Katrina Notes...

Just my miss mash of what I've heard and seen, starting with rumors that have come my way. First of all, it's worth looking at our friend John's comment on KW's long post about Katrina looters. Here's what grabbed my attention.

First, as said before, one of my best friends in this world, Phillip Olivier Jr, lives in New Orleans and is a proud member of the National Guard. He has been stationed at the Superdome since Sunday afternoon. He has had perfect cell phone reception and has only turned it on to update his parents. He has confirmed everything on the news and says it is, "ungodly" and "should never be seen on US soil." He went on to say that as a member of the NG, with the possibility to be shipped to Iraq, "nothing I could ever see over there can compare to the nastiness, attitudes, filth, stench, and hopelessness that surrounds this city." Everyone pray for these guardsman. They didnt even have the chance to evacuate or protect their belongings. Phil's car was on base by the water. He lives in a basement apartment in downtown N.O. He has just lost everything he owns except his uniform and most importantly his life. My prayers are with everyone there and I hope yours are too.

You have to commend those guardsmen, who are being lost in the politics that are being played. They are wonderful, and it would be far worse without them. And this guy has lost everything, too, just like the people he is protecting. And... he has a working cell phone? With a perfect signal? I had no idea they were working. I just hope he's been able to conserve his battery. Note that this comment was left several days ago.

One person I know who is heavily involved with Emergency Management said that this would have never happened under previous FEMA leaders. There are people nationwide who should have been called to help, who do EM for a living, and were not. He thinks Brown & co. will resign for personal reasons very soon, which I don't take as too surprising. Just another report that there is something seriously wrong with FEMA. Like we needed it. He was right in saying that we'll just dump the tainted water back into the lake, and also believes New Orleans will become more like Vegas - just a tourist site with a few hundred thousand locals around.

Also, a friend has told me that they finally heard from some of her friends in New Orleans, and they did see at least two people shot dead. I wonder how many people will have died from incidents other than weather related - are the media exaggerating, or could it be worse than even they report? Certainly an unsubstantiated report.

Google has an incredible feature included on their Maps page, having included new pictures of Katrina alongside old satellite photos. Look around and find where the levees broke, and compare new images to the older ones. It looks like the French Quarter was largely spared, meaning Mardi Gras should take place next year, to great fanfare (and another GGW video, which they will probably play up).

Those pictures don't have the detail that is featured at the http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/KATRINA0000.HTM>NOAA site. There seem to be over 1,000 pictures, and I'm amazed that the details are so vivid.