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NO death toll could be > 10K |
2005-09-02 |
BATON ROUGE, United States (AFP) - US Senator David Vitter said that the death toll from Hurricane Katrina could top 10,000 in Louisiana alone. "My guess is that it will start at 10,000, but that is only a guess," Vitter said, adding that he was not basing his remarks on any official death toll or body count. Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, also called for the immediate deployment of regular US combat troops in New Orleans, saying the build-up of National Guard troops was too slow to quickly restore order. Such a step would require Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco to formally request the dispatch of federal army soldiers, a highly unusual step. Blanco said on Thursday that she had asked for 40,000 troops, the majority of which are National Guard units from Louisiana and elsewhere. Five-thousand National Guard troops are expected to be on the ground in violence-wracked New Orleans by late Friday, military leaders said. But Vitter said that timeline could be too slow, amid reports that bands of armed men are roaming the streets in the city, which is 80 percent submerged in floods brought in by a storm tide after the hurricane hit on Monday. Vitter, speaking to reporters at the emergency response center in Baton Rouge, also said he gave the federal government a grade 'F' for its response to the disaster so far. |
Posted by:Steve White |
#8 Urban renewal and get rid of the gang-banger bastards all at once: MOAB the area. They want to act like its Fallujah, then they get treated like its fallujah. |
Posted by: Not2Extreme 2005-09-02 18:04 |
#7 New Orleans Bravest in 'Bad Shape' Firehouse.Com News has been able to contact a New Orleans firefighter for two brief conversations. Other then his POV, this firefighter has lost everything he owns including his home located in the flooded area of the city. He says the fire department is in bad shape right now. Many of the firefighters, both off and on duty, are missing and there is no real accountability system. The fire department has pulled out of New Orleans and retreated to the suburbs of Algiers across the Mississippi where they are under the protection of armed National Guardsmen and many of the firefighters are carrying guns themselves. Many of the firefighters have had their lives threatened by armed civilians while they were battling fires and trying to assist them. At the Bourbon and Canal Streets fire, they were looting the buildings directly adjacent to the fire building and with no regard to the work going on there. He is carrying both of his handguns. Last night, a staff meeting was held to discuss the fact that additional armed forces were coming into the city to try and restore order and then theyâll be going back to work. Right now, they are letting whatever catches fire to burn as it is too dangerous to work. CNN television broadcasts were showing a burning building in the business district of the city Friday morning with no fire suppression. Additionally they reported a large warehouse fire across the river that was not receiving any suppression either. Many of the firefighters have been victims of violence on the streets from civilians and they were in extreme danger it seems. At the same time, it seems that none of them have been injured, but without accountability, itâs really unknown. At least 75 percent of the departmentâs members have lost their homes, but itâs really too early to see the exact numbers. New Orleans Cop Paints Terrible Picture A disturbing story on CNN.com reported on a New Orleans police officer who left the city out of desparation. The New Orleans police sergeant compared the situation to Somalia and said officers were outnumbered and outgunned by gangs in trucks. "It's a war zone, and they're not treating it like one," he said, referring to the federal government. The officer hitched a ride to Baton Rouge Friday morning, after working 60 hours straight in the flooded city. He has not decided whether he will return. He broke down in tears when he described the deaths of his fellow officers, saying many had drowned doing their jobs. Other officers have turned in their badges as the situation continues to deteriorate. In one incident, the sergeant said gunmen fired rifles and AK-47s at the helicopters flying overhead. He said he saw bodies riddled with bullet holes, and the top of one man's head completely shot off. |
Posted by: tu3031 2005-09-02 17:11 |
#6 DU comes through with the compassion (NOT!) via LGF:
You're welcome, you self-involved cunt. Hope you die real soon. Jeezuz H. Keerist... |
Posted by: mojo 2005-09-02 17:03 |
#5 These are people who have lived their entire lives on welfare and govt. handouts, it doesn't seem likely that they will grab the bull by the horns and help themselves now, does it? As for the bands of bad men roaming the streets, kill one or two and I'll bet you a dollar that they never come back to your neighborhood. Bad men are notoriously cowardly when it comes to their own safety. |
Posted by: Snolulet Theath4701 2005-09-02 16:16 |
#4 And I wonder if the reports of armed men roaming the streets of NO are locals trying to restore some semblense of order or looters on the prowl or both. How about both at the same time? New Orleans is gangland USA, so it may depent of which neighborhood they are drifting through. |
Posted by: Secret Master 2005-09-02 14:18 |
#3 Too often a lot people really don't have an idea of just what the Federal Government can and cannot do in responding to such a situation. If the Gov needs to formally request for Federal troops then she should get off her high horse and do so. But in retrospect I to would give teh Federal Government in the form of FEMA an F for poor planning. But at the same time I suspect it was one of those situations that we knew on an intelectual level could happen but on a gut level we assumed never would. And for all the talk of this is the worst natural disastar to hit the US. Wrong. The worst was the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918/19 And I wonder if the reports of armed men roaming the streets of NO are locals trying to restore some semblense of order or looters on the prowl or both. |
Posted by: Cheaderhead 2005-09-02 14:12 |
#2 Wonder how many of them will be never to be solved homicides? And here's more good news: Big Oil Spill Spotted Near Tanks on Miss. |
Posted by: tu3031 2005-09-02 13:53 |
#1 So... ".... Such a step would require Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco to formally request the dispatch of federal army soldiers, a highly unusual step. Blanco said on Thursday that she had asked for 40,000 troops, the majority of which are National Guard units from Louisiana and elsewhere. Five-thousand National Guard troops are expected to be on the ground in violence-wracked New Orleans by late Friday, military leaders said...." "...Vitter, speaking to reporters at the emergency response center in Baton Rouge, also said he gave the federal government a grade 'F' for its response to the disaster so far...." Anyone else see a contradiction here? |
Posted by: Phil Fraering 2005-09-02 13:52 |