in the Superdome had herded together for safety, after warnings from US air force personnel.

 

"There were 40 or 50 of us. The lads were on the outside and the girls were on the inside and we just made sure that we didn't leave any of our bags."

 

ADAM FRIEND

 

Adam Friend, 21, of Exeter, ended up in the stadium after being unable to evacuate the city before the storm.

 

 

 

Speaking from Dallas, Texas, he BBC News: "Me and my friend were touring America. We couldn't get out of New Orleans. Everything closed down on Saturday so we were stuck.

 

"We went to the Superdome to get some shelter and all hell broke loose in there. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through what we've had to go through in there."

 

PETER HENRY

 

Peter Henry, 20, who had also been in New Orleans after working in Camp America, also described appalling conditions.

 

"One of the girls had to help with a victim who got stabbed several times, which brought her quite close to breaking point," he said.

 

"By Tuesday night you heard of some suicides, people had jumped from balconies, or people being pushed, there were all sorts of rumours flying around. I honestly didn't think I was going to wake up on Wednesday morning."

 

He said the international travellers did what they could to help others, such as fanning people with bits of cardboard, helping sweep up blood or holding fluid bags for the infirm.

 

I saw between 50 and 100 people fighting over a bottle of Coca Cola

Peter Henry

 

Nevertheless, the travellers, had been "threatened and harassed" by some of the locals in the Superdome, Mr Henry told BBC News.

 

"We had stuff chucked at us - but I still felt very sorry for them."

 

Rioting and looting had broken out when food supplies had run out, Mr Henry added.

 

"People were smashing drinks machines with chair legs.

 

"I saw between 50 and 100 people fighting over a bottle of Coca Cola.

 

They had nothing and were not scared of being arrested.

 

"They just wanted food and water for their children."

 

Mr Henry left on Friday and was bussed to Dallas, Texas, where he was met by his father Wayne, who had flown over from the UK to try and find his son.

 

source

[Pfffffffffft]

^^

 

wow..

 

good read.

 

reading stories like that make you realize how savage people are.

[isor357]

i would love to poop on the front steps to the white house

[GnomeToys]

I would love to poop down the back steps of Bush's throat.

[SF1]

Originally posted by Pfffffffffft+Sep 5 2005, 05:49 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Pfffffffffft - Sep 5 2005, 05:49 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-Scarekroe@Sep 5 2005, 12:21 AM

yeah and I heard of all people, FIDEL CASTRO wanted to send several doctors to the area. Bush should just allow them. Swallow some pride and let other countries help -- it'll help with relations.

 

 

Quoted post

 

 

yeah 1,600 doctors specialized in disaster situations..

 

WTF?? get off your high horse!!

 

how do you expect the israelis and the palestinians to make peace when

you wont even except doctors when offered...

 

this just shows the stubborness of bush

 

Quoted post

[/b]

 

I'm not convinced Castro is the dickhead they make him out to be.

He's been trying to squash the beef for mad long.

[SF1]

Originally posted by Melburnian@Sep 5 2005, 09:00 AM

I'm a bit shocked the government didn't organise buses before the hurricane struck for the poor and disabled that couldnt make it out on there own.

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I'm not shocked at all.

[master bait]

I don't think most european people know much about the race issues in america. I've been going out drinking since thursday so I haven't followed news so much but people seem not to care so much, the hurricane gets some news coverage but it haven't got the big headlines.

as I said, most peeps don't realize the racial issues, or how the media covers these things over there, how racism/classism actually appears in the society etc. it's not on the news here, I read it from 12oz and saw kanye west and mike myers on MTV.

I read the hurricane thread last sunday and I'm surprized by the details that have been posted. It's a tragedy, and it makes me wonder why media hasn't mentioned these things here at all. The racial aspect is totally ignored in the media.

 

In case you were wondering,

Most of the people here dislike bush or just hate him. My mom has called him a madman several times and yelled at the television during his speeches. She also wanted to bomb palestinians to death when they cheered during 9-11 and she didn't even notice the fuck-bush bandwagon that was very fashionable a couple years ago. I'm sure this is how most people feel today. We usually don't bash USA as a nation or people. Lot's of people are just fed up with the hypocrite ways of your government and all the easily manipulated individuals sitting on their computers, being pro-war with some donuts and a pepsi. Reality is different than your opinions of it. So I guess the racial stuff never gets much coverage because it's not so relevant in some european countries and it's rather difficult to explain the situation in the media and wouldn't sell. But I'm not sure.

[!@#$%]

i've been watching BBC coverage of katrina, and take my word for it

THEY [europeans] KNOW ABOUT THE RACISM

 

one BBC reporter onsite even pointed out that

white cops with guns are standing around

as poor black people die right before their eyes

and no one was doing anything about it

 

it has been a major news story in europe and around the world.

there has been a TON of aid offers (japan, canada, britain, france, venezuela etc) that Bush turned down in the early days of the 'response'

 

twop members of Spain's parliament were trapped in the superdome

and talked about how disgusted they were with the deplorable conditions and lack opf response.

[shameless self promotion]

Ok, so alittle off topic, but..

 

What about the alligators that are known to inhabit these areas? Are they feeding on bodies, making their way around the city, and has anyone been bitten?

I was just wondering about that on my way to work today as I listened to the radio.

[Joker]

If you ask me, Bush should have been impeached during his first term. This second one has proved that even more.

 

Hell, Clinton was impeached for getting head from a fat girl. Isn't what Bush has done, or hasn't done in this case, much worse?

[!@#$%]

i hear, apparently the alligators were a problem

i don't know about details, or bites

but i did see people rescuing two dolphins from a second floor hotel room

by putting them on stretchers and carrying them down to the hotel pool

i can only assume rushing water put them there, the water receded

and the dolphins were stuck

 

as far as impeachment, i couldn't agree more

if anything at all that is postive comes out of this

it will be a harsh examination of homeland 'security' and preparedness

(talk about wasted money and hot air)

and the realization that we are governed by idiots

[Guest imported_Tesseract]

If this was happenning here, we'd be having elections tommorow morning.

[Weapon X]

symbols is right. all you gotta do is watch bbc to see how much the racism issue is being played in Europe.

 

And, man, a lot of white boys around here been saying "fuck them niggers".

[RumPuncher]

racism is alive and well all over europe.

 

muslims in france

muslims in brittan

jews in france

gypsies all over europe

Russia and Chechnya

 

etc etc etc etc etc etc +++++

[Guest imported_Tesseract]

You're not quite right on this one sir,

Of course there's racism in Europe aswell but not in that

scale and simpleness. In the dumb cases it applies it has to do with immigrants and the problems that come together. Turks in Germany, Albanians in Italy/greece, Algerians in spain, etc etc. The whole Muslim story relates more with 9/11, terror and the way america chose to deal with it, affecting everyone.

Jews in france are like jews in america, like jews everywhere but antisemitism is whole different case to fit here. Russia and chechnya are like israel and palestine, again a much more complex/uncomparable problem.

To make this short, the face america is showing these days towards black people is nothing you'd find anywhere in Europe.

[villain]

I think since we have so many more remote areas in the US it's easier for people to be backwards and stay backwards. Racism is ignorance.

[Guest imported_Tesseract]

You're right about that. Still would you concider the New Orleans as one of those places?

[leftandleaving]

There's a million things I'd like to say about what I think about the whole complete lack of a response to or plan to deal with this, considering that every news broadcast before the storm talked about how the levee system was going to break. Its just plain ridiculous.

 

One thing no-one's mentioned on this thread that I find interesting is that a large part of what caused the disaster in the first place was the use of levee systems and similar things. The thing is Louisiana used to have a natural defence against hurricanes which was the miles and miles of swampland along its coast which prevented the storms from moving inland. All the levee's and things like that over there are causing this swampland to disappear at a rate of roughly one football field per day. So this is a classic example of what happens when people try to change the natural environment to suit their purposes.

[RumPuncher]

yes tesseract... I was giving VERY genreralized example.

I know every story is way kmore involved, but I didn't want to get into it.

 

^ doesn't like gypsies