24,000 Evacuated in 24-Hours from Superdome
By: Lance Winslow
Before we criticize our own Team USA we ought to look at the Herculean efforts of the Evacuation Teams and Volunteers. They have just completed the evacuation of at least 24,000 people in 24-Hours. Not any twenty-four thousand people, we are talking about 24,000 folks who were dehydrated, rowdy, sick and not exactly in the best of physical shape after this long ordeal of 5-days. Think about this for a second. It took nearly 18-hours for the entire storm to pass over, the roof of the Dome Blew off in spots, they were fatigued and sacred. Little water and no bathrooms and that was after only the first 5-6 hours before the storm had even passed them.
The come out to take a look and get fresh air and see the streets are flooded, hear stories of even more devastation than was done. Wonder if they will live or die; wonder if they even have a home left. Do not have communication with loved ones and see smoke in the distance as if the city is burning to the ground or perhaps the roof top water lines? They hear of horrible tales, riots, shooting and wonder of loved ones.
The Mayor of the City screams “help” into the Radio Am station, while rescue efforts get delayed due to power outage on a pitch-black night. The next day the submerging event occurs. They need supplies in to the Super Dome while looters go fishing for themselves, shoot at police as some police join the ad hoc shoppers for some free stuff on a shopping spree dream; take whatever you can carry.
The rescue helicopters have limited fuel and have to fly to get more. They concentrate on drowning people who failed to evacuate first, before delivering supplies to those in the dome and other shelters. Food and supplies are blocked due to the road closures, there is only one way in from the West, but as they approach town the road is submerged into the city. New Orleans is basically an island in a bowl of soup now. The Mighty Superdome is now a damaged fragile lily pad in a see of sewage, rotting bodies and submerged automobiles.
Who should we blame for all this? Well before you start blaming FEMA or the commander in chief, why not blame those who did not head the warnings, continued to build a city under sea level in the middle of a 350-mile levee system which had its last large scale upgrade in 1965? And if that is not good enough for you, why not blame Hurricane Katrina and her Mother “Nature,” think on this.
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