Reply #3: We Don't See the People in the Rafters

[JPZenger]

One refugee said that we see the people on top of their roofs from helicopters. What we don't see in the media is the many people who have climbed into the rafters and attics of their homes to get away from floodwaters, and who haven't been able to break through the roofs.
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Part of the problem is that New Orleans has been sinking over the years, because it was built on a swamp that is compacting over time. Also, the coast around New Orleans has been disappearing - reducing the city's protection from storms. Large wetland areas between the City and Gulf have disappeared over the last 80 years.

New Orleans is about 70% Black. There was massive White flight from the City in the last couple decades. As a result, the Whites live in better drained areas outside of the City. Most of the minorities lived in the lowest lying parts of the City. The county that includes New Orleans has the 7th highest poverty rate in the country.

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I talked to a mid-level officer in the National Guard last night. He is waiting for the phone call to go, but hasn't received any word. He was extremely angry about the response. He said that the President should have immediately federalized all the National Guard units in the surrounding states. He said there is no excuse for not having enough food and water on the ground - with the military's heavy duty Chinook helicopters and the C-5A military transports - which are some of the largest planes in the world.

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I got very angry listening to an interview yesterday afternoon on NPR with Homeland Secretary Chertoff. Chertoff was giving happyspeak about everything going fine. He said there were 2,400 National Guard in New Orleans (which is also about the same number of Louisiana National Guard that are in Iraq). He said that there was sufficient security on the ground in New Orleans. The NPR anchorman then laid into him.

NPR had just helped break the story about the thousands of people at the Convention Center who had NO food, no water, no medical care and no security. A 10 year old girl had been raped. People had been told to go there. Chertoff said he wouldn't respond to "rumors." The anchorman said, this isn't a rumor - two of our reporters were just there, and they are still on the phone line. He said these are reporters who not only covered previous hurricanes, but have covered wars.

www.npr.org

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Meanwhile, yesterday, Rush Limbaugh blamed the problems on political corruption in New Orleans politics. In response to claims that wetlands destruction and global warming worsened the crisis, Limbaugh said "We couldn't destroy the environment if we wanted too." Meanwhile, Michael Savage yesterday was wondering where the people of New Orleans are going to get their illegal drugs.